Tag Archive: UST


UST: 400 YEARS of HISTORY

Filed under: Don't Skip Manila!, Philippine Travels, Travel, travels — 6 Comments
June 25, 2012

Spain ruled over the Philippines for nearly 400 years. Does it show? I’ve always said that Philippines is your “Latin country” in Asia. We do not have temples and wats, but the archipelago is dotted with many churches which see regular Mass-going Sunday crowds.

 

 

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UST. 400 years of history.

 

 

The oldest university in Asia? Only last year, this Catholic University celebrated its 400 years of existence since April 1611. A quadri-centennial celebration which drew in many alumni from all corners of the world. I had many friends based abroad who came home just for this event. It was a grandiose celebration, helped along by funds donated by its alumni who spent many happy university years here and saw the event as a payback for the education they earned.

 

 

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UST: Oldest University in Asia

 

 

Long before the Americans came, the Spaniards gave us education. This is the oldest university in the Philippines and the whole of Asia. It is also the only university ever visited by 2 popes 3 times: once by Pope Paul VI on Nov. 28, 1970, and twice by Pope John Paul II on Feb. 18, 1981 and January 13, 1995.

 

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University of Santo Tomas.

 

 

The students and alumni called “Thomasians” count many prominent Filipinos. Our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal (JPR) studied medicine here before he left for and continued his studies in Madrid, Spain. UST also takes pride in counting 4 Presidents among its alumni: Manuel Quezon, Sergio Osmeña, Jose Laurel and Diosdado Macapagal.

 

 

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The university belt bears witness to daily chaos. Traffic is bad and the streets are crowded with way too many pedestrians and ambulant vendors. The university has the largest campus grounds in the entire city and on the day I visited, I found many students enjoying a breezy afternoon within the “campus park”. A luxury I must say in this tropical country of over 90 million people.

 

 

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Next time I visit, I’d check out the university museum.

 

 

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Work In Progress: Photo Walk On The Oldest Oldest………….

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Filed under: Philippine Travels, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
October 1, 2011

This list was emailed to me. Have been to, seen and photographed some but not all. Thought I’d throw in some of these photos here for a photowalk — to inspire us all to visit each site. It’s just around the corner! NEED HELP. IF U HAVE PHOTOS AND WANT TO SAVE ME THE TRIP, PLEASSSSSSEEEEE SEND ME. THANKS.

Oldest Steel Church

Despite the discrepancies in the dates of its founding, the San Sebastian Church is the only steel church in Asia built in the late 18th century. It should have celebrated its centennial around 1991. Yet, it seems that not even the Catholic administration paid any interest in its historical significance or in the fact that it was Alexander Gustave Eiffel who designed it.

San Sebastian Church

Oldest Restaurant

New Toho Food Center (1888, 422 Tomas Pinpin Street, Binondo, Manila) Five Chinese friends set this up in Binondo, Manila, where the restaurant still stands, in a newer structure also on Tomas Pinpin (formerly San Jacinto) Street which was built after a fire razed the wooden building back in 1984. That explains the slight change in the name. It used to be called the Toho Antigua Panciteria.

Oldest Province

Aklan, originally known as Minuro it Akean, is considered as the oldest province in the country and believed to have been established as early as 1213 by settlers from Borneo. Its first ruler was Datu Dinagandan. In 1399,Datu Kalantiaw grabbed the throne. In 1433, Kalantiaw III formulated a set of laws that is known today as the Code of Kalantiaw.

These days, Aklan is better known as the province to which Boracay belongs.

Oldest Town

Unisan, Quezon could be the oldest town in the Philippines. The people of Unisan claimed that their town is now 481 years old, having been established in 1521, the same year that Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines. All other towns in the country were established not earlier than 1565, when Spain formally occupied the Philippines as a colony.A Malayan queen named Ladya reportedly founded Calilayan, the old name of the town. In 1876, Calilayan was renamed Unisan which was derived from the Latin word uni-sancti, meaning “holy saint”. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Shoreline of Unisan, Quezon

Oldest City

Cebu City is considered as the oldest city in the country, as this was the site of the earliest European settlement established by Spanish conqueror Miguel Lopez De Legazpi in 1565.

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Oldest Fort

The first Spanish settlement in the country, Villa del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus, was located inside Fort San Pedro in Cebu City. The fort’s construction began in 1565.

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Oldest Street

Calle Colon in Cebu City is considered as the oldest street in the country. Named after explorer Christopher Columbus, Calle Colon was first constructed in 1565 by men of Miguel Lopez De Legazpi.

Oldest Stone Church

The Baclayon Church in Bohol is considered as the oldest stone church in the Philippines. But some historians disagree, claiming that San Agustin Church in Manila deserves the title.

Inside Baclayon Church in Bohol

Church historians claim that the cornerstones of San Agustin Church were laid as early as 1571, 25 years before Baclayon Church was built in 1596. But most people believe the title should be kept by the latter, since it is situated in the island first occupied by the troops of Miguel Lopez De Legazpi, the country’s first Spanish governor general.

Bohol was where a friendship was sealed with blood between Chieftain Rajah Sikatuna and Legazpi. The event is known today as”The Blood Compact.”

Oldest Hospital

The San Lazaro Hospital could be the oldest hospital in the country. According to Pampango historian Zoilo Galang, the San Lazaro hospital was established in 1578; Enfermeria de Naga, 1583; and Hospital de San Juan de Dios, 1596.

Oldest Church Bell

The oldest church bell in the country is said to be the one found in Camalaniugan, Cagayan. That bell was reportedly forged in 1595.

Oldest Bridge

The Jones Bridge, formerly known as Fuente de Espana, was first built in 1701. It was rebuilt by the Americans in 1916 and renamed after Atkinson Jones.

Oldest University

The University of San Carlos (U.S.C.) in Cebu City is considered as the oldest school in the country and in Asia. Formerly known as the Colegio de San Ildefonso, it was founded by the Spanish Jesuits on August 1, 1595. This makes the Cebu-based university older than theUniversity of Santo Tomas (1611) in Manila andHarvard University (1636) in the United States.

The University of Santo Tomas, however, contests this title. Formerly known as the Colegio de Nuestra Señora Del Rosario,U.S.T. was the first school, which got a university status in 1645. U.S.C. became a university in 1948. UST also claimed that the original U.S.C. was closed in 1769 as a result of the expulsion of the Jesuits. It reopened in 1783 under a new name and ownership. But the USC officials stick to their claim. The university observed its 400th foundation day on August 21, 1995.

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Oldest Vocational School

The Don Honorio Ventura College of Arts and Trades (DHVCAT) inBacolor, Pampanga is said to be the oldest vocational school in Asia. Augustinian Friar Juan Zita and civic leader Don Felino Gil established the vocational school on November 4, 1861.

Oldest Company

Ayala Corp., one of the largest conglomerates in the country, is also the oldest existing company around. It was established in 1834 by sugar barons Domingo Roxas and Antonio de Ayala. It was later renamed as Casa Ayala, then as Ayala y Compania and recently as Ayala Corp.

Oldest Bank

In 1881, Domingo Roxas, an ancestor of the Ayala family, became one of the first directors of Banco Español-Filipino De Isabel II,which was founded by virtue of a royal decree issued by Queen Isabel II. The bank issued the country’s first currency notes the following year. Considered as the first private commercial bank in the country, the bank came to be known as the Bank of Philippine Islands in 1912. The oldest savings bank was Monte de Piedad, which was established in 1882.

Bank of the Philippine Islands Branch in Vigan

Oldest Rizal Monument

What can be considered as the oldest in the country is a 20-foot metal structure standing at a park in Daet, Camarines Norte. Its construction reportedly began on December 30, 1898 and was finished in February 1899. In comparison, the Rizal monument at the former Luneta Park was built in 1912.

Oldest Insurance Firm

Insular Life Insurance Company was established on November 26, 1910, becoming the oldest insurance agency in the country.

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