University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters

University of Santo Tomas
Faculty of Arts and Letters

Former names	1896 – Faculty of Philosophy and Letters 1926 – College of Liberal Arts 1964 – Faculty of Arts and Letters (Absorption of the Liberal Arts degrees from the College of Liberal Arts)
Established	1896
Dean	Prof. Michael Anthony C. Vasco, PhD
Regent	Rev. Fr. Rodel E. Aligan, OP, SThL
Students	3,982 (as of 2011)[1]
Location	St. Raymund de Peñafort Building, Quezon Drive, UST, Sampaloc, Manila
Patron saint	Saint Thomas More
Colors	Navy blue
Nickname	Artlets or AB
Mascot	Athena and Glaucus / "Mulat" the Owl

The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters, popularly known as "UST Artlets" or "UST AB", is the liberal arts college of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines.^[2]

Established in 1896 as the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, the faculty is the first and oldest liberal arts school in the Philippines. It offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in different areas of Media Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities. It is proclaimed to be a Center of Excellence in Philosophy and a Center of Development in Communication Arts, Literature, and in Journalism by the Commission on Higher Education.^[3]

History

The University of Santo Tomas started offering courses in liberal arts and philosophy since its foundation in 1611. These courses were later institutionalized with the establishment of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters in 1896. A College of Liberal Arts was also established in 1926 which was known for its preparatory courses for Law and Medical schools.

The College of Liberal Arts is divided into Arts and Pure Sciences. The Pure Sciences department has diversified due to scientific advancements in the era and it has developed into the University of Santo Tomas College of Science. Consequently, the College of Liberal Arts merged with the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters in 1964.^[4] Thus, modifying the faculty's name into "Arts and Letters".

At the onset, the Faculty offered limited number of programs--Associate in Arts (A.A.), Bachelor of Arts (A.B.), Bachelor of Literature (Litt. B.), and Bachelor of Philosophy (Ph. B.). In the course of time, new courses and majors gradually developed.

In 1971, the Faculty started offering Bachelor of Arts degree programs in Asian Studies, Behavioral Science (originally Liberal Arts-Commerce), Communication Arts, Economics, Journalism, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, and Translation. The A.B. major in Translation was eventually phased out due to lack of enrollment and funding.^[4]

In 1994, the Faculty started offering a major in Legal Management, an interdisciplinary degree program in business management and law designed to suit the needs of students intending to go to law school after graduation with intentions to have other career prospects.^[4]

In 2005, the Faculty teamed up with the UST College of Education to offer a double degree—Bachelor of Arts-Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Social Sciences/Studies (AB-BSE).^[4] The program was discontinued in 2007 because of Philippine government regulations that would stretch the time to complete the AB-BSE degree to at least 5 years and 4 summers.

In June 2011, the Faculty started offering A.B. History and A.B. English Language Studies.

Faculty Hymn

The AB Hymn was written by the highly respected S.E.A. Write Awardee writer, Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta, who also served as the Dean of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters. The tune was composed by Paulo Zarate, the founding conductor of the Faculty's official choir, the UST Chorus of Arts and Letters.

The AB Hymn
Carved from the mighty rock of faith
Shaped by traditions of old
Steered by God's guiding hands
Towards farther shores of our dreams
Fitful vessel on the high seas
Surging, undaunted, and free
Sunlit decks ring with voices
Resounding in one hymn at praise
Life, Love, and Lore brimming full
Tempered by His gentle hand
The seas' lucent blue to the distant white
The minds' calm reason and the hearts' delight
We are lovers of beauty
Seekers after truth
Pens ever-geared for sweetness and light
Arts and Letters, our Glory and Pride

Student population

The college has approximately 4,000 students, unevenly distributed among twelve different disciplines.^[5]

It offers the third highest number of academic programs in the university, with 12 academic degree programs, next only to the UST Graduate School and the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music.^[5]

In recent years, it has been yielding one of the largest number of graduates (approx.750) next only to the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Engineering and UST College of Commerce and Business Administration and University of Santo Tomas Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy (approx. 800-900 each).^[5]

The largest portion of the population in the Faculty of Arts and Letters belongs to the Communication Arts program.

Academic programs

The Faculty currently offers the following four-year academic degree programs. Each academic major has a local student council which is more often referred to as "societies".

Academic Program	Society	Description
Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies	Asian Studies Society (ASSoc)	interdisciplinary program in Asian history, philosophy, literatures, religions, geography, politics, demography, economies, area studies, cultures, and foreign service.[4]
Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Science	Behavioral Science Society (BESSoc)	interdisciplinary program in psychology, human resource management, and organizational behavior.[4]
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts	Communication Arts Students' Association (CASA)	interdisciplinary program in communications, broadcasting, advertising, public relations, and multimedia studies (film, television, radio, digital technology).[4]
Bachelor of Arts in Economics	Artlets Economic Society (AES)	interdisciplinary program in economic theory, research and practice.[4]
Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies	English Language Studies Society (ELSSoc)	interdisciplinary program in the science and art of the English language with emphasis on morphology, syntax, grammar, pragmatics, World Englishes, English as a second language, applied linguistics and English for specific purposes.
Bachelor of Arts in History	UST History Society (USTHSTSOC)	interdisciplinary program on Philippine, Southeast Asian, East Asian, European and World History including political, economic, cultural, and diplomatic history. It also gives emphasis on historiography, philosophy of history, historical methodology, and trends in historical writing.
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism	UST Journalism Society (JournSoc)	interdisciplinary program in journalism, including business reporting, feature writing, newspaper production, development reporting, desktop publishing (layouting), broadcast journalism, and investigative journalism.[4]
Bachelor of Arts in Legal Management	Legal Management Society (LMSoc)	interdisciplinary program in business management, public policy, and legal analysis.[4]
Bachelor of Arts in Literature	UST Literary Society (LitSoc)	interdisciplinary program in literary theory, genre studies, and creative writing.[4]
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy	Concilium Philosophiae (Concilium)	interdisciplinary program in philosophical inquiry, research, and investigation.[4]
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science	The Political Science Forum (TPSF)	interdisciplinary program in public administration, history, geography, international relations, and diplomacy.[4]
Bachelor of Arts in Sociology	UST Sociological Society (USTSS)	interdisciplinary program in the analysis and application of social theories, intensive writing and research, public policy, psychology, immersions, and community development.[4]

The most popular programs, based on the number of students in recent years are Asian Studies, Communication Arts, Journalism, Legal Management, and Political Science'.^[5]

Facilities

The college is located in the first and second levels of Saint Raymund de Peñafort Building in the northeastern part of the UST campus, near Dapitan St. (back of UST). The college shares the building with the UST College of Commerce and Business Administration which occupies the third and fourth levels.^[6]

The college had a medium-sized auditorium (Jose Rizal Conference Hall) but was transformed into three expandable multimedia rooms, several audio-visual conference rooms, a fully wired computer laboratory, a student activity center, a faculty hall, fully air-conditioned classrooms, free wi-fi access, and photocopying machines.^[7]

Research centers

The college is affiliated with the following research institutes:

• University of Santo Tomas Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies - a special academic unit run by literature professors and active writers (poets, essayists, and novelists) in the country and abroad. The center conducts literary workshops for a select group of literary enthusiasts, dubbed as Fellows. The Thomasian Writers Guild (TWG) is an independent association of U.S.T. students, faculty and alumni who are actively engaged in the literary field. Members frequently run or at least participate in the projects of the center.^[8]

UST Benavides Library

Among its many departments, the UST Miguel de Benavidez Library has nine departments which suit the academic requirements of the college:^[9]

• Humanities Section - books on world literature and philosophy.^[9]
• Languages Section - books on languages, linguistics, and speech communication.^[9]
• Filipiniana Section - books on economics, history, arts, culture, literature, etc. that was published in the Philippines.^[9]
• Civil Law Section - books on laws and jurisprudence.^[9]
• Social Sciences Section - books on history, education, economics, political science, psychology etc.^[9]
• Asian Studies Section - books on Asian history, geography, politics, society, etc.^[9]
• Religion Section - books on religion and philosophy.^[9]
• Periodicals Section - hard copies of major newspapers and magazines from the pre-war period up to the present.^[9]
• General References Section - encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, almanacs, etc.^[9]
• Educational Technology Center (Ed-Tech Center) - supervises the Tomcat, a student-run cable television network. The center has mini-theatres, audio-visual rooms, and an archive of important films, television documentaries, and audio-CDs.^[9]

The library also has conference rooms readily available and free-of-charge to students and faculty upon prior reservation.^[10]

Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council

The Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council (referred to as ABSC for brevity) - is the primary student governing body of all bonafide students of the Faculty of Arts and Letters. It is currently divided into two bodies, namely, the Executive Board, and the Board of Majors. The Executive Board is composed of the seven faculty-wide elective officers (President, Vice President for External Affairs, Vice President for Internal Affairs, Secretary, Treasurer, Auditor, and Public Relations Officer), and the Board of Majors, colloquially referred to as "Bom", which exercises quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial powers, is composed of the highest executive officer of each existing academic society in the faculty. The ABSC Constitution provides for a need to have a Speaker in the Board of Majors. Current initiatives of the Board of Majors include the de facto Deputy Speaker and Secretary.

The contemporary ABSC can trace its roots from the Pax Romana which exercises the functions of a student forum in the university during the Martial Law period in the Philippines under the dictatorship of President Ferdinand E. Marcos. A student council was already in operation when the Marcos administration discouraged the formation of student councils. The former AB Student Council ceased operations. Although, to further put into realization in the context of academic and social liberty as students of the premiere liberal arts college of the University of Santo Tomas, academic societies were founded in the 1970s and are still existing today and are older than many student councils. However, no academic society in the faculty held the specific term "Student Council" and there was no unifying student council for all students of Arts and Letters back then.

Malacañang heard of the students' initiative to create a faculty-wide AB Student Council and summoned its supposed founder into the Palace, Reynaldo Lopez, then President of the Pax Romana, to defend the rationale behind the creation of the student council in front of President Marcos himself. Creation of such organization is something which was not allowed during the era of dictatorship for it might trigger radical ideas and initiate revolt against the idea of a "new society" which Marcos forcefully inculcates the nation with. Through the efforts of this new breed of student leaders, the ABSC was founded as the first student council of its kind in the country, in the year 1980, exercising autonomy and executive powers from the mandate vested upon the council officers by the students of the faculty. The founder, Reynaldo Lopez, became the first vice president, and Ronald Llamas, a member of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino's cabinet, served as the first president of the student council.

The ABSC President, along with other presidents of college and faculty student councils create the legislative branch of the university-wide Central Student Council (which was also reinstituted by ABSC pillar Reynaldo Lopez). They are known as the UST CSC Central Board and they are the counterpart of the more popular executory branch of the Central Student Council, UST CSC Executive Board, who are elected via university-wide voting. Student council elections are held during the last few weeks of the school year. However, it was not until 1991, under the presidency of Angelito Villanueva, that this practice came into surface. Villanueva was the first ABSC President to serve for two academic years (1990-1992). Aside from contributing to university-wide changes, the ABSC is known to lead the portion of Thomasian students who are serving as the front liners in rallies and causes, events of national essence and socio-political gatherings inside or outside the university.

Aside from Atty. Reynaldo Lopez, Sec. Ronald Llamas, Lito Villanueva, Chito Maniago and Jeffrey Espiritu, many alumni of the AB Student Council - both members of the Executive Board and the Board of Majors, are now successful names in their chosen profession. More than the positions ascribed unto them by their respective offices, the experience acquired in the highest governing body of the most active studentry in the campus helps in educating themselves as they graduate.

Other Student organizations

The college is home to various student organizations.^[11]

Student regulatory bodies:^[11]

• Commission on Elections (AB COMELEC) - the official student elections authority of the college.

Student publications:^[11]

• The Flame - the official student publication of the college, which has produced internationally acclaimed journalists and award-winning writers.
• Dapitan - the award-winning literary folio of The Flame, named after Dapitan St., running at the north side of the college.

Student academic organizations:^[11]

• UST Artlets Economics Society (AES) - the official student organization of Economics majors; the Artlets is used a prefix to distinguish the group from the UST Economics Society, the organization of Economics majors in the UST College of Commerce and Business Administration.
• UST Asian Studies Society (ASSoc) - the official student organization of Asian Studies majors.
• UST Behavioral Science Society (BESSoc)- the official student organization of Behavioral Science majors.
• UST Communication Arts Students Association (CASA) - the official student organization of Communication Arts majors. They are a founding member of the Metro Manila Alliance of Communication Students, a federation of mass media academic organizations from different colleges and universities in Metro Manila. Also, it is an active partner of the Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE), an organization composed by many mass media professionals from all parts of the country. This society has the most number of guilds in the Faculty, namely: the CASA Cam, Reel, Rhetoric, MusiCASA, Footworks, Channel, Stage Talents, Ad-venture and Chronicle.
• UST Journalism Society (JournSoc) - the official student organization of Journalism majors.
• UST English Language Studies Society (ELSSoc) - the official student organization of English Language Studies majors.
• UST History Society (USTHSTSOC) - founded in 2011, it is the official student organization of History majors.
• UST Legal Management Society (LM Soc) - the official student organization of Legal Management majors. The group is a founding member of the Philippine Alliance of Legal Management Societies (PALMS), a federation of legal management societies in different colleges and universities in the country. Also, LM Soc is a founding member of the Alliance of Legal Management Associations of the Philippines, Inc. (ALMAP, Inc.), the existing alliance of different schools from Luzon to Visayas proffering Legal Management as a discipline. In March 2001, LM Soc produced most of the year's academic and leadership awardees, including the top three graduates in the entire college.
• UST Literary Society (LitSoc) - the official student organization of Literature majors.
• UST Philosophy Council or Concilium Philosophiae - the official student organization of Philosophy majors. In 1998, the group started recruiting members from outside the Philosophy Department. The purpose is to promote philosophy and debate as an interesting discipline even to non-philosophy students.
• The Political Science Forum (TPSF) - the official student organization of Political Science majors, and currently the sole Political Science student-organization of the University of Santo Tomas. It serves as the bulwark of Political education and awareness in the Faculty and the University. It is affiliated with APSOP (Association of Political Science Organizations of the Philippines), a number of other organizations, and its faculty are members and officers of the PPSA (Philippine Political Science Association). The Political Science Society, its forerunner, was founded in 1980 by the batch of Atty. Reynaldo Lopez, who also co-founded the AB Student Council. In 1991, it was turned into The Political Science Forum, and in 1992 its Constitution was drafted by a Commission, part of which are Political Analyst Edmund Tayao, and Prof. Reynald Trillana who are AB Faculty Members.
• UST Sociological Society (USTSS) - the official student organization of Sociology majors.

Special interest groups:^[12]

• Artistang Artlets (AA) - the official theater organization of the Faculty.
• UST Chorus of Arts and Letters (AB Chorale/ABC) - the official student choral group of the college; competes with the choral groups of the other colleges of the university in the annual Himig Tomasino. Officially founded in 1995 by Dean Ophelia Dimalanta.
• AB Dance Synergy (ABDS) - the official dance troupe of the Faculty.
• AB Debate Parliament (ABDP) - the official debate organization of the Faculty of Arts and Letters. The AB team won the Dialectics Debate Competition, the competition sponsored by the Thomasian Debaters Council, in 2008.
• AB International Youth Council (AB IYC)
• AB Knighted Owls (AVA) - official drum line organization of the Faculty; seeking OSA recognition since its institutionalization as a committee of the ABSC in 2011.
• Artlets Basketball Team - the official student basketball team of the college; competes with other colleges in intramural games.
• Artlets Volleyball Team - the official student volleyball team of the college; competes with other colleges in intramural games.
• AB Pautakan Team - the official student quiz team of the college; competes in the annual university-wide Pautakan Quiz Competition sponsored by The Varsitarian, the oldest university-wide student publication in the Philippines. The AB team reigned as Pautakan grand champions in 1979, 1989, from 2002 to 2006, and 2009 beating all competing colleges across diverse fields of medicine, engineering, architecture, education, commerce, etc.
• AB Pax Romana- college based unit of the Central Pax Romana, the University's official Religious Organization.
• AB Football Club (ABFC)- the official student football team of the college; aside from competing with the other colleges and faculties in the University, this team also competes with tournaments outside the campus.

Student political parties:^[11]

• DEKADA - the second oldest political party in the college; formerly referred to as "Dekada Nobenta" because of its foundation in December 2 of the year 1992; affiliated with the AKLAS (Alyansa ng Kristiyanong Lakas) Central Political Party.
• Grand Alliance for Progress (GAP)- the first political party in the college to be established after the year 2000. During its early existence, GAP actively participated in the second People Power Revolution that toppled the regime of President Joseph Estrada. Also a pioneer member of the LTC, but pulled out their affiliation in 2006.
• Students' Democratic Party (SDP)- the oldest student political party in the Philippines; established on June 12, 1981 during the Ferdinand Marcos regime; one of the student political parties that established the Lakas Tomasino Coalition (LTC), a university wide political party. SDP is still an affiliate party of the said coalition and is the ruling party in terms of number of Executive Board Officers since School Year 2009.
• Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UST (STAND-UST)- the newest political party in the college, it was founded in 2015.

Prominent alumni

Some of the college's notable alumni (graduates and former students), in alphabetical order:^[13]

Academe

• Romualdo Abulad - Filipino philosopher; Post-doctoral fellow, Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung, University of Hamburg, Germany; foremost Kant scholar in the Philippines; Member, Philippine Academy of Philosophical Research
• Joyce Arriola - National Book Award for Film Criticism winner (2007), internationally published literary and media studies scholar, and text book author; current Chair, UST Literature Department
• Clarence Batan - Doctoral Fellow in Sociology, Dalhousie University, Canada; 1995 Awardee, Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP)
• Paolo Bolanos - Filipino philosopher; Postgraduate Research Full Scholar, Macquarie University, Australia; Founding Editor-in-Chief, Kritike: An Online Journal of Philosophy; Author, On Affirmation and Becoming: A Deleuzian Introduction to Nietzsche's Ethics and Ontology (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014); Chair, UST Department of Philosophy; Member, Philippine Academy of Philosophical Research
• Alfredo Co - Filipino philosopher; Post-doctoral Fellow in Philosophy, Sorbonne University of Paris and the Chinese University of Hong Kong; author of the 7 volume Philosophical Silk Road, 2009; chair of CHED Technical Panel for Philosophy; Visiting Professor in the leading Departments of Philosophy in Europe, North America and Asia; Full Professor of Philosophy, University of Santo Tomas; President, Philippine Academy of Philosophical Research
• Cynthia Roxas-Del Castillo - first female Dean, Ateneo Law School; second female Editor-in-Chief, Ateneo Law Journal
• Johnny Delgado - Founding Chairman and President, Actors Workshop Foundation; former Chairman, Committee on Education and Culture, Katipunan ng mga Artista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Screen Actors Guild of the Philippines); drama instructor, Asia Pacific Film Institute
• Ophelia Alcantara-Dimalanta - S.E.A. Write Awardee; former Executive Director, UST Center for Creative Writing and Studies; former Dean, UST Faculty of Arts and Letters; textbook author; literary critic
• Ernesto A. Franco - Alfred Sloan Foundation Fellow and Asia Foundation Scholar, Harvard University; FAPE Grantee, Project Management Program, University of California at Los Angeles; British Council Awardee, Open University, United Kingdom
• Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo - former Vice President for Public Affairs, University of the Philippines; former Director, UP Institute of Creative Writing, current Director UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies (CCWLS)
• Bienvenido Lumbera - Professor, School of Humanities, Ateneo de Manila University, Professor Emeritus, UP College of Arts and Letters; Professor of Literature and Creative Writing, De La Salle University-Manila College of Liberal Arts; co-founder, Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing and Research Center, DLSU-Manila
• Arlene Maneja - 2002 Philippine Bar Topnotcher; 2002 Awardee, Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP); Philippine Representative, Hitachi Young Leaders' Initiative (HYLI); Lecturer, UST Faculty of Civil Law; took graduate programs at the University of Pennsylvania and the Asian Institute of Management
• Erlita P. Mendoza- Kapampangan Literature specialist; National Book Award for Biography winner (2004) for "A Cofradia of Two: Oral History on the Family Life and Lay Religiosity of Juan D. Nepomuceno and Teresa G. Nepomuceno of Angeles, Pampanga"; Chief Researcher and Writer of the President Diosdado Macapagal Museum and Library; former Varsitarian and Flame reporter/staff
• Ponciano Pineda - former Chairman, National Commission on the Filipino Language; Editor-in-Chief, Diksyunaryo ng Wikang Filipino
• Emerita Quito - Filipino philosopher; Doctoral scholar, University of Fribourg, Switzerland; foremost specialist in Continental Philosophy in the Philippines; Member, Philippine Academy of Philosophical Research
• Alejandro Roces - President, CAP College Foundation; former Secretary of Education; columnist, The Philippine Star
• Josefina S. Sumaya - President, Trinity University of Asia (formerly Trinity College of Quezon City)
• Magdalena Alonso-Villaba - Dean Emeritus, UST Graduate School; Dean Emeritus, UST Faculty of Arts and Catholic Author's Awardee

Business

• Noel Toti Cariño - Chairman and President, Manila Times Publishing Corporation; Chairman of the Board, Boracay Environmental Solutions; President, Forest Hills Golf and Country Club, Inc., Fil-Estate Realty Corporation, Caliraya Springs Golf and Country Club; former Director, Metro Rail Transport Inc.
• Nilo Divina - Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Equitable-PCI Bank
• Marie Katherine Francisco - Assistant Vice President, Barclays Capital Singapore; Manager, Thomson Financial (Philippines) Inc.
• Francisco Ed Lim - President, Philippine Stock Exchange; Partner, ACCRA Law Firm (second largest law firm)
• Jose Lina (Joey Lina) - President, Manila Hotel
• Jeffrey O. Tarayao - President, One Meralco Foundation, Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer of Meralco; Grand Anvil Awardee

Film and television arts

• Cesar Apolinario - film director; Best Director for Banal, 2007 Metro Manila Film Festival
• Bernardo Bernardo - stage, TV and film actor; Best Actor Urian Awards (Ishmael Bernal's Manila by Night); singer, writer, director, comedian; Tagalog lecturer, University of California Riverside
• Winnie Cordero (Rowena Cordero) - main cast at Sine Skwela,Batibot, Magandang Umaga Pilipinas and Umagang Kay Ganda; television and film actress; television host at ABS-CBN; 2005 & 2006 Golden Dove Awardee for Best Variety Radio Program Host
• Lourd Ernest de Veyra - songwriter and lead vocalist of rock band Radioactive Sago Project; member, Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria)
• Johnny Delgado - multi-awarded film, television and stage actor; drama instructor, Asia Pacific Film Institute
• Butch Francisco - entertainment writer and talkshow host
• Rodolfo R. Lana Jr. (Jun Lana) - playwright, screenwriter and director; trained at the Australian Film Institute
• Gretchen Malalad - field reporter, ABS-CBN; former housemate, Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition; Southeast Asian Games gold medalist for Karate
• Albert Martinez - multi-awarded television and film actor; commercial model
• Piolo Pascual - multi-awarded actor, singer, and commercial model, honorary member, Teatro Tomasino
• Gil Portes - acclaimed director of films such as Mga Munting Tinig, Saranggola, and Gatas, which received awards and nominations both locally and abroad.
• Rommel Tolentino (Milo Tolentino) - Best Short Film Winner for Orasyon, 2006 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival
• Eula Valdez - multi-awarded television and film actress; commercial model
• Lito Zulueta - President, Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino {Filipino critics organization}

Government and diplomatic affairs

• Alfredo Benipayo - former Court Administrator of the Philippine Supreme Court; Commission on Elections Chairman; Solicitor General; and current Dean of the UST Faculty of Civil Law
• Arturo Buena - former Supreme Court Associate Justice and Court of Appeals Presiding Justice
• Harriet Demetriou - former Commission on Elections Chairperson, Sandiganbayan Associate Justice
• Henrietta De Villa (Tita de Villa) - former Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican City
• Zenaida Elepaño - Supreme Court Deputy Court Administrator
• Jose Lina (Joey Lina) - former Philippine Senator, Interior and Local Government Secretary, and Laguna Governor
• Rosario N. Lopez - former Chairwoman, Securities and Exchange Commission
• Hesiquio R. Mallillin - Commissioner, Commission on Human Rights
• Andres Narvasa - former Supreme Court Chief Justice; Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for Constitutional Reform
• Bernardo Pardo - former Supreme Court Associate Justice and Commission on Elections Chairman
• Enrique Syquia - former Philippine Ambassador to Malta; founding publisher of The Lawyers Review
• Francisco Tatad - former Philippine Senator and Minister of Public Information
• Aurelio "Öyi" Umali - Governor, Province of Nueva Ecija
• Rosalinda Asuncion Vicente - Associate Justice, Philippine Court of Appeals
• Victor Ziga - former Philippine Senator

History and historical figures

• Jose Rizal - the National Hero of the Philippines; author, Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo, and Mi Ultimo Adios.
• Gregorio F. Zaide - history professor; author, History of Asian Nations; former President, Philippine Historical Association

Law practice

• Cynthia Roxas-Del Castillo - former Dean, Ateneo Law School (first and only female dean); former Editor-in-Chief, Ateneo Law Journal (second female editor-in-chief)
• Nilo Divina - Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Equitable-PCI Bank
• Florin T. Hilbay - Solicitor General, 1999 Philippine Bar Topnotcher; Ll.M Yale Law School (2005); Associate Professor (On Secondment), University of the Philippines College of Law
• Maria Liza A. Lopez-Rosario - Doctor of Civil Law, apto cum laude por unanimidad, Complutense University of Madrid, 1998; Senior Associate, Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & De Los Angeles (third largest law firm in the country); Professorial Lecturer, La Salle-FEU MBA-JD Program; Lecturer and Bar Reviewer, UST Faculty of Civil Law
• Francisco Ed Lim - President of the Philippine Stock Exchange; Partner, ACCRA Law Firm
• Arlene Maneja - 2002 Philippine Bar Topnotcher; Associate, Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako (oldest law firm in the country); Lecturer, UST Faculty of Civil Law; Bar Reviewer, National Bar Review Consortium
• Jose C. Sison - Founder, Ipaglaban Mo Foundation; public affairs host, Ikaw at Ang Batas; columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer; author, A Law Each Day

Literature

• Alejandro Abadilla - Carlos Palanca Awardee for Literature; Founder, Kapisanang Balagtas
• Rebecca T. Añonuevo - Carlos Palanca Awardee for Literature
• Roberto T. Añonuevo - Hall of Fame, Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature
• Teo Antonio - renowned poet
• Arnold Molina Azurin - renowned poet, anthropologist
• Cirilo F. Bautista - Literary contributor, Panorama Lifestyle Magazine; renowned poet, fictionist, critic and writer of nonfiction
• Jose Wendell Capili - Carlos Palanca Awardee for Literature
• Michael Coroza - Carlos Palanca Awardee for Literature; Professor, Creative Writing Program, Ateneo de Manila University
• Ophelia Alcantara-Dimalanta - S.E.A. Write Awardee; Executive Director, UST Center for Creative Writing and Studies; former Dean, UST Faculty of Arts and Letters; poet, fictionist, critic
• Lourd Ernest de Veyra - poet, songwriter, member, Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria)
• Eric Gamalinda - renowned poet
• J. Neil Garcia - renowned poet and literary critic
• Eric Giron - Golden Owl Awardee for Literature; former editor, Mirror Magazine; short story writer
• Amado V. Hernandez - renowned poet, journalist, novelist, playwright
• Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo - former Executive Director, UP Institute for Creative Writing; Carlos Palanca Awardee for Literature; former Dean, UP College of Arts and Letters; former Director, UP Press
• Nick Joaquin - National Artist for Literature
• F. Sionil Jose - National Artist for Literature; Ramon Magsaysay Awardee
• Rodolfo R. Lana Jr. (Jun Lana) - Carlos Palanca Awardee for Literature; playwright, screenwriter and director
• Bienvenido Lumbera - National Artist for Literature; Ramon Magsaysay Awardee
• Jose Villa Panganiban - Commissioner on Filipino Language; Editor-in-Chief, Diksyunaryo-Tesauro Pilipino-Ingles
• Ponciano Pineda - Carlos Palanca Awardee for Literature; Chairman, National Commission on the Filipino Language; Editor-in-Chief, Diksyunaryo ng Wikang Filipino
• Rogelio R. Sikat - Carlos Palanca Awardee for Literature; fictionist, playwright, translator and educator.
• Angelo V. Suarez - award-winning young poet and advocate of verbo-visual poetics
• Rolando Tinio - renowned poet, director, actor, critic, essayist and educator

Media and broadcasting

• Sandra Aguinaldo - investigative reporter and field correspondent, GMA Network; 2008 Silver Screen Awardee, US International Film & Video Festival; 2008 Silver Medalist, New York Festivals
• Arnold Clavio - newscaster and public affairs host, GMA Network; 2008 Silver Screen Awardee, US International Film & Video Festival; 2008 Bronze Medalist and UNDP Special Awardee, New York Festivals
• Winnie Cordero (Rowena Cordero) - television host, ABS-CBN; radio program host, DZMM; 2005 & 2006 KBP Golden Dove Awardee for Best Variety Radio Program Host
• Christian Esguerra - Reporter, ABS-CBN News. Former reporter for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Also a professor of journalism in the Faculty of Arts and Letters
• Glenda Gloria - Managing editor, Rappler.com; former COO of ANC News Channel; National Book Awardee for "Under the Crescent Moon: Rebellion in Mindanao"
• Maki Pulido - senior news producer and reporter, GMA Network; 2008 Gold Medalist, New York Festivals
• Jasmin Romero - Anchor, reporter, ABS-CBN; 2007 KBP Golden Dove Awardee for Best Radio Newscaster; news anchor, host, and segment producer for Radio Mindanao Networks; news anchor, reporter and public affairs host, National Broadcasting Network (formerly PTV-4); founder, Philippine Internet Broadcast International
• Ali Sotto - newscaster and public affairs host, ABC-5; radio program host, DZBB; television and film actress; singer of the hit single "Tigidong".

Publishing

• Eugenia Duran Apostol - Founder, Philippine Daily Inquirer; first recipient, UP Gawad Plaridel (highest individual media award); Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Journalism
• Herbert Atienza - staff reporter, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California); The Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho); The Journal-American (Bellevue, Washington)
• Teodoro Benigno (Teddy Benigno) - journalist; chief speechwriter of President Corazon Aquino
• Cirilo F. Bautista - literary contributor, Panorama Lifestyle Magazine
• Paolo A. Bolaños - Founding Editor-in-Chief, KRITIKE: An Online Journal of Philosophy
• Jose Burgos, Jr. - journalist, activist
• Noel Toti Cariño - Chairman and President, Manila Times Publishing Corporation and Newsboy Media Corporation
• Lydia Castillo - columnist, Starweek Magazine
• Neal Cruz - columnist, The Philippine Daily Inquirer
• Rina Jimenez-David - columnist, The Philippine Daily Inquirer and Sunday Inquirer Magazine
• Jullie Yap-Daza - former Editor-in-Chief, Manila Standard; Columnist, "The Manila Bulletin," Editorial Consultant, "Sense&Style Magazine," Columnist, Panorama Lifestyle Magazine; talk show host; author
• Lourd Ernest de Veyra - journalist; lead vocalist of rock band Radioactive Sago Project
• Blanquita David Gallardo - former editor, Asia Magazine and Dimensions (Hong Kong-based magazines); Golden Owl Awardee for Journalism
• Marietta Velasco Giron - former columnist, The Philippine Daily Inquirer and Malaya; Golden Owl Awardee for Journalism
• Glenda Gloria - Managing editor, Rappler.com; former COO of ANC News Channel; National Book Awardee for "Under the Crescent Moon: Rebellion in Mindanao"
• Ninez Cacho-Olivarez - Founding Publisher and Editor-in-chief, The Daily Tribune
• Jeremiah Opiniano - contributor, The Philippine Daily Inquirer; Founder, OFW Journalism Consortium
• Evelyn Sebastian Peplow - editor, Oxford University Press, Gullivers Books, and Orientations Magazines; Golden Owl Awardee for Book Publishing
• Alice Colet Villadolid - Correspondent for The New York Times and Newsweek International.
• Lito Zulueta - Palanca-winning essayist; film critic and columnist; public relations practitioner; President, Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino {Filipino critics organization}

Society, fashion, and culture

• Rosemarie Arenas (Baby Arenas) - philanthropist, socialite, concert producer
• Alice Dixon (Jessie Alice Salones Dixon) - Binibining Pilipinas-International 1986; Miss International 1986 Semi-finalist; television and film actress
• Gladys Dueñas - Binibining Pilipinas-International 1995; Miss International 1995 Semi-finalist; television and film actress
• Tweetie De Leon-Gonzales - Supermodel of the Philippines 1987; Supermodel of the World 1987 delegate; former President, Professional Models Association of the Philippines; television and film actress; fashion model; columnist
• Patricia Anne Bermudez-Hizon (Sha-ann Bermudez) - 1996 Binibining Pilipinas Semi-finalist; 1999 Mutya ng Pilipinas Semi-finalist
• Bridgette Inoferio - Model of the Year 2005; Best Model of the World 2004 1st Runner-up
• Evangeline Pascual - Miss Republic of the Philippines 1973; Miss World 1973 1st Runner-up; television and film actress
• Montserrat Kierulf Preysler - Face of the Year 1999; fashion and commercial model; associate at McCann Erickson Singapore
• Joanne Quintas-Primero - Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 1995; Miss Universe 1995 11th placer (preliminary round); Miss Tourism International 1997; television and film actress
• Daisy Reyes - Binibining Pilipinas-World 1996; Miss Personality of the World 1996; Miss Expo International 1997 4th Runner-up; entrepreneur
• Michelle Reyes - Miss Tourism World 2002; Miss Tourism International 2001; Model of the Universe-Asia 2002

Socio-civic affairs and public advocacy

• Eugenia Duran Apostol - Founder, Foundation for Worldwide People Power; one of 65 Great Asian Heroes, Time Magazine (Nov. 2006)
• Noel Toti Cariño - Chairman and Founder, War Against Poverty Foundation; Kilusan at Ugnayan ng Maralitang Pasigueño
• Lourd Ernest de Veyra - member, Artists for the Removal of Gloria (ARREST Gloria); lead vocalist, Radioactive Sago Project
• Henrietta De Villa (Tita de Villa) - National Chairperson, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV); former Chairperson, Pontifical Council for the Laity; Papal Awardee

See also

• University of Santo Tomas

References