TO BE ENLIGHTENED on Philippine History, the Social Sciences and Humanities Association (SSHA), in collaboration with other organizations, spearheaded the “Kasaysayan, Kaalaman, Kaunlaran (KKK) History Fest 2024” that was originally set last August 19.
However, the event was marred by an abrupt shift to an online modality, which, according to Sean Audric Uy, President of SSHA and Activity Chairperson of the event, was due to the paper processing for room reservations and rescheduling as a result of “the moving of the Ninoy Aquino Day commemoration, a Habagat suspension,” and the 2024 Bar Examinations that immediately followed after the delays.
Despite this, the event was still pushed through as “[SSHA] had to be flexible given the vital consideration to let students enjoy and experience our event, albeit online,” added Uy.
To be a historian
Renowned historian and Assistant Professor from the faculty of De La Salle University (DLSU), Michael Charleston “Xiao” Chua, Ph.D., led the webinar as the key speaker who delivered a lecture about historiography in the academe and its application in the context of Philippine history.
He first emphasized the qualities of a historian, explaining the expertise they should possess, like doing “in-depth research, having substantial insights, and thorough revisitations through historical accounts.” Asst. Prof. Chua then asserted the prevalence of historical errors and stressed the importance of history as a “part of national identity.”
According to Uy, the event served as a “platform for students to practice their knowledge and creativity in history and in the Buwan ng Wika.”
Providing his remarks from what transpired on the activity, the President of SSHA stressed the importance of “understanding historical study for the college level,” while adding how “everything, from humanities to the hard sciences, should have contextual bearings to make for a purposive program that is socially conscious.”
Talastasan ng Katwiran at Kaisipan
The Bedistang Alagad ng Sining at Kultura (BASK) commenced the second part of the activity with the “Talastasan ng Katwiran at Kaisipan,” a Filipino Debate Contest promoting the “effectiveness of media and entertainment in promoting the Filipino language.” Originally scheduled last August 23, the debate, after a series of uncertainties, transpired last September 25.
Francheska Muñoz, President of BASK, explained how the theme “would lead to more engagement” of the Filipino language. “It can enable them na mas gamitin pa ang wikang Filipino bilang midyum sa paglalahad ng kanilang ideya at nararamdaman sa mga kasalukuyang pangyayari sa ating bansa,” she added.
In the ensuing debate, which followed a Modified Oxford-Style Debate format, Team Affirmative, comprised of Asbi Edding from the Department of Political Science and Kiel Tenchavez from the Department of Legal Management, took the crown.
Ink-Pact Essay Writing Contest
Succeeding the debate was the Ink-Pact Essay Writing Contest spearheaded by The Spires under the theme, “Pagsalaysay ng Saysay ng Kasaysayan: Para sa’yo, paano mo maipapamalas ang silbi ng kasaysayan sa kasalukuyan?”
Arabelle Lamor, the Editor-In-Chief (EIC) of The Spires, cited that it is “all about understanding history and why we, as young people, should always honor and remember it through sharing what we know of it to the world all while channeling our inner creativity,” further noting that “we should be critical of the past in order to move forward to a better future.”
In the contest, Jedrayne Junio, a student from the Department of Legal Management nabbed the gold.
CineSerye
Lastly, because of the shifts in modality and scheduling, History Fest 2024 has yet to showcase the CineSerye film-viewing spearheaded by the Bedan Scholar’s Guild (BSG). However, Bedans can still look forward to the event this coming October 18.
In gearing up for the event, Via Jessia Clerigo, President of the BSG states that activity is “hindi siya simpleng film showing lang.” Rather, in supporting SSHA’s goal of “promoting an atmosphere” of remembrance within the Bedan community, BSG organized the film-viewing as an opportunity to fit the KKK History Fest theme “sa pamamagitan naman nun may madidiscover din ‘yung mga Bedans na ‘ah may ganitong films nga pala,’” Clerigo explained.
While the spearheading organizations struggled from the modality shifts, Lamor found a silver lining in these shifts as activities have thus coincided with the same week as the Martial Law’s 52nd anniversary.
However, for Muñoz, she explained that the modality shift “diminished” the chance for the participants to “freely engage with the audience” and “foster teamwork among the debaters.” Nevertheless, BASK found the event to be a “success” because they were “able to deliver their advocacy of promoting the Filipino language to the Bedan community.”
Overall, Uy proclaimed that “all the learning and experiential objectives were met [despite the challenges], and the latent benefit of camaraderie was built between the members and officers of each organization. It is also a success for our learning experience to foresee better issues and problems that may arise in the future.”