04/07/2026
The De La Salle University Department of History, SEARCH (Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub), and SOCIEDAD DE HISTORIA
Present
The History Lecture Series
15 JULY 2026
9:00am–5:00pm
The Multipurpose Hall
20th Floor, Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC Hall
The De La Salle University Department of History can accommodate participants from other institutions, but pre-registration is required. They should comply with the rules set by the DLSU Security Office. We will send a confirmation email to the participants.
Pre-registration link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccljgKqZYQmj4dTTldD_2xWPwwAE0kOcqPO089Kp8FQodghw/viewform
PART I. DR. REYNALDO C. ILETO PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES ON SOCIAL AND
CULTURAL HISTORY
(9:00am-11:30am)
Sipat sa Historiograpiyang Pilipino: Transkulturalidad at Makakaugnay na Naratibo sa Hamon ng Dominanteng Pangkasaysayang Diskurso
Vicente C. Villan, PhD
Propesor ng Kasaysayan
Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Diliman
Abstrak: Ang panayam na ito ay naglalayong sumipat sa praktika ng historiograpiyang Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng transkulturalidad at magkakaugnay na naratibo (entangled history) bilang metodolohikal na lente. Sa halip na teleolohikal na pagbasa na nakabatay sa ideya ng “nakalaan na kalayaan,” at kanonikal na naratibo na nakasentro sa iilang “opisyal na milestones,” ipinapakita ng pag-aaral na ang kasaysayan ng Pilipinas ay masalimuot, magkakaugnay, at plural. Ginagamit ang pangkasaysayan na ahensya bilang pangunahing balangkas upang ipakita na ang taumbayan, elit, at imperyo ay sabay-sabay na nakikilahok sa pagbubuo ng kasaysayan, hindi lamang bilang pasibong tagasunod kundi bilang aktibong tagapaglikha ng kahulugan sa mga kaganapan. Sa pamamagitan ng pagsusuri sa mga pangkasaysayang kaganapan gaya ng Tagumpay sa Mactan vs Unang Misa, Sigaw ng Pugad Lawin, June 12, 1898 Independence Declaration vs July 4, 1946, Japanese Atrocities and American Liberation, at EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986, lumilitaw ang mga pangunahing mensahe: (1) ang kasaysayan ay hindi tuwid na linya kundi sabayang daloy ng magkakaibang karanasan, paggunita, at pananangkapan; (2) ang mga simbolo ng kolonyalismo ay nagiging sandata ng paglaban sa pamamagitan ng transkultural na pagbasa; at (3) ang mga naratibo ng kalayaan ay nakapulupot sa ugnayan ng masa, elit, at imperyo. Natuklasan sa kabuuang pag-aaral na ang transkultural at magkaugnay na salaysay ay nagbubukas ng alternatibong simula, naglalantad ng pluralidad ng tinig, at nagtataguyod ng mas inklusibong historiograpiya. Ang ambag ng papel ay nakaugat sa pagbibigay ng bagong praxis na may implikasyon sa larangan ng kasaysayan, araling panlipunan, kultural na pag-aaral, at pambansang identidad. Isang panawagang ipinailanlang na dapat muling isulat ang kasaysayan ng Pilipinas bilang magkaugnay na naratibo, upang maging mas makabuluhan para sa bayan at sa hinaharap ng pambansang dangal.
Bionote: Si Dr. Vicente C. Villan ay Propesor ng Kasaysayan sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Diliman. Siya rin ay isang Faculty Fellow sa Asian Center, UP Diliman. Dalubhasa siya sa Pag-aaral sa Pamana at Museolohiya; Mga Pag-aaral ng Diskurso sa Agham Panlipunan; Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas sa Ilalim ng Kolonyalismong Espanyol; Lokal na Kasaysayan; Kasaysayan at Kulturang Bisaya; Kasaysayang Institusyonal at Intelektwal; Rebolusyong Pilipino; Kasaysayang Militar ng Pilipinas; at Historyograpiya (Pilipinas at Timog-Silangang Asya).
PART II. DR. MARCELINO A. FORONDA, JR. MEMORIAL LECTURE
SERIES ON LOCAL AND ORAL HISTORY
(12:30pm-2:45pm)
The Babaylan and the Historical Origins of Witchcraft in the Philippines (1577–1754)
Danilo M. Gerona, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Partido State University
Abstract: Early Spanish royal officials envisioned diplomacy, if not military conquest, as the initial means of securing colonial hegemony through the submission of the indigenous ruling elite. Yet within the pious ambiance of the post-conquest mission villages, the embers of indigenous culture continued to smolder through the persistence of clandestine rituals led by native priests and priestesses referred to in Tagalog as Catolonan, and in Visaya, Babaylan, whose myriad functions transcended the confines of the purely spiritual. While Spanish officials adopted coercive measures to extirpate the vestiges of precolonial religion, the missionaries imposed not only canonical and penal sanctions but also constructed subtle discourses that demonized these native religious practitioners. Emphasizing their sinister character, early missionary accounts derisively described their practices in Western terms as hechicerĂa or brujerĂa, generically translated into English as witchcraft.
By introducing the concept of witchcraft, a dreaded European folk belief historically shaped by inquisitorial proceedings, the friars adroitly constructed a condemnatory ideological edifice that personified evil and furnished lurid narratives of defiant and violently diabolical power. Upon this foundation, they advanced the Christian imperative of reconstituting native society according to colonial and ecclesiastical norms.
Through a critical examination of primary documents from the ecclesiastical and civil archives in Spain, as well as records from Manila and local diocesan archives, this paper investigates the Spaniards’ subtle yet methodical construction of the sinister image of witchcraft and explores its subversive implications within the broader colonial project.
Bionote: Dr. Danilo M. Gerona holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Philosophy from Ateneo de Manila University and earned his PhD from the University of the Philippines, where he received the prestigious Chancellor’s Award as an Outstanding Student. His dissertation on the hermeneutics of power in early Spanish evangelization was recognized as “Pinakamahusay na Disertasyong Doctoral sa Philippine Studies sa Pagsisimula ng Ikatlong Milenyo”.
Grounded in extensive archival research conducted in Spain, Portugal, and Italy, Dr. Gerona’s scholarship reflects a rigorous engagement with primary historical sources. Among his notable works is Ferdinand Magellan’s Armada de Maluco and the European Discovery of the Philippines, which established him as one of the leading authorities on the Magellan expedition.
Although based in the province, Dr. Gerona has delivered lectures at prestigious institutions and organizations worldwide, including the University of Seville (Spain), the Royal Society of Geography (Lisbon), Linnaeus University (Sweden), National Chengchi University (Taiwan), Kochi and Tokyo Universities (Japan), Malang University (Indonesia) as well as forums organized by the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish embassies.
Dr. Gerona has been interviewed by internationally renowned media organizations such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and The Economist. He was also the only Asian historian featured among a distinguished cast of global experts in a French-Spanish documentary on Magellan’s circumnavigation, produced by French, Portuguese, and Belgian film companies to commemorate the First Circumnavigation of the World.
Further recognition of his scholarship came when Spain’s Real Academia de la Historia included his work—the only contribution from the Philippines—in its commemorative volume marking the fifth centenary of the First Circumnavigation. This acknowledgment underscored the international significance of his contributions to historical scholarship.
Alongside a select group of historians from around the world, Dr. Gerona was invited by the Spanish Ministry of Defense to a distinguished gathering attended by the Admiral of the Spanish Navy, the Director-General of UNESCO, and King Felipe VI of Spain.
Dr. Gerona holds the distinction of being the only Professor Emeritus of Partido State University in Goa, Camarines Sur.
PART III. DR. LUIS C. DERY MEMORIAL LECTURE SERIES ON ARCHIVAL
RESEARCH
(3:00pm-5:00pm)
Deciphering the Past: Paleography, Archives, and the Craft of Historical Research
Francis M. Navarro, PhD
Professor of History and Director of the University Archives
Ateneo de Manila University
Abstract: Every historical inquiry begins with a search—a search for traces of the past preserved in documents, manuscripts, letters, maps, and records that have survived the passage of time. Yet these sources do not readily reveal their stories. They must first be discovered in archives, patiently deciphered through the skills of paleography, and carefully interpreted within their historical contexts. The work of the historian, therefore, is not simply to recount the past but to engage in a process of recovery, translation, and understanding.
This lecture reflects on the intimate relationship between archives, paleography, and historical research. Drawing from the speaker’s experiences as a historian and archivist, it examines how archival documents—often overlooked, fragmented, or difficult to read—can illuminate forgotten lives, communities, and events. It also highlights the crucial role of archives as custodians of collective memory and paleography as the key that unlocks access to centuries-old records. At a time when information circulates with unprecedented speed and when misinformation, disinformation, and fabricated narratives increasingly challenge public understanding, archives remain among society’s most trusted sources of evidence. By preserving authentic records and providing verifiable documentation, archives serve as essential guardians of historical truth and institutional memory. In an age shaped by digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and instant communication, the lecture invites us to rediscover the enduring value of archival research and the patient craft of reading the past through its original sources. Ultimately, it argues that archives are not silent repositories of old records but dynamic spaces where evidence, memory, and historical understanding converge in the continuing pursuit of truth.
Bionote: Dr. Francis M. Navarro is Professor of History and Director of the University Archives at Ateneo de Manila University. He is also a Professorial Lecturer in Church History at the Loyola School of Theology. He earned his History degree from the University of the Philippines and completed his Doctorate in Archival Studies and Documentation at the Universidad de Salamanca as a scholar of the Spanish government.
He currently serves as Vice President of the Society of Filipino Archivists, President of the Philippine Historical Association, Commissioner of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and a member of the Executive Council of the National Committee on Archives of the Philippines. He is likewise a Fellow of the Academia Filipina de la Lengua Española, reflecting his continuing engagement with the intersections of Philippine and Spanish history and culture.
A historian, archivist, and paleographer, his research interests include Philippine colonial history, archival studies, and documentary heritage.
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