PUBLIC consortium Casa Asia has recognized the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for “being a historical, academic and cultural reference, as well as playing a key role in education and training in the Philippines for more than 400 years.”
Out of 52 nominations, UST was chosen by Casa Asia in its Education and Science category for several reasons; among them: Being the oldest university in Asia, and for remaining as one of the most prestigious universities in the Philippines; playing a key role in Philippine education since its foundation in the 1600s and having renowned personalities in various fields as alumni; and for having a library of great historical and cultural interest, with volumes dating back from the 17th century to the present.
The UST Library was also commended for its recent efforts in digitizing its library content to facilitate consultation and guarantee conservation.
In the official document announcing the winners entitled Galardonados Premios Casa Asia 2021, it was written in Spanish that “the University of Santo Tomas—in particular. Its Miguel de Benavides Library—represent a historical and cultural benchmark of the first order and consequently a solid candidacy, in the opinion of this embassy, for the Casa Asia 2021 awards.”
The citation consists of a commemorative engraving and €1,500 per category, which will be bestowed at an awards ceremony in 2021 on a date and place to be announced later.
Established in 2001, Casa Asia is a public consortium consisting of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union, the government of Catalonia, as well as the councils of Barcelona and Madrid City, where it has a base and center respectively.
According to its web site, Casa Asia aims to “recognize and disseminate the work of individuals and entities, both public and private, that have stood out for their work in the economic, social, educational, cultural or development-cooperation fields, favoring dignity and human rights, and have contributed to [promote] knowledge, dialogue and relations between Spain and…Asia-Pacific.”
Image credits: casaasia.eu