by Kassandra Buenafe, OfCom | Oct 25 2024
History is remembered and celebrated in MSU-IIT as it continues to be a dynamic space for collaborations and timely discourse with the opening of the 45th National Conference on Local and National History on October 24, 2024, held at the University Gymnasium.
An annual event of the Philippine National Historical Society (PNHS), this conference is supported by the Committee on Historical Research of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the Philippine Social Science Council, the Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, and the Local Government Unit of Iligan City.
MSU-IIT takes pride in hosting the conference for the second time, said Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan in his speech. According to him, the first time was in 1982. The Chancellor then went on to discuss this year’s theme, ‘People’s Stories: Inclusive Accounts of Persons and Their Communities,’ emphasizing the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in shaping how stories and historical accounts are created.
PNHS President, Dr. Bernardita Churchill in her welcome message, also banked on the theme and said that this conference encourages inclusive presentations that deal with the stories of persons and their communities in relation to various conditions in the Philippines.
Through the spearheading of the Department of History, this year’s 2-day conference welcomed former University Chancellor and Professor Emeritus, Dr. Sukarno M. Tanggol as the Keynote Speaker who delivered his talk yesterday entitled, “Federalism in the Philippines: My Story, My Advocacy” in which he expounded on the importance of understanding federalism and its implications for national governance and local autonomy.
An open forum followed, allowing participants to engage with the keynote speaker by asking questions about his presentation. This was succeeded by a series of paper presentations, which took place after the opening ceremonies and continued throughout the afternoon.
On the second day of the conference, additional paper presentations were held, along with a Lakbay-Aral activity scheduled on October 26, 2024.