The DLSU Lady Spikers, seeking their seventh win in as many games against rival UST Tigresses, found themselves in a similar predicament when Head Coach Ramil De Jesus said the same words during a much-needed time-out.

The Lady Spikers mounted a furious comeback and ultimately outclassed their rivals in a full-extended 20-25, 25-22, 16-25, 25-19, 17-15 encounter last January 8 at the Fil-Oil Arena in San Juan.

The Lady Spikers improved to an unscathed record of 7-0, enabling them to sweep the first round of eliminations of the UAAP Season 74 Women’s Volleyball Tournament. Dating from the previous volleyball tournament last season, the defending champions have amassed 18 straight wins.

Season’s leading Best Spiker Abigail Maraño fronted the charge once more for the Taft-based Spikers with 18 points, while team captain Cha Cruz mounted the Lady Spikers’ comeback with 17 points; utility spiker Michelle Gumabao added 16 points.

The game against their España-based rivals, however, did not yield straight sets.

Coming from behind

The Green-and-White squad was down two sets to one. During the fourth, they bounced back to snatch the set 25-19, forcing the game to go into a fifth and deciding set.

The Ladies in Green, however, saw themselves behind, 1-7, at the start of the fifth set when Head Coach De Jesus called for that timeout. And behind the efforts of team captain Cruz, they turned the game around, eventually tying the count at 13 apiece. The Tigresses grabbed the first match point, but the Lady Spikers made a 4-1 run to finish the game and eke out the seventh ‘W’ for the season.

Starting out slow

Despite having the initial lead, the Lady Spikers lost footing when the Tigresses launched a 5-0 run to turn a 14-18 deficit into a 20-19 lead, which gave them the opening set.

Another key factor that compounded the woes of the Green-and-White squad was their unforced errors. 44 of the 106 points, or 42 percent of UST’s points came from the Lady Spikers’ unforced errors, which was relatively huge compared to the 33 percent figure  for the Tigresses.

“At first nagpabaya kami, (We were negligent during the early stages),” said Lady Spiker Michelle Gumabao. The Green-and-White volleybelles then bounced back and found themselves tied with one set apiece after snatching the second frame. The Tigresses, however grabbed the vital third set through a series of attacks and unforced errors the Lady Spikers made.

Playing with a girl down

Odjie Mamon, Head Coach of the Tigresses, pointed out that they were missing the services of starting libero Jamie Morado, who did not suit up in the game for personal reasons. Former libero Dansel Dusaran had to take over the defensive post.

“I think the adjustment of Coach Ramil during the game neutralized our game plan,” he remarked on the reason why the defending champions ended up winning the match.

Unparalleled determination

De Jesus was not really satisfied with the results of the game since it reached five sets, but did not fail to mention that he was impressed with their determination. Graduating Cruz said that the team’s exemplary performance was able to reinforce its right to retain the championship.

One game at a time

Both Coach Ramil De Jesus and Gumabao suggested that the team should take the games one at a time. They added that the Lady Spikers should focus during training and avoid complacency during the games.

With the team completing a first round sweep, teams are more eager to find a way to beat La Salle. “Alam namin na lahat ng teams sobrang eager na kaming matalo, pero eager din kami manalo, so we’re gonna emerge stronger, (We know that all teams will be very eager to beat us, but we are also eager to win, so we are going to emerge stronger)”, vows Gumabao.

Both teams were pegged at third place with the Green Booters four points adrift of second seed UST, and the Lady Booters five points behind their FEU counterparts.

The Green Booters are coming off from a fresh championship victory in the 2011Philippine University Games (UNIGAMES) heldinRoxas City, Capiz after pounding the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos 4-1 in the finale.

The Lady Booters also bagged titles off-season; they ruled in three of five competitions they joined.

New breeding grounds

Both of Coach Hans Smit’s troops are using the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium pitch for their training sessions.

Prior to their use of the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, they had to train in the Enrique M. Razon Sports Complex, which gave them a tough time on the pitch due to the disparity of playing indoors.

Their new training grounds provided them a better training regimen because of the stadium’s world-class turf.

Hectic preparation duringtheoff-season

After a two-month post-season break, the DLSU footballers returned to training with their prized recruits, scouted throughout the country.

The DLSU Booters worked on full-scale training up until September, when they shifted their focus on tactics for the upcoming UNIGAMES tournament.

Before the tournament, the Green Booters also chipped in 7-a-side tournaments such as the Kia Cup and Alaska Cup. The Coach Hans Smit’s boys were divided into two reaching the quarterfinal stages before being knocked out by eventual finalists, Kaya FC and Nomads FC.

Some of the players were handpicked to join the NCR team for the Suzuki Under-23 Cup.  Moreover, the Green Booters also played tune-up games against at least two UFL teams every week.

Meanwhile, the Lady Booters competed in the Rexona Cup, wherein they assessed the rookies’ performance alongside the mainstays. The girls were also pitted alongside several universities, including all of the five UAAP teams, at the Metro Manila Girls Football Association (MMGFA) Cup after the Rexona Cup.

The MMGFA is one of their three pre-season championships; the Alaska Cup and the Coca Cola Cup are the two others.

The Ladies in Green-and-White, however, went on to lose against a sturdy UP team via penalty shootout at the Kia Cup. They were also a step shy of reaching the finals of the UNIGAMES after UST eliminated them in a penalty shootout at the semifinals.

To prepare for the start of the season, the Lady Bootershad tune-up games against the men’s first and second-string teams to develop a more physical type of play.

High hopes for the Booters

Despite losing key players such as seasoned Nico Paolo Villa and Ana Frumenti, both squads remain eager and optimistic that they will bring back the championships to Taft Avenue.

Green Booters co-captain Angelo Roque expressed the desire of the team, especially his batch, to win this year’s championship, which would fittingly end his last play with the team. “Target naming mag-champion, as a team [Our target is to become champions as a team]. Hindi na siya sineset ni Coach Hans because ‘yung batch ko,ever since we got here in La Salle, third kami, laging bigo, [It was not set by Coash Hans because ever since my batch started playing we always came in third place]” he shares.

The Green Booters’ line-up lacks experienced playersdue to injuries and axed ineligibility due to failing grades.

The Men’s rosters, however, acquired seven rookies who are certain to bolster the campaign to claim the much-coveted championship, which DLSU last earned in 1998.

Among the high standouts are forwards JY Chua and Sabin Bustamante, defenders Jules Villahermosa, Gregory Yang andGerald Lamuyas, and mid-fielder Hector Ian Jorge Borromeo.

Lady Booters co-captain Miel Ampil echoed their hunger for the crown, which they last saw in 2009. “We really want to get this tournament since we know that we can do it,” says Ampil.

They also have seven new talented players who will have the opportunity to gain experience easily as the same number of players will be leaving after this season.

The Lady Booters also boast rookie Maria Mustonen who has to sit out a year of residency after graduating high school from Finland. Mustonen featured at the team’s off-season tourneys; she has been impressive thus far.

Roadblock to the title

The two squads are aware that a championship will not be a walk in the park since many other teams have been equally impressive.

The Green Booters need to be wary of the titleholders UP and football powerhouse UST, which boasts national team U-23 players like Jinggoy Valmayor and OJ Clariño, respectively.

UAAP Season 74 Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Year Kiefer Ravena and Ignite Media organized a basketball charity game that collected more than P400,000 for victims of the tropical storm Sendong in Northern Mindanao, specifically in the cities of Cagayan De Oro and Iligan.

The charity game featured UAAP and NCAA cage stars like DLSU Green Archers stalwarts Joshua Webb and Cagayan de Oro natives Samuel Joseph Marata and Dan Sara together withAteneo’sRavena, NicoSalva and Chris Tiu.Former UAAP Most Valuable Players RR Garcia, Kevin Alas, Baser Amer and Jake Pascual also joined the game.

Local celebrities, musicians and comedians also supported the cause, including Jhong Hilario, Xian Lim, Marco Alcaraz, Luis Alandy, Jon Hall, Gerald Anderson, Rico Blanco, Champ LuiPio, Arvin “Tado” Jimenez and Jose Manalo.

The pool of athletes and celebrities was divided into two teams, namely the Meralco Red and Smart White team with the latter edging the former, 118-107, led by Hilario and Blue Eagle Justin Chua with 16 points apiece, while event organizer Ravena chipped in 14 markers.

DLSU sharp shooter Marata drained four out of the six triple attempts plus three rebounds to bring the Meralco White team to victory. Former National Youth team playmaker Sara bucketed in two points and one steal, while Webb chalked up three points.

Over at the Meralco Red side, Young JV scored 22 points alongside Salva’s 14 baskets.

The one-day fund raising basketball game turned into a playful exhibition match, to the delight of the audience.

From the sidelines, the organizers held a dougie-dancing contest where Webb joined fellow Lasallian Gab Valenciano to keep the audience entertained during the half-time break. The sidelines also featured a two-ball challenge and a three-point shootout that pitted PBA Legend Allan Caidic with BMEG’s James Yapto complete the light gala event.

The Green-and-White Tennisters started the season with a statement delivering the ‘W’ in every singles and doubles game.

Organizers halted the said match-ups several times due to occasional drizzles.

On-going singles 1 match between rookie Green Tennister Kyle Cordero against Red-and-White’s Mark Soriano paused at 6-3, 4-3.

The first doubles duel between former UAAP Rookie of the Year Permik Alina and Ed Amor against the Micheal Angelo Destura-Jerald Agudis tandem from UE also encountered delay because of the weather at 3-1.

After much mopping and drying of the tennis court, rain hailed over again, extending the game break to hours.

“It [the rain] was not an advantage, it was not a disadvantage to both players I have out,” shares Coach Kraut.

As the game resumed, the Cordero got back to business, ending the wait with a debut victory for the season. Colegio San Agustin standout Cordero went on to finish his match-up 6-3, 7-6(4) while doubles 1 Alina-Amor served UE’s Agudis-Destua pair, 6-2, 7-5, respectively.

Senior Mike Basco topped the second singles bout against rookie Mark Sabas 6-1, 6-1 to officially seal the Green Tennisters’ first team win.

The remaining doubles and singles matches were played for the determining point quotient on team standings. Last year Rookie of the Year Alvee Villamor teamed up with Juan Fidel Regis to thwart Charles Ivan Maneja and Dan Louie Sison 6-1, 6-2.  19 year-old sophomore Ernesto Pantua III toppled Red-and-White’s Mark Joseph Verdadera 6-3, 6-0 to cap off the event.

The next game day also met rain; four games scheduled for January 8 were postponed.

Both the Green and Lady Tennisters were set to face different rivals. The Green Tennisters, with an improved roster this season, will continue their campaign against Ateneo de Manila University. The defending champions Lady Tennisters will have to face the University of Sto. Tomas, last year’s third runner up.

According to a report from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the northeast monsoon caused the downpour in several areas in the country, including Metro Manila.

De La Salle University, the tournament sub-host, announced that the two games of the DLSU Tennisters were moved to January 15.

DLSU’s top two spikers, Team Captain Myco Antonio and sophomore Red Christensen, held the DLSU banner in the post-season bid.

Antonio, III BS-ENT, paced the Taft-based Spikers; he ranked twentieth in the tournament’s scoring division and is the 8th Best Spiker of the tournament with a 38.14 efficiency percentage.

Christensen is DLSU’s leading Best Scorer, fourteenth in the league and seventh in the blocking department. Both aided the team in garnering an identical 3-3 win-loss record.

The boys in Green, however, got whipped in their fifth match-up by the National University (NU) Bulldogs last December 18 in straight sets 18-25, 21-25, 20-25.

In the last play date of 2011, the Green Spikers returned the favor to theAteneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Spikers via a 25-23, 25-14, 25-12 shut-out behind the double-digit production from theAntonio-Christensen 1-2 combo.

Overpowering the Katipunan counterparts

Team skipper Antonio teamed up withChristensen to quickly dispose off any opposition from the Mia Mario-mentored Ateneo crew in just two minutes over an hour.

Divine Light Academy-Las Pinas standout Antonio topscored for the Taft-based Spikers with 17 points on 13 kills, three blocks and two from the service box.

Fellow southpaw Christensen also ended the game with 12 markers to contribute in the 41 total team spikes output.

Fellow GreenSpikers Carlo Rivera, AljunBartolome and Philip Ellison Cervezapooled for 24 points.

The Sammy Acaylar-mentored squad pounded on the opponent’s unforced errors 22-14 and netdisadvantage,roofing six more spike attempts 9-3.

With their offense on the get-go,the Green Spikers completed the sweep at 25-23, 25-14, 25-12, pushing ADMU to the edge of the over-all standings at 1-5 win-loss card.

Former UAAP Rookie of the Year Duane Craig Teves was the lone bright spot in the blue corner, chipping double digits kills at ten.

Bullied by the National U Bulldogs

The Antonio-Christensen tandem did not click as a retooled National U upset the Centennial squad in a three-set fashion, 18-25, 21-25, 20-25.

The Gold-and-Blue’s defense surrounded Christensen, allowing him to get a meager eight points, while Antonio stayed true to form registering a game-high 15 points.

TeammateAljunBartolome, however, stepped up for the Green-and-White roster with 11 markers.

The NU’s side had a more balanced offense with four players averaging 11.75 points in the DLSU-NU tiff off.

According to a recent Social Weather Stations survey, 95% of Filipinos looked at the new year with optism. By looking at many of the pressing issues that plagued the country last year, The LaSallian takes a look at developments that the may sustain many hopes this.

Crazy Climate

Filipinos are slowly reaping the effects of poor efforts on environmental concerns as evidenced by the number of natural disasters last year.

According to Benjamin Diokno from the Business Mirror, data from the Center for Research and Epidemiology Disasters (CRED) in Brussels shows that the Philippines had 24 calamities; the country had the most calamities worldwide last year. China was only second to the Philippines with 16.

Many of the typhoons last year destroyed may industries, properties and lives in the different regions of the country.

Case in point, Typhoon Juaning last July was less felt in the NCR, but the ares of Albay, Camarines Norte, and Camarines Sur were completely flooded. Damages in agriculture and infrastructure amounted to more than $60,000,000.

In September, two typhoons, one of which was Typhoon Pedring, also made land fall. Some 100,000 residents of the Albay Province were displaced from their flood-prone homes. The other typhoon, Typhoon Quiel brushed parts of Northern Luzon, but managed to flood Isabela flooding due to the leftover runoff water from Pedring.

Most recently, last December, Sendong claimed around a thousand lives in massive floods that devastated Mindanao. Entire communities were wiped out, and critics blame illegal loggers and the lack of government pre-emptive disaster risk management despite a warning to the Local Government about the brewing storm.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecasted the number of cyclones and typhoons visiting the country early this year. PAGASA administrator Nathaniel Servando explains that though such typhoons do not usually visit the country during the early months of the year, the La Nina phenomenon has increased the probability.

Neverthless, certain politicians and government officials have already initiated efforts to help mitigate the effects of these calamities. In an article from PhilStar.com, Sen Aquino Pimentel III shares that the government will hold a disaster preparedness summit in Mindanao to discuss measures to strengthen the area’s risk reduction readiness.

“There is an urgent need to organize a meeting involving the government and private sectors in Mindanao to come up with a unified and well-coordinated disaster preparedness plan to prevent further loss of lives and destruction of property,” Pimentel explains.

The summit will focus on the region’s vulnerable areas.

In the same article, Pimentel suggests strengthening coordination between the Local Government Units (LGUs) and the national government to make these efforts successful. He highlights the need to strengthen the funding of these projects.

In terms of healthcare

Certain diseases are seen to grow more widespread this year.

Leptospirosis cases increased to alarming triple digit numbers in 2011 due to the contamination of community water sources and the immersion and exposure of the body to flood water.

The Deparment of Health (DOH) issued a report last November 14, 2011 explaining that Leptospirosis cases have balooned to 201 percent from last July’s 74 percent, excluding the 94 cases of illness and 2 deaths from Leptospirosis Sendong caused. There are at least 2596 cases from January 1 to October 22, causing 196 deaths. In Pangasinan alone, cases went up by 400%.

Dengue cases also go in tandem with heavy rains and flooding, but the DOH confirms that the number of dengue cases of 2011 from July to August is 52 percent lower than that of the previous year. The numbers were 26 percent lower than last year’s figures from January to September.

According to an article from Tempo.com, towards the end of the year, the DOH also stepped up its efforts in preventing and containing leptospirosis cases in the country.

The battle against HIV-AIDS is also still ongoing as DOH warns of the continued rise of HIV cases in the Philippines, despite its decline world wide.

Philippine figures show that for 2011 the average number of AIDS cases is at 195. September had the highest number having 253 cases, an all time high for aids cases in the country. In 2009, the average was only at 70; it jumped to 122 in 2010.

Looking at the economy

As the year came to a close, the country’s GDP grew by a meager 0.3 percent in the third quarter of the year. The figure is significantly lower than the second quarter growth, which is at 1.9 percent; the second quarter of 2010 was the country’s all time high at 3.8 percent. Though the 0.3 percent growth is not the lowest by far, it lowers projections for the fourth quarter, and possibly for 2012.

The World Bank issued its Philippine Quarterly Update last December 20; the update projected a 3.7 percent growth target, lower than the 4.5 percent growth in 2011. This is due to low public spending and a weaker global economy.

Though economic shocks came from the bad economic climate, the World Bank explains that the country is well positioned to weather shocks caused by the global slow down because of those remittances.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) also lowered its growth targets of the Philippines from 4.7% to 3.7% for 2011. The bank finds that growth in early 2011 was hampered by weak exports and government spending. They find though that private consumption and investments stand firm and growth is seen to pick up by 2012.

The World Bank and ADB agree that much of the Philippine’s low GDP come from the Euro-zone’s economic turmoils, and believe that the Philippines is in good fiscal condition.

In terms of agrarian reform

In November 22, 2011, the Supreme court ordered the immediate distribution of Hacienda Luisita land to more than 6,000 farmer beneficiaries.  Early this December,  Hacienda Luisita farmers requested the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to reverse a land conversion order DAR gave to the estate’s owners 15 years ago.

Luisita Farmers believe that the order is one of the bigger impediments to the success of redistribution initiatives.

“It is clear that HLI (Hacienda Luisita Inc.) had no intention of developing or converting the 500 hectares subject of the DAR conversion order. For instead of developing the [land] pursuant to their undertaking in the application for conversion, it merely caused them to be transferred to other family-owned corporations of the Cojuangcos—Lipco, Centennary and LRC,” explains the farmers’ petition to the DAR said in an article from inquirer.net.

Even with extensive efforts such as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL), the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program – Extension Reform (CARPER) and the Stock Distribution Option (SDO), the government has yet to institutionalize a reform to create a real solution to the problem.

Pursuing justice

In line with its thrust to eradicate corruption, the Aquino administration stepped up its efforts in pursuing alleged corrupt officials from the previous regime late last year.

Multiple cases were filed against former President and current Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo and her husband. An electoral sabotage case was filed against previous COMELEC poll chief Benjamin Abalos. Consequently, the Aquino administration is pursing an impeachment case against Chief Justice Renato Corona in Congress for his alleged inclination towards Arroyo.

Although several proposals have been made to the Supreme Court (SC) to halt the impeachment trial, former election lawyer Romulo Macalintal believes that they do not have enough jurisdiction. “For sure, the SC will not stop the Senate from performing its constitutionally mandated task to hear and decide impeachment cases,” he explains in an article from Inquirer.net.

Aside from this, other factors might also endanger the success of the trial. In light of prosecution lawyers discussing impeachment matters in public, Sen Francisco Escudero believes that this may be grounds for the SC to reprimand or even cite the prosecution as contempt. Escudero explains that though there are no clear rules or provisions regarding discussing trial merits in public, prudence demands that trials be deliberated in the court.

The never ending Spratly Islands dispute

Many countries have claimed sovereignty over the Spratly Islands located in the South China Sea.

Early in 2011, the government accused China of harrasing a Philippine exploration vessel in an area near the Spratly Islands. The Philippines responded by increasing naval and aerial patrols around the Spratly Islands; they argue that China’s claim over the islands has no basis under international law. This was reinforced when China refused to allow a UN tribunal to decide on the territorial dispute.

The Philippines was even criticized for its alleged compromise of China’s sovereignty.

With the dispute reaching overseas, the United States has already stepped in hoping that their intervention would aid in the resolution of the issue.

Members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to draft a Code of Conduct for the dispute in the West Philippine Sea last November. Consequently, a zone of peace, freedom, friendship and cooperation (ZoPFFC) was proposed for the disputed islands.

Through the ZoPFFC, the ASEAN hopes to identify areas which are being disputed and those that are not. Palace Communications Group Secretary Ricky Carandang, however, shared in an article from PhilStar.com that some countries did not show sufficient interest in the proposal.

The Philippines, however, he shares, will continue to support the proposal.

Along with this, the Philippines plans to strengthen its military presence in the area through its recently acquired naval units and equipment such as its new Landing Craft Utility (LCU) and BRP Gregorio del Pilar from the United States.

In creating a world-class research university, many factors need to be considered; one of which is the quality of enrollees admitted by academic institutions.

Maximizing student performance

College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Vice Dean Dr. Feorillo Demeterio III explains that Br. Andrew’s goal entails a need to recruit the best and the brightest students, from both public and private schools. He also believes that DLSU should exert more effort to acquire the best and the brightest in the country and aboard.

“It is very crucial that [our] students are very intelligent and are focused on their quest for knowledge. We also have to bear in mind that established research universities abroad that have more graduate than undergraduate students,” he points out.

“We can still pursue [Br. Andrew’s goal]as long as [our] undergraduate students are mature and are committed to perform and to undertake research,” Demeterio furthers.

Dr. Brian Gozun, Dean of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business (RVR-COB), affirms the important role students have in forming a research university.  “You might have bad facilities, but if your students are thinking creatively, if they are critical thinkers, if they think internationally, that becomes world class,” he says.

DLSU President Br. Jun Erguiza, explains that majority of DLSU’s student population comes from Metro Manila. The focused demographic, he believes, might hinder the University from using the student body in promoting research.

Br. Jun says, “We are not getting the best and the brightest. You need the best and the brightest to get your research [done].” He follows, “Student quality has not significantly declined, we just have not been able to raise student quality.”

“We also want students from the other sectors, from the lower class, from the public schools to increase…we want more [students outside of that bracket], students from outside Luzon and from different clusters. The more students who know more about [DLSU], [the higher the possibility that] we will be able to [get good students who can do research],” Gozun explains.

Demeterio shares similar sentiments with Br. Jun. “There are other more qualified students from the lower income brackets who cannot afford to be here,” he explains.

The Vaugirard initiative

One of the ways DLSU attracts prospective students is through scholarships.

One of the more ambitious scholarship programs geared towards achieving this goal is the Vaugirard Scholarship Program. The program is an initiative under the Student Financial Assistance (SFA) Office, which aims to provide 50 new scholarships annually to public schools graduates from different parts of the country. The initiative will be implemented next academic year.

Br. Jun says that only 12-13% of the student population recieves full scholarhip, and it takes about P1.5 million to support a student for 4 years.  “We want to increase that [number],” he follows.

He justifies, saying “Even in our top 200 [DLSU-CAT passers], we are unable to get many of them. They go to the States, enroll in other universities, or go to UP because it is free. That is why we have to offer scholarships.”

Vaugirard is a location in France where St. John Baptist de La Salle founded his first novitiate.

A budding world-class research university

Becoming a world class university has always been the vision of DLSU, but the first fruits of the initiative have just taken effect.

Demeterio acknowledges that the University already has many of the necessary factors a world class university should have in check. “DLSU has very powerful infrastructure in terms of faculty member and in terms of research infrastructure. We offer formidable programs,” he explains.

Demeterio furthers that even with the aforementioned factors, DLSU’s [development] is still at its infancy. “The actual model of a research university that we are trying to follow is not yet in place; we are still in the process of conceptualizing how are we going to implement that European-Asian model of what a research university should be.”

He says that CLA is still in the stage of gradually introducing instructional models that encourage knowledge production from its professors, to aid the efforts of the University to reach its world-class goal.

DLSU-CAT is a set of tests that measures an applicant’s quantitative, verbal, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. In addition, the University uses the exam to select applicants who deserve and need the University’s offered scholarship programs.

According to Institutional Testing and Evaluation Office (ITEO) Director Violeta Valladolid, the DLSU-CAT has been proven to effectively test the abilities of the applicants evidenced by a predictive validity study they conduct every academic year.

The office is responsible for administering the admission exams for undergraduate and graduate programs.

Declining standards?

In the previous academic years, DLSU saw an increase in the number of accepted applicants because of pressures to increase revenue through University initiatives such as the Rationalized Classroom Utilization

On February last year, the Office of the Chancellor released an official statement, which explained that the Rationalized Classroom Utilization (RCU) program will generate enough revenue to increase “faculty development and research initiatives,” in line with the goal of turning the University into a full-fledged research university.

Admitting more students is the only way the University can increase the funds for these initiatives while maintaining reasonable tuition and fees.

Since tuition and fees would have to increase beyond acceptable rates to accomplish its goal if it did not increase the number of students to pass the burden to, the University saw accepting more applicants as the next most viable option.

This, however, is the source of the criticism from many. Many are saying that the University is lowering its academic standards by admitting more applicants.

University Fellow and Economics professor Dr. Tereso Tullao Jr. though, believes that admitting more applicants does not necessarily hinder the University from getting the best students across the country.

“Many of our students are able to compete internationally and many of our graduates are admitted in various graduate programs abroad,” Tullao furthers.

Even if the University admits students who do not perform well initially, it has mechanisms designed to develop their overall academic capacity.

“With the excellent academic and non-academic programs provided, as well as with the quality learning environment and experiences they are exposed to, our present students are trained to be the best that they can,” Valladolid explains.

Quality Control

Raymund Habaradas, a professor from the Management and Organization Department, however, attests that the DLSU-CAT should not be seen as an accurate way of measuring student ability. He furthers that it does not necessarily determine the overall quality of the student enrollees.  Habaradas believes that other avenues such as departmental qualification examinations give a more concrete evaluation of a student’s academic capacity.

A departmental qualification examination is the screening process administered by respective departments to a select number of students when they reach their sophomore year. Passing the exam will qualify the student to take the degree program’s major courses.

The exam for Applied Corporate Management (APC) students, for instance, which includes a written exam and an interview, assesses both intellectual capabilities and oral skills of students.

Similarly, Dr. Martin Ilao from the Chemistry Department believes that the admission test falls short in effectively determining a student’s full capabilities. He explains that there are various factors that could affect a student’s academic performance that the DLSU-CAT cannot capture. These include social factors and emotional issues.

To address these gaps, the test items in the DLSU-CAT are periodically reviewed and revised. They are patterned after a comprehensive evaluation of the results of the predictive validity study the ITEO conducts annually.

One notable change in the DLSU-CAT is the removal of the essay section for A.Y. 2010-2011 applicants. Critical thinking and problem solving skills test replaced the section.

Other than the DLSU-CAT, the University has other means to ensure the quality of students that will enroll at DLSU. The University also uses scholarship programs to attract and encourage the best students in the country to enter the University.

The Scholarship and Financial Assistance Office (SFA) recently launched the Vaugirard Scholarship Program. This scholarship gives selected underprivileged students from public schools the chance to study in the University.

Another scholarship, the Star Scholars Program, is given to the top 200 examinees of the DLSU-CAT.

Today, the main purpose of the MSBC is to facilitate discussions on tuition fee increases though generally, student and parent sectors in the University do not accept such high increases, even if faculty and staff representatives stand to benefit from the additional compensation and fringe benefits. Having multi-sectoral meetings to discuss budget matters is mandated by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

The DLSU MSBC commission is comprised of students represented by the University Student Government (USG), teaching staff from the Faculty Association (FA), non-teaching staff from the DLSU Employees’ Association (DLSU-EA), parents from DLSU-Parents of University Students Organization (DLSU-PUSO) and the central administration.

The MSBC, through a series of meetings, collaborates to reach a unified decision on tuition related matters, particularly the TFI.  In reaching a decision, the mentioned sectors compute and negotiate for an acceptable TFI after considering the concerns of each sector. The MSBC considers internal factors, such as the projected increase in operating expenses for the coming school year and external factors, the most important being the inflation rate.

According to CHED, 70 percent of the TFI should go to salaries. The University allocates the remaining 30 percent to infrastructural improvements and facilities. Tuition fees are used for operating expenses and are the primary basis for salary and compensation. Nonetheless, the University relies heavily on tuition fees for development.

Tuition fees are distinct from the University’s endowment funds. Endowment funds are long-term revenue-generating investments that serve as the backbone in financing scholarships and the University’s expansion projects.

USG President Cabe Aquino, as the student representative in the MSBC, shares that the student government initially proposed a 3.5 percent increase based on factors such as odd growth of expenses, excessive restricted funds and the implementation of RCU, which widens the admissions cap of enrollees, effectively increasing the University’s revenue. She also explains they will try to make it lower, with the negotiable threshold not exceeding four percent at the worst circumstance.

Participation of the student body is not neglected. Djon Nacario, USG treasurer clarifies that before the start of the meetings of the MSBC, they ask students if they have any concerns regarding their fees.

The faculty under the FA, have not released an official stance, even if they already suggested proposals. Unofficially, the FA’s proposed increase is 10.793 percent and it plans to stay on that percentage.

“What the FA values is that the tuition increase should consider the time value of money, which increases by an approximate 4 to 5 percent per year,” affirms FA president Dante Leoncini. He explains that TFI is often below inflation. This makes the faculty ‘subsidize’ student education and offers less of a competitive advantage in attracting the best faculty, as there is in effect no ‘growth’ in faculty salaries, but rather deterioration in the time value of money. Their stated TFI makes recovery feasible and sustains competitiveness because if salaries remain below inflation, excellent faculty will be tempted to leave for better paying institutions abroad.

For the central administration and the employees’ side, negotiations prompted an initial 4.5 percent increase to an 4.93 percent TFI. According to sources, the central administration and the EA worked backwards and examined the appropriate salary and then accounted for the necessary TFI. DLSU-PUSO and the parents of students have generally fixed it at 0% TFI.

This academic year, the first multi-sectoral meeting took place on mid-November of 2011; there are ongoing negotiations among the sectors. This month, the five sectors will meet again to arrive at a final decision.

As representatives of DLSU, they often receive assistance, which include financial assistance, faculty mentorship, and insurance, depending on the nature of the competition. There are many ways students can receive assistance, but each has its own processes.

University Student Government (USG) President Cabe Aquino and her partner Ina Estrada, champions of the 8th Economix Competition hosted by the University of Indonesia, followed a formal process in obtaining financial assistance from the University.

In their case, the School of Economics (SOE) Dean and the Economics Department approved Aquino and Estrada’s entry. The SOE shouldered their travel and accommodation fees. They also sent requests for financial support to the Parents of University Students Organization (PUSO), which paid for their other expenses. The Economics Department also helped the pair improve their paper. The said competition called for papers about the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement.

The DLSU Eco Marathon Team composed of students from the Gokongwei College of Engineering (GCOE) also represented the University in the Shell Eco Marathon (SEM) Asia 2011, held in Malaysia. The team’s entry, a three-wheel electric vehicle named DLSU 100, placed 18th out of 97 competing teams.

Team member Andre Torres shares that the University and corporate partners funded their endeavor.

Assistance from the University is essential to the success of students in competitions; it also encourages students to garner accolades while representing DLSU.

Recognition and encouragement

Aside from providing financial assistance, the University recognizes students who have won competitions and the like.

The University awards medals and certificates to Lasallian achievers during the recognition rites, held every end of the term. The Animo Board, which shows pictures and information about the accomplishments of distinguished Lasallian students and faculty members, are also strategically located around the University.

Participating in competitions give students an avenue to apply theoretical principles learned in the classroom.

According to Bettina Enriquez, competitions also provide her with the necessary experience and knowledge to hone her skills. Enriquez is a member of the 2011 Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) National Grand Prix Competition champion team.

Not without flaws

Despite the support from the University, many representatives still have difficulties, which include raising enough funds to start and continue their endeavor.

Torres admits that his team had difficulties in raising the needed funding. He also shares that they had difficulties in coordinating with the different University offices concerned with their application. He shares that these issues affected the project execution.

These are some of the problems that the University and the team are working on to prepare for next year’s competition. To address funding constraints, they see that gathering sponsorships from external organizations is the most viable solution.

In the area of athletics, DLSU’s Archery team president Fernando Zubiri laments that the University does not support them financially.

Aside from being an unpopular sport, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) does not recognize the sport. This deprives the team of common benefits athletes receive, which include scholarship assistance, insurance, and the like.

He furthers that the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, and its counterparts in Los Baños and in Baguio, and Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) provide their teams coaches and ranges to train. DLSU, on the other hand, only gave the team limited space on the 2^nd floor of the Enrique Razon Sports Center to train.

The publicity of such endeavors and opportunities are also insufficient. Aquino explains that the efforts of the University is still insufficient because there are many opportunities students could participate in, if given adequate funding. “It has to be a partnership between the students and of the University in bridging opportunities to other people,” she furthers.

To inform potential achievers about competitions, the college deans and academic departments are taking the first steps by approaching deserving students.