Thomasians begin many firsts
THE FIRST
On 28th of January 2016, the University of Santo Tomas, Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) visited Brunei for the first time. It was also the Feast Day of St Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of the university. That day, for the very first time, members of the UST alumni residing and working in Brunei gathered together for a Eucharistic Celebration in his honor at the Church of Our Lady of Assumption in Bandar Seri Begawan.
The 6:00 p.m. Holy Mass was officiated by Reverend Father Arin Sugit, Assistant Parish Priest of Church of Our Lady of Assumption (COLA). After the mass, he gave a special blessing to the group.
THE SPECIAL GUEST
Our special guest from the OAR was none other than Assistant Professor Fides Carlos, Director of the Office of Alumni Relations. With direct links to the Office of the Rector himself, Prof. Fides’ role – as she always points out, is “to make the alumni happy”.
And we are indeed! She made her way to Brunei out of a very busy schedule to celebrate with us on our first ever gathering as a group of UST alumni in Holy Mass, dinner, music, and fellowship.
Before the evening mass started, Professor Fides together with a few members of the group, Rhenee Bobiles, Ar. Heart Corral, Tere Cordova and Joji Castillo, made a courtesy call at the Philippine Embassy to His Excellency Mr Meynardo LB. Montealegre, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Mr Melvin C. Almonguera, Third Secretary and Vice Consul – a fellow Thomasian.
She formally introduced the group to His Excellency and explained the role of the OAR in encouraging UST alumni, especially those outside the Philippines, to connect and be a valuable support for each other. She also mentioned the group’s future plan of getting a formal accreditation from the Philippine Embassy and in turn be an additional support to the Philippine Embassy’s many projects.
His Excellency, on the other hand, was very pleased to welcome Prof. Fides and the group to his office with hopes that members of the UST alumni will continue to be good role models to all Filipinos in Brunei. He reminded us that we are all “guests” to this country, reiterating the importance of abiding and respecting its rules, and understanding the many cultural differences we have. He said that we are not just representatives of the University of Santo Tomas, but also of the entire Philippines.
THE FELLOWSHIP
The Thomasians in Brunei celebrated many firsts. Among them was a fellowship at the Mangrove Z’yan Restaurant in Kota Batu. 24 alumni from different fields and batches gathered to acquaint, to reconnect, to know what is happening in the university, and above all, to reminisce the good old university days. It was a night filled with memories from the past over good food and fantastic music!
The evening started with a prayer blessing from Reverend Father Herbie Canete, RCJ, a visiting Filipino priest from Rogationist Fathers, and rolled in cheers led by host, Caroline A. Abacan.
It was followed by an opening remark from Vice Consul Melvin, who gave us an important insight to keeping the group alive. He mentioned that in his experience with different associations he has handled in the past, it is very important for its survival to have missions and goals. It is the group projects that keep its members continuously motivated and enthusiastic to participate.
Professor Fides kept the evening rolling with her updates from the University. From famous alumni achievers and activities to the new buildings and the alumni office. She gave us a virtual tour of the campus on how it is today. She explained thoroughly what the OAR’s role is in making sure that Thomasians from all over the world be reconnected and serviced well. Part of the evening program was the issuance of alumni cards to the four applicants who submitted their forms before she came to Brunei.
The highlights of the evening were performances by some members of the group, who shared their gift of music with much enthusiasm. And it was Rhenee Bobiles – who marked the end of the occasion with hopes that our group will have many more beautiful gatherings over food, music, and mission to give back to each other what UST has given us well – knowledge and service.
Let this be the beginning of many firsts.
Go USTe! Go USTe! Go USTe! Go! Go! Go! Go!
