The launching of the First International Conference on Pangasinan Studies (ICPS 2018) is anchored on the objective of the Center for Pangasinan Studies (CPS) to be a center for research and development and to be a repository of documents and information on Pangasinan Studies.
The ICPS 2018 was held on October 25-27, 2018, at the Sison Auditorium, dubbed as the “Cultural Center of Northern Philippines”. First of its kind, the ICPS aimed at gathering scholars and practitioners who have relevant works on and in Pangasinan.
With the theme “Pangasinan Studies: The Locale, National, and the Global”, the conference was able to provide a discussion platform on various topics and areas of concern affecting the province and its society/community. A total of forty-one (41) researchers, scholars, and other members of the academe participated in the event. Their research paper presentations in the conference were clustered into twelve (12) Panels: 1) (Re) constructing the past: local historical studies; 2) Revitalizing Pangasinan language amidst linguistic diversity; 3) From flora to pharma: experimental studies on local/endemic species; 4) Preserving Pangasinan heritage; 5) Interactions of Humans and Nature through Pangasinan ethnographies; 6) Disaster Management and Local Development in Pangasinan; 7) Orality and Textuality of Pangasinan Culture; 8) Bridging Science and Culture, Valorizing Local Knowledge; 9) Managing community- based economic enterprises in Pangasinan; 10) Artisanal and Creative industries in Pangasinan; 11) Film and Pangasinan, Pangasinan in Film; and 12) Social Issues: Sexualities, Elderlies, and Children of OFWs.
About four hundred (400) delegates attended the conference who came from various backgrounds and sectors, such as teachers from the Department of Education, undergraduate and graduate students, including scholars from higher education institutions (HEIs) within and outside the province. Also present in the conference were various staff and officials from local government units (LGUs) who are involved in tourism, culture and arts, disaster, environment and natural resource management, and local development planning.
The Keynote Address was delivered by Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, Executive Vice-President of the University of the Philippines (UP), who presented the various opportunities and challenges posed by globalization to Higher Education Insitutions (HEIs). Internationally- acclaimed scholars were also invited to speak during plenary sessions. Dr. Oscar Campomanes, who finished his post-graduate studies in Brown University, USA, shared his extensive research on the biography and literary work of Carlos Bulosan –a prominent Pangasinan literary author and activist. Dr. Romeo Dizon, Dr. Vanessa Rodriguez, and Dr. Dexter Dela Cruz of the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) presented their previous and ongoing study on coral reef restoration and other ecological conservation measures at the Bolinao Marine Laboratory and nearby Pangasinan marine ecosystems. Dr. Jimuel Cardenas of the Department of Health Regional Office 1 presented the state of healthcare system in the province.
To cap off the plenary sessions, the honorable Secretary of the Department of Education, Leonor Magtolis Briones, provided the audience with valuable data and information on the state of education in the country and in Pangasinan.
Aside from the presentation of academic and scholarly research papers, the ICPS 2018 also served as a venue for cultural performances, highlighting Pangasinan’s finest talents in the fields of folk dance and music.
