5th Inter Luzon Aspirants Workshop
6 La Salle Brothers (Brs. Rey, Vince, Mandy, Mike, Ruben, Mikey and Aikee), 4 Postulants (Ignaci, Francis, Gelo and Wilson) and 19 Aspirants from Luzon attended the Mt. Samat Pilgrimage in Bataan. Together with other Catholics ages eighteen to thirty who feel drawn to a life of service in the Church, they went on a journey to the summit of Mt. Samat. The program, conceptualized by Bishop Soc Villegas, aims to assist those in the early discernment process by providing young adults an opportunity to talk about vocation and expand the appreciation of those drawn to a life of service in the Church. The aspirants have adapted the activity for the first time for the 5th Inter Luzon Aspirants Workshop (ILAW).
To read more on this story and to view the latest FSC Bulletin from the Brother Visitor, click HERE.
Philippine Lasallian Family Statement on the Maguindanao Massacre
Brutal, barbaric, and heinous. These were words used to describe the Maguindanao massacre that has claimed the lives of more than 50 people—the majority of them being political supporters, lawyers and media practitioners in the company of scions of a political clan.
Eyewitness reports from survivors have pointed to the perpetrators responsible for this gruesome mass execution, and while verification of these accounts has yet to be done, there is little doubt that at the core of this barbarism is a politics bereft of principle, a politics that has lost touch with the very foundations of human decency. What happened in Maguindanao was an animal act. The savage atrocities wreaked upon the victims and horrifyingly evident on their mutilated corpses beggars the imagination. This incident is a warning about the depths to which human beings can descend when they allow the lust for power, possessions and prestige to take over their lives.
“God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, so shall he reap”(Gal 6:7). Let us not fool ourselves. The Maguindanao Massacre is not a mere election-related feud. It is a symptom of the moral bankruptcy, lack of accountability, and wanton disregard for human rights that has characterized the culture of the Arroyo administration since consolidating its power in the contested elections of 2004. Such trends, well-documented by various local and international human rights agencies and by no less than the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in 2007, have been tolerated for too long.
The Arroyo administration took a double tack, on the one hand, expressing indignation at “a most heinous crime” that constitutes a “supreme act of inhumanity that is a blight on our nation,’ while on the other hand, dragging its heels in pursuing the capture and detention of a political ally whose fortunes flourished under this administration’s patronage. We note that the administration’s invocation of the rule of law and call for the respect of due process, while appropriate in normal circumstances, sounds mightily suspect coming from an administration that is beholden to the political clan said to be behind this atrocity, an administration that has failed to successfully prosecute any of its allies and supporters for corruption, human rights violations, and other high crimes. Actions speak louder than words.. Why treat with kid gloves those who use their influence to silence their political opponents and disenfranchise citizens in elections? Why weren't the alleged murderers at least immediately called in for questioning, if only to answer the charges of survivors or clarify the presence of the local government’s backhoe in the area of the mass grave?
An additional source of discomfort is the clear dereliction of duty of the police and military in the province and region who were informed earlier about the prospect of a violent incident and decided to steer clear of deploying forces to prevent the lawless armed thugs of the political warlord from carrying out their sinister plan. While the military was quickly mobilized to avoid any possible retaliation of the aggrieved clan, the leadership of the Armed Forces at present (with a Defense Secretary that headed an Inter-agency Legal Action Group that prioritized cases of extra-judicial killings perpetrated by “enemies of the state,”) leaves much doubt as to its capacity to effectively defang armed political warlords.
We condemn the Maguindanao Massacre not only because of the brutal and barbaric murder of those who sought only to exercise their political rights, but more importantly because it unravels in a most telling way, the age-old problem of a feeble state that has allowed private armed groups to lord it over territories in exchange for propping up the national leadership and its cohorts at the local and national levels. Whatever blight we now face does not fall simply on the hands of the alleged perpetrators of the Maguindanao Massacre. The blood that flowed in Maguindanao stains the hands of the President who ultimately commands the forces of political control and coercion in this country. We demand that justice be done with all transparency and in the quickest possible time.
We call on Lasallians and all Filipinos to express our indignation at the moral bankruptcy that has led to this paroxysm of violence. If we are not to be complicit in this abomination against humanity, we must act now and demand that this administration be held accountable for the quality of its stewardship and for its continuing debasement of the political system.
Br. Edmundo Fernandez FSC
Brother Visitor
Br. Felipe Belleza, Jr. FSC
District Council Member
Br. Narciso Erguiza Jr. FSC
District Council Member
Br. Dennis Magbanua FSC
District Council Member
Br. Victor Franco FSC
Auxilliary Visitor
Br. Armin Luistro FSC
District Council Member
Br. Ray Suplido FSC
District Council Member
Br. Jose Mari Jimenez FSC
District Council Member
De La Salle Canlubang
Events Management Seminar
Planning and successfully running events can be an exciting yet challenging task. Whether you are planning large-scale conferences, sports events, board meetings or dinner and dance, this seminar will equip you with the necessary tools to manage your events with efficiency and professionalism.
Speaking on this subject is Maricar R. Donato, the founding director of WashingTours & Events (WTE), a professional tour and event company based in Washington D.C. in the United States.
To attend or to know more about the event on 7 December, click HERE.
De La Salle Lipa
100% passing rate on Abacus exam
The DLSL community congratulates the College of International Hospitality and Tourism Management (CIHTM) for the 100% passing rate on the Abacus Hands-On and Written Examination. Senior students of the Bachelor of Science in Tourism took the said exam on Abacus functionalities prior to their practicum. The Abacus is an effective tool in their function in the fields of tourism and travel.
To read more on this story, click HERE.
ORP Holds 2009 College Research Forum
The Office of Research and Publications in coordination with the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academics and Research, sponsored the 2009 College Research Forum which was successfully held on November 9, 2009 at the Nursing Skills Lab 1, Mabini Hall. Attended by 106 faculty and staff from different colleges, this half-day activity showcased different research outputs which were proposed and accepted last SY 2008-2009 as internally-funded research projects.
To read more on this story, click HERE.
CCS demonstrates RP's first empathic computing space
College of Computer Studies’ Center for Empathic Human-Computer Interactions (CEHCI) had a demonstration of the Philippines’ first physical empathic computing space last November 20 at Room 402 of the Gokongwei Building.
The space is equipped with a sensor network to identify its current occupant, recognize his emotions, and respond in an empathic manner. By empathic responses, the space can mirror its occupant’s emotion via adjustment of ambient parameters such as temperature, lighting and background music.
DLSU celebrates Lasallian Action Week
Through the efforts of the Lasallian Pastoral Office (LSPO) and the Center for Social Concern and Action (COSCA), De La Salle University’s annual Lasallian Action Week was held last November 16-20 with a number of activities lined up for all members of the community.
Two outstanding research papers recognized abroad
Three faculty members from the Accountancy Department received Distinguished Research Awards during the 2009 Allied Academies International Fall Conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA last October 14-16. The research paper of Cynthia Cudia and Ma. Gina Manaligod titled “EPS as a Measure of Intercompany Performance: Philippine Evidence” was awarded under the Academy for Studies in International Business.
To read more on these stories and to download the latest issue of 2401, click HERE.
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