SU hosts 6th International Conference on Philippine and Asian Studies

Silliman University (SU) hosted the 6th International Conference on Philippine and Asian Studies led by the De La Salle University (DLSU), with students, educators, scholars, and researchers presenting their studies on language, culture, and media, June 1-3, 2023.

The conference was held in a hybrid setting with around 250 in-person and 140 online participants, representing around 82 schools, colleges, and universities nationwide.

There were also participants from the University of Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Jawa Timur (National Development University “Veteran” of East Java) in Indonesia and Mahidol University in Thailand.

Dr. Feorillo Petronilo A. Demeterio III, DLSU University Research Coordination Office director and a professor at the DLSU Department of Filipino, said the conference aims to be a venue for exchanging ideas and knowledge through research and encouraging collaboration.

The conference, he said, also offers “comparatively low registration rates” because it aims to attract students from the high school level up to the postgraduate level.

“We have a big group of high school students, about 40 or 50 senior high school students, this year. Our intention is to encourage them to do research and hopefully publish their research,” he added.

The conference started in 2014 as Demeterio’s class activity with his graduate students. Since then, the conference has become an annual event that includes a tour of its host cities.

Collaborations for SU

Asst. Prof. Arvin C. Revagorda, SU Philosophy Department chair, said the Department co-organized the conference to establish a good relationship with other researchers for possible future research collaboration.

“What we need in today’s time is a complementarity of research works leading to more relevant and more informative discussions,” he added.

Revagorda said hosting the conference in SU was an avenue for the University’s faculty and students to show those from other universities what SU can offer in terms of research; the “Silliman hospitality” through the faculty, staff, and students; and “how beautiful and historically meaningful the University is to the life of the people.”

“Having first-timer visitors, it was also our goal to help them create a memorable experience that they can share with others and even a reason to return,” said Revagorda.

Revagorda said their Department has already collaborated with DLSU in the past, such as during the 1st International Young Scholar Conference in 2013 and the Horace B. Silliman Lectures in 2014, where Philosophy faculty members from DLSU gave presentations.

Philippine & Asian Studies

Dr. Rhoderick V. Nuncio, DLSU College of Liberal Arts dean, said in his opening remarks that Philippine studies is essential in advocating for changes in the social, cultural and political, economic, and technological realities of the Philippines and Filipinos.

Dr. Morakot Meyer, director of the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia at Mahidol University, Thailand, served as the plenary speaker on the conference’s first day with her research, “The Language of Emotion and Precarity: Narratives of Myanmar Migrant Workers’ Transnational Lives in Thailand during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

Dr. Earl Jude Paul L. Cleope, SU vice president for Academic Affairs, talked about “The Age of Philippine History” as the plenary speaker for the conference’s second day.

Participants presented their papers in parallel sessions at Silliman Hall, Guy Hall, and online via Zoom.

The following SU faculty members presented during the conference: Dr. Lily Fetalsana-Apura, from the Religion and Peace Studies Department; Asst. Prof. Arvin Revagorda, Asst. Prof. Allison Cruyff V. Flores Ladero, and Asst. Prof. Lj Zaphan Butiong Lamboloto from the Philosophy Department; Dr. Alana Leilani C. Narciso, Asst. Prof. Lady Flor Partosa, Kaycee L. Melon, Angela Gabrielle Fabunan, John Edgar Rubio, and Deo Mar E. Suasin from the English and Literature Department; Asst. Prof. Ronald B. Kinilitan, Asst. Prof. Jean Cristine V. Ontal, and Asst. Prof. Ginalyn A. Orillana from the Filipino and Foreign Languages Department.

Participants presented papers with the following themes: Local Industry and Practices, New Media, Language and Values, Knowledge Management, Student Life and Mental Health, Politics and Textu*]}*al Practices, Translation, Philippine Linguistics, Ethnic and Local Studies, Educational Management, Film and Television, Religion and Culture, Performance and Culture, Language Teaching, Governance, Philippine Literature, Diaspora and Globalization, Public and Corporate Governance, Literary and Textu*]}*al Studies, Education and the Pandemic Lockdowns, and Culture and History.