USTET results AY 2015-2016 release is on January 28, 2015 - UST

The Catholic institution University of Santo Tomas (UST) Office for Admissions (OFAD) in a statement on their website said that official release date of USTET (UST Entrance Test) results for Academic Year AY 2015-2016 is on January 28, 2015. List of passers (results) will be available online as UST will advise the portal where examinee can log-in and view if he/she passed the test.

USTET was administered in three batches by OFAD on August 24, September 28 and December 7, 2014 in Manila, 37 official testing centers in Provincial areas and 10 international testing locations.

Since last year exam, OFAD has improved the procedures as they implemented the barcode system. Unlike the traditional shading or blackening of applicant numbers, there is now a necessary control number assigned to an applicant that corresponds to his or her own barcoded answer sheet.

UST said that high school grades are required before taking USTET, 40 percent of the applicant’s total score will be based on his/her high school academic performance. The remaining 60 percent will come from USTET results.

The premier university also said that passing the USTET is not the sole basis for admission to some colleges. A second screening is required by the College of Nursing and the College of Tourism & Hospitality Management in the form of an interview, the Conservatory of Music requires an audition, the College of Architecture and the College of Fine Arts & Design require an artwork rendition.

For AY 2015-2016, the target release date of results is the same on previous years. For this year USTET results, it is also expected that the complete list of passers will be posted at the UST campus after a day the results were released online.

Note: Link to UST Admission results page portal will be available here once results are out online.
Meanwhile, UST already announced that first year college entrance application for SY 2015-2016 is now closed.

UST is one of the best education institutions in the Philippines and the largest Catholic University in the World in terms of student population in a single campus. It has the most number of accredited programs according to PACUCOA.

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Grace Poe wants to halt MRT, LRT fare hike in January 2015

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Grace Poe asked the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to defer the unnecessary and untimely Metro Rail Transit (MRT) fare increase effective January 4, 2015 amid unmet public expectations to improve even the basic facilities of the train system.

"We must remember that a mass transport system such as the MRT is an essential government service. The fare increase is an added insult and an injustice to the suffering riding public whose very lives are put on the line everyday," Poe said.

"The sorry state of the MRT brought about to a large extent by government mismanagement and ineptness cannot justify an increase. The government is obligated to maintain the subsidy until the system's services and safety are upgraded," the senator added.

Based on the new fare matrices issued by DOTC on Saturday, rates for end-to-end trips in MRT-3 will increase to P28 from P15 (from North Avenue to Taft Avenue and vice versa); P30 from P20 in LRT-1 (from Baclaran to Roosevelt and vice versa); and P25 from P15 in LRT-2 (from Recto to Santolan and vice versa).

The announcement came at a time when the MRT-3 and LRT Lines 1 and 2 are accorded substantial government assistance in the soon-to-be signed General Appropriations Act, which includes the amounts of P4.65 billion in subsidy, P7.94 billion for MRT rehabilitation and P4.67 in unpaid MRT taxes. The newly approved bicameral version of the Supplemental Budget, which will be immediately carried out in 2015, has the following items: P1.21 billion for MRT rehabilitation and capacity extension and P728 million rehabilitation fund for LRT 1 and 2.

"While the MRT and LRT is in Metro Manila, the riders of these trains are mostly wage earners whose contribution to the national economy is far reaching and impacts productivity," Poe stressed.

Poe led a public hearing of the Senate public services subcommittee on transportation on the pressing need to rehabilitate MRT's rail system, calling on officials and stakeholders to lose no time to discuss solutions to the MRT challenges that imperil commuters' safety.

The senator explained, "The sub-committee in the last four months conducted three public hearings on the MRT issues. Almost all issues from the basic maintenance concerns to ownership of the kind of trains that we will procure in the coming years were all discussed. Considering that they have a date already to implement a new fare system, they should have volunteered it in the last hearing. But they did not. How could they be so insensitive to the millions of commuters and MRT, LRT riders?"

"When was the last time they conducted a consultation? The last hearing the DOTC conducted in December 2013 does not satisfy the due process requirements as the situation then as far as safety and convenience are concerned have drastically changed to beyond worst. An issue like this deserves a fresh consultation from all stakeholders, particularly the MRT and LRT riding public," Poe said.

BSP's 3 new limited edition commemorative coins now available

MANILA, Philippines - The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced that three new limited edition commemorative coins are available starting today, Monday, December 22, 2014.

The new coins commemorate the following:

1. The Bagong Bayani Commemorative Coin in honor of Overseas Filipinos on the 5-piso circulating coin;
2. The 150th year of Philippine Hero Apolinario Mabini on the 10-piso circulating coin; and
3. The Leyte Landing which was a turning point for the liberation of the Philippines during World War II on the 5-piso circulating coin

The public can avail of these coins at the cash departments of BSP offices in Manila and Quezon City, managing director of currency management sub-sector Iluminada Sicat said in the press briefing on Friday.

"There will be 10 million pieces available for sale and there will be 20,000 in brilliant, uncirculated pack," she said, noting the coins will be sold at face value.

We'll try to make them available also to banks so that the banks could help us in distributing the coins," she added.

"As a matter of policy, the BSP commemorates significant events and heroic Filipinos in our country’s history through the minting of coins, medals or overprints on our banknotes," BSP said in a statement.

The most recent commemorative circulation coins issued by the BSP were for the 150th year of National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal in 2011 and the 150th year of Philippine Hero Andres Bonifacio in 2013.

The BSP also announced the minting by the BSP of 50-piso and 500-piso commemorative coins in time for the Papal visit in January 2015.