The Ateneo de Davao University Arrupe Office of Social Formation launched its annual Christmas Outreach Project Pagbabahagi 2017  last December 3.

Arrupe, in partnership with the SAMAHAN Central Board, the student government of Ateneo, will conduct Pagbabahagi in St. Therese School of Miarayon, Brgy. Miarayon, Malaybalay City, a Jesuit mission area in Bukidnon. Pagbabahagi is a social formation and engagement project which strives to respond to the urgent and varied concerns of community partners.

They will raise funds which will be used to implement projects and activities for the development of the students most especially the Lumad scholars.

During the launching at the St. Therese of School Miarayon Gymnasium, Arrupe Director Lilibeth L. Leh-Arcena presented the Pagbabahagi year-long engagement plan. Workshops on Financial Literacy, Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship, Microsoft Office application literacy, and Journalism and Public Speaking will be done. There will also be training on First Aid and Emergency Response, Personality and Anti-Bullying Campaign, and Youth Student Leadership.

The Ateneo de Davao Computer Studies Cluster will also donate personal computers; the Natural and Sciences and Mathematics Cluster will give science laboratory apparatus; the School of Engineering and Architecture will donate school supplies, and School of Nursing will provide first aid kits.

“It was a heartwarming experience for me, knowing that I embodied the vision of the Ateneo for me to become men and women for others and a Sui Generis Leader for Mindanao,” Lyd Ejira Ducusin, SAMAHAN Executive Secretary said.

For only Php 3,000.00, you can fund a scholar in St. Therese School of Miarayon, Bukidnon for an entire school year.

Donate now, or support by buying bracelets made by Lake Sebu Indigenous Weavers Association Inc. (LASIWWAI) members for only Php 50.00 a pair. One bracelet will be for the donor and the other for the scholar. Kindly give your donations directly to the Finance Office through the account: DCB-PAGBABAHAGI 7501-8147. You will be duly issued with official receipts.

By Michael Aaron Gomez

Upon receiving the highest grade in English together with two classmates, a fifteen-year-old Grade 10 student from the Gani L. Abpi Colleges, Inc. in Datu Piang, Maguindanao said that their Madaris Volunteer teacher “gave [them] a piece of paper with a short but inspirational message with matching Mentos candy.” One can only guess what that anonymous message could have been, but here is how the student finishes the story:

“Until now, I’m still keeping that piece of orange paper.”

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Many of the students in the Bangsamoro live in poverty. Worse still, they are also victims of the decades-long armed struggle in Mindanao, a struggle rooted in deep-seated historical injustice (violent robbery of hectares and hectares of ancestral land to satisfy the gruesome appetites of Euro-American imperialism, institutional neglect, and nearly all manner of discrimination). A number of these students have been orphaned by this struggle. Victims of bombs and bullets, weapons that do not distinguish between good and evil, innocent or guilty. Victims whose very birthright seems to be to take up the rifles of their grandfathers and their fathers—warriors embarking on a war eternal.

One way to start breaking this wave of violence is education. To teach the students the value of picking up a book and putting down the gun. To share with them the worth of coloring within the lines so they could learn to color outside them. To open minds to the brightness and multiplicity of the world, to the possibility of a world where Moro and Christian share peaceful lives in one country.

This is where the Madaris Volunteers come in.

The Madaris Volunteer Program (MVP) is an initiative of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) that is implemented by the Ateneo de Davao University in partnership with the Bureau of Madaris Education (BME), National Association for Bangsamoro Education, Inc. (NABEi), and the Regional Government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Every year since its inception in 2015, the program sends able-bodied volunteers to help teach DepEd-mandated subjects at the MVP’s 11 partner madaris. These madaris, located at Cotabato City, Maguindanao, and Lamitan City, are privately run schools that teach the traditional madrasah curriculum (Arabic, the Qur’an, Islamic values), supplemented by secular subjects, such as Math, English, Science.

Realizing that the place to start building peace is the classroom, the MVP has set as its goal the creation of a collaborative space between and among Islamic schools and Catholic schools, where they could share ideas and personnel to improve the quality of education in the Bangsamoro. A teaching program, the MVP deploys its volunteers to the madaris for ten months, or one academic year, ending with the madrasah’s commencement exercises and the program’s culmination activities.

But the mission is not simply teaching work.

These volunteers do not simply clock in and out each day at the madaris, go back to their host families, and tune out the thrum of the community around them. They also try to connect with the rest of the community—as fellow citizens of the world who share their frailties, strengths, passions, and anxieties—even though the people they try to bond with may be wary of any non-Moro stepping foot in their historically despoiled and institutionally underserved area.

The Madaris Volunteer Program deployed the first batch of volunteers in 2015. These volunteers came from a diverse set of backgrounds, from as far north as La Union and as far south as Sulu. Seven of them are non-Muslims from La Union, Naga City, Iloilo City, Davao City, and Cagayan de Oro City; the remaining four are Muslims from South Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Sulu. Notably, most of the volunteers came from reputable universities in the country, such as the University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, Xavier University, and Notre Dame University of Cotabato.

Results came quickly for the program: enrollment in the partner madaris increased in its second year. Citing the presence of volunteers from Manila in their madrasah, the principal of Al-Dahirie in Guindulungan, Maguindanao, said, “Nung nalaman ng mga parents na may volunteers kami na galing sa Manila at nalaman nila ang mga ginagawa ng mga volunteers, inenroll nila ang mga anak nila dito.”

Meanwhile, the school administrator of Markaz Al-Huzaim in Datu Piang, Maguindanao, reported that the volunteers helped keep the students interested in school, minimizing dropout cases. He said, “Mula sa 100 to 200 enrollees, may mga 30 na nagdrop, madalas lagpas ng midyear. Kumaunti ang nagdrop. Mas gusto na nila dito kaysa sa public school.”

The MVP has also helped address the shortage of teachers in the Bangsamoro. Through the program’s Capability Enhancement Training, the MVP has helped build the organic madaris teachers’ capacities. The teachers shared their experiences learning and applying classroom management techniques in their respective classes. The teachers’ time with the MVP opened up their perspectives on becoming better educators, pushing them from the traditional paradigm toward the 21^st Century mode.

The challenging aspects of teaching a group of children become apparent in this account of a female teacher at Dar Al-Uloom Wal Hikmah. She says, “Dati kulang ang tingin ko sa sarili ko at sa skills ko. Nagkaroon lang ako ng malaking improvement sa sarili dahil nauunawaan ko na ang iba’t ibang ugali ng mga bata.”

She also recounts an improvement on her communication and interpersonal skills. “Dati, I needed improvement in communication with my co-workers. Ngayon, nakikisali na ako sa pwedeng salihan, especially ‘pag merong katanungan,” she said. “I think I needed more patience to deal with co-workers, especially because I am a new teacher and a Balik Islam. Now, nagkaroon na ng improvement dahil nachallenge ako sa aking sarili.”

Students were also exposed to more learning opportunities, particularly through the novel approaches used by the Madaris Volunteers. Some students reported a renewed appreciation for learning languages such as Filipino or English. Some Grade 6 students also said that their volunteer teacher taught them how to make origami. There was also a student who said that her volunteer teacher opened her mind to the mysteries of the world after being asked to read Shakespeare, and that the teacher also challenged her and her classmates by tasking them to recite poems in front of class.

Students and teachers in the Bangsamoro share a common narrative that the Madaris Volunteers helped them look at Christians and non-Moro people, and allowed them to be more open to working with them. Students recounted how their volunteer teachers treated them like a member of the family, without the baggage of prejudice. The volunteers also told of their understanding of the importance of friendliness with other people and of openness to learn about Islam and Maguindanaoan culture. Faculty members and administrators from the partner madaris reported an appreciation of the female volunteers’ willingness to wear the hijab, as well as the rest of the volunteers’ expression of solidarity with the Muslim community by joining them to fast during Ramadan.

The deployment of Christian volunteers also helped students look beyond stereotypes and then, consequently, break them. Students from the Gani L. Abpi Colleges agreed without reservation that the MVP truly changed the way Moro students looked at Christian teachers, historical objects of their distrust and wariness, whom they could not help but judge.

“I realized that not all Christians from faraway cities like Manila sees us Bangsamoro as the worst and most violent people in the society,” a 17-year-old Grade 10 student says.

Students and pupils from the madaris also saw the first batch of Madaris Volunteers as positive role models, even after a year had passed and the volunteers had all returned home. The pupils remembered how the volunteers treated them more clearly than their actual lessons.

Grade 1 students from Al-Dahirie remembered clearly that the volunteer assigned to them liked to drink coffee, that he went to the mosque to pray every day, and that he had mapiya palangay—good manners. Generally, the pupils mentioned liking their volunteer teachers for their mapiya palangay: they never hit the pupils whenever they made mistakes. The students also learned to be more attentive in class, to throw their garbage properly, and to stop putting their feet up on the stools during class.

The MVP also gave the older students wonderful life experiences they were not likely to forget. These students went on field trips to the cities of Davao and General Santos, and participated in projects initiated by the volunteers. Students from Datu Ibrahim and Markaz Al-Huzaim recalled their field trip to Davao City and Samal Island, seeing the various attractions there, and even unexpectedly seeing a popular young actress from Manila.

Part of this batch of students was a student from Datu Ibrahim, who had the time of his life in their MVP field trip: “Ang hindi ko makakalimutan ay ang pagpunta ko sa Davao at sa Samal Island na lahat kami ay maliligo sa dagat na masayang-masaya dahil magkakasama kami lahat ng classmates ko.”

Sending a group of mostly non-Muslim volunteer teachers into the heart of the historically charged conflict in the Bangsamoro to teach the children universal values of kindness, respect, and love is most assuredly not an easy task. Numerous challenges abound every step of the way and from seemingly every angle—but the Madaris Volunteer Program presses on with the mission, having gradually proven that peacebuilding through education simply works.

The process is not quick: the roots of peace will take a long time to take hold. But eventually, with the help of organizations like the MVP, every peace-loving citizen of Mindanao—every peace-loving Filipino—will come to see a lasting and fruitful peace sprouting from the ground soaked with generations of blood and tears. Because as trite as this may sound, the cliché still holds true: nobody wins in war.

There is only the side that loses more slowly.

These students in the Bangsamoro have all lived through that blistering chaos imprecisely described in popular media, have heard the gunshots popping right outside their houses, have heard the bombs blasting apart markets and people, have heard all the slurs the ignorant have thrown at them because of ahistorical complacency and refusal to understand. They live too far away, after all. They wear different clothes. They speak different languages.

They can also look us dead in the collective Filipino eye and tell us that our complicity in their oppression is undeniable, and that the warped history we have told ourselves over the centuries has ensured it.

But it is organizations like the MVP that do more than their share of breaking the cycle of violence, while spreading empathy and compassion to people who may not know of the Bangsamoro struggle. The MVP too is not just teaching these kids numbers and language, it is also showing them that knowledge is a great tool at defusing misunderstandings and conflict, at starting conversation.

The hope of a conversation between true equals thus becomes closer to reality.

Imagine the student who until now still keeps that piece of orange paper. Maybe he keeps it tucked inside his English textbook. Or maybe he keeps it folded on his table, under the candle or lamp. Maybe he also takes that piece of paper out from time to time, just to look at it. Remind himself of his experience studying under a person who is different from him. He ponders this fact for a minute.

From here, several possibilities open.

But we trust that he eventually settles on this one: he looks at his teacher’s anonymous message one more time, smiles to himself, and then returns the orange paper to its hiding place. Folds it carefully so it doesn’t slip out or fall out. Then he smiles at himself again, nodding with gratitude and self-confidence—his teacher, a stranger, had recognized his efforts.

This piece of orange paper could kickstart the conversation we need.

Or maybe it will be other little meaningful things—but it is the MVP’s promise to keep trying, and to keep teaching. The next batches of Madaris Volunteers should be able to recognize the possibilities hiding within each Bangsamoro student they serve, so that the earlier conversation of guns answering guns could be stopped for good, and we could continue this new conversation of candies and little pieces of orange paper.   

Ateneo de Davao University School of Business and Governance (SBG) is celebrating the SBG Week 2018 through different activities.

See the schedule of activities below.

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.

By Edward Descalsota and Jason Occidental

Ateneo de Davao University School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) organized its first technopreneurship business pitching competition last 2 February 2018 at the 7/F Finster Hall, Finster Auditorium.

The event served as the culminating activity of the Ateneo de Davao Method of Innovation and Technopreneurship (ADMIT) bootcamp for faculty members. The bootcamp covered four full days of trainings and workshops, along with the pitching competition on the fifth and final day.

The boot camp aims to develop the technopreneurial mindsets of the faculty. Collaboration between various disciplines was also promoted wherein the participants of the bootcamp came from the School of Engineering and Architecture, the School of Business and Governance, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the Grade School Unit.

The thirty-eight faculty members were able to form eight different teams, each having their unique and innovative business idea. Each team was given five minutes to present their pitches and another five minutes for the question and answer.

The judges were composed of Engr. Ma. Theresa Espino of SEA-Industrial Engineering, Engr. John Rey Naranjo of Ingenuity, and Roberto ‘Dr. Bo’ Puentespina, Jr. of Davao Thermo Biotech Corporation.

The Happy Pig Team, which offers to make a bacon-alternative with the use of seaweed, bagged the first place. The team envisions this product as a viable solution not only to heavy meat-based health problems most people encountered nowadays but also to environmental and economic problems as well.  The team is composed of Engr. Maria Leah Flor A. De Castro, Engr. Ryutaro P. Yamamoto, and Engr. Josef Rene L. Villanueva.

 Ranking second was Umbra SMS by Ms. Christine M. Valencia, the lone proponent from Grade School.  Her solution tackles the parents’ involvement as an integral part of the foundation for student success. Umbra SMS provides a platform for teachers to communicate and coordinate with the parents.

Intellibin, a smart garbage bin that aims to promote waste reduction and segregation education, got the third place. The team is composed of Dr. Doris B. Montecastro, Engr. Decien Dee F. De Cagalitan, Engr. Eva Marie C. Mendoza, Engr. Mark Anthony R. Rotor, and Mr. Bernie M. Jereza with Dr. Cleofe A. Arib as their financial consultant.

 A crowd favorite was also selected which was based on the team that received the highest amount of investment, represented by fictitious money.  It was no other than the GreenMarket.ph team who got the People’s Choice Award for having a total of Php 1,460,000.00 of investment from the crowd.  GreenMarket.ph is an e-commerce hub for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines offering natural and organic products.  The team is comprised of Ms. Donna M. Abrina, Mr. Roger James P. Plasabas, and Dr. Jovelyn A. Castro.

 Other presenters which are nip-and-tuck with each other were Genie, SolaRF, Real-Deal Builders, and Ato Ni Bai.

 With the event being a big success, the school plans to conduct more of these bootcamps and pitching competitions for other members of the university community and outside institutions. This is in line with the establishment of Ateneo de Davao University as the Technopreneurship Hub of Southern Mindanao through a grant by the Commission on Higher Education and the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev).

On 1 February 2018, the 4th Infantry “Diamond” Division of the Philippine Army in Bgy. Patag, Cagayan de Oro City presented a Plaque of Appreciation to the Center of Psychological Extension and Research Services (COPERS) “in grateful appreciation for the invaluable assistance and support… during the Marawi offensive operations… that significantly enhanced the capability of the Camp Evangelista Station Hospital in treating and saving the lives of the Battle Casualties.”
From June to October 2017, COPERS fielded nine deployments of a multidisciplinary Mental Health and Psychosocial Support  (MHPSS) Team to assist Camp Evangelista Station Hospital personnel in delivering psychological first aid, grief counseling, critical incident stress debriefings, and trauma assessment of soldiers medically evacuated from the Marawi theater.

“A total of 63 COPERS Affiliates composed of psychologists, psychometricians, counselors, and psychology alumni took part in the effort to provide support to the security sector,”   Dr. Gail Tan Ilagan reported. Ilagan is the director of COPERS.

The deployments are part of COPERS’ Emergency MHPSS Response to the Marawi crisis.

“A total of 458 soldiers wounded in action were served,” Ilagan added.

COPERS has a long-standing engagement with the military establishment for mental health management of active duty troops. It has helped design the Combat Stress Management System adopted by the Philippine Army last September 2017.

Particularly for the recently concluded Marawi campaign, COPERS is spearheading the post-Marawi assessment of the 12,000 troops deployed in Marawi.

COPERS is also providing the Philippine Army advice on early interventions to prevent or manage emerging psychiatric and neurological issues of Marawi veterans.

The 2-day 10th Visayas-Mindanao Psychology Conference opened at the Finster Hall Auditorium at 8:00 am on 23 February 2018. The VISMIN Psychology Conference is a biennial gathering of undergraduate psychology majors from colleges and universities in Mindanao and the Visayas. The first VisMin Conference was initiated by the Ateneo de Davao University and had in the past years been managed by the Samahan ng Mga Mag-aaral ng Sikolohiyang Filipino, the official student organization of the ADDU Department of Psychology.

The conference this year is hosted by the Center of Psychological Extension and Research Services as a fundraiser to sustain its community accompaniment efforts among Marawi IDPs in the border town of Malabang, Lanao del Sur. This year’s theme is Pakikipagpalagayang Loob: Creative Means to Rapport Building.

COPERS Affiliate Dr. Marshaley Baquiano, Co-Chair of the Social Psychology Division of the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) and Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines –  Visayas, delivered the keynote address. Silliman University Assistant Professor Michele Joan Valbuena gave the plenary address.  Dr. Valbuena is the Chair of the Sports Psychology Special Interest Group of the PAP.

Conference participants chose to attend two of nine exciting workshops simultaneously scheduled on the afternoon of the 23rd and morning of the 24th. Workshop offerings include

Pag-iisang Pintig: Pagbuo ng Diwa at Loob by Leo Emmauel Castro (Feb 23 1:45pm and Feb 24 8:30 am, F213)

Optimizing Adolescent Potential through Emotion-Freedom Technique by Dr. Gina R. Lamzon (Feb 23 1:45pm, Ricci Hall Conference Rm D)

Plastik-plastikan, Hugutan ng Ka-artisan: Pakikipagpalagayang-loob gamit ang plastic bag art

By Jojet Lamberto Mondares, RP (Feb 23 1:45pm and Feb 24 8:30am, 8/F Training Room, Community Center of the First Companions)

Frolics: Hugutan ng Ka-artisan (Rapport building in the Military) by Jonna Mondares, RGC (Feb 23 1:45pm and Feb 24 8:30am, Ricci Hall Conference Room E, Community Center of the First Companions)

The Moro Lens: A Practical Guide for Psychosocial Support Responders in Moro Communities by Mouhammad Camal Sharief (Feb 23 1:45pm and Feb 24 8:30am, Nursing Fundamental Lab)

Art of Magic: An Approach to Rapport Building by Kenneth Ragonton, RPM and Michael Jess Lapid

(Feb 24 8:30am, D401-403)

Inahan sa Sugilanon: An Introduction to Waldorf Kindergarten Storytelling by Juliefer Morano-Cecilio and Malaya Camporedondo-de Guia (Feb 23 1:45pm and Feb 24 8:30am, D202)

“EMO-TION: Emotion in Motion by Regina B. Luminario, RPm (Feb 23 1:45pm and Feb 24 8:30am, Aerobics Room)

Breaking Down Boundaries and Asymmetry:  A Workshop on Creative Ways of Warming Up and Establishing Trust by Dr. Marshaley Baquiano, RP (Feb 24 8:30 am, Miguel Pro Study Center, Community Center of the First Companions)

Inclusive Sports for Individuals and Communities in Crisis by Dr. Michele Joan Valbuena, RP (Feb 24 8:30 am, Sky Lounge)

COPERS is the community engagement arm of the Psychology Department at the Ateneo de Davao University. ADDU psychologists, mental health practitioners, research affiliates, trained volunteers generate empirically-based analysis of community needs, network with duty bearers and service providers, and implement novel psychological applications as appropriate to the unique concerns in the region.

Drawing from its considerable expert base, COPERS sustains in various concerns for psychoeducation, intercultural dialogue, peace psychology, security sector reform, organizational effectiveness, mental health management, crisis intervention, psychosocial support and trauma rehabilitation, and post-disaster recovery planning.

COPERS is led by Gail Tan Ilagan, PhD, CSSoP, RPsy.

The Ateneo de Davao University thru its Ateneo Migration Center is currently engaged in a research partnership with the Linköping University. The research aims to compare the health labor mobility in three countries: the Philippines, Sweden, and Indonesia by exploring various perspectives and interdisciplinary approach in dealing with the issue of labor mobility in the healthcare sector from the dimensions of applied ethics, development studies, and educational research.

The preliminary activity in the form of a Roundtable Discussion (RTD) was conducted last February 3, 2018, at Pakighinabi Room, 3rd Floor Community Center of the First Companions with the theme: “A Global Crisis in Health: Perspectives from Indonesia, Philippines, and Sweden.”

The recently concluded RTD covered topics on: ”Push and Pull Factors of Migration”, ”Filipino Health Emigrants Challenges and Opportunities”, “Migration and Health”, “Global Nurse Migration”, “Health without Care? Vulnerability, Medical Brain Drain, and Health Worker Responsibilities in Underserved Contexts”, and “Recruitment of Foreign Physicians to Swedish Health Care”. The participants and speakers came from the various sectors/ institutions. The representations are from AdDU Faculty, Health Care Practitioners and Researchers from the Department of Health, UGAT Foundation-AdMU, Davao Medical School Foundation, Brokenshire College of Davao, Southern Philippines Medical Center, City Health Office, Wimler Foundation, Mindanao Migrants Center for Empowering Actions, Inc, and Scalabrini Research Center.

A similar RTD is envisioned to be conducted in Sweden and Indonesia to thoroughly look into fruitful comparisons in developed and developing countries by evaluating prospects for global resource sharing and health governance.

Mr. Jose Maria Tomacruz (faculty member of the Department of Philosophy currently taking Doctoral Studies at Linköping University) initiated the forging of a partnership between the mentioned University and AdDU. The latter, through  Lourdesita S. Chan, URC Chair, and Prof. Mildred M. Estanda, a faculty of the Economics Department and former  Director of the Ateneo Migration Center (AMC), responded favorably to the invitation. Ms. Sheryl R. Lopez, incumbent Director of AMC eventually supported the implementation of the project currently lodged at the Center.

Michelle Soledad, who served as the Ateneo de Davao University Electrical Engineering Department Chair, is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech.  She has been selected to be inducted into the Virginia Tech chapter of the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society.  The Bouchet Society recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement and promotes diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate.

Soledad currently holds an appointment as Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department of the Ateneo de Davao University. At Virginia Tech, she has taught in the first year program and worked on projects related to the learning experience in large engineering courses. She is a Fellow of the Global Perspectives Program and the Virginia Tech Academy for Graduate Teaching Assistant Excellence; and a member of the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi. She is also a graduate assistant at the Office of the Vice President and Dean for Graduate Education and is a teaching assistant for the Academic Integrity and Plagiarism course of the Graduate School.

Soledad’s dissertation focuses on understanding the learning experience in large foundational engineering courses by exploring faculty beliefs, aspirations, and needs for facilitating learning and leveraging institutional data to support reflective teaching practices.

Michelle will be recognized at the Virginia Tech Graduate Education Week’s Award Banquet in March.  The  offical induction ceremony into the society will be held at the annual Yale Bouchet Conference on Diversity and Graduate Education at Yale University, April 26-28.  They will join a network of pre-eminent scholars exemplifying academic and personal merit, character, service and advocacy for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy.

Yale and Howard universities established the Bouchet Society in 2005 to recognize the life and academic contributions of Edward Bouchet, the first African-American to receive a doctorate from a U.S. university; he earned his degree in physics from Yale in 1876.

The Ateneo de Davao is proud to honor this year’s recipients of the University Awards.

The Drs. Jess and Trining de la Paz Award is conferred on Talikala, Inc., a non-government organization freeing Davao City’s prostituted women and girls from exploitation. Receiving the Archbishop Clovis Thibault Award is the Missionaries of Charity, a congregation of sisters that serves the poor and the sick in the margins of the city. The Fr. Theodore Daigler Award for Mindanao Culture and Arts is given to Ms. Tita Lacambra-Ayala, esteemed poet and visual artist who has helped shape contemporary Davao literature and arts chiefly through the Road Map series. This year’s conferee of the honorary doctorate honoris causa will be announced on a separate date.

These awards and honors will be presented to the awardees during the University’s annual commencement exercises on 7 April 2018. The call for nominations for the 2019 Ateneo de Davao University Awards will be released in June 2018.

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

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

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 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.