EDITOR'S VOICE

As we all “go back to normal” and the COVID-19 pandemic is becoming history, the Philippines is now facing a new kind of virus, a new kind of pandemic– ‘the virus of fake news’ and ‘the pandemic of lies’. Distortions of truth have put Filipinos face-to-face with systemic and systematic disinformation and negative historical revisionism. Truth as the foundation of moral and social life has been challenged.

Truth should never be silenced. My invitation, then, is for all of us in the SVST community to be sources of truth for each other. Let us be careful of what we post online, advocate fact-checking, and go to the rough grounds and commit ourselves to address persistent social problems.

PAPAG, the official student publication of St. Vincent School of Theology, continues to provide readers with reflections of students. In these pages, you will see how SVST students pray, read God’s Word, and respond to the signs of the times.

There is a long-standing SVST tradition that PAPAG resonates with the school year’s thrust, which, this academic year, is A Nation Guided and Accompanied by Truth (ANGAT).” At SVST, we do not simply study theology; rather, we do theology from the margins. We are not just taught different courses in theology “from above”. More importantly, we learn “from below”, which starts from the rough grounds of experience, especially of the excluded and marginalized.

There is a “crisis of truth” today, and SVST recognizes the challenge to respond to this crisis by seeking truth, upholding truth, and defending truth. PAPAG, for this academic year, serves as one platform for seeking, upholding, and defending truth.

PAPAG 2023 features students' reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic, but most of the students wrestle with the question of truth and lies, misinformation and disinformation, and negative historical revisionism. These are nicely woven into musings on faith and mission, perspectives on the Christian life, response to ecological emergencies, snippets from Scriptures, and the lives of Mary, St. Joseph, and St. Vincent De Paul. We also feature stories of the beauty of God’s call to the mission, and students’ reflections on their colorful and grace-filled journey here in SVST.

PAPAG also tapped our very own art-oriented SVST students to carry us onward in our academic pursuits through paintings and poems. This year’s PAPAG challenges us, and draws us out of convention through deep reflections and beautiful art.

This year’s PAPAG will not be possible without the entire editorial team and our energetic contributors. We thank you all! May this year’s PAPAG draw us to the joy of mission, and lead us to the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jesus Christ, Evangelizer of the Poor.

Padayon, mga igsuon!

Sem. Philmar Rosales
Editor-in-Chief

PAPAG: The Official Student Publication of SVST 2022-2023