University of San Carlos, My Experience
I rarely ever write something personal about myself here at Tingog.com, but with the recent visit of Jun Lozada and the hullabaloo raised over the alleged directive of Cardinal Vidal to have no priest officiate for masses with Lozada and the movement for Truth, I guess it’s high time I write a little about my beloved Alma Mater, The University of San Carlos.
In my point of view, it’s probably the top school in The Visayas region, and within the confines of that University I grew as a human being, both spiritually as well as academically. I developed a keen sense of what it means to have the nation’s best interest in mind while pursuing my goals and my dreams.
But in a general sense, this is what College is supposed to do for a person. Not only is scholastic excellence the goal of any student, but it is the growth of your whole self that should also be of concern.
I value education, and even during my years as an Engineering Student at the University, I also developed a sense of love for my Filipino countrymen, I’m not even sure which class it was, or even if it was just the collective experience I had at the University. But towards the end of my stay at the institution, I developed a passion that has grown more and more, and that is the passion for The Philippines and my countrymen.
Yes, The University of San Carlos is a Catholic University, but even more than developing my spiritual side of my being, I think I developed a sense of maturity and a view of the world that goes farther than what was taught within the halls of that institution.
But it was the friendship of one person that I credit my development and my love for my homeland of The Philippines. The plight of one engineering student, who was a scholar, and who from day to day, rarely had enough money to even have lunch. Instead he would buy bread. Three pesos worth of bread, or sometimes 5 pesos worth if he was hungry.
Although I never told anyone, I would often give money to this friend of mine, on a weekly basis, provide monetary assistance during enrollment period, and during midterms and finals in which students also had to pay the balance of their tuition. Because scholars did not always receive the full amount, and rarely ever received their scholarship money on time, it was a frustrating time for my friend.
He was a good friend, a loyal friend, and a smart friend. He excelled, and despite his circumstance, he enjoyed his student life.
I think, above all the experiences in College, the experience I remember most is this friendship with this engineering student. Indeed as with my experience that Pedro and Some Corned Beef had on me, this also had a profound impact on my view of the struggles of the everyday Filipino.
I need not elaborate on the excellence of The University of San Carlos, you can go to their website and read more. But I wish to convey the pride and the love I have for this institution, and to the Province of Cebu which I call my home. I know the Cebuano people to be of a good nature, and this is why I am so shocked and appalled by which Jun Lozada was treated, whether it was indirect or direct, he was still not treated as a visitor should be.
And so, many thanks to my Alma Mater, The University of San Carlos, never has there been an institution that has had more of an affect on me, than this college has. Developing the future leaders of Cebu, The Philippines, and the world. Hail to all Carolinians.
USC Hymn
To USC we sing
Our song shall always ring
You, who set the mind astir
Of our learning be harbinger.
Our Alma Mater dear
We pledge our love sincere
Firm do we stand and true
Glory to God, to man and you.
We promise faith and love
And laud the Lord above
To God we shout our song of praise
To Him our voice we raise.
Your aim’s to lead us to the Lord
Be now forever blessed!
Here’s a cool video of a tradition of the Cheerdance Competition held every year during the Intramurals at The University of San Carlos. The College of Engineering performs this one.
Too bad USC no longer allows guys to have long hair, and students are now required to wear uniforms. Makasuya inyong batch. =)
[...] in Hell. Critical commentary from After All and The Mount Balutacan Monitor. On the other hand, Tingog.com simply pays tribute to the alma [...]
I myself never wore long hair, but trust me, some guys wouldn’t wash their jeans for like a month or two, so I think maybe a uniform isn’t so bad, if only to deter such adolescent behavior. After all, sometimes, it does detract from the academic experience. (I’m sounding like my father now)
you were shocked and appalled that he was not treated like a rock start? that no one in USC came running and screaming his name asking for autorgraph??
you are a cebuano and you should know that we are not mindless/rabid fans of people who tell half truths? 
or should you be appalled that he asked one student be evicted becoz he dared to ask him a question not to his liking?
should you be appalled of how he maliciously said that cebu is the archdiocese of malacanang?.. i am skeptical about lozada and his motives and extent of this knowledge thus i didnt go to the forum.. i didnt arrive to this conclusion becoz the church has dictated me or influenced me.. first am not roman catholic second i’ve heard and read enough to decide and form my own opinion/stand…
am sorry i didnt welcome the clown with a red carpet.. am sorry that i have been watching a lot of telenovelas lately that i couldnt possibly had the stomach to watch loseda cry and make himself so kaawawa and at the same time contribute to the fund that he might use to play golf in wack wack… but i am more sorry that you a fellow cebuano would readily accept the baseless lies of b and w movement and lozada regarding the Cardinal…..
in my opinion they were just angry and they needed a scapegoat why nilangaw sila in front pa naman of the local and national media..
Jen, Was I shocked? Appalled? NO. I need not tell my fellow Cebuanos how to act or treat Jun Lozada. Please read the other articles regarding Jun Lozada, as I have not been too mesmerized by his public outcry against The Arroyo Administration. As for my other commentaries, please note that I have yet to call him a hero, or to believe that he is above the corruption that he is leveling against Arroyo. But you have to realize, that the bigger question lies with ARroyo herself, and the enumerable corruption charges including the Hello Garci scandal, the extra-judicial killings, the fertilizer funds, spratlys, NBN, and so on and so forth..
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I applaud your skepticism, because indeed, we should all be skeptical when anyone levels the charges that Lozada has leveled against many public officials. But his testimony in front of The Senate has not deviated and has been consistent. We can’t say this for the many officials, including Arroyo herself regarding the NBN deal, the flip flops and conflicting statements coming from the Arroyo camp are far too many to set aside.
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As for the charge as to why they couldn’t get a priest to officiate, that is based on experience, because I have coordinated numerous activities during my College years in San Carlos, where a priest was just a phone call away. Vidal’s public statements against Lozada, if there was no specific order, is enough to deter many priests from officiating a mass for Jun Lozada. That was the point I was making. Vidal should not have cast his public statements in the first place, and just let Lozada be. Let the Cebuanos decide for themselves.
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I don’t condone any statement made in a general manner for political reasons, including the statements coming from the lozada camp. I am proud to be from Cebu, and I too was a bit urked when they focused negative comments against the archdiocese of Cebu and the Cardinal. As I have said, I have always enjoyed the Cardinal’s masses, and I don’t intend to stop attending. I just know from experience, that a mass is not hard to set up, and no one should be refused a mass.
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thank you for the comment Jen.
While in USC, were you part of any student political party? Which one?
Thanks.
Olive
@Olive, unfortunately I was not. Although, I was a big supporter of Tingog, thus the name of this blog.. In hindsight, I wish I had join in on the fun…
I was an active member of Tingog Carolinian Party during my college days. It would have been grand had you been a member. By the way, what year did you graduate?