A total of 14 out of 62 graduates received their Ph.D. degrees and marched for the UP Asian Center and TriCollege Ph.D. Philippine Studies Program recognition ceremonies last Sunday, 30 July 2023, 2:00 pm, at the GT-Toyota Asian Cultural Center Auditorium, University of the Philippines Diliman with the theme, Sandiwaan: Interconnections. National Artist for Music, Dr. Ramon P. Santos, Professor Emeritus at the UP Diliman College of Music, was the commencement speaker and guest of honor.
SANDIWAAN: INTERCONNECTIONS
Dr. Ramon Santos, whose composition inspired the theme of this year’s recognition. reminded the graduates that they are “imbued with the UP spirit,” citing Hegel’s “a unity of being” and Pierre Bourdieu’s habitus. In simpler terms, the UP community—including the new alumni—has its own culture, its sariling bait. He added that despite people’s differences, individualities, and disciplines, becoming a part of the UP community instills shared commonalities and objectives in any activity, and this can be summed up in one word: “SANDIWA-AN.” Dr. Santos concluded his message by challenging the graduates to exercise Sandiwaan in their respective fields in the years ahead.
Delivering the response on behalf of the graduates were Emmeviene Ann “Emme” Ann P. Suelto for the Asian Studies program, and Sean Angelo A. Thakur for the Philippine Studies Program. Meanwhile, Marjorie Joy Almario-Magdadaro represented the TriCollege Program.
Emme, a second-generation overseas Filipino worker, shared her experience from working in Qatar and reminded the students that “we are Filipinos living in a broader world with other groups of people.” As graduates of AC, the new alumni have “the responsibility to be the bridge not only between the Philippines and the Asian region, but also the wider world.”
Sean, on the other hand, cited Patajo-Legasto’s Philippine Studies: Have We Gone Beyond St. Louis as he remarked that Philippine Studies would only remain significant if it has a critical perspective, leans on the masses, and focuses on the marginalized. Sean reminded his fellow graduates that through the narratives of the marginalized, the challenge is for them to listen to the voices of the silenced, to dive deep to uncover the truth, and to surface, defend, and unite with the forgotten parts of the society.
Finally, newly minted Ph.D., Dr. Almario-Magdadaro emphasized that they are bound by the same spirit and goal to broaden the knowledge and raise Filipino awareness about the different facets of the world, for the benefit of the nation despite the diversity among the students of the institution. Dr. Almario-Magdadaro also encouraged her fellow graduates to set aside individuality and strengthen the interconnection of each one’s disciplines, strengths, and knowledge, under the same spirit—the Filipino Spirit, the patriotic spirit.
TRICOLLEGE PH.D. GRADUATES 2023
Fourteen (14) students graduated from the Ph.D. in Philippine Studies. Listed below are the titles of their dissertations:
- Rosella Camte Bahni
Dissertation: “Ibaloy Notions of Homeland from Memories of Place: An Oral History of Loakan, Baguio City” - Peter Jerome Bayot Del Rosario
Dissertation: “Komentaryo ni Kalabaw: The Carabao in Jess Abrera's A. Lipin Cartoon Strips (1985-2018) as an Image of the Filipino's Resistance Identity and the Philippines' Cultural Species" - Romeo Bala Galang
Dissertation: “Pagpapakahulugan sa mga Naratibong Nakapaloob sa mga Banal na Ukit ng mga Sangley at Mestiso, 1590-1898” - Mary Cita M. Hufana
Dissertation: “The Shaping of a Scientific Built Environment (Likhang Kaligiran): The University of the Philippines Los Baños, 1965-1986” - Joelle Florence Patrice Banzon Jacinto
Dissertation: “The Filipino Ballet: Examining Process of Indigenization and Its Identification in/of Nation” - Ma. Alena Novillo Macasil
Dissertation: “Kabilin Ug Bahandi: Traditional Games as Educational Tools in the Preservation of Heritage and Culture among Universities in Cebu City” - Marjorie Joy Almario Magdadaro
Dissertation: “Diyandi: Kultural na Perfomans Bilang Kabilin at Kasaysayan ng Dakbayan sa Iligan” - Edna Marcil Martinez
Dissertation: “The Symphony Orchestra in the Philippines: A Cultural Outline (1896-1986)” - Aileen May Paguntalan Mijares
Dissertation: “Danas at Dagok ng Tokhang: State Terror, Gender, and the War on Drugs” - Andrew Rey Sosa Peña
Dissertation: “Assessing the Ethnolinguistic Vitality of Pahanan towards Developing an Instrument for Measurement” - Rodolfo Cajilo Sabio
Dissertation: “Pagsinaryo Kag Pangabuhian: Implications of Changes in the Concept of Land Ownership Among the Ati of Nagpana in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo” - Norby Roque Salonga
Dissertation: “The Cooperative Model in the Philippine Social Economy: Contributions and Challenges of the Three Local Cooperatives” - Katherine Frances Romero Valdellon-Molina
Dissertation: “The Filipino Contemporary Commercial Music Singer: Mimicry or Phenomenon” - Jay Neil Garciso Verano
Dissertation: “Saysay-Laum: Kritikal na Pag-arok sa Panlipunang Balor ng mga Kwentong-Bayang Daluyan ng Kabayanihan at Paghihimagsik ni Agustin Sumuroy ng Hilagang Samar”