Dumaguete to host national history conference, gathering of historians

The following is a press release from the Philippine National Historical Society.

Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, will host this year’s National Conference of Local and National History slated from October 19 to 21.

Organized by the Philippine National Historical Society (PNHS), the oldest historical organization in the country founded in 1941, the three-day event will feature 21 paper presentations.

The theme for this year – the event’s 44th edition and first in-person conference since 2019 – is “Retropolis: Discoveries and Rediscoveries in Philippine History.”

The papers to be presented include:

• “Looking for Philippine Art and Artifacts in Spain” by Regalado Trota Jose, formerly of the University of Santo Tomas Archives;
• “More Than Gold: World Treasures in the Philippines” by John Crossley of Australia’s Monash University;
• “Philippine Sites Inscribed in the Unesco World Heritage List” by Ivan Anthony Henares of the Unesco National Commission of the Philippines;
• “A Digital Repatriation of a Lost Archive of the Spanish Pacific: The Library of The Convent of San Pablo (Manila, 1762)” by Cristina Juan of the School of African and Asian Studies, University of London;
• “The Pulangi and Agusan Rivers in Mindanao History, 1599-1648: A Water-Based Perspective” by Jihan Bacug and Sharon Bulaclac of the Mindanao State University (MSU)-Marawi;
• “Kudarat & Dutch Links In Caraga Affairs, 1629-1651” by Kimberly Apatan-Lusay and Zizzle Dawn Abecia-Sayson of the same institution;
• “The Bell of Taraka: Understanding the Ranaw-Dutch Relations in the 18th Century” by Tirmizy Adbullah and Ruholla Alonto of the Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage;
• “When Iligan Finally Stood Alone” by Rey Luis Montesclaros of MSU-Iligan;
• “Occupation and Resistance: The Guerrilla Movement in Tarlac, 1942-1945” by Marcelino Macapinlac Jr. of De La Salle University;
• “Bayonets and Bloodshed: Japanese Atrocities in Dumaguete during the Second World War” by Justin Jose Bulado of the Negros Oriental State University;
• “Glimpses of the Japanese Interregnum in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi” by Calbi Asain of MSU-Jolo;
• “Who Were the Panuypuyes? Resistance and Retreat in the Seventeenth-Century Northern Luzon” by João Paulo Reginaldo of the University of the Philippines (UP)-Baguio; 
• “Bricks, Heritage, and Identity-making: The Social Biography of Cagayan Ladrillos” by Aldous Tracy Rubio of UP-Baguio;
• “Spanish-American Encounters in Las Piñas, 1898-1899” by Cecilia Tangian of MSU-Iligan;
• “Makalilisang Gutom: A Social History of Hunger in Cebu, 1899 to 1929” by Ophelynn Cano of Cebu Normal University;
• “Establishing the Early History of Rabies Virus in the Philippines” by Ian Alfonso of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines;
• “The Hospital in the Philippines and its Transformation: The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in the Twentieth Century” by Mercedes Planta of UP-Diliman;
• “The Historical-Critical Method as an Approach to Writing Historical Narratives” by Fr. Michael Layugan, SVD of the Divine Word School of Theology; 
• “The Eastern Visayas (Leyte-Samar) Episodes of the Villalobos Expedition in 1543-1544” by Rolando Borrinaga of UP Manila in Palo, Leyte;
• “The Toponymy of Guiuan, its Barangays and Geography in Eastern Samar, Philippines” of Kinna Kwan of the Guiuan local government; and
• “Babaylanes Rituals in San Joaquin, Iloilo, in the Late 19th Century” by independent researcher Edgar Allan Sembrano.

A regular feature of the conference is the launch of the newest issue of the Journal of History containing papers presented during last year’s conference. 

A number of books authored and co-authored by PNHS board members as well as partners will likewise be launched during the event.

These include “The Visayas, Islands in the Seas: A History” by Earl Jude Cleope; “Dogs in Philippine History” by Alfonso; “Dauntless: The 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments, United States Army” by Marie Silva Vallejo; “San Sebastian Basilica: Ironclad Faith” co-authored by Jose and Sembrano, among others; “Dakilang Bulakenyo: The Art and Artists of Bulacan” co-authored by Sembrano; and “Ayaw Mahanggaw (Tausug Poetry)” by Asain.

To register, fill out the form here.

For more information, email ea.sembrano@gmail.com, nitachurchill@hotmail.com, or marianelaflorendo@gmail.com. – Rappler.com