UP Department of Geography

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR MIDYEAR, AY 2025-2026

Your advisers will inform you of their preferred mode and schedule of advising. If you have not received any notification from your adviser by Monday, 9:00 AM, kindly coordinate with them directly.

🌏🌱⚖️ 𝗛𝗘𝗢/𝗚𝗘𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 (𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲) ⚖️🌱🌏
𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗰𝗼 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆, 𝗹𝗮𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲

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The Heo/Geo Lecture Series continues during the midyear. For the seventh presentation of this long-running series, the UP Department of Geography and the Philippine Geographical Society (PGS) are co-sponsoring the talk of an alumnus who is knee-deep in conservation work.

The talk is Ignoring boundaries: How geography, law, climate change, and biodiversity intersect by John Colin Yokingco from Conservation International Philippines and is happening via Zoom on Tuesday, 16th of June 2026 at 5:30PM. His talk looks at the link between the legal system and climate change. Where things are, how justice is defined, the impacts of climate change, and the diversity of life are important in addressing the challenges of our times, according to Yokingco.

Geography and law are fields of study that may not be connected at first glance. One deals with how things interact spatially while the other deals with the obligatory norms set by those in power. Climate change and biodiversity on the other hand, although considered as subjects studied under the physical sciences, are usually addressed separately in the legal framework of the Philippines. In spite of their apparent boundaries, geography, law, climate change, and biodiversity intersect in more ways than we think. The impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss have no respect for boundaries set by the law. The international commitments of states mean nothing if local action receives no support. Finally, justice is fundamental to any solution to these issues. Discourse on these issues have progressed over the past 12 years. The overlaps and intersections will be discussed through the experiences of a geography graduate who has navigated the space over the same period through their professional career. From land use planning, defending human rights, and now conserving nature geography remains at the core of the approach.

John Colin E. Yokingco is a legal and development professional who has worked on issues related to climate change, disaster risk management, and human rights. Cole currently works on policies related to natural climate solutions, biodiversity, and indigenous people’s rights as the Philippines Policy Senior Manager of Conservation International Philippines.

Jointly sponsored by the UP Department of Geography and the Philippine Geographical Society (PGS), the Heo/Geo Lecture Series is a monthly resource talk / lecture given by academic geographers, geography-adjacent scholars, practitioners working in geospatial industries, and partners that engaged in multiple publics, and based locally and abroad. The talk ranges from the sharing of research findings to pedagogical practices and field-based experiences. This month’s Heo/Geo Lecture Series is facilitated by two research clusters at the UP Department of Geography: Human Geography (HUG), and Environment and Development Geographies (EDGE) and is in line with the SDG #4 (Quality Education) and SDG #13 (Climate Action) of the United Nations.

To participate in the Zoom lecture, please click this link to register: https://tinyurl.com/53rf59w2

Students and researchers from various disciplines attended the workshop on Google Earth Engine for land mapping and monitoring organized by students of Geog 190 (Map, Aerial Photo, and Satellite Image Interpretation) in the 2nd semester of Academic Year 2025-2026. Held last May 6 and 8, 2026, the two-part JavaScript coding workshop underscored the potential of publicly available earth observation satellite data for conducting multitemporal analysis of land use and environmental conditions in support of advocacies around just and sustainable resource utilization. The workshop was accomplished in collaboration with Ulirat Collective, and geospatial researcher Laurelly Joyce Aporto, a senior product design specialist from the UP TCAGP who facilitated the sessions.

Photos were contributed by Eunah Daquila, Jade Ocab, Elio Bustos, Jr., Janna Lagman, and Jelly Resurreccion. The workshop report by Rogelio Bustos, Jr., Hayahay Coquilla, Eunah Daquila, and Justine Samia will soon be accessible through the UP Department of Geography News and Events page.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

MS GEOGRAPHY APPLICATION
Now accepting applications for 1st Sem AY 26-27

Deadline extended to 25 May 2026

Admission Requirements (to be submitted online):
⚠️ Note: To open any of the links below, remove the spaces after the dots (.)
a) Filled-out Application Form (tinyurl. com/OGPForm14)
b) Letter of Intent/Application letter addressed to the CSSP Dean
c) 2 recommendation letters (1 from a former professor, using the template from tinyurl. com/OGPForm15) to be sent by the recommenders directly to [email protected]
d) Transcript of Records or True Copy of Grades
e) PSA Birth Certificate
f) Curriculum Vitae

For more information, visit our website: geog. upd. edu. ph
For inquiries and submission of your application, please email us at: [email protected]

🗺️📍 𝗛𝗘𝗢/𝗚𝗘𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 📍🗺️
The search for the lost narrative and discursive reconstruction of the whereabouts of Iglesia y Hospital de San Gabriel de Manila
Speaker: Patrick Anthony De Castro (Associate Professor, Miriam College)
19 May 2026 (Tuesday), 1:30 PM PHT
To register: https://tinyurl.com/4zhefnwz

🗺️📍𝗛𝗘𝗢/𝗚𝗘𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 (𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲)📍🗺️
𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘂𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲

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In a recent article by Christophe Claramunt (2025), he echoed what several critical cartographers and historical geographers have said before about power relations that result in a lacunae and concealment of places in historico-cartographical practices: "[T]here are numerous instances where information is intentionally omitted or concealed from maps, driven by motivations ranging from security and privacy concerns to political, social, economic, and cultural interests" (2025, p. 1).

It is in the un-making of places in the past that drives a corrective -- and a remaking of places -- that situates power relations and tells alternative historical accounts. Such is the case of the Iglesia y Hospital in Spanish occupation-era San Gabriel de Manila.

On Tuesday, the 19th of May at 1:30PM via Zoom, the Heo/Geo Lecture Series presents a talk by Associate Professor Patrick Anthony de Castro with a title: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗮.

Using methodologies from various disciplines and a discursive approach in reconstructing the subject matter at hand, the research hoped to correct some long-standing misconceptions, pointed-out unknown lacunae, and clarified muddled loopholes on the beginnings of Intramuros in general, and particularly the proselytization activities of the Dominican congregation in the Philippines. Known as the church cm hospital established by the Dominicans for non-Christian Chinese immigrants to Manila, it is discovered that Iglesia y Hospital de San Gabriel was already operational, both as a church and hospital, even before the establishment of Dominican’s mother church and monastery, Monasterio y Iglesia de Sto. Domingo, and that the latter’s location at the Gran Cienaga or great swamp at the northeastern corner of what would become Intramuros was based on the location of their missionary works among the said Chinese group in the Parian and not the other way around as written in many positivistic studies about them before.

Related to this is providing a re-examination of the sources used in academic studies and secondary works placing the beginnings of Dominican missionary works at Baybay, the local town with Chinese Christian inhabitants located at the tip of the southern banks of the Pasig River.

Associate Professor Patrick de Castro teaches history at Miriam College. He previously served as chairperson for the Department of International Studies and the Department of Social Sciences in Mirian College. He is a member of the Philippine National Historical Society (PNHS) as well as in Manila Studies Association. He published several modules on Philippine History and the life and works of Jose Rizal. His research includes the history of Malabon before the arrival of the Maryknoll sisters, and his past and present engagements with the lost churches in Intramuros. His academic degrees are in history with forays in geography, anthropology and urban planning.

To provide a contemporary context to areas in Intramuros used to be occupied by such institutions, it is pinpointed that Iglesia y Hospital de San Gabriel was located at a spot currently occupied by the Letran Gym and part of the northern façade of the College of San Juan de Letran fronting it. This was discovered here through what was established in earlier scholarship as the eastern boundary of Manila from 1577 to 1583. This boundary was established earlier as being only along what became Legazpi street and not beyond where the eastern walls of Intramuros (which were constructed later).

Based on the research, when, how, and where the church and hospital of San Gabriel were transferred to two different sites on the islet of Binondo; the church in 1594 and the hospital in 1598 along its Pasig River banks, and their eventual demise. The presentation will show how the hospital completely disappeared in the 19th century while the church being destroyed during the British Invasion of Manila in the 18th century but upon whose grounds the current church of Binondo was built almost a century later.

Additionally, the presentation argues that the first name given to the said church and hospital of the Dominicans for the Chinese in the Parian is San Pedro de Martir, considered as one of the actual founders, aside from UST’s founder Fr. Miguel de Buenavides, Juan Maldonado de San Martir in honor of the same saint he was named after.

Thus, its well-known identifying designation in honor of San Gabriel after whom the northeastern bulwark of Intramuros was named after, Bastion de San Gabriel, that was built towards the end of Spanish rule over the country, as the current source of knowing about parts and parcel of the said subject matters of the research, has nothing to do with them except occupying portions of the site in Intramuros where they used to be located. This paper attempts to prove the historicity of Iglesia y hospital de San Gabriel built by the Dominicans for Chinese residents of the Parian and their geographical whereabouts within the city of Manila and its environs from their inception until their disappearance as Spanish institutions.

This presentation is part of a research conducted a few years ago called 'Search of Two Lost Catholic Churches in Intramuros de Manila towards the end of the 16th Century' that was funded by the Center for Strategic Research of Miriam College then directed by Dr. Joey Alagaran. Moreover, de Castro discovered about the muddled and incomplete historicity
of the Iglesia y hospital de San Gabriel out of his studies in the masters program on the urban development of Manila, 1571 – 1593, done a more than a century ago (1998).

Jointly sponsored by the UP Department of Geography and the Philippine Geographical Society (PGS), the Heo/Geo Lecture Series is a monthly resource talk / lecture given by academic geographers, geography-adjacent scholars, practitioners working in geospatial industries, and partners that engaged in multiple publics, and based locally and abroad. The talk ranges from the sharing of research findings to pedagogical practices and field-based experiences. This current lecture is facilitated by the Human geography (HUG) research cluster at the UP Department of Geography and is in line with the SDG #4 (Quality Education) of the United Nations.

To participate in the Zoom lecture, click this link to register: https://tinyurl.com/4zhefnwz

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Reference:

Claramunt, C. (2025). The phenomenon of hidden geographical information in cartography. International Journal of Cartography, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/23729333.2025.2595717

📣 ANNOUNCEMENT! 📣

We regret to inform you that the Heo/Geo Lecture "‘RoboCop Protects Delta City’: Yesterday’s Urban Dystopic Sci-fi Cinema and the Technofascist Capture of Tomorrow", originally scheduled for the 15th day of May 2026 (Friday, 5:30 PM PHT/2:30 AM PST) has been postponed. We are currently working on setting a new date and will update you as soon as possible through our social media accounts.

Thank you for your kind consideration.

🛰️ Free lecture on Wetlands Remote Sensing 🏞️
Discover how to analyze watersheds and wetlands using open datasets through the Geog190 ExpertSpeak Session for the 2nd Semester AY 2025-2026.

Daniel Cotia, UPD Department of Geography alumnus and now GIS specialist at WTA Labs, will deliver a lecture-demonstration on the use of open dataset available for studying watershed basins and wetlands. Together with colleagues Abigail Arellano, Samuel Evangelista, and Nicholas Paredes, he will walk us through the approaches and tools applied by their team to analyze the physical dynamics of lake seasonality, land uses, and historical flooding events in the Rinconada Lakes and Wetlands Reserve in Camarines Sur. Apart from discussing the use of open data for the characterization of watersheds and wetlands, this lecture will delve into the geospatial tools that practitioners from across diverse fields can utilize for environmental applications.

Participants may join through Google Meet or in-person at UP Diliman Campus. Check the comment section for registration details.

This activity is facilitated by the UPD Department of Geography Geog 190 students of the 2nd semester 2025-2026, the Geographic Information Systems and Techniques (GIST) Research Group, and WTA Labs and is in line with the SDG #4 (Quality Education) and SDG #15 (Life on Land) of the United Nations.

Image of wetland by Bilanol

The students of Geography 198 - Sustainability: Theory & Practice, visited the UA&P Center for Social Responsibility for a benchmarking of sustainability processes and reporting in the industry.

The visit culminated the semester-long discussion on sustainability and its concepts particularly in the field of ESG reporting, UN SDG alignment, and the analysis of several sustainability reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Integrated Reporting Framework.

📢 PRESENTATION ALERT! 🗣️ 📣

Everyone is invited to the thesis proposal presentation of the undergraduate students of Geog 199 (Seminar in Geography) on 14 May 2026 (Thursday, 2:30 PM-5:00 PM) and 16 May 2026 (Saturday, 8:00 PM-5:30 PM). All presentations will be at Palma Hall Pavilion 2 Room 2246-2248 (Geography Conference Room).

See you!

📌ANNOUNCEMENT

For Undergraduate Geography Students, please answer the course sensing form (see comment).

Deadline: 18 May 2026, 12:00 NN.