BISU MC CAS Faculty is Fellow for 2025 NCCA-NCHR Local History Writeshop

“𝑯𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑬𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒔”

The College of Arts and Sciences of Bohol Island State University (BISU) Main Campus was represented by Mr. Mark Steven A. Pandan, MA Cand, at the NCCA–NCHR writeshop “History and Environment Across the Visayas,” held on May 19–21, 2025, at EVSU’s Graduate School Function Hall. Eight fellows from Visayas gathered to explore how national narratives and local histories can inform and enrich one another.

On the opening morning of May 19, EVSU President Dr. Dennis C. De Paz and NCHR Head Dr. Neil Martial R. Santillan challenged participants to center regional voices in historiography. In his keynote, Dr. Rolando O. Borrinaga traced recent developments—from the digitization of Spanish colonial sources to the surge in environmental history research following Super Typhoon Yolanda—offering concrete models for local history initiatives. Later that morning, Dr. Maria N. Florendo and Prof. Joycie D. Alegre examined the interplay between national and regional histories and surveyed the current state of heritage conservation in Eastern Visayas. In the afternoon, Dr. Vicente C. Villan presented “Inagihan, Handuraw, at Kapuslanon,” anchoring Filipino historiography in lived experience and communal meaning.

Day Two began with intensive manuscript workshops. During the morning session on community-based history, Mr. Pandan —the lone delegate from Bohol—delivered his work-in-progress, “Lantugi: A Preliminary Ethno-History of Debate in Central Philippines,” and received mentor feedback to strengthen his analysis from Dr. Archie Resos of the UST Department of History. Dr. Jeffry V. Ocay delivered his lecture on Indigenous rights and the politics of recognition through the case of the Ati people of Panay. Sessions on women’s roles in World War II resistance and service-learning methodologies showcased diverse research approaches. At the same time, representatives from NCCA and NHCP provided guidance on grant applications and journal publications.

On Day Three, after the writeshop proper, fellows embarked on a field immersion of Tacloban and Palo’s historic landmarks. At the Yolanda Memorial Park, Sto. Niño Shrine, Leyte Provincial Capitol, MacArthur Landing Memorial, and the Palo Cathedral ruins, participants experienced firsthand the landscapes that shaped Eastern Visayas’s collective memory. This hands-on exploration brought into sharp relief the writeshop’s core message: that academic inquiry and heritage preservation must remain deeply rooted in the lived experiences of local communities.

– 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘔𝘳. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘈. 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯, 𝘔𝘈 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘥. , 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸, 𝘕𝘊𝘊𝘈 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘈𝘚 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺