The season of the big

Media

Part of The Carolinian

Title: The season of the big
Language: English
Year: 1960
Rights
Fulltext: • NEWS TtS# in . THE SEASON Vice-President Macapagal shaking hands with admirers. (Photo Credit: P. T. Cs ) The last trimester of the year 1960 ushered in a lot of BIGS—big people, big events, herculean undertakings, etc... — all for dear old Charlie. Even as two bigs in the United States, Sen. John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon fought tooth and nail for the US Presidency, USC’s Council prexy Sixto LI. Abao, Jr. catapulted himself to the topmost position of the Student Councils Association of Cebu. Backed bv the council presidents of CSJ, USP, CNS and CCC, Pres. Abao sailed on smooth waters to the SCAC Presidency. Com), and Rep. Jose Barrameda (PC, Educ). The President plans to award certificates of merit to these outstanding representatives at the end of the year. The BSE Seniors’ annual big came on Sept. 18 when the future Maestros and maestras sponsored their fourteenth declamation contest. The following romped off with the first, second and third prizes respectively: Miss Norma Ricafort who dared prophesy “You Will Come Back!”; Miss Nelly McFarland who told an anecdote on “Botany and I”; and Mr. Leandro Quintana who dwelt on “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Causing a lot of quizzical eyebrowraising, was the USC SCA which held a two-day symposium on Love. We overheard this interesting bit of tete-a-tete: What’s the SCA really for? It’s a hunting ground... For what? We wondered. And more so when the SCA was robbed of fifty pesos cash intended for the flood victims. It was believed to be an inside job. Cicero and Demosthenes clashed on the abolition of capital punishment last October 2nd through their respective debating clubs in the College of Liberal Arts. Because of the performance of some of the panel members, Cicero and Demosthenes must have turned over in their graves. But on the whole, the debate was more than a good start. The USC administration risked incurring present Nacionalista administration when it gave the go-signal to two convocations featuring two avowedly anti-administration men, Vice President Diosdado “Gift of God” Macapagal the “foremost oppositionist” in the Philippines today and Manila’s Mayor Arsenio “Arsenic” Lacson, one of the most controversial and colorful figures of contemporary time. Both put to task the Garcia administration for its failure to live up to the trust reposed in it by the people and decried the moral disintegration and putrefaction in our government. But The USC Supreme Student Council of which Mr. Abao is president, meanwhile, adopted something big: A Students’ Day Act declaring a particular day of the school year as a day for exclusive student festivities. If teachers, who are paid to teach, take a day off every year (Rector-Faculty Day) to relax from classroom activity, why don’t the students who bear the brunt of paying them, and still do the hard work of studying?—it was argued. At the time of this writing, President Abao and his assistants were blue-printing plans for a two-day affair scheduled for Dec. 17 and 18. Another big which nearly outbigged the SSC’s Students’ Day was the selection by a new big organization in the campus, the USC Press Club, of twelve outstanding solons of the SSC Congress. Selected in the order of their prominence were: Rep. Filemon L. Fernandez (CYP, Law), Rep. Pompey Labaria (CYP, Law), Rep. Oscar Abella (CYP, Law), Rep. Panfilo lyog (Ind., Law), Rep. Carmen Bondoc (PC, Educ), Rep. Delano Tecson (CYP, Law), Rep. Teodoro Alcuitas (CYP, Eng’g), Rep. Romeo Maraya (CYP, Eng’g), Rep. Erdulfo Litonjua (CYP, Com), Rep. Domingo Sajulga (CYP, Com), Rep. Roberto Baniel (CYP, The President with two of the twelve outstanding solons taking a "break" at Carmen Beach. (Photo Credit: U. C. Cabanutan) Page 20 THE CAROLINIAN NEWS • OF THE BIG Mayor Arsenio Lacson and a portion of the crowd he wowed. while the “Gift of God”, as Fr. Rector fondly called the Vice President, drew applauses by back-slapping and rabblerousing, “Arsenic” held his audience captive by his masterful use of the king’s language, ranging all the from lofty rhetoric to downright sarcasm. While he spoke of the same thing that has almost become daily food for thought for the Filipino people — governmental graft and corruption — he spoke of it in a most spellbinding manner, patent only to him, fiery and punctuated by vitriol and ridicule. Both speakers climaxed their speeches with separate appeals to the youth to take more active interest in the government — by joining the “crusades” undertaken by the speakers. The two convocations were sponsored by the Portia Club and the Sigma Sigma and Delta Eta fraternities of the College of Law. The PE classes, too, had their share of the season’s big. Desiring to impart knowledge about folklore and customs of other peoples to others, they held a folk dance festival last October 2, at the groundfloor of the Archb. Reyes building featuring the following numbers: Benguet, Binasuan, Bakya, Kalanati, Kandingan, Kuratsa, Boholana. Dutch Couple, La Jota Cagayana. I.anceros de Negros, Highland Fling Sapa‘ya. Tapew and Tinikling. Kudos for the artistic undertaking went to Misses Lolita Bomban, Neclta Page, Erllnda Togonon, Corazon Sarmiento Leticia Astrlllero. In the world of sports, pugilist Anselmo Briones, a USC Commerce student and 1957 National featherweight champion of the Jaycees-sponsored Diamond Gloves boxing tournament, went step by step to the stars. First, he knocked out Boy Chiong of Tagbilaran, Bohol to annex the East Visayan title, in one minute and fifteen seconds of the first round, bettering Flash Elordc’s knockout of Harold Gomes in their return bout by five seconds. He then rocked West Visayan champion Aquilino Nepal to sleep with a solid right to the jaw in one minute and twenty-eight seconds of the first round to win the regional championship crown for the entire Visayas. Three bigs have joined the USC faculty. Mr. Patrick McGinnis of Zanesville, Ohio, has joined the English faculty as as Fulbright lecturer. He teaches English as a second language. Mr. McGinnis is a graduate of Brown University with a Master’s degree in linguistics. He has The P.E. Donee Festival taught English in US, China and Thailand. Fr. James Skerry, too, a stimma cum laude graduate from UST in the Master course, has joined the English faculty. Fr. Skerry, of Irish descent, hails from Brighton, Massachusetts. He was ordained in Techny, Illinois and was teaching at Christ the King Seminary in Manila for the past six years. English is his major subject. Dr. Concepcion Rodil arrived November 3 from the Catholic University of America where she took her Doctorate degree. Her subject of major study was guidance while her two minor studies were psychology and social work. On her return to the Philippines, she visited seven countries of Europe to study cultural and educational trends. Dr. Rodil teaches guidance in the Graduate School and in the College of Education. Incidentally, the Guidance Department of the Graduate School is offering this semester four guidance subjects, viz., Principles of Guidance, Techniques of Counseling, Clinical Psychology and Personality and Character, under Dr. Rodil, Fr. King, Mrs. Espiritu and Fr. Goertx, respectively. The USC Supreme Student Council sponsored its first annual literary contest for December 10th. Cash prizes and medals were at stake. At the time of this writing, the Committee on Journalism was yet drafting the notices, however. To encourage scholarship, the Student Council plans to honor students with certificates of awards. President Abao has slated the giving of the awards for the Students’ Day. Carolinian Editor Manuel S. Go captured the Presidency of the Cebu College Editors Guild. Immediately upon his election, Mr. Go declared the CCEG independence from the CEG of the Philippines. USC ROTC Corps Commander Roque Cervantes, meanwhile, secured for himself the Supreme Commandership of the Supreme Sword Fraternity, an organized brotherhood of ROTC officers from the different schools in Cebu City. CHRISTMAS, 1960 Page 21