UST Quadricentennial Celebration
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Celebration took place from December 18, 2009 to January 27, 2012.
[1] The agenda before the quadricentennial year in 2011 included the introduction of new academic programs, improvements in the university's infrastructure, and other projects to raise UST's national and international prominence and promote its role as a social catalyst.
[6] Part of the university's infrastructure modernization is the construction of an P800-million, four-storey gymnasium capable of seating 5,792, designed by Thomasian architects José Pedro Recio and Carmelo T. Casas.
It features the outline of the UST Main Building Tower as a concrete symbol of the stability, integrity and 400 years of existence of the university.
[10] "Ako'y Isang Tomasino" (I am a Thomasian), composed by UST Faculty of Engineering alumnus Gerry de Leon, is the official theme song of the celebration.
It bested four other finalists in the Q Songwriting Contest Grand Finals held the previous December at the Albertus Magnus Auditorium.
[13] Replacing the old Colayco Park and its adjacent UST Cooperative Center, the Quadricentennial Square was built as a memorial of the university's four centuries of existence.
[14] According to UST Facilities Management Office administrator Antonio Espejo, the fountain uses recycled water treated with chlorine.
[19] Officially named the Quadricentennial Pavilion, the sports complex was designed by Thomasian architects Jose Pedro Recio and Carmelo Rosas.
It houses training areas for gymnastics, aerobics, taekwondo, judo, table tennis, fencing, and badminton at its ground floor.
[21] The blessing of the construction site of the UST Hospital's extension building was held on January 23, 2012, the first day of the closing week of the quadricentennial celebrations.
The Paskuhan festivities and the Quadricentennial countdown were hosted by UST alumni - beauty queen Miriam Quiambao and TV personality Kim Atienza.
"Tomasino para sa Simbahan at Bayan" (Thomasians for the Church and the Country) is a socio-civic activity that began in January 2010.
[16] The Quadricentennial's "centerpiece project", according to the rector Rolando De La Rosa, aims for UST to adopt some 400 villages with the help of non-governmental organization Gawad Kalinga.
Begun on October 15, 2010, the expo featured a job fair; shopping bazaars; wellness festival; arts, design, and construction booths; celebrity shows; food and beverage stalls; entrepreneur workshops; and advocacy seminars.
[26] Jollibee Foods Corp.’s Tony Caktiong, Mercury Drug's Viviene Que-Ascona, and Joel Cruz of Aficionado were among the Thomasian businessmen who joined.
[26][27] UST's rare book collections and historic documents were shown to the public through an exhibition in Miguel de Benavides Library.
The exhibit showcased Doctrina Christiana, the first book published in the Philippines,[25] a rare copy of Copernicus' book, and academic records of UST alumni, such as those of national heroes José Rizal and Apolinario Mabini,[16] four Philippine presidents, and six Supreme Court chief justices.
The Q float showcased models of the yet to be unveiled Quattromondial, the future Martyrs' Monument, and the Tria Haec, or the statues representing faith, hope, and love atop the Main Building.
The pope arranged to deliver a recorded video on January 28, feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas, and a thanksgiving mass was to be held.
[30] In December 2010, the Roman Catholic Church's Apostolic Penitentiary allowed in a decree Archbishop Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales to bestow a papal blessing carrying a plenary indulgence in the Jubilee Mass held on January 24, 2011.
Unveiled before the press conference held on January 21, 2011, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) issued commemorative 200-peso bills with the UST Quadricentennial logo overprinted on them.
BSP released two billion pesos' worth of these 200-peso bills into general circulation as legal tender (a total of 10 million pieces).
BSP also issued commemorative gold and silver medals featuring the image of Miguel de Benavides, the university's founder.
