Go, USTe! For thirteen straight school years, I have been proudly a yellow-blooded Thomasian, and I will be all my life. The Pontifical, Royal and Catholic University of the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) is the oldest university in Asia, and the largest in terms of student population housed in one campus (38,000+ students, 2007-2008 figures).

            UST was established in 1611 in realization of the vision of the late third archbishop of Manila, Rev. Fr. Miguel de Benavides, O.P., of having an institution built for young men who wish to enter priesthood. Benavides donated his personal library collection and a fortune of 1,500 pesos for the foundation of the school, but died in 1605, six years prior to his dream’s opening.

            Originally housed within the walls of Intramuros, UST was known originally as the Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario, before being renamed to Colegio de Santo Tomas, in memory of the patron saint of all Catholic institutions, the Dominican theologian St. Thomas Aquinas. Thirteen years into its existence, UST was allowed to confer academic degrees in Theology, Philosophy, and Arts. As the years progressed, it has added degree offerings in Civil Law and Canon Law.

            On November 20, 1645, Pope Innocent X elevated the Colegio de Santo Tomas to the University rank, and thirty-five years later, was placed under the royal patronage of the Spanish monarchy. UST’s loyalty to the Spanish crown in defending Manila against British invaders led way to King Charles III’s proclamation of UST as a “Royal University” in 1785.

            For over three centuries, UST was located inside the Intramuros campus. It was only in the 1920s that the old UST became inadequate in terms of space to accommodate the ever-increasing student population, forcing it to relocate to the present Sampaloc campus, with the Main Building opening its doors in 1927. As the new Sampaloc campus began welcoming more students, the University grew with its apprentices’ population. New colleges like Education, Science, Arts and Letters (before Philosophy and Letters), and Commerce, among others, were opened, with the Faculties of Pharmacy, Engineering and Medicine and Surgery.

            Popes Leo XIII and Pius XII conferred the distinctions of “Pontifical University” and “The Catholic University of the Philippines” to UST in 1902 and 1947, respectively.

            However, less than a half-century after suffering under war in the early 1900s, UST yet again underwent tumultuous times—this time during World War II. The Main Building was made an internment camp for prisoners of war when the Japanese ruled over the archipelago, forcing UST’s operations to be cut short during these times.

            After recovering from the aftermath of the war, UST continued to prove to the world why it is one of the most revered academic institutions in the world. A bulwark of the Christian faith and a beacon of academic excellence, UST has indeed succeeded through the centuries. And now that the University of Santo Tomas nears its 400^th anniversary, UST has established campuses outside the España area: Sta. Rosa, Laguna and General Santos, Mindanao.

            In 2006, UST was successful in “reliving ’96 in Season 69,” when UST triumphed in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP). Tigers, present and past, growled loud for all the world to hear, and it will continue to do so for many more years to come.

            I will forever be proud to be a Thomasian, and everything that I have learned from the University will be put to good use. As UST’s motto says it: “Veritas in Caritate.” Go, USTe! Mabuhay ang dugong Tomasino!