UST distances from Mocha’s award: Recognition from USTAAI not from us

The University of Santo Tomas campus in Manila. (INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO)

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) clarified on Monday that the award given to Assistant Secretary Esther Margaux “Mocha” Uson was from the UST Alumni Association Inc. (USTAAI) and not from the university.

Associate Professor Giovanna Fontanilla, Director of UST Public Affairs, said the USTAAI is separate from UST, which has its own governing body.

“The University wishes to clarify that the recognition given to Asst. Sec. Esther Margaux J. Uson came from the UST Alumni Association Inc. and not from the university,” Fontanilla noted in a statement posted on the university’s official Facebook page.

“The UST Alumni Association Inc. is a corporation distinct and separate from UST. It has its own board of trustees and operates independently,” she added.

Fontanilla further clarified that only The Outstanding Thomasian Alumni (T.O.T.A.L) Award is “granted [by the university] to exceptional graduates after undergoing a stringent screening process.”

She explained that such an award is only given to an alumnus or alumna, who manifest the three main core Thomasian values – competence, compassion, commitment – even outside the university premises.

She then urged all Thomasians “to be guided by the principle ‘Veritas in Caritate’ (Truth in Charity), and to remain steadfast in the pursuit of truth.”

USTAAI President Henry Tenedero earlier said in an interview with INQUIRER.net that he is likely to call for an emergency meeting possibly within the week to tackle the issues hounding the award it conferred to Uson.

READ: USTAAI president to call for emergency meeting amid uproar vs Mocha’s award

Tenedero acknowledged the need to address the growing clamor for USTAAI to rescind the Thomasian Alumni Award for Government Service bestowed on Uson, an official at the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) in charge of social media.   /kga