47th ugat conference

One more thing. On the third and last day of the 47th Ugnayang Pang-Aghamtao (UGAT) International Conference, November 14, I attended the panels “Everyday Economies and Lived Precarities: Ethnographies of Survival and Care” and “Bodies, Forests, and Frontiers: Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Governing.” Also joined the lecture by Alberto Gomes of La Trobe University titled “Phoenix Rising from the Ashes: The Promise of Regenerative Anthropology.” And I finally met poet, doctor, and researcher Vincen Gregory Yu. It’s always a quiet thrill to meet in person the people whose work you’ve only encountered on the page.

In the afternoon, joined Tigum, the conference’s field immersion segment in partnership with the National Museum of the Philippines–Bohol and the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage (BACH) Council. The activity encouraged delegates to examine Tagbilaran City as a coastal and urban landscape shaped by its community. We walked through the city and learned about the history of the Knights of Columbus Wharf, the Balili Heritage House, the People’s Mansion (formerly the Governor’s Mansion), the Gabaldon building of Dr. Cecilio Putong National High School, and the shophouses along CPG Avenue. Our last stop was Sitio Ubos, an enclave of late Spanish colonial structures just behind St. Joseph the Cathedral. The closing ceremony of the conference’s panels and lectures was held later that afternoon at HNU.

Much has been said about our local and indigenous communities, and how research must move away from extractive tendencies. My own approach remains simple: you must be biased in favor of those who are underrepresented, ignored, or deprived of their rights and voices.

Because what is the point of our conferences, meetings, and publications if communities—made more isolated and vulnerable each day by institutional obsessions with credentials, prestige, and even our silence—continue to suffer and be stripped of their humanity? Who benefits from what?

[ more photos here ]

47th ugat international conference (day 2)

Last November 13, returned to Holy Name University for Day 2 of the 47th Ugnayang Pang-aghamtao (UGAT) International Conference and attended the panels “Folklore Between Linguistics and Anthropology,” “Transdisciplinary Engagements in Archeology” (particularly for the talk on reviving the asin-tibuok of Alburquerque, Bohol through chemical engineering which was very, very interesting), and “An Ethnography of Ibanag Warfare and Weaponry Based on Spanish Colonial Texts.” The panelists were demonstrating martial arts movements and included capoeira!

Before the day closed, attended the film screening of Tumandok by Richard Jeroui Salvadico and Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay, a Cinemalaya and Gawad Urian award-winning docu-fiction movie with my colleagues from the National Museum of the Philippines-Iloilo. We were all seated in one line while watching the movie, and when the lights turned back on, we apparently found ourselves on Hikbi Row. Namula ug nanghubag among mga mata, friends. 

The displacement of our indigenous communities like the Ati in Western Visayas, the bureaucratic red tape they are forced to endure, and the violence they face which includes the Tumandok massacre on December 20, 2020, simply for defending their most basic rights, were gut-wrenching and massively frustrating to watch. And this is all still happening today. In fact, the inspiration for the film’s lead character, En-en, was present that night in HNU to share her story herself.

I cannot stop thinking about the film. It’s one of those works that lingers; one that feels essential viewing for everyone, especially in this country.

After the screening, I approached one of the co-directors, Arlie, and mentioned the possibility of bringing the film to Dumaguete. She was enthusiastic and hoped an institution could help make it happen. We will see. 

[ More photos here ]

47th ugat international conference (day 1)

On November 11, traveled back to Bohol for the 47th UGAT International Conference, hosted by Holy Name University in partnership with the National Museum of the Philippines–Bohol. UGAT Ugnayang Pang-Aghamtao is an organization of anthropologists in the Philippines. The annual gathering brings together not only anthropologists but also scholars, practitioners, and researcher students to discuss concerns and engage with issues shaping Philippine society, culture, and even the rest of the world. Each year features panels, roundtables, and lectures built around a central theme. For 2025, it is “Engaging Anthropology, Anthropology in Action.”

Fairly new to this world, and while I’m excited by many interests and the pursuit of knowledge, I’m also aware of how much I still have to learn. Sometimes I feel that, without realizing it, I’ve been brushing against anthropology all my life.

With that in mind, I looked for panels and talks that would help me understand not only my own ways of making sense of each other and this world but also my ongoing project at the museum. On Day 1, attended “Lives and Labors at Sea: Gender, Work, and Coastal Communities,” “Kaalamang Bühay at Ugnayang Bumubühay: Mga Kaalamang Katutubo ng Agta-Tabangnon ng Tiwi, Albay,” and “Animating Ruins and Landscapes: Heritage as Lived Experience.” I ended the afternoon with a keynote lecture, “Working-Class Support for Illiberalism: A View from the South,” delivered by Rosana Pinheiro-Machado of University College Dublin.

The day of shared ideas closed beautifully with a quick sunset stop at Becca, followed by Gabii sa Pag-abiabi ug Panag-ambit, a welcome dinner for conference delegates at NMP-Bohol. The Dimiao Children’s Rondalla was easily the highlight of the evening.

[ More photos here ]