Intramuros Learning Sessions episode no. 19
Overview
For the longest time, Filipino people were made to believe that Philippine civilization begun with the Spanish colonization of the country. National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal however saw the long Spanish evangelization as the Philippines’ Dark Age and sought to recover what he calls ‘Ancient Nationality’. His vision was unfortunately outlived by America’s westernization that brought Filipino people further away from their roots. In the 60s, the relevance of Western thoughts dominating Filipino intellectuality was challenged by Filipino nationalist scholars whose works on indigenous knowledge triggered the soul searching and redirected Filipino intellectuality to rediscover the country’s lost heritage – best seen in the History of Muslims in Prehispanic Manila. It is also in this part of history where the key to national unity – a necessary tool to nation building, is found.
- Guest speaker: Darwin Absari
- Moderator: Rancho Arcilla
About the Speaker: Darwin Absari
Darwin Absari is a professor at the University of the Philippines Institute of Islamic Studies. He has a BA in Political Science from the Mindanao State University, and an MA in Islamic Studies from the UP Diliman Institute of Islamic Studies.
A well-published author, he has written several books on Moro studies, such as: Pag-Tuhan: The Tausug Spiritual Tradition (for publication); “Qur’an and Sunnah: The Source of Knowledge, Values, and Norms of the Moros”(for publication); and When Warriors Meet Traders: The Long History of Sulu-China Friendship.
About the moderator: Rancho Arcilla
John Paul Escandor Arcilla, known professionally as Rancho Arcilla, is the author of the Intramuros Register of Styles (2021). He served as Chairperson of the Intramuros Technical Committee on Architectural Standards (TCAS) from June 2022 to May 2024. As TCAS Chairperson, Arcilla oversaw the review of all development, including new constructions, in the Walled City.
Arcilla was also the first Archivist of the Intramuros Administration. With a mandate from Atty. Guiller Asido, Administrator of Intramuros from 2017 to 2022, Arcilla established the Administration’s Archives and Central Records Section, serving as its first Section Head from July 2019 to June 2024.
He has an MA in Philippine Studies from UP Diliman and a BA in Asian Studies from the University of Santo Tomas. Arcilla specializes on colonial architecture.
In 2021, Arcilla was instrumental in the development of the Revised 2021 Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Presidential Decree No. 1616, the main framework and legal instrument in the management of Intramuros District. The architectural provisions of the IRR and the Intramuros Register of Styles (2021) is based on his MA thesis Walls within Walls: The Architecture of Intramuros (2021).
About the Intramuros Learning Sessions
The Intramuros Learning Sessions (ILS) is the educational lecture series of the Intramuros Administration (IA). The IA is an attached national government agency under the Department of Tourism.
Topics are interdisciplinary and cover themes related to Intramuros and Manila studies, Philippine studies, as well as cultural heritage studies. Pursuant to IA’s charter, the ILS aims to contribute to the strengthening of the Filipino’s national identity and sense of belonging and pride.
For inquiries contact us at [email protected]
| See Previous ILS Episode Philippine Coffee: A Case for Conserving our Coffee Heritage | See Next ILS Episode Intellectual Property in Textiles |
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