Faces

By EDUELLE JAN T. MACABABBAD Photo courtesy of Ivan Gordola FOR JAN Ivan Gordola, the challenge of leading Artistang Artlets (AA) has become more difficult as the pandemic continues to upend many lives.  The premier theater guild of the Faculty of Arts and Letters is undergoing a metamorphosis just in time for its 40th anniversary. No one would have thought that in its fourth decade, it would have to deal with an unfamiliar environment that would test its members’ creative juices. “Ang gusto ko lang is ako ‘yung Artistic Director na nagtawid, alongside his members and officers, ng Artistang Artlets sa gitna ng isang pandemya,” he says. From a spectator of theater plays, Ivan’s moment has come to redefine campus theater in front of Artlets ––who are both optimistic and cautious b

by MARY NICOLE P. MIRANDA THE COVID-19 outbreak postponed almost everything this year — but never the learning. In compliance to physical distancing and mass gathering restrictions, schools and universities shifted to virtual learning to get the academic year started amid the pandemic. As he adjusts to an online environment, Asst. Dean Alejandro Bernardo shares his experiences in the new normal and how it has changed his perspective on being an educator. Working from, for home For Dr. Bernardo, working from home means being both a father and an educator simultaneously. When the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in Manila last March, he already expected that life pre-pandemic would not last. He anticipated that it would greatly affect his work, his schedules, and most e

By MARIA CECILIA O. PAGDANGANAN  Photo courtesy of Tita Anne's Garden's Facebook page THERE IS no greater joy than sharing with others one’s gifts and blessings. For Angel Gwyneth Aranton, she gladly shares the joys of gardening through her online business, Tita Anne’s Garden.  Angel’s love for gardening started at a young age. In her elementary years, she used to get scolded for picking plants from her school’s garden and bringing them back home to replant.  Motivated by the love and support from her family, she worked harder in honing her craft. She now enjoys spending hours under the scorching hot sun, carefully watering her flowers and trimming dead leaves.  The sociology student is always eager to share her gift with other people. Angel recalls that before the COVID-19 pand

by DJULIENNE FLOR V. FOSTER photo by FRANCES MARIE G. IGNALAGA/ THE FLAME BACK IN high school, she had always readied herself with powder and a lip balm. Now, she never goes out without filling her eyebrows and adding a pop of color to her lips with lipstick. She puts on her crisp white polo shirt, black slacks, and goes out the door with a bag slung over her shoulders. Her long hair flows in the wind as her painted nails catch the attention of anyone she passes by. Loreta Arroyo walks on campus with a strut in her step and an aura of confidence; very befitting of a student leader. As the president of the UST Journalism Society, she does the duties and responsibilities that come with the position, all the while showing her truest self as a transwoman.   A woman’s rise t

by PATRICK V. MIGUEL photo by FRANCES MARIE G. IGNALAGA/ THE FLAME SEATED IN  a crowded theater,  Julius Renomeron Jr. and Johmar Damiles held their breaths. Their hearts were beating rapidly as right before their eyes, they saw the title card of their film “Heist School” appear on the big screen. Having their film premiere in the film festival once felt like a pipe dream. Now,  their dreams’ a reality.  Before becoming the award-winning director he is today,  Julius was an ordinary electronics and communication technology student. “Bago ako pumasok ng college, ang gusto kong gawin [noon] ay mostly related sa computer…. So galing ako [sa electronics and communications technology, then] nag-shift sa [informations technology] kasi [gusto kong] makapasok sa tech-industry,” he says.