Article by: Kate Marie Getalla and Darlyn\u00a0 Lames<\/p>\n
Photos by : Michael Sam Montecillo and Sebastian Rhode Maghinay<\/p>\n
The 5th ILMU International Lecture Series on Applied Linguistics, hosted by the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) Language Department and the Language Students\u2019 Society (LSS) of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), was successfully held on September 26, 2025.<\/p>\n
Marking its fifth installment, the event became a milestone in its growing tradition of dialogue and collaboration. With scholars and participants joining from across the globe, it lived up to the meaning of its name\u2014ILMU (knowledge)\u2014demonstrating that knowledge, once shared, multiplies across borders.<\/p>\n
The preliminaries opened with words of inspiration that grounded the day\u2019s conversations on the value of ILMU. Assoc. Prof. Nasirin Abdillah of Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to learn together, reminding everyone how \u201cprivileged\u201d they were to hear from such respected lecturers. His message set a tone of humility and openness to wisdom.<\/p>\n
Assoc. Prof.\u00a0 Rodney C. Jubilado of the University of Hawai\u2018i at Hilo deepened the theme by reminding participants that \u201cILMU cannot exist without Iqra (Read), the first word revealed in the Quran.\u201d This reflects the spirit of \u201cIlmu\u201d (knowledge), \u201cPuncha\u201d (source), and \u201cKemajuan\u201d (progress), or in English, knowledge is the source of progress. Knowledge begins with listening and participation, but it finds its fullest meaning when reading leads to wisdom and wisdom shapes action. His words anchored the gathering in both tradition and responsibility: knowledge begins with reading, but it must also move outward\u2014to questioning, interpreting, and applying in the real world.<\/p>\n
From tradition to participation, Assoc. Prof.\u00a0 Kristof Savski of Prince of Songkla University, Thailand, emphasized the importance of participation, encouraging everyone to find meaning in each lecture: \u201cEveryone will get one thing, at least something, from these lecturers.\u201d His reflection reminded participants that knowledge multiplies in dialogue, where even a single insight can transform perspectives and fuel further inquiry. He also praised the spirit of the event, affirming, \u201cYou are really showing us how to promote a positive scholarly environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Together, these reflections framed ILMU as privilege, responsibility, and dialogue\u2014already alive in gratitude, tradition, and the promise that each person would carry something valuable forward. The day\u2019s centerpiece was a trio of lectures that pushed participants to confront difficult truths, reimagine classroom practices, and link theory to lived experience.<\/p>\n
Prof. Othman Z. Barnawi of Yanbu Colleges and Institutes, Saudi Arabia, presented a powerful lecture on \u201cColonizability and Hermeneutical Injustice in Applied Linguistics Research.\u201d His talk moved beyond diagnosing problems to exposing the structural inequalities that persist in global knowledge production. By interrogating how knowledge is created, legitimized, and circulated, Prof. Barnawi emphasized the unfinished and ongoing task of decolonization in the field of applied linguistics. \u201cWe look at all these efforts, we have one conclusion, decolonization is not possible yet, it still has a long way to go,\u201d he remarked. His challenge was clear: if ILMU is to be liberating, it must be tied to justice, inclusivity, and resistance against entrenched hierarchies.<\/p>\n
Following this, Asst. Prof. Curtis Green-Eneix of the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China, shed light on the role of educators\u2019 beliefs in shaping learning in his lecture, \u201cTeaching, Believing, Becoming: Reframing Language Ideologies and the Formation of Multilingual Educators Across Contexts.\u201d He stressed that \u201clanguage ideologies are active processes of interpretation and appropriation,\u201d not abstract notions that exist only \u201cin the head.\u201d They are lived and enacted, shaping how teachers and students approach language in practice. \u201cThe teacher and facilitator help guide the students on how they can learn the language effectively through guided practice,\u201d he explained, \u201cbut the students also need to take an active role as well.\u201d His message resonated with Prof. Barnawi\u2019s critique: just as global systems of knowledge production can perpetuate inequality, so too can everyday classroom practices reinforce\u2014or challenge\u2014narrow views of language and power.<\/p>\n
Dr. Mohammed H. Alaqad of the University of Malaya, Malaysia, grounded ILMU in real-world application through his lecture, \u201cApplied Linguistics Research: Solving Real World Language Challenges.\u201d He reminded the audience why language matters: \u201cBecause it is not an academic subject, it is a human lifeline. Without it, we won\u2019t be able to move forward, we won\u2019t be able to understand history.\u201d His insights underscored that knowledge cannot flourish without language, for it is through language that societies remember their past, confront their present, and build their future. For Dr. Alaqad, language is not merely studied\u2014it is lived. His call was a reminder that ILMU must ultimately reach beyond theory into the everyday struggles and futures of communities. Together, these lectures formed a coherent narrative: knowledge must be decolonized, reinterpreted, and ultimately applied. ILMU is not a passive possession but an active force\u2014shaping structures, ideologies, and lives.<\/p>\n
The lecture series also marked a milestone in academic collaboration: the acceptance of Prof. Othman Z. Barnawi as one of the advisers of the Southeastern Philippines Journal of Research and Development (SPJRD) upon the invitation of Editor-in-Chief Sajed S. Ingilan. \u201cOur journal is a Scopus-indexed journal, a Quartile 2 journal. We need you in our team,\u201d EIC Ingilan remarked, reinforcing the event\u2019s global reach and academic impact.<\/p>\n
The synthesis by Assoc. Prof. Russel J. Aporbo of USeP tied the day together with a reminder of the Global South\u2019s potential: \u201cWe can prove to the world that we Filipinos, we educators from the Global South, could offer something more, far beyond what is expected from us,\u201d he affirmed. He further reflected, \u201cThe 5th ILMU proves that language is the DNA of human existence. It connects us human beings to other people and cultures,\u201d grounding the intellectual exchange in a shared human truth: language is not just a subject of study but a living force that binds communities and advances understanding.<\/p>\n
Closing the event, Ms. Ashlee Jane Inso, President of the Language Students\u2019 Society, called on participants to keep the spirit of ILMU alive: \u201cLet us cultivate and continue the deeper advancement of our knowledge.\u201d Her words reminded all that ILMU must live on through every act of learning, teaching, and sharing. She also invited everyone to continue the dialogue on October 24, 2025, for the 6th ILMU International Lecture Series on Applied Linguistics, in coordination with USeP\u2019s International Affairs Division. From gratitude to critique, from ideology to application, the 5th ILMU International Lecture Series embodied its essence\u2014knowledge that challenges, heals, and connects. As participants reflected on the words of the speakers, the collective realization was clear: ILMU is more than a lecture series. It is a living tradition of seeking, questioning, and sharing. Read beyond borders, learn without limits, live the spirit of ILMU.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Article by: Kate Marie Getalla and Darlyn\u00a0 Lames Photos by : Michael Sam Montecillo and Sebastian Rhode Maghinay The 5th ILMU International Lecture Series on Applied Linguistics, hosted by the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) Language Department and the Language Students\u2019 Society (LSS) of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), was successfully held on […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":3734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,4,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usep.edu.ph\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usep.edu.ph\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usep.edu.ph\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usep.edu.ph\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usep.edu.ph\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3733"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.usep.edu.ph\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3756,"href":"https:\/\/www.usep.edu.ph\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733\/revisions\/3756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usep.edu.ph\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usep.edu.ph\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usep.edu.ph\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usep.edu.ph\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}