STUDENTS AND academic staff of the Faculty of Arts and Letters and College of Commerce were forced to evacuate and switch to enriched virtual mode (EVM) because of an electrical issue at the St. Raymund de Peñafort Building on Monday, June 23.
Summer classes in the building were interrupted as students were instructed to evacuate at about 8:30 a.m., AB Dean Prof. Melanie Turingan said.
Prior to the evacuation, some students claimed an initial announcement was made about the suspension of classes by 10 a.m.
“While we were in the middle of our discussion, someone called (AB Faculty Secretary Asst. Prof.) Doc. Louie (Ignacio). At first, it seemed like classes would be suspended after 8 to 10 a.m., and everything would shift to EVM… after 10 a.m. Then later, someone else called him again,” Political Science junior Bryan Angeles said.
“Someone also came to him in person to report that one of the aircons in their office—the Dean’s Office—was emitting smoke. That’s when he ended our class and told everyone to go home.”
The Artlets administration later on announced the shift to virtual mode.
“Due to the issues on electricity, classes in AB today, June 23, 2025, will be converted to an enriched virtual mode of learning,” Ignacio said in an announcement relayed to students.
College of Commerce students were also told to vacate the premises through an announcement from the building’s speakers.
“I was in one of the classrooms actually since I’m taking up one special term class and it was announced in the speaker that there will be a shirt to EVM for the remainder of the day… A staff member said the dean had instructed the class to end the class immediately,” third-year Entrepreneurship student Leanne Marielle Pawingi said.
St. Raymund de Peñafort building houses both the Faculty of Arts and Letters and the College of Commerce and Business Administration.
UST has yet to issue an official statement on the matter. F — with reports from Mc Neil Zyh Serrano and Ryla Tuazon
