SPARKED BY the 50th anniversary of Fr. Pedro Arrupe’s call of being persons for others, the Ateneo community held this academic year’s Talakayang Alay sa Bayan (TALAB) last October 17 to 27 with the theme, “Renewing Our Commitment: Persons for Others @ 50.”
The two-week TALAB sought to highlight the University’s continued commitment to exposing students in conversations about various societal issues and providing platforms to spread awareness.
For others
Expounding on the significance of TALAB, Assistant Vice President for Social Development, Environment, and Community Engagement (SDECE) Leland Dela Cruz, PhD emphasized the mobilization of the Ateneo offices and student organizations in hosting events as a response to their interpretation of being a “person for others.”
Supporting this, Council of Organizations of the Ateneo – Manila (COA-M) President Ralf Borja viewed this iteration as a real call to be persons for others with the Ateneo’s approach to Ignatian formation.
“At its very core, TALAB naman has been for others talaga, since it provides everyone [with] different perspectives of different lives, and putting others in different shoes,” Borja remarked.
Seeing the students’ positive engagement, Sanggunian President Bernice Mendoza shared how TALAB also reflects the community’s openness to learn beyond the classrooms through events that have lasting impacts.
With others
Regardless of the shorter timeframe, Mendoza said that the teams from the SDECE, Sanggunian, and COA-M wanted to push through with many events due to the known impact TALAB has on the community.
To do this, Borja credited the Computer Society of the Ateneo (CompSAt) for developing the new centralized enlistment process and attendance system. However, during the enlistment period, students reported concerns about their user credentials and website crashes.
According to a statement released by CompSAt, log-in details were not sent due to technical issues on the provider’s end, while the website crash was attributed to an overwhelm on the website’s configuration.
Reflecting on TALAB’s systems, Dela Cruz mentioned that the coordinating teams are considering the creation of a set TALAB organizing team similar to the Ateneo Orientation Seminar Committee. Borja added that proper transition protocols may also help future organizers plan out future iterations.
Encouraging engagement beyond TALAB, Mendoza conveyed that learning about social issues is “not the end of it all.” Borja echoed the same sentiments, expressing his hopes for Ateneans to care more about worldviews and narratives beyond the Ateneo community.
