Faces

by PATRICIA MAE O. REBONG WEARING A perfectly ironed polo and a black satchel hanging across his body, he steps into the halls of St. Raymund’s with a warm smile. His students greet him, “Buenos Dias, Señor!” He smiles at them and says, “Muy bien!” as he proceeds for the day to teach. Mr. Hermenegildo C. Ceniza, better known as “Sir Hermie” is a Spanish professor in the Faculty of Arts and Letters. At present, he is under the Department of Modern Languages and teaches Spanish 1 and 2. Before he became the Sir Hermie all Artlets adored, he also struggled with his unique name. Little did he know, it was a name that would be of great significance in his life, most especially in the Artlet community.  How it all came to be When he was younger, he dreamt of becoming the best

ALTERNATING BETWEEN artifacts and a blackboard, her intentions remain the same—to educate and to dig deep into the world of archaeology. Under the scorching heat, she is covered in dirt as her hand digs—hoping to find something under the ground. Covered in sweat, Manese smiles with the thought that there is no place she would rather be than the excavation site. As a part-time history professor at the University, Charlene Manese opens her teaching materials as she remembers her journey in excavation sites in Spain where she honed her knowledge in the field. With the goal of promoting the importance of culture through the lens of archaeology, Manese’s heart is set to teach history for another day and the coming years. Refining long roads Curiosity is a natural feeling Mane

by PATRICK V. MIGUEL THE SUN is starting to peek through the sky by the time Ate Maricar Yabut heads to work. Before the laughter of the Artlets reverberates around the building, Ate Maricar and her fellow maintenance staff walk around and work in AB’s decades-old hallways.  From there, she starts on the first floor to tend to the trash bins. Working her way up to the second floor, Ate Maricar ensures that AB would then be a spotless, conducive learning environment.  In contrast, Kuya Rayman David’s shift starts in the afternoon as the afternoon shift students enter their first class. Students would often find him in the lobby, welcoming the Artlets.  As night time comes, the students’ voices around the hallways gradually fade. Once the lights around campus shut off, Kuya R

by MARY NICOLE MIRANDA ASIDE FROM attending online classes and accomplishing academic requirements, students nowadays may struggle exploring new things without leaving their homes. In the case of Patricia Anne Holgado, her love for arts and crafts has kept her occupied during these times, eventually leading to her first business venture. At a young age, Patricia has been fascinated with making artsy crafts. From drawing to scrapbooking, she used her spare time to hone her skills. However, that interest waned as she grew older—until she discovered resin making. For her, it was a challenging yet fun activity to do despite having to endure a meticulous process. Aided with her fastidious hands and imaginative mind, Patricia has created a home to share her crafts: House of Aphrodit

by MARIA CECILIA O. PAGDANGANAN ELECTION SEASON is always a critical time for Filipinos. Catchy campaign jingles resonate through the streets as voters endure the scorching May heat and long, sweaty queues just to cast their vote. Each inky ballot holds a voter’s hopes and dreams for the next 6 years.  However, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a new challenge; the recent slew of unfortunate events has caused some Filipinos to feel pessimistic and hopeless about the 2022 elections. The looming threat of getting infected with the virus has also caused them to hesitate to leave their homes and register to vote.  Hence, an AB-borne organization has set its eyes on changing all that. Emboldened by their symbol that was aptly inspired by the Philippine flag, Boboto AKO sa 2022 has

by  EDUELLE JAN T. MACABABBAD  photo courtesy of Rommar Javier SHORTLY AFTER the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses in various parts of Luzon, organizations and concerned citizens flocked to social media to call for cash and in-kind donations to help affected residents. One of them was Rommar Angelo Javier, a fresh graduate from AB Communication Arts. Rommar, the former president of Tomasian Circle of Arts and Talents (TOMCAT), is no stranger to charity work. In April 2020, during the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), he managed to provide relief goods for his ka-barangays in Brgy. Palapat, which is located in Hagonoy, Bulacan. That is why when Ulysses struck the country and submerged his community in deep floodwaters, he conquered his fear brought by the calamity and t

by PATRICK V. MIGUEL photo courtesy of John Brian Pascual ENCLOSED IN a four-walled room, Brian forces himself to pull out of bed and stand in his own space of solitude. With a face mask on, he sighs as he pushes away the dark cloud of thoughts setting above his head. He recalls, “I was [looking] sa positive side… na magiging okay lang ako in-time kasi may tiwala talaga ako na [magiging maayos din ang lahat].”  The dawn is about to break as the sky outside is a gradient of ember and navy. As the door opens, a person wearing personal protective equipment enters the room. Behind the KN95 mask with plastic tape plastered on its side, Brain recognizes the muffled voice of his nurse.  To let the day pass, Brian would watch a K-drama. If he gets in the mood, he fills the room with Tw

by MARY NICOLE P. MIRANDA photo courtesy of Grace Panaguiton AS A third-year college student enrolled in online classes, Grace Panaguiton initially expected that the night of Nov. 11, 2020 would be just a typical night. She never anticipated that she and her family would have to conquer and escape from the heavy rainfall and rising floodwaters in their kitchen. Having dealt with strong typhoons in the past, they braced themselves for a long night.  Typhoon Ulysses (Vamco) struck Luzon and some parts of Eastern Visayas last Nov. 11 to 12. Ulysses blindsided Luzon with a maximum sustained wind record of 155 kilometers per hour (kph) that gusted up to 255 kph, making it the most destructive typhoon that hit the country in 2020. Its startling strength left victims homeless as its heavy

by ERNEST MARTIN TUAZON photo courtesy of Trixie Ann Bautista LEARNING IN itself can truly enlighten the mind, but helping other people to gain access to education sparks another kind of joy. For Trixie Ann Bautista, she would gladly lend a helping hand to those deprived of education through the Streets to Schools (STS) youth organization. Trixie’s life work for helping others started in her adolescent years. In fact, she was chosen to become the president of the University of Santo Tomas junior high school Young Community Stewards. Before joining STS, she had already developed a strong bond with her classmates then turned to fellow officers. Moving forward, it led to collaborating in different projects under her presidency in the Young Community Stewards organization. Ever si