The University of Santo Tomas (UST), through the Office of Public Affairs and the Office of International Relations and Programs, partnered with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Manila for the fifth installment of World Lenses: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue with Students. The academic and cultural event was held on April 28, 2026, at the Ballroom of the Bl. Buenaventura Garcia Paredes OP Building, as part of the activities celebrating the 415th Founding Anniversary of UST.

The program involved a cultural exchange of workshops on traditional Indonesian and Filipino dances in the morning, with an academic lecture in the afternoon. In addition, the participants also had the opportunity to try on sets of traditional Indonesian clothes from the Sulawesi and West Sumatra region, which were brought by the Embassy along with Indonesian snacks.

Under the tutelage of Nurul Sharifa Husna, cultural staff of the Embassy of Indonesia in Manila, a group of participants from the UST Junior High School (JHS) learned the Ratoh Jaroe, a traditional dance from the Aceh province of Indonesia, during the morning session. The JHS students were then able to publicly perform this high-energy sitting dance, characterized by rapid hand movements, clapping, and rhythmic body movements, during the intermission portion in the afternoon. Traditional costumes were also lent by the Embassy for the performers to have a more authentic experience.

In turn, Reylwood Comie, academic staff from the UST Conservatory of Music’s Voice and Music Theater Department, led a workshop on traditional Filipino dances. With the assistance of the Salinggawi Dance Troupe (SDT), participants from the UST JHS and College of Tourism and Hospitality Management (CTHM) were able to join the SDT in practicing the Tinikling, a traditional Filipino dance featuring dancers maneuvering between fast-clapping bamboo poles. The UST SDT then performed lively renditions of the Tinikling, Kalatong, and Binasuan.

For the afternoon session, the Embassy of Indonesia in Manila’s Minister Counsellor for Culture and Information Avi Dewani Sari Harahap delivered the keynote lecture, where she expounded on the topic of “Life as an ASEAN Diplomat” and shared informative and insightful details on the responsibilities, opportunities, and challenges of a career in diplomacy and international relations.

She emphasized the vital need for people with the essential skills of clarity in communication, analytical and critical thinking, cultural intelligence, networking skills, crisis management, and foreign language proficiency, which can be developed through any degree program. Ms. Harahap added that diplomats can come from any academic field, as long as the key skills are well-developed.

In particular, Minister Counsellor Harahap highlighted the importance of People-to-People Connectivity, to which these essential skills she mentioned will lead. “The important thing to maintain [diplomatic] relations is human connection… The relationship between two parties should be maintained and also be revisited… [because] the mission is better achieved when it is done by the human itself.”

During the open forum, the audience of over 200 students actively asked about the path to becoming a diplomat, how diplomats manage the demands of the job, and how they navigate tactfully among discussions of international concerns.

A career diplomat for over 20 years, Minister Counsellor Harahap brings extensive experience from both Indonesian and overseas postings. Prior to her current assignment in Manila, she was part of the Directorate General of ASEAN Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (MOFA RI) where she served as head of the Planning Division and acting head of the Inter-Agency Cooperation Division, contributing to coordination on regional initiatives.

UST secretary-general Rev. Fr. Louie R. Coronel, O.P., EHL, in his opening remarks, reminded people that cultural exchange gatherings like this quietly build the future of ASEAN through conversations among the young, curious, and hopeful. He further shared, “To our dear students, you are not just participants in this dialogue; you are its meaning. The world you will shape begins with the way you see one another today. To our partners from Indonesia, thank you for walking with us in this shared journey of understanding and friendship.”

The Office of International Relations and Programs associate director Prof. Karen Santiago, Ph.D., underscored in her closing remarks that the UST World Lenses series “reaffirms [UST’s] commitment to internationalization and the duty to prepare students for a globalized world.” She added that “As future leaders, [the students] are now tasked to break down walls and build more bridges through fostering the sense of shared regional identity and global citizenship.”

The UST World Lenses is a series of close cultural encounters for students supplementing the UST Ambassadors Lecture Series. Previous installments of World Lenses include activities on trade and travel with the Embassy of Argentina Trade Section head Ana Clara Pianezza and the third secretary and consul Fabricio Sordoni, interdisciplinary art restoration with renowned paint conservator of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika), Dr. hab. Mirosław Wachowiak, circular economy with the Belgian Ambassador His Excellency Michel Parys, and the effects of technology on psychology with Family and Marriage therapist Faye Campbell and Dr. Amanda Clinton.