PAP President Dr. Margaret Helen Udarbe-Alvarez presents the Best Undergraduate Thesis Awards during the 2018 PAPJA Convention at the Mall of Asia on 26 January 2018. Photo by Randolph R. Reserva.

Ateneo de Davao University AB Psychology student Rey Jan Pusta placed second for Best Thesis Award, as adjudged by the Scientific Committee of the 2018 Psychological Association of the Philippines – Junior Affiliates (PAPJA).

The recognition was made during the 26 January 2018 opening session of the annual PAPJA Convention at the Mall of Asia in Manila where close to 8,000 undergraduate psychology majors from over 200 schools all over the Philippines were in attendance.

Pusta was the only solo author among the nominations for outstanding theses submitted by contending schools. His winning paper analyzed the impact of environmental education on the attitudes of Junior High School students towards environmental conservation.

Pusta’s thesis was mentored by Dr. Gail T. Ilagan and reviewed by a panel composed of Dr. Gina Lamzon, Mr. Randolph Reserva, and Mr. Teofilo Limikid.

Ateneo de Davao University President Fr. Joel E. Tabora, S.J., agreed to provide support and funding for the five teams who won during the first business pitching competition held last 2 February 2018 at the Finster Auditorium, 7/F Finster Hall.  

The event served as the culminating activity for the Ateneo de Davao Method of Innovation and Technopreneurship (ADMIT) bootcamp for faculty members.

The support would be through the University Research Council (URC) by providing research support to winners of the ADMIT bootcamp-1 following its meeting last 7 February 2018. The support provided by URC would be in the form of a research grant to validate their business ideas based on the recommendations provided by the URC.

The Happy Pig Team, which pitched the use of seaweed as an alternative to bacon, will conduct the life cycle analysis of seaweed farming in Mindanao.

Umbra SMS, a student monitoring platform for parents, will develop a prototype application to be distributed to parents for testing.

Intellibin, a smart waste disposal system, will be building their prototype for deployment on the campus.

Ato Ni Bai, a low-cost and DIY housing solution, will also be developing a prototype and test its usability to target customers.

Lastly, Greenmarket.ph, an online platform for organic-based micro-enterprises in Mindanao, will be conducting need assessment and market validation.

The ADMIT bootcamp is the first among the series of bootcamps and events organized by the School of Engineering Architecture’s TechnoHub, in partnership with the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).

Related:  SEA holds 1st pitching competition

(The following is a joint statement of all Ateneo presidents on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law)

The Ateneo presidents join the call for the immediate passage of the proposed Enhanced Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as drafted by the expanded Bangsamoro Transition Committee (BTC). This version hews closest to the genuine aspirations of Filipino Muslims and other marginalized sectors in Mindanao for lasting peace based on justice, economic growth, and social equity.

The law’s passage would provide a real and meaningful foundation for countering violent extremism and addressing the many other conflicts in Mindanao. We implore our legislators not to delay such passage any further.

We again express moral approval of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and the Expanded BTC version of the Enhanced BBL. Our Catholic faith and Jesuit tradition call us to tread the pathways taken by the Prince of Peace, daring us to embrace multi-cultural openness and inter-religious dialogue.

No doubt, the journey to peace and justice remains long and difficult. But there is light that beckons at the end of the long, dark tunnel for beloved Mindanao. What the Ateneo presidents said in a joint statement on the BBL in 2015, when the law was first brought to the Philippine Senate, bears repeating: “The establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed.”

Filipino Version

Nakikiisa ang mga pangulo ng mga pamantasang Ateneo sa Pilipinas sa panawagang isabatas agad ang mungkahing Enhanced Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) na ipinanunukala ng pinalawak na Bangsamoro Transition Committee (BTC). Ang bersyong ito ng panukalang batas ang pinakamalapit sa mga tunay na inaasam ng mga kapatid nating Filipino Muslim at iba pang mga napag-iwanang sektor sa Mindanao para sa pangmatagalang kapayapaang batay sa katarungan, paglago ng ekonomiya, at panlipunang pagkakapantay-pantay.

Mailalatag ng batas na ito ang tunay at makabuluhang pundasyon upang kontrahin ang marahas na extremismo at tugunan ang samu’t-sari pang tunggalian sa Mindanao. Sumasamo kaming huwag nang ipagpaliban pa ng ating mga mambabatas ang pagpasa ng batas na ito.

Muli naming ipinahahayag ang moral naming pagsang-ayon sa napagkasunduan nang Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, at ang Enhanced BBL na ito. Nananawagan sa amin ang aming pananampalatayang Katoliko at ang tradisyong Heswita na lakbayin ang landas na tinahak ni Hesukristong Panginoon ng Kapayapaan, na humahamon sa ating yakapin ang pagiging bukas sa sama-samang pag-iral ng iba’t ibang kultura, at ang pagdidiyalogo ng iba’t ibang relihiyon.

Tiyak na mahaba at mahirap pa ang paglalakbay na ito tungo sa pagkamit ng kapayapaan at katarungan. Ngunit nababanaagan na ang liwanag sa dulo ng mahaba’t madilim na lagusan para sa minamahal nating Mindanao. Inuulit namin ang naipahayag na noong 2015 ng mga pangulo ng mga Ateneo nang unang talakayin ang BBL sa Senado: “The establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed.” (Ang pagtatatag ng isang rehiyong tunay na awtonomus para sa mga kababayang Muslim sa Mindanao ay itinatakda ng Saligang Batas upang isulong ang katarungang panlipunan. Huwag nang patagalin pa ang pagkamit nitong katarungang panlipunan.)

ad majorem Dei gloriam,

Fr. Karel S. San Juan, S.J. (President, Ateneo de Zamboanga University)

Fr. Joel E. Tabora, S.J. (President, Ateneo de Davao University)

Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin, S.J. (President, Ateneo de Manila University)

Fr. Roberto Exequiel N. Rivera, S.J. (President, Ateneo de Naga University)

Fr. Roberto C. Yap, S.J. (President, Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan)

Social media posts and articles recently magnified an incident involving a parent and his companions and body guards, on the one hand, and our college teachers and administrators, on the other hand, pertaining to a student’s grade, without any regard for the confusion, fear, and anger the social media posts may have generated in the ADDU Community and in the public in general.

These posts have not, in any way, helped in conveying the truth but have only muddled the issue. In the arena of social media where fake news and sensationalism thrive in abundance, it is imperative for an educational institution and its community to be more vigilant in ascertaining and disseminating only what is true and rejecting what is false or misleading.

It is in this regard that we wish to CLARIFY and point out the following:

Contrary to the alleged “news” that a teacher was threatened by a parent with a gun, we categorically state that there was no gun immediately involved in this incident. Security footage has been reviewed and preliminary interviews have been conducted, all affirming that no weapon was actually used to threaten any university personnel. Schools are regarded as zones of peace and bringing weapons into a campus is strictly forbidden.

The incident, however, was nonetheless reprehensible insofar as statements were made that were clearly intended to intimidate and where no actual gun at hand was necessary to be intimidating. These statements have legal consequences the party/ies affected are currently looking into.

When a college student receives an unfavorable grade from his or her teacher, complaints from the student and/or the latter’s parents as well as requests for reconsideration of grades are inevitable. This scenario is all too common during this time of the year.

As such, there are existing procedures a student may wish to avail of in order that s/he can be heard before an appropriate body. As a matter of policy, students are expected to present their side personally before said body, as it is part of the formative aspect of an Ateneo education to train them to be self-reliant and independent young adults. Parents who intervene on their child’s behalf (no matter how noble their intentions) are often reminded of this as their intervention may only detract from the objective of teaching a child how to stand on his/her own two feet.

Nevertheless, it has become a practice for our College teachers and administrators to provide parents an opportunity to air their concerns. More often than not, a healthy dialogue takes place. We continue to welcome these opportunities to meet and talk with our students’ parents for as long as these are done in a respectful and calm manner with the aim of trying to look at what is in the best interest and welfare of the student.

Once in a while though, our teachers and administrators face extraordinary circumstances that deserve to be brought to the attention of the public — to send the message that this institution and its personnel will not cower in the face of bullies.

When a parent accompanied by relatives and body guards comes in brandishing statements like “WE ARE A FAMILY OF LAWYERS AND KILLERS!” or “WE CAN TAKE DOWN THIS SCHOOL” — these are statements the ADDU as a University can only take very seriously as they threaten the safety and security of its personnel.

All the more so when said parent is a public official who is expected to be an exemplar for the rest of society, and whose public office is not to be regarded as license to strong-arm teachers into doing what the public servant demands. Especially when said public official is also a member of the Philippine Bar where public displays of arrogant intimidation such as this one, rightfully deserve sanctions as they run contrary to their Lawyer’s Oath.

In this regard, the ADDU and its affected personnel will be taking the necessary steps and coordinating with the appropriate officials to ensure that complaints will be filed against said public official and lawyer. The ADDU is a Safe Zone not only for its students, but also for its teachers who ought to be able to teach and give out grades accordingly, free from intimidation and threats from parents or any related persons or personalities.   Parental bullying based on public office or on one’s legal profession has no place at ADDU nor in any school, public or private, in the Philippines.

(SGD) FR. JOEL E. TABORA, S.J.
March 22, 2018

[Click here for the PDF copy]

Ms. Tita Lacambra-Ayala poses for a photo prior to the interview at the Institutional Communications and Promotions Office, 3rd floor Ricci Hall, Community Center of the First Companions, Ateneo de Davao University.

Certainly, somebody like Tita Lacambra-Ayala does not need any introduction, but as the Ateneo de Davao University celebrates her achievements and contributions to Mindanao culture by presenting her with the Fr. Theodore Daigler Award for Mindanao Culture and Arts, it is only right to start with a proper introduction of this poet and visual artist.

Most people might know of Tita Ayala as the mother of iconic singer-songwriter Joey Ayala. However, one does not earn a career like hers for nothing. Together with her several books (poetry/fiction/autobiography) and her literary awards including the coveted Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature and the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas Lifetime Achievement Award, it is her pioneering work on the legendary Road Map series that sets her a class apart from many of her peers either in Davao, or elsewhere. The Road Map series—a critically acclaimed independent DIY publication printed on folded-out bookwrapping paper—has launched the careers of a lot of luminaries in Davao literature and visual arts, such as Lilia N. Lopez Chua, Lydia Ingle, and Joan Edades. What made the series special was not just its persisting revolutionary form and production method but also its thoroughgoing concern with sharing its pages among almost all manner of artist in the region.

Starting in 1981 simply with the desire to publish the poems of Lilia N. Lopez Chua, the Road Map series continues to put out works by Davao artists to this day, having reached 37 titles. The Second Generation of the series has also been newly launched, the issue containing new poems by Lilia N. Lopez Chua, which also marks a return to its roots. This spirit of innovation truly does live on and continues to provide space and inspiration for other aspiring artists in Davao City and beyond to spread their works to a larger community and, most importantly, for these same artists to build a culture fuller and more robust moment by moment—a culture that stands tall outside the traditional spheres of cultural and artistic production.

Tita Ayala’s work and drive to publish more Davao artists led her to become a long-standing editor of the Davao Harvest series, a literary anthology that features regional writers, coediting issues with other eminent literary artists such as the late Alfredo Navarro Salanga and Ricardo M. de Ungria. The Road Map series, the Davao Harvest anthologies, her own numerous books and publications—all these paved the way for Davao City to be considered nationally as one of the major hotbeds of literary-cultural activity. A lot of recognized artists and writers in the country today have come from the city and other regions of Mindanao, and more than a handful have also moved to the city from other parts of the country and continued to write with renewed vigor.

Finally, Ms. Ayala is also a co-founder of the Davao Writers Guild, the city’s main literary organization. It counts as its members several of the region and country’s foremost writers, both the young and the practiced. Among the Guild’s major activities is the Davao Writers Workshop, which sustains the Road Map series’ ethos of generosity in recognizing young talent from the Mindanao region.

The Ateneo de Davao University is pleased to present the Daigler Award to Ms. Tita Lacambra-Ayala for her enduring legacy as a literary artist and pioneer, who helped terraform the current landscape of Davao culture and arts, as well as for her embodiment of true artistic selflessness, of excellence for the sake of others—and for something larger than oneself.

Read more:

Talikala, Inc.: Drs. Jess and Trining de la Paz Award

Missionaries of Charity: Archbishop Clovis Thibault Award

Members of Talikala, Inc. pose for a photo after their interview at the Institutional Communications and Promotions Office, 3rd floor Ricci Hall, Community Center of the First Companions, Ateneo de Davao University. [L-R] Executive Director Jeanette Laurel-Ampog, Co-founder Felicidad Prieto, and Board Member Carina Sajoña.

Right there in the trenches battling for women’s rights against exploitation and trafficking is Talikala, Inc., this year’s recipient of the Drs. Jess and Trining de la Paz Award given by the Ateneo de Davao University. Run by women for women, Talikala—also the Cebuano word for “chain”—is a non-stock and non-profit social development organization that offers support, advice, training, and counseling to women and girls who have been forced into the sex trade in Davao City. The organization was founded to help these exploited women establish new lives after prostitution, empowering them to break free from the figurative chains of their literal enslavement.

Talikala, Inc. was founded on August 7, 1987 by three women of diverse backgrounds: American lay missionary Cindy O’Donnell, Filipina social worker Elizabeth O’Brien, and former night club dancer Felicidad Prieto. Originally, the group was formed to help protect the prostituted women and children in Davao City from the crisis wreaked by HIV/AIDS, but it has since grown able to respond to the challenge of totally emancipating these exploited women and children from the bondage of human trafficking and prostitution. Current executive director Ms. Jeanette Laurel-Ampog, for example, is a major voice of the opposition to the decriminalization of prostitution, asserting that only the prostitute herself has to be decriminalized, and not the profession.

Thirty years on, the organization has helped numerous women through their direct services, which include counseling and therapy. These services come to the aid of on average 200 women every year. Talikala, Inc. also offers diverse programs to serve those who seek their shelter: development of peer educators, formation of self-help organizations, peer education training on reproductive health and women’s rights, sensitivity sessions on personality enhancement/gender and stress management, skills development on alternative livelihood, counseling and therapy sessions on sexually transmitted diseases, crisis intervention and paralegal work on violence against women (VAW) cases, resource mobilization for medical and legal assistance, establishment of support groups and linkages with strategic sectors that handles VAW cases, campaigns and lobbying advocacies on women’s issues, documentation of VAW cases, and finally, information/education/communication development.

While the challenges intrinsic in Talikala’s struggle remain tremendous, the group does not consider them insurmountable. Even though, as Ms. Ampog says, that she feels real frustration at seeing all kinds of women come to them bearing the same set of problems as those who have come before them. The Talikala team instead channels these feelings of frustration and disappointment into a renewed and reinvigorated push to help even more victims of prostitution and trafficking, the least of their sisters.

Talikala, Inc. counts as part of its major successes the self-help organizations of women in prostitution that began in 1993 with Lawig Bubai in Davao City, which then expanded to Tingog sa Kasanag in Cagayan de Oro City (founded 1995) and to Sidlakan in General Santos City (founded 1996). The Talikala group had helped these organizations find its footing by providing essential technical support until these groups themselves became independent and fully self-supporting.

Also, the Talikala group has organized groups of men as partners in their advocacies for women’s protection. The group Men in Valuable Partnership with Women and Children (MVP) started as a grassroots and community-based organization of men that provide perspectives about prostitution from its demand side. These men engage in activities and seminars that aim to teach other men about their own role in preventing prostitution and their own ways to treat women as equals—all so that the men in their communities can function as gender equality advocates to the rest of the men in the larger society around them.

The Drs. Jess and Trining de la Paz Award is only an appropriate acknowledgment of the thirty-year-long selfless service provided by Talikala, Inc., and the Ateneo de Davao University is filled with pride and gratitude to present this award to the organization. Indeed, this award is another significant contribution to the group’s greatest success, according to Ms. Ampog—it is to make even more victimized women in the community aware that such an organization exists, and it wants not to judge them, but to help them, because they need it.

Read more:

Tita Ayala: Fr. Theodore Daigler Award for Mindanao Culture and Arts

Missionaries of Charity: Archbishop Clovis Thibault Award

This year’s recipient of the Archbishop Clovis Thibault Award is the Davao branch of the celebrated worldwide congregation the Missionaries of Charity—established in 1950 by Saint Teresa of Calcutta—whose membership reached 4,500 religious sisters in 2012. One can identify these religious sisters through their use of their order’s initials as a title, “M.C.”; as well as their marked adherence to the monastic vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and their special fourth vow: to give wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.

True to their vow, the missionaries attend to several of the least of our brethren: refugees, former prostitutes, the mentally ill, sick children, abandoned children, lepers, people with AIDS, the aged, the convalescent. Volunteers manage their schools that educate street children, their soup kitchens that feed the homeless and the hungry, as well as other similar services that cater to specific needs of specific communities. The order’s generosity of spirit and bigness of heart is exemplified by their refusal to charge anything for providing all those services to the persons in our midst so desperately in need of mercy and aid.

In Davao City, the Missionaries’ ministry is split between two nodes of service: The Home for the Abandoned and Dying Destitutes in New Salmonan, Barangay Aquino, Agdao; and the Home of Love (Home for Sick and Malnourished Children) at Molave Street, Matina, Davao City. The Home of Love, founded in 1987, provides shelter to the sick and malnourished children around the city and helps them through a sewing class, a dispensary, and a hospital; the Home also enables their family to visit them and the children themselves to visit family members or loved ones incarcerated in Davao City Jail; finally, they also hold a Sunday school to teach their wards the values of charity, generosity, and of love—aiming to push them to spread these values to other children currently suffering.

Meanwhile, the Home for the Abandoned and Dying Destitutes or the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Home for the Abandoned and Dying Destitutes) in Agdao was founded in 1983 and provides immediate succor and aid to their wards, who would in other cases be desperately alone in their most agonizing hours. The Home also has a dispensary, and it also has a family visiting service. Same as the Matina Home, this Home also holds a Sunday school, to remind their own wards of the eternal presence of God in all things, that God will always be there for them to forgive them or to love them or to care for them even though they may be undergoing torments physical or spiritual.

The Archbishop Clovis Thibault Award is named after the Most Rev. Clovis Thibault PME, first Prelate-Ordinary of Davao (1954), first Bishop of Davao (1966), and first Archbishop of Davao (1970). This award is given to priests and members of religious orders for outstanding service to the Church. In the case of the Missionaries of Charity in Davao City, this service is rooted in a return to Christ’s greatest commandment of love: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22: 39-40), and a proactive as well as honest application of the commandment’s greatest exercise: “Assuredly, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matt. 25:40).

Read more:

Talikala, Inc.: Drs. Jess and Trining de la Paz Award

Tita Ayala: Fr. Theodore Daigler Award for Mindanao Culture and Arts

After having various preparations and orientations, the Arrupe volunteers finally had their immersion during the Ateneo Student Exposure Program (ASEP) last 27 March to 3 April 2018.

Twenty-four Arrupe volunteers stayed with their foster families in the different Gawad Kalinga Villages for an eight-day immersion.

The deployment areas were in GK Pueblo Antonio & Reyes Munda, Catigan, Toril and GK Violet Hills, Kibalang, Marilog Proper, Davao City;  GK Nazareno, Cogon, Babak District, Island Garden City of Samal; and GK Andres Arguilles, Brgy. Nanyo, and GK Datu Abdul Dadia, Brgy. Datu Abdul Dadia, New Visayas, Panabo City.

“There is so much to gain from this ASEP experience. Aside from being able to expand my social circle,  I was able to meet new friends and family,” Gillian Marie Porras, Arrupe Volunteer Batch 46 said.

She added that the ASEP experience taught her a lot about values that she could hold on to for the rest of her life. “I am humbled to be with a community who looks into a positive perspective in life,” she added.

Most of them shared that it was through the simple things in life that they found meaning. They have also seen the social realities and struggles in the communities they were exposed to.

“I felt joy from the memories I had with the community and the bonds we had formed, especially with my foster family… I also felt fulfilled and determined after [the] experiencing ASEP,” Dani Loqueloque, an Arrupe Volunteer deployed in GK Violet Hills, Kibalang, Marilog District shared.

She added she felt fulfilled with her realizations during the immersion. She also emphasized she is determined to give back to the community.

The Arrupe Office of Social Formation carried on in the light of the theme ‘Discovering, nourishing and placing one’s gifts in service of the common good’ in this year’s ASEP.

It is the hope of the Arrupe office that through the ASEP immersion experience, their exposure to social realities and real stories of the people in the peripheries, the volunteers and leaders will be able to discover, nourish and place their own giftedness as an offering to God through service.

They are invited to share their gifts with others and ‘enkindle others’ fire’ through their commitment, competence, and care for others driven by passion and love.

Associate Professor at the International Studies Department of the Ateneo de Davao University Dr. Anderson V. Villa presented a paper at the 2018 International Conference of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), last 22-25 March 2018, at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C., USA. Dr. Villa successfully presented his research, titled “Filipino Irregular Migrants in Japan and the Impact of Immigration Control to their Families and Children,” before other scholars in attendance at the panel discussion “Immigration Detention and Human Rights of Non-Status Migrants in Japan.”

Support from the Japan Foundation allowed Dr. Villa and other Filipino scholars to attend the conference.

The AAS, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, is a scholarly, non-political, and non-profit professional association open to all persons interested in Asian Studies. AAS has approximately 7,000 members worldwide, representing all of the Asian regions and countries as well as all academic disciplines. With over 3,000 attendees, 450-panel sessions, and a book exhibition, this year’s annual conference is considered the largest conference on Asian Studies held in North America.

Dr. Villa is the Editor of IQRA, Journal of Al Qalam Institute for Islamic Identities and Interreligious Dialogue in Southeast Asia, published by the Ateneo de Davao University. He is the Section Head of Migration and Diaspora Studies of the AdDU Center for Politics and International Affairs (CPIA). He is also currently the Mindanao Representative of the Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA).

The Ateneo de Davao University held its annual college Commencement Exercises at the Martin Hall gymnasium, Jacinto Campus, last Saturday, 7 April 2018. Also included in the graduation ceremony were the conferral of the annual University Awards to their respective recipients, as well as the conferral of the Student Awards. Eminent astrophysicist Dr. Reinabelle Reyes, of the Ateneo de Manila University, also graced the event as this year’s commencement speaker.

A total of 1,700 graduates from the University’s colleges, schools, and programs received their diplomas at the ceremony. Dr. Reyes advised them in her commencement address to savor the moment, to allow themselves to feel pride in their scholastic achievements, but nevertheless to keep a strong balance between their pride and a sincere gratefulness to all those who have helped them get where they are. Moreover, to maximize their professional skills, Dr. Reyes said, the graduates have to apply deliberate focus over a long period of time.

This year’s roster of graduates also included the famous section of Accountancy graduates, numbering forty-four in all, who finished cum laude. Jerona Krystel R. Boston, BSED English, was hailed as the batch Valedictorian; and Erick Jan S. Sagot, BS Accountancy, was the batch Salutatorian. Rounding out the Student Awardees are 2018 Jesuit Mission Awardee Camille A. Casas (BS Industrial Engineering) and the 2018 Leadership Awardee Neil Joseph L. Esperanza (BS Industrial Engineering).

A number of students also received School Awards. From the School of Arts Sciences, there were Maria Pamela Q. Ravasco (BS Information Technology); Lyd Ejira C. Ducusin (AB Mass Communication); and Janine Chanelle S. Fuñe (BS Environmental Science). Representing the School of Business and Governance were Thea Marie B. Factor (BS Accountancy) and Raul Diego L. Borromeo (BS Marketing). The School of Nursing also gave its award to Yves Angelo M. Espino, while the School of Education gave its award to the batch Valedictorian, Ms. Boston.

The University Awards were presented at the ceremony to three distinguished recipients. Receiving the Fr. Theodore Daigler Award for Mindanao Culture and Arts is esteemed Davao poet, visual artist, and independent publisher Ms. Tita Lacambra-Ayala, whose work on the iconic Road Map series has helped earn her the honor. The Drs. Jess and Trining de la Paz Award was given to Talikala, Inc., a non-government and non-profit organization based in Davao City that has spent decades helping sexually exploited women and girls break free from prostitution. Finally, the Archbishop Clovis Thibault Award was presented to the Missionaries of Charity in Davao City, a congregation that has also worked for decades feeding the hungry, nourishing the sick, and sheltering the abandoned and the dying at the margins of the city.

Capping off the ceremony was the debut of the new version of the Blue Knight Song, the school hymn, performed by the Ateneo de Davao University Chorale, with the new musical arrangement made by Assistant to the President for Music Fr. Carlos G. Cenzon, Jr., S.J., Ph.D. This new version slowed down the pace of the original, and added sounds and melodies from native instruments to establish itself as a song from and for Mindanao.

The 2018 Ateneo de Davao University Commencement Exercises is the 54^th of the College of Law; 48^th of the College of Arts and Sciences; 18^th of the School of Business and Governance; 12^th of the School of Nursing; 8^th of the School of Engineering and Architecture; and 6^th of the School of Education. The University’s Graduate Programs and the College of Law will hold their separate graduation ceremony on 28 April 2018.

Ms. Camille B. Remoroza, a graduate of the Ateneo de Davao University College of Law, has placed 3^rd in the 2017 Bar Exams held last November, garnering a score of 90.79%. Her results mark the first time since 2002 of a Bar passer breaking through the 90% threshold. Ms. Remoroza joins these 37 other passers from the Ateneo de Davao University:

Bagundang, Farizah Joy P.
Bajenting, Noribeth D.
Basadre, Shiela Mae B.
Bugacia, Kathleen Rose B.
Ceballo, Maicie I.
Ceriales, Emmanuel R.
Cuaterno, Guian Meng R.
Datukon, Ranizza D.
Dela Cruz, Kirstin C.
Deligero, Marianne Kristine G.
Escovilla, Emiko Antonette T.
Gentiles, Bernmarie D.
Gonzales, Carizza Joy Y.
Ibañez, Merissa M.
Jambangan, Adam Dandro C.
Javier, Kristine C.
Juezan, Monica Katherine S.
Juyo, Ciena Mae S.
Lao, Richard Von U.
Lizada, Raphael Jose N.
Logramonte, Bena Sofia A.
Lora, Ann Lucille Grace L.
Monday, Ruby L.
Morales, David Gil A.
Morente, James Noel V.
Murcia, Erika Joy B.
Pader, Jessica Resurrecion L.
Pusta, BJ Bonn D.
Remollo, Albert Jr. V.
Remoroza, Camille B.
Sagarino, Giovanni Francis V.
Sarno, Hazel Yvette M.
Solano, Datu Morro L.
Sy, Luis Jude Rey B.
Tautho, Kay Frin Chez C.
Tejero, Faizah Gladys Mae K.
Valle, Joanna Charis E.
Yaphockun, Frances

A total of 6,748 law graduates from across the country took the latest Bar Exams, and only 1,724 ultimately passed, which translated to a nationwide passing rate of 25.55%. Compared to the national rate, the AdDU registered an overall passing rate of 82.61%, with 38 passers out of a roster of 46 takers; the University Law School also notched a passing rate of 94.87% for its fresh graduates, with 37 passers out of 39 takers.

At the press conference held in the afternoon of 26 April at the University grounds, Ms. Remoroza fielded questions from the media. Accompanying her were Pre-Bar Review Director Fr. Agustin Nazareno; Assistant Dean of the College of Law Atty. Lydia Galas; her father Mr. Rogelio Remoroza; and finally, Assistant to the President for Research and Advocacy Atty. January Faye Risonar-Bello. Asked what kind of preparations Ms. Remoroza made for the Bar Exam, she said, “I started preparing since January. I made a schedule and stuck to it all year.” She also adds that she did not expect to reach such a high ranking, because “passing the Bar is all that we really aim for.”

Ms. Remoroza also advised prospective Bar Exam takers not to despair, given the challenges of studying Law. Despite having failed in the second year of Law, she revealed, she managed to pull through in the end and become a top-notcher, after all. “You just have to be disciplined. Your preparation starts in law school; don’t take your minors for granted because they will help you during your exams,” she said.

Atty. Bello also took note of the fact that out of the 37 passers from AdDU, 26 of them were women. “This is women empowerment,” she said. Further, Atty. Bello also commented on the fact that this year’s top 10 Bar passers comprised a majority from universities outside Metro Manila. “This is the second year where we see schools from outside Metro Manila producing bar topnotchers,” she said. “You see that they really are doing very well…. for the Ateneo de Davao, today is a good day.” Amid comments that last year’s similar results were simply a fluke, Atty. Bello said that this year proves these naysayers wrong and that this year does signify a trend.

Among the passers from AdDU are children of legal practitioners in Davao City. David Gil A. Morales is the son of Judge Evalyn M. Arellano-Morales; Erika Joy B. Murcia is the daughter of retired Judge Virgilio Murcia; Emiko Antonette T. Escovilla is the granddaughter of retired Judge Antonina Escovilla; and finally, James Noel V. Morente is the son of Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente.

The Ateneo de Davao University College of Law also announces that the Pre-Bar Review at the University will begin on 2 May 2018, from Monday to Friday, at 5:00-9:00 p.m., and on Saturday at 2:00-5:00 p.m. Classes will be held at the fully air-conditioned Dotterweich Building. Enrollment is now going on.

The Ateneo presidents join the call for the immediate passage of the proposed Enhanced Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as drafted by the expanded Bangsamoro Transition Committee (BTC). This version hews closest to the genuine aspirations of Filipino Muslims and other marginalized sectors in Mindanao for lasting peace based on justice, economic growth, and social equity.

The law’s passage would provide a real and meaningful foundation for countering violent extremism and addressing the many other conflicts in Mindanao. We implore our legislators not to delay such passage any further.

We again express moral approval of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and the Expanded BTC version of the Enhanced BBL. Our Catholic faith and Jesuit tradition call us to tread the pathways taken by the Prince of Peace, daring us to embrace multi-cultural openness and inter-religious dialogue.

No doubt, the journey to peace and justice remains long and difficult. But there is light that beckons at the end of the long, dark tunnel for beloved Mindanao. What the Ateneo presidents said in a joint statement on the BBL in 2015, when the law was first brought to the Philippine Senate, bears repeating: “The establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed.”

Filipino Version

Nakikiisa ang mga pangulo ng mga pamantasang Ateneo sa Pilipinas sa panawagang isabatas agad ang mungkahing Enhanced Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) na ipinanunukala ng pinalawak na Bangsamoro Transition Committee (BTC). Ang bersyong ito ng panukalang batas ang pinakamalapit sa mga tunay na inaasam ng mga kapatid nating Filipino Muslim at iba pang mga napag-iwanang sektor sa Mindanao para sa pangmatagalang kapayapaang batay sa katarungan, paglago ng ekonomiya, at panlipunang pagkakapantay-pantay.

Mailalatag ng batas na ito ang tunay at makabuluhang pundasyon upang kontrahin ang marahas na extremismo at tugunan ang samu’t-sari pang tunggalian sa Mindanao. Sumasamo kaming huwag nang ipagpaliban pa ng ating mga mambabatas ang pagpasa ng batas na ito.

Muli naming ipinahahayag ang moral naming pagsang-ayon sa napagkasunduan nang Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, at ang Enhanced BBL na ito. Nananawagan sa amin ang aming pananampalatayang Katoliko at ang tradisyong Heswita na lakbayin ang landas na tinahak ni Hesukristong Panginoon ng Kapayapaan, na humahamon sa ating yakapin ang pagiging bukas sa sama-samang pag-iral ng iba’t ibang kultura, at ang pagdidiyalogo ng iba’t ibang relihiyon.

Tiyak na mahaba at mahirap pa ang paglalakbay na ito tungo sa pagkamit ng kapayapaan at katarungan. Ngunit nababanaagan na ang liwanag sa dulo ng mahaba’t madilim na lagusan para sa minamahal nating Mindanao. Inuulit namin ang naipahayag na noong 2015 ng mga pangulo ng mga Ateneo nang unang talakayin ang BBL sa Senado: “The establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed.” (Ang pagtatatag ng isang rehiyong tunay na awtonomus para sa mga kababayang Muslim sa Mindanao ay itinatakda ng Saligang Batas upang isulong ang katarungang panlipunan. Huwag nang patagalin pa ang pagkamit nitong katarungang panlipunan.)

KAGAN Version

Yang mga presidente ng Ateneo na awn kakaisa na pyaglawngan pantag ng pagsupporta sa proposed Enhanced Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) na ininang ng Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC). Yani na kasuratan na lawng nilan na bunna na yagapakita ng kallini ng mga Filipino Muslim aw kadaigan pa na mga sector aw tribu adi sa mindanao para sa bunna na peace aw patas na oportunidad sang kabuwian ng magkadaig.

Kung mainang yani na balaod na magaatag yani ng bunna aw madyaw na pundasyon sa pag atag ng solusyon sa problima ng kagubot aw kattan aw uman mga kadaigan pa na tanam sa Mindanao. Kami yagapatigam sa mga tagapanday ng mga balaod na dida pakadugayon yang pag-aprub sini.

Kami yagapatigam dawman ng kanami pagsuporta sa Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro, Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro aw yang expanded BTC-version ng Enhanced BBL. Yang Catholic faith aw yang Jesuit na tradisyon yagapanawagan sa ubos na pakadyawn da yang pag inang ng dan para sa pag dawat ng magkadaig na mga kultura aw pag abri sang magkadaig na dialogo ng lain lain na agama.

Kabunna na yang gawbokonon padug sang peace aw justice na madugay aw mairap. Aw gayd awn gyapun sigay aw agiyanan para sang banwa ng Mindanao.

Yang ilawng ng mga presidente ng Ateneo para sa BBL ingawng 2015 sidtong pukas na ida yani sa senado na bali na kaimportante: “The establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed.” (Yang pag inang ng Muslim region sa Mindanao na bunna na mandato ng konstitusyon para sang ikapagkadyaw ng ubos. Di dagaw nilan pakadugayon pa yani na pag atag ng justice sang ubos.)

YAKAN Version

Magdambuwa me nakura iskukan Ateneo hin si Pilipinas si paglingan sinara magtuy Enhanced Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) hininang weh pinahadje Bangsamoro Transition Commitee (BTC). Sarah itu matapit si kinabayaan meh pungtinai tebi Filipino Muslimin duk meh kataambanan bangsahin si Mindanao si Kateggelan Kasanyangan amban kasabennalan, pagpaluha kaelluman duk pagsali-sali si kawman.

Pinalatag weh sarah itu sa bennal bennal makapateteg poonan duk kuntara ne kasasewan atawa kahiluhalaan duk tatabangan meh saddi saddi peh pagsasaan si Mindanao. Maku kami tabang bang pain gey pinateggel weh meh sarain pagsarah itu. Pakite kami balik pagsulut kamihin si tapaghetohan Framework Agreement si Bangsamoro Comprehensive Agreement si Bangsamoro duk Enhanced BBL itu.

Maglingan si kami agama kami Kotoliko hin duk kakahinang Heswita si paglengngan agama si Isa si Kasanyangan. Kekkepan tebi kaluka si pagdambuwa-dambuwaan kakaniya saddi saddi kakahinang duk pagsuwi-sinuwi saddi saddi agama. Bennal taha duk hunit pe paglengngan itu tudju si Kasanyangan duk kasabennalan. Sugah takite ne kadantaanin si tuggu taha duk lindem labeyan para si kinalasahan tebi Mindanawin.

Balikan kami pinain nakura ateneo si waktu paghetohan BBL in si Senado si tahun 2015. “The establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed.” (Paghinang si kawman kasabennalan si pagbayabayaan si lahat si meh kawman Muslim si Mindanao tasabbut diyalem sarah duk tapasong kasabennalanin diyalem kawman. Dah neh pinateggel pangaput si kasabennalanin diyalem kawman.)

IRANUN Version

So mga mapuro o Ateneo na myag isa-isa ko kapanawagan ko kanggagani ko kapakab’tad o kukuman a mini proposed a Enhance Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) a mini draft o pyakaulad a Bangsamoro Transition Committee (BTC). Giyangkaya bersyon a kukuman na pinakamarani ko b’nar a singanin o mga Muslim Filipino ago so mga p’d a mis’s’nggay a sektor sangkaya Mindanao para ko kalilintad a miniukit ko kab’nar, kaudzor o kapaguyag uyag, ago kapakap’lagilagid ko kamamaging’da.

Kib’gi angkaya kukuman so b’nar ago mapya ukitukit para ko kapakanggalb’k sa kapakada o galb’kan a di mapya ago so p’d a di kapamagayunan sangkaya Mindanao. Pamangni kami sa mga uluwan (legislature) a di iran d’n pakaog’ta so kib’tad’n ko kukuman.

Pakitukawan ami paruman so kyayonot ami ko kyapagayonan a Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, ago so Enhanced BBL a bersyon o pyakaulad a BTC. So pangimb’naran ami a katoleko ago so ukitukit o Hesweta na p’tawag’n tano niyan a unutan tano so lalan o datu o kalilintad, na ukan tano so kapakipag isaisa o ‘mbarabarang a kultura ago kapakimbibitiara ko ‘mbarangan a pangimb’nar (religion).

Sab’n sab’nar na so lalan ko kalilintad ago kab’nar na tanto d’n a mawatan ago mar’g’n. Ogayd na ad’n a panginam a kailay sa urian o mawatan, malibot’ng a inukitan para sa ikaranon ak’n a Mindanao. Tunay myadtaro o mapuro o Ateneo sangakaya kyapagayunan a kadtaro para sangkanan a BBL kayko 2015, so paganay a kinib’tad’n ko kitab a kukuman sangakanan a Philippine Senate, na myaaloy: “The establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed.” (So kyatind’g ko Muslim region sa Mindanao a tidto a autonomous na mini b’gi o Constitution para ko kab’nar o maging’d. Pangninta a gyangkaya kab’nar o maging’d na di d’n maug’t.)

TAUSUG Version

In parhimpunan sin mga Ateneo Presidents manawag-tawag ha pag approve sin “Enhanced Bangsamoro Basic Law” amu in tiyukbal sin “Expanded Bansamoro Transition Commission”. In ini masu-uk madtu pa sabunnal pamarinta sin sila mga “Filipino Muslims” labi-lubah na in mga dugaing-dugaing mga ka-bangsahan dii ha Mindanaw amuna in mga sila kiyapasaran sin Parinta. In patut kanila hikarihil in Kasampurnaan sin Kasajahitra-an, Kasambuhan, iban karayawan sin kabuhi-anan sin sila.

Bang hika rihil na in BBL mahinang ini sabab hasupaya mapa-awun in kasanyangan iban malawa na in pag-nganan mga “Extremist” amun magkakahinang kalingugan ha hulah Mindanaw. Hipangayu namu kanila amun magbabaktul sin BBL in ini subay siya us-usun iban dih na palugayun in pag approve kaniya.

Ipahati namu in kami nangahagari sin Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro iban na in Expanded BTC Version of the Enhanced BBL. In pamandu sin kami mga Katolik agad na in pangaddatan sin mga Jesuits in subay kami huminang dan hasupaya mapa-awn in Kahanungan, Mang da-aki pa pag-addat addati iban kasilasa pa dugaing-dugaing bangsa atawa pag-agama sin kita niyu. Way pagduwa-ruwa, in labayan madtu pa kasahajitra-an mahaba iban mahunit.

Sumagawa, misan biyahdin in tigidlum niya awn da yan kasanyangan ha ruhul sin dan ini. Bang unu in kiya bissara namu sin 2015 amun waktu yadtu bagu pa kiyasud pa Philippine Senate in BBL, In ini Balikan namu: “The establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed.” (In pagpa-awn sin Muslim Region ha Mindanaw amun sabunnal tuud pamarinta irihil kanila, bunnal tuud kiyabutang ini ha undang-undang sin Philippine Constitution, ha kahinapusan maka rihil kasulutan, kahanungan, karayawan, kasambuhan pa mga tau sin Mindanaw. Pangayuun namu in ini dih na palugayun.)

SAMA Version

In mga Ateneo Presidents magdakayu maka angalingan-lingan sin magtuy approve sin Enhanced Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) ya bay tinukbal sin Bangsamoro Transition Committee (BTC). Ya BBL itu makasekot tood ma angan-angan sin mga Filipino Muslims maka mga kasean mga kabangsa-bangsahan maitu ma Mindanaw, hasupaya tapa aniya in kasannangan, kasambuhan maka na in pag sibuh-sibuh ma kahalan sin pag-usaha.

Bang itu tasampurna tahinang itu pamalabay hasupaya kapeddahan in pinag-onan mga “Extremist” yana mga manusiya amuwan kalengogan mintu ma lahat tabi Mindanaw. Amuh kami ni mga sigam angaprub sin BBL itu subay daa na pina lallay maka pinateggol.

Balikan kami, in kami akosog in support maka bayah kami, ma Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, ya Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro maka na in “Expanded BTC Version of the enhanced BBL”. In kami mga mag-aagama Katolik beyah na in pangaddatan sin mga Jesuits angalingan-lingan tudju ni Lan abontol asupaya tapa-aniya in kahapan sin kitam, maka tahinang sabab sudju ni paghati-hatihi sin saddi-saddi mga bangsa maka pag-agama maitu ma Mindanaw.

Ensah duwa-ruwa na, in angan-angan sin kitam tudju ni kasannangan maka kasahajitra-an sin paglahat tabi aniya kahunit na. Sogoh, minsan ingingga na in taha sin kalendoman gai ru mag toggol ta endah ta ru in kasawahan ma tong-tong na. Bang ai bay pamung kami mga Ateneo Presidents bay 2015 waktu ampa bay makasod in BBL ma senate in itu balikan kami: “The establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed.” (In pagpa-tengge sin kaum pinag onan Muslim Region ma Mindanaw yana bennal tood pamarinta, in itu tabak maka patenna tood ma undang-undang sin Philippine Constitution. Yana kamaksuran na tood itu udju ni sampurna kahapan sin Kahemon. Amuh kami in itu subay na daa pina teggol.)

MAGUINDANAO Version

Nagisaisa so mga mapulo na Ateneo sa kapedtawag kano kanggagayasn no katago no kukuman a namba so Enhanced Bangsamoro Basic Law a mini sulat no pinaulad a Bangsamoro Transition Commettee (BTC). Niyaba bersyon so pinakamasopeg ko benal a senganen o mga Muslim Filipino ago so mga kaped a mesesenggay a sektor sa niyaba Mindanao para kano kalilintad a makaoket kano kabenal, kaudzol no kauyag uyag, endo kapamagedsan no magenged.

Niyaba Kukuman na ke enggay nen so benal ago mapya uketuket para kano kanggalebek sa kadadag no mga galebekan na di mapya endo so kaped a di bagayonan sa niyaba Mindanao. Bamangnen ami kano uluwan (legislator) nami sa di nilan den papedtayn so kapakalodep no kukuman.

Pakitokawan nami paloman so kenaunot nami kano Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, ago so Enhanced BBL a bersyon no pinaulad a BTC. So bagimbenalan nami a katoleko endo so ukitukit no Hesweta na petawagen tano nin a unotan so lalan no dato no kalilintad, na okan tano so kagbagisaisa no embalangan a kultula ago kapakimbitiala kano embalangan na pangimbenal (religion).

Saben sabenal na so lanan kano kalilintad endo kabenal na sobra den kawatan endo kalegen. Ogayd na aden panginam a gailay sa ulian o malendo, maliboteng a inoketan para sa enged anya Mindanao. Ngin e nadtalo no mapulo no Ateneo sa kinadsabotan a kadtalo para kano BBL kano 2015, paganay a natago so kitab a kukuman sa Philippine Senate, na nadtalo: “The establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed.” (So kinatendeg kano Muslim region sa Mindanao a benal na autonomous na mini enggay o Constitution para ko kabenal o maginged. Patot sa niyaba kabenal o magenged na di mendaraynon.)

MERANAW Version

Myag isaisa so mga mapuro o Ateneo sii ko kaptawag ko kanggagani sa katago o mini proposed a kukuman a mini proposed a Enhanced Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) a mini surat o pyakaulad a Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC). Giyangkae a bersyon na pinakamarani sa sii ko b’nar a masisinganin o mga Muslim Filipino ago so mga p’d a mis’s’nggay a sektor sa giya Mindanao para ko kalilintad a makaayon sii ko kab’nar, kaudzor o kapaguyag uyag, ago kapakap’lagilagid o mamaging’d.

Giyangakae kukuman na kib’gi iyan so tidtotidto a ukit para sa kanggalb’k ko kaada o galb’k a di mapya ago so p’d a di pagayunan sa giyangkae a Mindanao. Pamangnin ami ko mga mapuro a di iran d’n pakadtia so katago ko kukuman.

Pakitukawan ami paruman so kiyaunot ami sa kiyaayunan a Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, ago Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, ago so bersyon a piyakaulad a BTC na so Enhanced BBL. So piyang’mb’naran ami a katoleko ago so ukit o hesweta na tawag’n tano iyan na ukitan tano so ukit o datu o kalilintad, na ukan tano so kapagisaisa o barangan a kultura ago kambitiara ko barangan a pangimb’nar.

Tidto d’n na so lalan sii ko kalilintad ago kab’nar na tanto ko mataas ago mar’g’n. Ogayd na ad’n a kailay a panginam urian o mataas, malibot’ng a ukitan ko eng’d a Mindanao. Ginan e pidtaro o mapuroa Ateneo sii ko kiyaayunan a kadtaro para sa giyae a BBL kayko 2015, Paganay p’n a miyausay sa Philippine Senate, pipiran d’n miyausay: “The establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed.” (Giyae a kiya tind’g o Muslim region sa Mindanao a tidto a autonomous na mini b’gi o Constitution para ko kab’nar o maging’d. Patot sa giyae a kab’nar o maging’d na di d’n madtay.)

ad majorem Dei gloriam,

Fr. Karel S. San Juan, S.J. (President, Ateneo de Zamboanga University)

Fr. Joel E. Tabora, S.J. (President, Ateneo de Davao University)

Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin, S.J. (President, Ateneo de Manila University)

Fr. Roberto Exequiel N. Rivera, S.J. (President, Ateneo de Naga University)

Fr. Roberto C. Yap, S.J. (President, Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan)

The ouster of the Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno through this unprecendented landmark decision, does more harm than good to judicial integrity in the Philippines and its democratic institutions. As such, we the members of the Ateneo de Davao University join many other freedom-loving Filipinos in expressing our dissent against the decision of the Supreme Court to remove a chief magistrate via a Quo Warranto procedure.

We reiterate our strong belief that a sitting justice of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice in this case, may only be removed through the Constitutional process of impeachment. Only the Senate assembled as an impeachment court has the sole authority to discharge the Chief Justice of his/her duties on grounds provided by the 1987 Constitution.

With this decision, the separation of powers of our democratic government is under fire. Fidelity to the constitution had been challenged. It is anomalous when accusers eventually change hats and become the judges who will decide the outcome of the case. This raises issues of partiality and the Supreme Court is now perceived as renouncing its solemn duty to defend the Constitution, leaving it in mortal peril.

If democracy in the country needs to be protected, the Constitution through the Supreme Court must be insulated from any political or partisan encroachments. The helpless victim in this decision is the fundamental law of our land and ultimately, the Filipino people. The normative supremacy of the Constitution is compromised when its guardians fall short of their lawful duties.

But this supremacy is immaterial in the absence of judicial independence. Without judicial independence, there will be no rule of law. Without rule of law, the entire collective of democratic institutions will fall apart. This makes the consolidation of democracy in the country even more remotely impossible when constitutional processes are bypassed in favor of shorter, quicker, and questionable routes.

While dubbed as the final arbiter, or the court of last resort, the Supreme Court and its decisions is not necessarily free from human fallibility.  The removal of CJ Sereno is no exemption.  Therefore, we reject this decision of the Supreme Court and call for its reconsideration, guided by the principles of justice and fair play.

When the vanguard of justice commits a historical feat of injustice which effects will span decades of generations down the line, who shall correct the wrong?  It is conscience.

It is conscience that promotes the rule of law protected by the constitution that should guide the justices in reconsidering the decision in favor of following the impeachment route.  It is conscience that adheres to the tenets of justice above law that must set the frame in reviewing the decision.  It is conscience, embracing constitutionalism and judicial independence, that must inform the decision of every magistrate who sits in the lofty bench of judicial power.

It is conscience that compels us to express dissent. It is conscience that moves us to call for a reconsideration of the decision so that the Constitution remains the supreme law of the land.

As we manifest our dissent, we also call for circles of discernment within the university community to rationally discuss the myriad of issues surrounding the removal of former Chief Justice Sereno and its implications on our institutions of government. We deserve public officers not swayed by party alliances but whose loyalty remain to the sovereign Filipino people.

We dissent so that we may ascend towards our collective dream to build “a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace.” (Preamble, 1987 Constitution)

Administrators, faculty, and staff of the Ateneo de Davao University who have assented to the statement:

Fr. Joel E. Tabora, S.J.
President

Abraham Garcia, Jr.

Alma Raymonda S. Bartolata

Annaliza L. Magno

Anne Mae Manga

Anthony Polistico

Arnella Francis Clamor

Ayessa Velasquez

Bernie Jereza

Carmela Marie M. Santos

Fr. David John M. de los Reyes, SJ

Fr. Michael I Pineda, SJ

Gail Ilagan

Gracielle Deanne Tubera

Janice M. Bajo

Jeremy Eliab

Jerome A. Serrano

Jesus A. Montajes

Judith D. Dalagan

Leah H. Vidal

lenore Loqueloque

Liza R. Lao

Ma Cristina De Las Llagas

Manuel P. Quibod

Maria Carmel J. Tabinas

Mark Paul Samante

Michael Aaron Gomez

Mr. Ricardo P. Enriquez

Neil John Sumalinog

Nerissa D.R. Quitain

Nimfa N. Mole

Noli Ayo

Ottoman Montani Jr.

Patria V. Manalaysay

Perpy C. Tio

Pop Libron

Raul Vincent Lumapas

Rhodora Ranalan

Rosalia C. Pabres

Rosalinda Tomas

Silvena Erika Navaja

Sol Demetillar

Suzanne Marie A. Doromal

Suzette D. Alino

Vinci Bueza

The Ateneo de Davao University Social Research Training and Development Office (SRTDO) sponsored an OpenStreet Map Workshop on 18 May 2018, at room F601 of the Finster Hall, Jacinto campus. This activity was held as part of the training sessions on research capability for Social Science faculty as well as for other units of the University.

The workshop served as a general introduction to Volunteered Geographic Information, using the OpenStreetMap (OSM) platform, focusing on software tools that are available as free or open software. It also aimed to introduce OSM as an alternative proprietary platform as well as free software and open data for use in participatory mapping projects for public and private organizations and academic research.

Mr. Erwin Olario, a specialist and trainer on geo-spatial information systems, data transformation, analytics, and data visualization, served as the resource person for the activity.

The University Research Council (URC) of the Ateneo de Davao extended their support for the activity. Dr. Christine S. Diaz served to convene the workshop; Ms. Tanya Mirafuentes handled logistics; while Mr. Glenn Depra and Ms. Mildred Estanda took care of the linkage work.

Professor at and returning chair of the Ateneo de Davao University Department of Psychology Dr. Gail Ilagan was among this year’s Invited Distinguished Speakers at the “Philippines Update 2018: Contesting the Philippines” conference held on 25-26 May 2018 in Canberra, Australia. At the conference, she spoke about the current social issues affecting persons displaced by the war in Mindanao. Her presence at the event owed much to her extensive experience working for mental health and psychosocial support in times of emergencies and disasters.

The 2018 Update aimed to chart some of the national, regional, and international policy challenges confronting the Philippines; as well as the possible forms its constitutional, legal, business and security pathways are likely to assume in the coming years.

The Philippines Update is a biennial conference that seeks to provide or perform in-depth assessments of the recent economic and sociopolitical situations in the Philippines, thematically focusing on the timely issues besetting the country. The conference is hosted by the Australian National University (ANU).

In addition to the Philippines Update conference, Dr. Ilagan has also recently qualified for the prestigious Philippines Project collaborative research grant awarded by the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance. Currently, she is collaborating with co-researchers Dr. Rosalie Arcala-Hall of the Department of Political Science at the UP Visayas, and Dr. Imelda Deinla of the College of Asia and the Pacific at the ANU, on their paper “Complex Emergency: Engagements between Civil Society Groups and the Philippine Military during the 2017 Marawi Crisis.”

Click here for more details on the Philippines 2018 Update conference: https://philtimes.com.au/sereno-diokno-keynote-speakers-at-philippines-update-2018-conference-in-canberra/

Click here for more details about the Philippines Project research grant: http://regnet.anu.edu.au/news-events/news/7125/philippines-project-collaborative-research-grant-recipients-2018

The Ateneo de Davao University Social Research Training and Development Office (SRTDO) recently concluded the 9th series of its City Wide Social Survey (CWSS) conducted last 21-26 April 2018. Researchers from the SRTDO Dr. Christine S. Diaz, Ms. Mildred M. Estanda, and Dr. Cleofe A. Arib conducted this annual survey. This same survey has also become a regular research feature of the university, which aims to present the current social profile and mapping of the many social realities affecting the citizens of Davao City within a given period.

The survey revealed that half of the 630 adults polled claimed to have a job, while a little over one third claimed that though they are currently jobless, they had been previously employed. Meanwhile, about 1 in 10 claimed that they never had a job. The data showed a significant 9.1% drop among those who claimed to hold jobs from the previous CWSS.

Among those currently working, more than half declared themselves as self-employed at 60.4%, while 37.7% are categorized as hired, which category comprises both blue-collar and white-collar workers, technicians, and other skilled workers.

An overwhelming majority declared their perceived poverty status as being on the line at 85.1%, in contrast to only 11.9% who claimed to be poor, and a very small 3% not claiming to be poor. This trend is very perceptible in the three districts, averaging at above 80%, the highest being in District 1 which figured at 86%. Somehow, this poverty perception rating remains consistently on average with the previous three surveys which figured at 83.4% (6th CWSS), 84.92% (7th CWSS) and 84% (8th CWSS), respectively.
These numbers are backed up by an overwhelming answer to the question of experience of hunger, where the majority of the respondents in the three districts (figured highly at above 80%) resoundingly claimed that they had not experienced hunger in Davao.

Role of the Local Government

Also noteworthy is the respondents’ understanding of the responsibility of the local government to address the perceived gap between the rich and the poor. This year, expectations were kept low as only 3 out of 10 answered that it is the obligation of the local government unit to close the gap, which showed a drop from the results of the last survey. This current survey’s rating indicated by far the lowest perception percentage within the last five surveys, an indication that Davaoeños do not solely rely on the government alone to solve issues and concerns regarding poverty.

Slightly below half of the Davaoeños polled (48.2%) believed that the quality of their lives had remained the same. On the other hand, only 3 out of 10 respondents believed that their lives have become better than before. It’s interesting to note that since the 4th CWSS survey, there seems to be a discernible downward trend among the respondents’ perception of how their lives have improved through the years. Meanwhile, only 2 out of 10 claimed that they have experienced difficulty.

Despite the respondents’ perception of their state of life at the moment, they have remained personally optimistic. Slightly above half (54.8%) look forward to a better life than before, whereas only 36.3% believed that it would remain as is.

Perception on the Local Economy

7 out of 10 respondents registered a high level of trust in the local economy, believing it to be better. This rating has remained consistent in the last 4 CWSS surveys, averaging at around 73%. In contrast, those who claimed that it would remain the same has dipped down to 16%, a 6-point drop from the last survey’s, while those who believed that is will get worse has leapfrogged to almost 10%, showing an increase of 4% from the previous. Among those who exhibited better trust in the economy impacting on their lives, close to 90% came from the A and B classes, while a good 78.6% and 71.1% are derived from classes C and D, respectively. Even those at class E posted a relatively high trust at 68%.

Impact of K-12 Educational Reform

The K-12 program has received some criticism from the Davaoeños polled, with 3 out of 10 polled believing that companies would be hesitant to hire graduates from the Senior High School (SHS). Another 3 out of 10 believed the SHS graduates would have limited job opportunities; incidentally, 2 out of 10 expressed that they are not yet ready for work.

Governance Issues

Regarding national politics, the Davaoeños remained in steadfast support of the Duterte family, solidifying Davao as a Duterte bailiwick. 8 out of 10 respondents claimed that they are very satisfied with Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s performance as president, contrasting with the results for the vice president, whose support level reached only 14.3%. The vice president also received the highest dissatisfaction rating among the respondents at 29.2%. Locally, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio enjoyed great support from her constituents, with 9 out of 10 respondents claiming to be very satisfied with her performance as the chief executive of Davao City. Despite the longstanding war on drugs in Davao, the Davaoeños rated drugs as the most pressing problem gripping the city.

Fulfilled Promises

The Davaoeños, according to the survey, believed that the Duterte administration has fulfilled these campaign promises: OFW welfare; solution to the illegal drug problem, and peace and order/security; women’s rights; peace; infrastructure; taxation; reproductive health; and enhanced international relations. On the other hand, the citizens believed that the government still has to fulfill its promises to improve the internet service in the country; to finally end contractualization; to address climate change; and to commence the transition to the federal form of government.

Ahead of Pres. Duterte’s next SONA in July, the respondents named the top three issues they want to be discussed, which are employment/job opportunities, achievements for the past year, and updates on peace and order.

Happiness Index

7 out of 10 respondents considered themselves moderately happy, only 3 out of 10 labeled themselves extremely happy, while an insignificant 2% to 1% said that they are not happy. 3 of 4 respondents said their happiness centered on their family life; 1 out of 4 expressed happiness about their health and wellness; and about 16.94% of the respondents told of their happiness with their financial stability.

The CWSS is an initiative of the University that was started in 2014, a tool to enhance the University’s data-gathering capacity as it carries out tracking surveys or polls. Through its own CWSS, the University intends not only to gather data on awareness-perception-opinion-attitude or socio-demographic type but also to build a database for analytic purposes whose information will be shared to primary stakeholders at the local, regional, national and international levels. ADDU’s CWSS is funded and supported by the University Research Council (URC). The complete data of this year’s CWSS may be accessed at the URC website: research.addu.edu.ph.

The Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) held its General Faculty Convocation for the School Year 2018-2019 Tuesday, 5 June 2018, at the Martin Hall, Jacinto campus. Faculty and administrators from all units attended the event. Held before the start of every school year, the General Faculty Convocation is a gathering where the University President provides a general direction to the university community for the new school year. It is also where newly hired faculty members are introduced to the university community.

Fr. Joel E. Tabora, S.J. gave his presidential address to open the convocation. He exhorted and challenged the faculty to “work together towards greater intellectual engagement for mission.” He also reminded them to remember why they had chosen to follow the teaching vocation and exalted the value of great teaching. “Excellent teaching and mentoring are life-giving,” Fr. Tabora said, “both for the student as well as for the teacher. The successful student is due to the successful teacher.”

He also reminded the teachers further that “Good teaching is impossible without a generous chunk of personal devotion, and free personal devotion is impossible without joy.” Finally, Fr. Tabora reminded the Ateneo community that working at the Ateneo de Davao is not only for “salary and benefits to be earned,” but it also for the “holiness to be gained.” “The Light calls us to truth in holiness,” he ended.

Concluding the faculty convocation was the presentation of agenda for the school year 2018-2019 and updates by the different office heads of the individual AFIRE units. The Academic Vice President Dr. Gina Montalan updated the assembly on the efforts of the Instruction cluster to improve its teaching services; Mr. Elvi Tamayo, Director of the Ignatian Spirituality and Formation Office (ISFO), also gave updates on the Formation cluster. In behalf of Dr. Lourdesita Sobrevega-Chan, Chair of the University Research Council (URC), Engr. Randell Espina shared the breakthroughs of the URC in terms of spreading research projects from AdDU faculty to the wider Philippine academic community. Chair of the University Community Engagement and Advocacy Council (UCEAC) Mr. Mark Paul Samante highlighted the council’s efforts at engaging external community particularly in terms of disaster relief, specifically for the victims of the Marawi siege. Finally, Atty. Niceforo V. Solis, Director of the Human Resource Management and Development Office (HRMDO), updated the community on the steps his office has taken to ease the administration of services to and ensure the efficiency of the employees of the University.

“A Challenge to Greater Intellectual Engagement for Mission”

President’s Address to the ADDU Faculty General Assembly, Martin Hall, June 5, 2018

The Madaris Volunteer Program (MVP) formally deployed its fourth batch of volunteer teachers to its partner-madaris in Cotabato City, Maguindanao, and the island provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)—Lamitan City, Basilan; and in Simunul and Bongao, Tawi-Tawi—after a missioning ceremony last 2 June 2018, at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Center, Office of the ARMM Regional Director, Cotabato City.

Lead coordinator of the MVP, Mr. Vinci Bueza, opened the missioning ceremony with his welcome message. Undersecretary of Madrasah Education for the DepEd-ARMM Alzad Sattar and President of the National Association for Bangsamoro Education, Inc. (NABEi) Dr. Ombra Imam delivered messages from the respective partner organizations and institutions that have helped make the work of the MVP possible since its inception in 2015.

Following these messages was the formal assigning of the volunteers to their respective madaris. Assigned to Tawi-Tawi are Ana Clarisa Lacanaria, Rabia Anjalin, Kristine Roda Alingod, and Raevene Raeanne Morillo; while to Lamitan the program sent Mr. Ezar Uy and Tessa Mae Alison. The program sent volunteers Mariamme King Abu, Sha Aira Muhammad, Faidah Bascara, and Sittie Anisah Dacsla to Cotabato City. Finally, the program deployed volunteers Richelle Mae De Luna, Alaysa Hadjinor, Jadida Masbod, Alaizha Abuat, Arthur Nielsen Demain, Abdul Patah Sadic, and Sittie Alejah-Nor Salik to Maguindanao. Each of them was introduced to the administrator of their assigned schools, as well as to the available member of their host families.

The ceremony concluded with an iftar dinner, which encouraged the volunteers to get to know their school administrators and host families.

One of the administrators present at the ceremony was Mr. Albert Hadjihil, President of the Hadji Ali Baganian Memorial School in Talayan, Maguindanao, and he expressed his delight at receiving another batch of volunteer teachers into his school. “Doon pa lang sa launching ng MVP, maganda na yung mindset ko na magkakaroon ng partner ang madrasah sa CEAP [Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines] (Even at the launch of the MVP, I already had good expectations in partnering my madrasah with the CEAP),” he said. “Noong nabigyan na kami ng volunteer, ‘di na kami nagdalawang-isip (We didn’t hesitate anymore to accept volunteer teachers).” Mr. Hadjihil also added that he was looking forward to receive female volunteer teachers this school year, after years of taking in male teachers. “Dati-rati po, first to third batch, lalaki,” he said. “Ngayon we prefer na kukuha kami ng babae para maiba naman yung environment or expectation namin (The first to third batch of volunteers we accepted were all male, now we prefer to accept female teachers to provide a change of scenery and a slight change in our expectations).”

Ms. Sittie Alejah-Nor Salik, the lone volunteer sent to teach at the Sakeena Al-Islamiyah Institute in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, said that she wishes her host family would help her self-improvement and personal growth. “I look forward na sana, sa experience na ‘to, through the Madaris Volunteer Program, mafufulfill ko ‘yung success after—this is a great opportunity lalo na sa amin na graduate ng Islamic Studies [at the Ateneo de Davao University] (I look forward to success as a teacher through the MVP—this is a great opportunity for us graduates of Islamic Studies),” she said. “Sana, at the end of the day, I will make my host family, and the Ateneo de Davao community, proud of me.”

The Madaris Volunteer Program (MVP) is a collaborative initiative of the Ateneo de Davao University with the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) for the promotion of inter- and intra-faith dialogue through immersion. It is implemented in strategic partnership with the National Association for Bangsamoro Education, Inc. (NABEI) and the Regional Government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).