Over in Zamboanga City, an Italian priest, Fr. Sebastian D’Ambra PIME, touched by his experience of conflict between Muslims and Christians in Mindanao, started the Silsilah Dialogue Movement in 1984. Silsilah has continuously promoted harmony, solidarity and peace through formation on interreligious dialogue especially on issues related to Muslim-Christian understanding.

Muslim-Christian dialogue became imperative in Mindanao at the height of the armed struggle and the peace process. In 1996, the Bishop-Ulama Conference was formed with the vision that it could become a catalyst for sustainable peace by initiating dialogues aimed at improving understanding between Muslims and Christians. It was a significant link in the peace process until it lost its steam in 2010.

Interreligious dialogue at the National Capital Region is at its robust stage animated by the UNIHARMONY PARTNERS MANILA (UPM), a group of 22 religious communities and interfaith organizations. Established in 2012, UPM was formed to implement the United Nations General Assembly Resolution (UNGA) 65/5, proclaiming the celebration of the World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) every 1st week of February. It aims to contribute in attaining a harmonious Philippine Society by advocating interreligious dialogue in its various forms as a mechanism for peace building. It also aims to promote dialogue to enhance mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among peoples of different faiths. Led by the Ministry for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue of the Archdiocese of Manila, the weeklong celebration of WIHW starts with “Breakfast of the Cardinal with the members of the Diplomatic Corps and representatives of the partner organizations of UPM. Other activities include Youth Camps, Dialogues on Religious and Cultural Experiences, Peace Education, formation seminars on shared values and Prayer services.

Why Interreligious Dialogue?

Pope Francis as the head of the Catholic Church fosters a spirit of dialogue that is held important in the whole of Catholic Tradition. He promotes a dialogue based on the teachings and practices clearly defined in the encyclical “Nostra Aetate” – “The Declaration on

Nostra Aetate” – “The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions” proclaimed by St. Pope Paul Vl in 1965.

Nostra Aetate gives us three fundamental reasons why dialogue is essential in the life of the Church. First is the conviction that We All belong to One Human Family – a principle widely shared by religions all over the world. Dialogue is imperative in understanding the various spiritual and faith traditions. We must seek the common ground of shared values among diverse faiths to show that despite diversity we are one human family with the same fundamental aspirations for mutual respect, for acceptance and for living in peace.

The second reason – We are all Gifted with a sense of Spirituality. Every human being has a spiritual sense, a sense of the divine – expressed in different ways according to different faith traditions. Even Non-believers are gifted with this sense as evidenced by recent advances in neural and cognitive science which support the idea that the spiritual or the sacred is fundamental to human experience and flourishing. Spirituality is the entry point of dialogue and through interreligious dialogue, we could share stories on how our experiences on divine love, our spirituality, promotes attitudes that move us to action towards the attainment of shared values such as justice and lasting peace.

The third reason for Interreligious Dialogue is based on the universal principle that We have a Shared Responsibility for the Common Good. Pope Francis believes that our capacity to work together for the common good can come only through compassion and mercy and the ability to empathize with one another, especially those who are in need. So we ask ourselves, what have we done for the hungry and the poor; for the refugees and those internally displaced by conflict? What have we done for peace in the World; for Mother Earth, our common home? We can see that there are plenty of activities where believers of different faiths can work together towards common goals, promote a different way of life and make a positive change in this world.

Interreligious Dialogue and the ������Ƶapp

The ������Ƶapp was founded by the Dominicans four centuries ago. Through the years, UST has been bestowed the titles “Pontifical” and “The Catholic University of the Philippines”. As an Institution of Higher Learning, the University’s culture of practice is deeply

influenced by Dominican spirituality as it fulfills its mission of “…serving the Family, the Church and the Country.”

The Dominicans’ primary mission is teaching and preaching. Together with this, Justice and Peace becomes an integral part of its mission as preachers of the Kingdom of God. This can be gleaned from the following Dominican justice and peace mission statement. “How can we remain indifferent when confronted with the suffering of millions of human beings, suffering which is caused by wars, economic crises, or injustices of all kinds? In many provinces and congregations of the Dominican Order, sisters, friars and lay Dominicans live Dominican spirituality in a fraternal way, through preaching which is lived and enlivened by compassion and mercy. The reality and vitality of the fundamental option for justice and peace taken by the whole order is taken in this way.”

UST’s openness to Interreligious Dialogue is a consequence of the Dominican mission for justice and peace. The University is supportive of ecumenism and interreligious dialogue activities oftentimes initiated by its lay Faculty. Most of these activities fall under the category of Dialogue of Common Action, generally in partnership with international organizations such as Religions for Peace and Focolare. These pursuits include peace building through dialogues like those with the MILF Leaders; initiatives that keep us in solidarity with the poor and the oppressed, the victims of injustices (Advocacy against human trafficking), Child protection project; those internally displaced by the conflicts in Mindanao through its Psychotrauma Clinic and care for Mother Earth (interfaith youth participation in the National Greening Program of the government).

UST is also featured in milestone gatherings of Ecumenical and Interreligious assemblies. In 2008, the General Assembly of the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace (ACRP) on the theme “Peacemaking in Asia” was convened at UST. The Assembly gathered 400 religious leaders of various faith traditions from 19 countries of Asia. In 2011, the Youth Assembly of the Asia-Europe Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue (ASEM) took place at UST. In 2015, the University played host to the visit of Pope Francis and his interreligious encounter with Leaders of different Faiths. It is notable that the lone woman of faith received by the Pope, Dr. Lilian Sison, comes from UST. The 2016 youth camp of the Asia-Pacific Youth Interfaith Network (APYIN) participated in by 80 youth leaders from 15 countries of Asia was hosted by the University. In 2017, the 500 years of Reformation was commemorated in the University with an Ecumenical Symposium. Several intellectual forums and symposia on Muslim-Christian Dialogue which brought in scholars from Iran and Turkey were also held at UST.

Given these achievements, UST, among Educational Institutions, is the most profoundly engaged in interreligious dialogue. Interreligious dialogue has become part of the University’s culture of practice as it fulfills its mission of serving the Church.

References:

Fr. Sebastian D’Ambra, PIME. “Peace-Work in the Tradition and Context of Islamic
Communities” Living Flame – Spirituality of Peace Work, Volume 4 (2019).

Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia. “Interreligious Dialogue: Path to Harmony” Address
given by the Papal Nuncio at the Iran Embassy Manila Cultural Section, 15 October 2018.

Dominican Mission on Justice and Peace. Order of Preachers, www.op.org
retrieved Feb. 5, 2019.

A Science of Spirituality for the 21st Century. Templeton Report 2015.

The Bishop-Ulama Conference. https://www.peaceinsight.org, retrieved Feb. 2, 2017.

Prof. Lilian J. Sison, Ph.D., is the Secretary General of Religions for Peace – Philippines and the Chair of the Asian Women of Faith Network. She is also the Director of the UST Office for International Relations and Programs.

The post Interreligious Dialogue from the Catholic Perspective appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

The post Visitor appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

“We are enjoined to be committed in promoting tourism in our country,” said Lucas in her welcome remarks, explaining further that this kind of program is the first to be conducted by DOT in partnership with a higher education institution.

UST Office of Public Affairs Director Assoc. Prof. Giovanna V. Fontanilla, APR, PhD, spoke on the ‘UST Brand,’ saying, “The UST brand is not limited to its many symbols and icons, or the way we describe it. All our actions as Thomasians – including those that are visual, written, or spoken – remain part of branding and reflect on the University, as well. With that said, this training now becomes a part of the collaborative efforts of Thomasians to not only strengthen the brand of the ������Ƶapp as an institution of higher learning that is committed to excellence in academics, eminence in research, and exemplary community development, but also to inspire and challenge us to communicate it properly to our stakeholders.”

For the first day of the workshop, DOT trainor and Pioneer Professional Academy of Asia Senior Training Officer Mr. Gil Regondola was the resource person. With almost 15 years of experience in training service front liners and tour guides in customer engagement, he facilitated four training sessions on “The Filipino Brand of Service Excellence,” which he defined as ‘consistently meeting and exceeding the needs of the guests or customers and providing them with memorable experiences,’ “Understanding and Engaging Guests,” which is anticipating and providing the needs of the various stakeholder groups, “Delivering Service Excellence,” where he provided techniques to assist and satisfy the requests of guests, and “Service Recovery,” which is responding courteously to complaints and resolving guest concerns.

For the second and the third days, DOT Accredited Tour Guide Ms. Yael Fernandez, demonstrated guiding techniques and facilitated training activities in preparing and presenting a guiding script and site commentary.
On the third day, Fernandez, a seasoned and respected trainor who brings with her 20 years of wide experience in guiding and training, included two sessions of 2-hour long Mock Tours around the UST Campus, which served as a practical test for the participants.

Wearing their yellow UST tour guide caps on and sling bags for their tour paraphernalia, the UST Student Ambassadors took on the role of tour guides. During the mock tour, each presented a commentary on a significant site within the University. Upon completing the requisites of the seminar-workshop, the participants took their oath as the new UST Tour led by Mr. John Riel Binay Suarez, a student from the Faculty of Engineering. DOT-NCR Regional Office Officer-in-Charge Ms. Catherine C. Agustin gave recommendations to the new tour guides citing her 30 years of experience in the Tourism industry.

“First, we have to know by heart and understand the importance of excellent customer service. As members of the tourism workforce, or if you want to pursue working in the tourism industry, let us not forget to put attention to the services that we provide. It’s not enough that we have the facilities for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions), but we must also be competent in providing excellent, world-class service. Next, a place becomes interesting for tourists by the way the guide makes the history alive. So you have to be creative in delivering your commentary. It may have been your first time delivering a tour script today, but just practice. Know your craft, and know your history,” she shared.

“Continue enhancing your skills, because you are the future front liners. Your most important asset: one, your personality, and two, your huge energy for welcoming and assisting visitors. That’s the Philippines’ huge selling point,” Agustin added. Gifts of gratitude were exchanged between the Department of Tourism and the Office of Public Affairs.

The post DOT, OPA hold seminar-workshop on Filipino Brand of Service, Guiding Techniques for student ambassadors appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

In cooperation with the British Council Professional Development Centre, the program was made possible through the Office of the Rector, which concurrently serves as the ASEACCU Secretariat as the UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy. O.P., PhD, is the Executive Secretary / President.

Twenty administrators and officials of Catholic universities across Southeast and East Asia joined the program titled “Executive Leadership Essentials” to enhance their skills in: engaging their employees, creating a climate of trust among their teams, developing their ability to lead with credibility and confidence even in times of change, and strengthening their ability to connect with others. The first group of delegates for the leadership training program was hosted by UST in August 2018.

The participants were: Dr. Gregory Siy Ching, Prof. Yuan-Ho Huang, and Dr. Shiu-Yun Fun (Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan), Mr. Jaka Mulyana, Dr. Lodovicus Lasdi, and Mr. Albert G. Godjaja (Widya Mandala Catholic University, Indonesia), Ms. Febrina Astria Verasvera, Ms. Maria Fransiska Hanna, Ms. Monacella Ella Kosasih, and Ms. Veronica Afridita Khristiningrum (Parahyangan Catholic University, Indonesia), Mr. Beni Utomo (Sanata Dharma University, Indonesia), Dr. Nathaya Pupat (Assumption University, Thailand), Ms. Lenny Setyowati (Soegijapranata Catholic University, Indonesia), Dr. Marilyn Rubrica, Dr. Irene U. Dalog, and Ms. Criselda B. Espiritu (De La Salle Araneta University), Ms. Perlita Antonio and Dr. Belen De Jesus (Pasig Catholic College), Dr. Jackqui Moreno (San Beda University), and Dr. Jennifer Joy Olivar (St. Paul University – Manila).

Facilitating the training was Ms. Shalini Thomas, a master trainer from the British Council for business skills and intercultural competence in corporate organizations. She brings with her over 15 years of experience in the learning and development field. She has designed, developed, and delivered programs on a variety of topics to a wide range
of audiences across industries, including sessions on teamwork and collaboration, creative problem-solving, leadership, diversity and inclusion, and working effectively in multicultural environments.

On the last day of the seminar, January 25, the participants had a historic tour of the Corregidor Island.

The Office of the Rector was assisted by the following offices for this conference: Office of the Secretary-General, the Office of Public Affairs, Facilities Management Office, and the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management.

The post UST hosts Leadership Training for ASEACCU delegates appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

The master class was a collaboration between the Embassy of Israel in the Philippines and the ������Ƶapp in coordination with the . The program was also attended by the Embassy of Israel to the Philippines Deputy Chief of Mission Ms. Yulia Rachinsky-Spivakov who delivered a message to introduce the composer and the event.

Weiner, who is currently a senior staff lecturer at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, is the head of The Cross-Disciplinary Composition Division, and teaches composition, theory classes, and directing ensembles. He holds a Ph.D. in Composition from the Bar Ilan University.

The music of Weiner focuses on intermingling traditional Jewish melodies and contemporary compositional techniques. These compositions have had over two hundred performances worldwide, including at New York's Carnegie Hall and across the USA, the UK, Russia, Canada, China, Japan, Ukraine, Italy, Ireland, Malaysia, Nepal, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, and Israel.

As a composer, Weiner is active in the fields of concert music, music for film, and popular music. His oeuvre includes over 40 chamber and orchestral works, among them two concertos for piano and orchestra, a number of orchestral works, chamber music, songs, and works for piano. In addition, he composed music for three full-length films, and composed for Rai-TV Italy, and music libraries in London.

For his music, Weiner has won many international competitions and awards, among them recently the 2nd Prize at the Alfred Schnittke International Composers Forum and Competition 2016, in Lviv, Ukraine, The Asian Composers League “15-Minutes-of-Fame” competition, The America Israel Cultural Foundation, and more.

According to UST Conservatory of Music Dean Assoc. Prof. Antonio P. Africa, Ph.D., the master class was attended by students from the Music Technology and Compositiondepartments.

The post Renowned Israeli composer Amit Weiner holds master class in Contemporary Composition at UST appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

With the theme “Changes and Chances in English Language teaching (ELT),” the conference tackled papers from several ELT field including linguistics, literacy, literature, culture and intercultural issues, and other related fields.

As one of the 55 paper presenters from Asia, Europe, and North America, Tarrayo, who is a member of the English Department, presented his paper titled “Exploring the Coalescence of Language and Literature through a Stylistic Analysis of a Filipino-authored Flash Fiction.” Flash fiction is a story characterized by being very short, typically consisting of only a few hundred words despite offering plot and character development. In his presentation, Tarrayo explained that language and literature should team up for their mutual benefit in interpreting literary pieces since linguistics is indispensable in understanding the structure and the effects of a given literary piece. Through a stylistic analysis of the flash fiction piece “Earth-bound” written by renowned Filipino author Cyan Abad-Jugo in the anthology “Fast Food Fiction Delivery,” edited by Noelle Q. De Jesus and Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta, Tarrayo was able to delve into the link between linguistics and literature.

By deciphering the language code of the text in terms of lexical and grammatical categories as textual features, the study concluded that flash fiction’s core brevity is not a limitation, but a strength. The short length can, according to Tarrayo, “not only hook the readers but may propel them to concentrate on the power of language, association, and inference. Likewise, the symbolic weight carried by flash fiction drives the narrative forward, and the gaps within and around the story become big ideas in a small space.” To examine the textual features and linguistic cues used in the flash fiction piece on different levels, language structure at the semantic, syntactic, phonological, and pragmatic levels had to be taken into account.

This meant scouring the entirety of the text for all possible linguistic features that complement specific literary insights. The analysis included a description of the formal features of the text and its functions in relation to the literary interpretation, Tarrayo discussed through an e-mail interview.

One of the pedagogical implications of the research work is that critical reading and appreciation of flash fiction pieces can be developed in students by literature and language teachers alike through engaging them in activities that utilize stylistics as an approach to literary interpretation. Tarrayo gave some examples, “By using a flash fiction piece, a teacher can assist the students in identifying foregrounded ideas out of words that can grouped under specific semantic fields; in this manner, the students operate on the associative language of flash fiction and develop their ability to surmise what is beyond the power of denotative meanings.

“Introducing students to analyzing varied sentence types and the mixture of long embedded sentences with terse short ones, or statements with incomplete or elliptical statements can challenge the students to make inferences about the character(s) and the mood of a narrative, Tarrayo added. Through the stylistic approach of stimulating their sensitivity to recognizing language features and techniques in writing flash fiction, “the students are placed in the context of ‘reading like a writer,’ which canperhaps make them realize that although flash fiction is about brevity and quickness, it is so demanding a form, and writing one can only be attained through a long process of elimination, selection, and concentration,” Tarrayo reasoned out.

Tarrayo’s interest in analyzing such works stemmed from its potential to “contribute to the fields of literary and language studies by offering possible ways on how to examine the “baffling” language code of Filipino flash fiction brought about by its brevity as a unique quality and its unconventional techniques of narration. The required minimalism of the flash fiction genre forces a compression of words and space on a page and demands urgency and profundity among readers. Moreover, flash fiction is about ambiguity; it is a genre that best works via understatement, purposeful ambiguity, implication, and evocative or suggestive language. Unlocking such a baffling language code can be done through looking into stylistic features that lend themselves well in describing flash fiction’s linguistic choices and interpretability,” he explained.

Tarrayo currently serves as the Editor in Chief of the Asian Journal of English Language Studies, the official peer-reviewed, open-access, annual academic journal of the UST Department of English. He also handles classes in the Faculty of Arts and Letters and the UST Graduate School.

The post Tarrayo of AB uncovers potential pedagogical uses of Filipino flash fiction at Thai confab appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

Various educational and recreational activities that included lecture series, community and clinical practice and cultural immersion activities were provided to the group. One of its highlights is the Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) program of SLC which helped the students, under the guidance of their faculty members, to develop their clinical reasoning as well as their creativity in diagnosing and treating patients who cannot seek medical consultation due to financial and transportation issues. A referral system was developed so that students can transfer patients to other healthcare professionals when the problem of the patient was beyond the scope of physical therapy practice. The experience allowed the group of Thomasian physical therapy students to further understand their roles in the communities.

The interns also obtained additional insights through lectures and demonstration by SLC faculty members specializing in their respective fields like the Voltja practice in pediatric rehabilitation, Schroth techniques in scoliotic patients and lymphatic drainage technique in patient suffering with edema. In return, Mr. Cruz also shared his expertise in the field of cardiopulmonary physical therapy to the students of SLC.

Also, four UST students in their fifth year under the Physical Therapy program went on a month-long internship called the Global Internship Experience (GIE) that commenced on January 6, 2019 at the Mahidol University, Thailand.

The students, namely, Lia Carmella Silvestre, Gian Karlo Reyes, Diana Liezel Mosqueda, and Margaret Damatac, were accompanied by the College of Rehabilitation Sciences Internship Supervisor Ms. Fe Therese Chavez.

After the orientation and campus tour at the Salaya Campus of Mahidol University facilitated by faculty member Ms. Mind Pimpawee, the UST CRS students were given the opportunity to observe and learn the practice of physical therapy in various disciplines including Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Sriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Community Based Rehabilitation with Prof. Sasithorn and Prof. Thanwarat. They also learned to use the Biodex Isokinetic machine and Evaltech, as well as the Gait Analysis system, in a physical therapy clinic in Mahidol’s Pinklao Campus with Prof. Yoswasin and Prof. Komsak.

In the community, the group had the chance to observe a house designed with innovations done for the patient using current available materials in order to maximize its function. During the second week, the interns were divided into two teams and rotated to different fields and observed cases on orthopedic, neurologic and pediatric cases. The UST students also learned about hydrotherapy, fitness, and scoliosis.

CRS faculty member Chavez, was able to observe the different technologies that post-graduate students use for research. She was also able to observe the in-patient department and stroke unit at Sriraj Hospital.

The participants consider the Thai GIE as a wonderful experience being exposed to the practice of Physical Therapy in Thailand. They also observed that the set-up in the two countries were different, since they had direct access for Physical Therapy. They also realized that Filipinos should be more proactive in terms of their profession and be able to do much more for the Filipino community in improving the profession.

The post Physical Therapy students take Global Internship Experience at two Thai universities appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

The speaker introduced and demonstrated several functional tests to the participants such as the four- square step test, Montreal cognitive assessment, 30-second chair stand test, two-minute step in place and many more. These tests measured balance, gait speed, cognition and strength of an individual. To ensure that the participants learned, the speaker asked the participants to administer the tests themselves and let them watch several videos on how to use those tests.

The seminar participants who were mostly practicing physical therapists, learned the importance of a more objective and measurable way of assessing geriatric patients with different types of impairments. Moreover, the seminar gave them the knowledge and skills in using evidence-based functional tests among geriatric patients which can lead to the improvement of the practice.

The post CRS conducts Evidence-Based Functional Tests for geriatric population seminar appeared first on ������Ƶapp.

Javate, a renowned eye doctor, is currently the Chair of the USTH Eye Institute of the ������Ƶapp Hospital. He is also a Professor of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the ������Ƶapp, and is well known for his countless titles, awards and contributions to the field of Ophthalmology. His continued effort to conduct research and deliver lectures both locally and internationally allows him to inspire young ophthalmologists in the Philippines and around the globe.

For the year 2018, Javate delivered lectures in the various parts of the world from February to December covering China, the United States, Russia, Austria, Romania, and Spain. In Wenzhou, China, Javate shared his expertise on Integrating Balloon Dacryoplasty in TELDR and on Microendoscopic-guided Canalicular Trephination during the 6th Chinese Ophthalmic Endoscopic Surgery Symposium (COESS) and the 2nd Annual Conference of Cross-strait Ophthalmic Endoscopic Surgery (ACCOES). This was held from November 22 to 25, 2018, during the 4th International Conference of Ophthalmic Endoscopic Surgery (ICOES).

At the Annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology held from October 27 to 30, 2018 at McCormick Place, Chicago, Javate gave a lengthy Instructional Course on Endoscopic Transluminal Recanalization.

Javate shared with the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery during the 49th Annual Fall Scientific Symposium at the Hilton Chicago that was held from October 25 to 26, 2018, an in-depth video presentation on Secondary Repair of Upper Eyelid Laceration with Canalicular Laceration. At the World Congress for Ophthalmologists and Otorhinolaryngologist that took place in Kazan, Russia from September 27 to 29, 2018, Javate delivered a lecture on the Instrumentation, Principles and Technique in doing Transcanalicular Endoscopic Lacrimal Duct Recanalization and another lecture regarding Integration of Ballom Dacryoplasty in TELDR and Microendoscopic Canalicular Trephination. He also performed a Live Cadaveric Session on TELDR.

As a follow through of his previous presentations made in the previous year regarding the newest updates in Lacrimal Stents, Javate spoke at the FCI Distributors’ meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting held in Vienna, Austria, on September 22, 2018.

Sharing his uniqueness and generosity, the famed Filipino eye doctor shared his own technique and ways on how to be efficient in doing the Transcanalicular Endoscopic Lacrimal Duct Recanalization. This was conducted at the European Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery meeting during the Karl Storz Lunch Symposium in Bucharest, Romania that was held in September 2018.

It was in Barcelona, Spain that Javate presented Endocanalicular Operation /External Dacryocystorhinostomy and Integration of Balloon Dacryoplasty in Transcanalicular Endoscopic Lacrimal Duct Recanalization at the World Ophthalmology Congress that was held in June.

At the National Training Course that took place in Wuhan, China in March, Javate delivered interesting presentations on Periocular Rejuvenation and Radiosurgery, capitalizing on his 30- year experience on the latter.

In February, at the 33rd Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress held in Hong Kong, he delivered a paper on Transcanalicular Endoscopic Lacrimal Duct Recanalization.

The post Oculoplastics specialist Reynaldo Javate lectures in different countries appeared first on ������Ƶapp.