Volume LXXXIX, No. 9 • May 4, 2017 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF SANTO TOMAS Manila, Philippines
Bioethicist warns against growing ‘contraceptive mentality’ A BIOETHICIST has warned about the harmful effects of a “contraceptive mentality” on human health and society, amid Western pressure on developing countries to allow widespread use of birth control to stem population growth. “For me, using contraceptives as a way to restrict population can instill a contraceptive mentality and may actually be detrimental for
the country in the long term,” said Dr. Patrick Moral, head of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Bioethics Department, in an interview with the Varsitarian. “Once we view having a big family as a problem, we now develop a contraceptive mentality. The concept now is that if you have more kids, you have more mouths to feed,” he
added. In countries like Japan and Korea, the problem has manifested in the social phenomenon called “Double Income, No Children” or DINC. DINC is a coined term used to describe a group of professional couples who have higher disposable incomes but do not have
children. The solution of the Korean and Japanese governments was to give incentives to couples to have children. But the efforts were unsuccessful. In 2002, 1,156,000 babies were born in Japan, 15,000 fewer than in 2001, when the Contraceptives PAGE 9
TOP STUDENT COUNCIL BETS JUNKED Abstain votes blamed on poor debate performance DISSATISFACTION with the quality of candidates, especially with their answers to debate questions on issues such as tuition hikes and martial law, forced Thomasians to abstain from voting in four out of six posts in the Central Student Council (CSC), election observers said. Dennis Coronacion, chairman of the UST political science department, said Thomasians did not know the candidates very well and most voted based on the controversial statements of the candidates. “I guess the voters did not know well their candidates. The voters didn’t choose any candidate because they don’t have any good knowledge about the latter. The students only got to know them when the debate became controversial because of the martial law question,” Coronacion told the Varsitarian. The official proclamation of the new CSC Executive Board officers at the Tan Yan Kee lobby revealed that majority of students voted for “abstain” in the positions of president, vice president, treasurer and auditor. Only independent candidates Therese Ann Gorospe and Francis Santos won, as secretary and public relations officer (PRO), respectively. Ysa Marasigan, outgoing president of the Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council, echoed Coronacion: “A big factor was also the response of the candidates regarding national issues like martial law.” Vice-presidential bets Gabriela Sepulchre (Lakas Tomasino Coalition or LTC) and Renz Santiago (Lakas ng Diwang Tomasino) came under fire on social media after their poor responses to a debate question about martial law. LTC standard-bearer Steven Grecia drew flak after expressing his support for a “justifiable” tuition hike. For Faye de Leon, an English language studies sophomore, the candidates failed to provide concrete UNEXPECTED. Lone presidential bet Steven Grecia of Lakas Tomasino Coalition in tears after the proclamation of results of the Central Student Council elections last April 22. DEEJAE S. DUMLAO
‘Tokhang, dapat na ring talakayin sa panitikan’ MAK ABULUHAN ang ambag ng panitikan sa pagpapalawak at pagpapalalim ng talakayan hinggil sa mga mga kaso ng pagpatay sa ilalim ng administrasyon ng Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, bukod sa pagbabalita ng mga ito sa midya. Ito ang mensahe ng ilang mga kilalang manunulat sa isang talakayang pinamagatang, “Ang Panitikan sa Panahon ng Tokhang,” na idinaos noong ika-29 ng Abril sa Ateneo de Manila sa pamumuno ng Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas. Binigyang-diin ng mga tagapagsalita ang kakayahan ng panitikan na mas maipaunawa sa mga
mambabasa ang “Oplan Tokhang” sa pamamagitan ng pagsuri nito mula sa iba’t ibang punto de vista. “Sa mga bangkay, minsan [ay] mas maraming sinasabi ang mga bagay na huli nilang hinawakan nang mamatay o bago mamatay. [Halimbawa], isang supot ng pandesal, kalahating order ng ulam [o kaya naman ay] kanin,” wika ng mamamahayag na si Lourd de Veyra. Paliwanag niya, bagaman may mas malalalim na mga kuwento sa likod ng mga nasawi sa operasyon, bihira ang mga itong maisama sa paguulat ng midya at ng mga mamamahayag sapagkat
nalilimitahan sila ng mga pamantayan sa kanilang propesyon. Sinang-ayunan ito ni Joel Pablo Salud, isang Tomasinong peryodista at kuwentista. Inilahad ni Salud ang mga pagkakaiba ng mga platapormang balita at panitikan sa pagtatalakay ng mga kaso ng pagpatay sa bansa. “Kaya ako tumungo sa panitikan kasi ayaw kong mamanhid. Gusto ko [na] nararamdaman ko palagi iyong sinusulat ko,” ani Salud. Bilang manunulat ng katha, ayon kay Salud, nakapagsusulat siya ng mga akda na may kakayahang
CSC Elections PAGE 5
UST hotel follows Asean standards
pumukaw sa damdamin ng mga mambabasa, mayroon man o walang kaanak na nabiktima ng Oplan Tokhang. “As a journalist, [however], limited ka to tackle certain issues,” wika niya. Dagdag pa Salud, nalilimitahan ang mga peryodista ng ilang mga pamantayan tulad ng pagiingat sa mga detalye at sa pagsunod sa nakatakda nilang oras ng pagkalap at pagpapalaganap ng balita. “’Pag ang issue [ay] pumutok sa harap mo, diyan mo rin siya dapat labanan. Diyan mo rin siya dapat sagutin [at] diyan mo rin siya
A FULLY operational hotel-laboratory inside the University is now open to campus visitors. Hotel 1611, at the 5th floor of Buenaventura G. Paredes O.P. Alumni Center Building, had a soft opening during the Dominican retreat last October 2015 and has been fully operational since January 2016. The hotel, funded by UST and under the management of the Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) Department, is open to guests who are required to secure a year-long advanced reservation due to high demand, HRM Department Chairwoman Evangeline Timbang told the Varsitarian. “It’s not open to walk-in. Hindi pwedeng kahit sino ay pupunta [bigla]
Tokhang PAHINA 5
‘Hotel 1611’ PAGE 11