Cebuano Studies celebrates its Golden Anniversary with a gathering of Local Studies Centers
Cebu, Philippines – The University of San Carlos (USC) Cebuano Studies Center (CSC) has celebrated its 50th anniversary with a significant national roundtable that brings together directors, coordinators, and workers of local studies centers (LSCs) from across the Philippine archipelago. The two-day event with the theme โ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ข๐๐ฌ: ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ,โ through ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐โ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฌ and serves as one of the most comprehensive discussions on the state of local studies in the country to date.
According to PALABRA, the official BA Literary and Cultural Studies at USC, CSC was founded in 1975, and it is recognized as the countryโs pioneering local studies center. Over the past five decades, it has become a cornerstone in collecting, preserving, and interpreting Cebuano literature, history, and cultural heritage. Organizers say the upcoming roundtable will not only commemorate this legacy but also address the broader questions faced by regional research institutions in the digital era.
The event has opened with welcome remarks from no less than the USC President Fr. Francisco Antonio T. Estepa, SVD followed by a Guest of Honor address from National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Chair Dr. Regalado Trota Josรฉ Jr. National Artist for Literature Dr. Resil Mojares, the CSCโs founding director, delivered the keynote address and laid out the historical trajectory that shaped both the CSC and the wider landscape of local studies in the Philippines.
On the second day, Dr. Patricio Abinales of the University of Hawaiโi at Mฤnoa would deliver a special lecture that situates Philippine local studies within larger regional and global conversations, offering participants a broader analytical framework for understanding the role of local knowledge institutions today.
Roundtable discussions will focus on the evolution of LSCs over the past several decades, the unique challenges they face, and new opportunities for collaboration. Participating centers, representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, are expected to share their approaches to community engagement, digitization, archival preservation, and sustaining regional research in contexts where resources often remain limited. The organizers emphasize that although the centers vary widely in history, size, and mandates, they share a common goal of strengthening cultural memory and regional scholarship.
CSC director Dr. Hope Sabanpan-Yu shall present updates on the Centerโs current initiatives, including archival developments, publications, and partnerships that seek to extend the reach of Cebuano cultural materials to new audiences.
Based on CSC’s thrust and agenda, one of the gatheringโs key objectives is the creation of a national working directory of local studies centers, intended to address the longstanding challenge of mapping and connecting institutions engaged in regional research. The roundtable will culminate in a collaborative panel, where participants will discuss a proposal for a national network and prepare a joint statement outlining shared priorities and strategies for future cooperation.
As the CSC prepares to enter its next fifty years, the event is expected to reinforce the Centerโs leadership in regional cultural work and contribute to building stronger, more coordinated pathways for local studies across the archipelago.
