Faculty and students from the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) proudly represented the University at the 4th International Conference on Multidisciplinary Filipino Studies (ICMFS) 2025 and the 8th HASAAN Pambansang Kumperensya sa Filipino, held at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila, from September 25–27, 2025.
The opening program, held at the Dr. Robert C. Sy Grand Ballroom, Blessed Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, OP Building, featured National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario (Rio Alma) as the keynote speaker. Almario emphasized the collective responsibility of Filipinos in nurturing the national language, asserting that “Kailangan ng pambansa at sistematikong kilos para ipalaganap ang wikang pambansa.”
The three-day event brought together scholars and educators from across the nation and abroad to explore contemporary directions in Filipino studies. The participation of USeP-CAS faculty and students in this joint conference, organized by the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and the University of Santo Tomas, highlights the University’s commitment to advancing regional and cultural scholarship through research presentations.
Here are the USeP-CAS presenters and their researches:
Ms. Jenifer Tuban – “Analysis of the Bagobo Folk Narratives Using the Cultural Relativism Theory of Franz Boas and the Motif-Index of Stith Thompson”
Ms. Reah Izza Paglinawan – “Phases of Filipino Proletarianism in the 20th Century Dagling Tagalog: A Critique Using Pierre Macherey’s Theory of Gaps and Silences”
Asst. Prof. Virgel Torremocha – “Cultural Analysis of Bagobo-Tagabawa and Ata-Manobo Folk Narratives”
Asst. Prof. Josephine May Grace Famoso – “Cultural Semiotics in Folk Literatures of Sama in Samal, Mindanao”
Dr. Angelo Lenard Yu – “Pusaka: Indigenous Resilience and Ecological Wisdom in Obu Manuvu Ethno-Epics”
Dr. Mark Joel Ortiz – “Philippine Monomyth Framework: Ambivalent Values of Kapitan Sino as a Filipino Superhero”
Dr. Geoffrey Marfa and Asso. Prof. Liza C. Asombrado – “Ang” and “The”: A Cross-linguistic Investigation of the Absolutive Case Marker and Its English Language Equivalence
Representing the students, Ms. Maria Danica Ching, a recent graduate of the Master of Arts in Literature (MA Lit) program and now a USeP-CAS faculty member, presented her thesis titled “Pangalasag: Talaandig Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Stewardship in the Lyrical Poetry of Waway Saway.” Meanwhile, Ms. Roanne Denise Nemeño, a third-year Bachelor of Arts Literature and Cultural Studies (BALCS) student, presented her paper titled “Resisting Hegemonic Empiricism: Epistemic Conflict and Patterns in Selected Mindanao Postcolonial Fiction.”
During the event, the USeP delegation also distributed copies of the Southeastern Philippines Journal of Research and Development (SPJRD), a Scopus and ASEAN indexed journal to distinguished scholars:
Dr. Ekaterina Baklanova, Associate Professor of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
Dr. Hope Yu, Professor of Comparative Literature and Director of the Cebuano Studies Center, University of San Carlos
Kenichiro Kurusu, Japanese Senior Lecturer, Department of Linguistics, University of the Philippines Diliman
Dr. Jayson Petras, Kawaksing Propesor sa Filipino, Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, University of the Philippines Diliman
Despite the challenges posed by Tropical Storm Opong, which necessitated the transition of subsequent sessions to an online format via Zoom, the conference effectively facilitated academic exchange and institutional collaboration.
Through their active participation, the USeP-CAS faculty and students shed light to Mindanao perspectives and strengthen the University’s role as a key contributor to national and international research dialogues.
