ANGELES CITY – A newly formed network of academicians, researchers and scholars from various colleges, universities and research institutions all over the Philippines in conjunction with a leading university in the region recently held a two-day conference on the historical saga of the country’s pre-colonial and colonial eras.
The Philippine Association for the Study of Culture, History and Religion (PASCHR) and the Holy Angel University (HAU) conducted “Culture, History, Religion and Maritime Links among the Islands of the Philippines and Beyond,” on January 31 until February 1.
The conference was meant to serve not only as venue for the discussion of various historical topics but also to create a network of scholars on the academic study of religions. “We wanted to bring forward young scholars to unfold the historical saga between the pre-colonial and colonial eras.
Also, this conference showcases the interrelations of the theme which has made the region as one of the melting pots of indigenous beliefs and religions,” conference chair Esmeralda Sanchez said. Discussions were divided into four parallel sessions: Ethnicity, Belief Systems and Identity in Pre-Colonial Philippines; Trade Culture and Society within Maritime Philippines: Past and Present; Religious Links of the Philippines and Beyond; and Christianity in Philippines and its Relation with the Indigenous Communities.
The various speakers included Marian Caampued from HAU; Christian Montemayor from Lorma Colleges; Maria Aplaten, David Camiwet and Elena Egangan from University of the Cordilleras; Henry Dosedla from University of Vienna in Austria; Grace Odal-Devora from University of the Philippines- Manila; Mari Daisy Corral from Evergreen International Academy, Albert Banico from San Sebastian College-Manila; Laila Labajo from University of San Carlos-Cebu, Dr. Arvin Eballo from University of Santo Tomas; Eduardo Domingo from De La Salle University; and Paul Kekai Manansala from Sacramento, California in the United States.
