UST used to stick to its rules

The news item in Jan. 2’s Inquirer, where the University of Santo Tomas was reported to have urged the press not to drag institutions like UST to the impeachment controversy, and where UST also notably claims a “long tradition of integrity and untarnished reputation, commitment to excellence” among other criteria or standards to which it subscribes, reminded me of an experience with UST authorities involving a younger brother of mine, Agaton (“Aton”).

Aton was refused admission to continue his second year in the UST College of Medicine. It was the desire of our family, my parents especially, that Aton also finish his medicine, like his elder sister Libertad (UST Medicine, Class ’59), at UST, where I got a degree from its College of Philosophy and Letters. So, we appealed the case of Aton to the dean then and the father regent of the UST Faculty of Medicine. Present were myself, my sister Libertad, my maternal aunt Sor Maria Caridad (a Dominican nun, who was then the principal of a Dominican school nearby), and my other sister, Patria (who also taught in the Dominican school). A faculty staff member brought the academic record of my brother which revealed he had flunked all his second-year medicine subjects except Religion, which made the father regent to observe with a  chuckle, “Well, at least he passed Religion!” Which brought a soft laughter from my aunt, Sor Maria.

Academic standards were academic standards to UST, of course, so despite the earnest plea of his two Thomasian siblings and his Dominican aunt, Aton was declined admission.

Aton went to Cebu where, learning his lessons in life, he finished medicine without a hitch, and then got hitched to a classmate, Dr. Mina Domingo. They went to Maryland to practice medicine, where at one time Doctor Aton was connected with the Johns Hopkins University Hospital.

(Disclosure: This piece comes from a proud and loyal Thomasian, Philets, Class ’53, who at one time sat at the feet of literature high priest N.V.M. Gonzalez, together with Neal H. Cruz, whose hard hitting, simple, albeit engaging, style in the regular Inquirer column “As I See It” is a favorite of this equally loyal reader of the Inquirer.)

—EDMUNDO H. ESCALANTE,

retired judge, Gubat, Sorsogon