An Elephant in the Room

An award presupposes a criteria which any awarding body should refer to when it decides who will get the prize. Because an award is something given in recognition for someone's achievement (e.g. academic performance or outstanding service in one's field), one would expect the criteria to be rigorous. Otherwise, the award becomes a farce.

On the above premise, it is not surprising that the recent conferment of Thomasian Alumni Award in Government to Mocha Uson, assistant secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, raised a lot of eyebrows (mine included). What has she done to deserve the award? Netizens have been disgusted. Read through comments in social media and you have an idea. The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Central Student Council has denounced the organizer/awarding body UST Alumni Association Inc (UST AAI) for its decision to give the award to Ms Uson whom the Council identified as the “main purveyor of politically-motivated propaganda” and “an avid spreader and citer of fake news”. I couldn't agree any less. 

What was the criteria? Well, according to UST AAI: “The sole criteria are for the recipient/s to be a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas and in government service,”. Unbelievable! Surely there are many Thomasian alumni working in government conscientiously and without enjoying the backing of a political boss who are more deserving than Mocha. Borrowing the words of Ms Giovanna Fontanilla, UST Public Affairs Director, "You (UST AAI) could do better than that!". 

I read a post on Facebook from Prof Clarita Carillo, an esteemed former colleague and former Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, clarifying that the award is not conferred by the University itself.  I am grateful for such an explanation and I hope that UST will distance itself from the alumni association for such a deplorable act and issue a statement to that effect. However, because the alumni association carries with it the name of the University, UST's reputation is tarnished unfortunately.

UST's motto is "Veritas in caritate" (Truth in Charity). A staunch fanatic of the current dispensation full of vile on those who speak against her master,  Mocha has failed to embody this motto. This is an elephant in UST AAI's room. I therefore join my fellow concerned Thomasian alumni in calling on UST AAI to recall the award or resign.