Page 47 - The Flame

Velada Tomasina

A glimpse of UST in the 19th century

IT MAY have reached far from where it
started, but UST never fails to stand re-
spectful of its humble beginnings.
The University took a view of its past
through Velada Tomasina, a “living tab-
leau” that relived the 19th century at-
mosphere in the campus. Student body,
faculty members, administrators, and the
support staff brought back to life the Span-
ish era as they donned costumes from the
past that complemented the recreation of
“Ciudad Santo Tomas” or the old Santo To-
mas campus at the Benavides Park.
A wreath-laying ceremony took place
at the Benavides monument as a gesture
of “reverential recognition” to the Univer-
sity’s founder, Miguel de Benavides, O.P.
The historical marker was unveiled at
the foot of the monument, headed by Vice
Rector Fr. Pablo Tiong, O.P., Secretary Gen-
eral Fr. Florentino Bolo, Jr., O.P., National
Historical Commission of the Philippines
(NHCP) Chair Maria Serena Diokno, and
National Commission for Culture and the
Arts (NCCA) Executive Director Emelita Al-
mosara.
The event also traced back the Univer-
sity’s roots through the Velada Tomasina
lectures dubbed as “Pagbabalik-tanaw sa
UST: Isang Sulyap sa Nakalipas” held at the
Civil Law Auditorium.
The lecture was opened by historian
and theologian Fr. Noel Ablajon, O.P., who
claimed that the University produced 19
martyrs—instead of 17—citing St. Jacinto
Castañeda Puchasons and St. Clemente Ig-
nacio Delgado, O.P. as part of the list.
Ablajon also stated that out of the 219
bishops produced by the Church in the
country, a remarkable 51 percent or 111 of
them came from UST, while 70 to 80 per-
cent of the 111 came from the UST Central
Seminary.
UST Archivist Regalado Jose also lec-
tured on some interesting artifacts present
in the archives such as the last page of the
Foundation Act of the University written
in 1611 and the oldest existing and known
plan of the University in Intramuros that
dates back in the 1680s.
Historian Jose Victor Torres discussed
the events that transpired during the Uni-
versity’s Tricentennial celebration in 1911.
A procession of the image of Our Lady Students, faculty members, and administrators of the University dressed up in traditional Span-
of the Rosary of La Naval followed in the ish and Filipino costumes during the Velada Tomasina festivities held last January 25 at the
afternoon. MARIA NIKKA P. POLICARPIO Benavides Park. Photos by MICHAEL JUSTIN C. DE VERA and ZHEA KATRINA R. ESTRADA
and JERICHO LESTER M. VARGAS