THANKS TO John Nery’s April 5 column for its usual erudite discourse on Dr. Jose P. Rizal. Truly, the archaeology of Rizalian knowledge, should, first and foremost, source from the writings of our national hero and the views of his contemporaries on the man. Much obliged also for his helping publicize the 2011 Rizal sesquicentennial conference at UP. It is a pity, laments Lolo Jose Rizal Lopez, the grandson of Paciano Mercado Rizal, that the Philippine government has not declared this year as the Year of Rizal. Perhaps, the Inquirer may take the lead in print media by offering space, say, a box on Rizal facts and figures for a whole year. Indeed, this is a fine time to set the record straight on the facts of Rizal’s life, works and advocacy; and his continuing relevance not just to the academe but to Philippine society and the world.
At the University of the Philippines in Diliman, the only mandated subject, the Rizal course based on Republic Act 1425, is taught by the faculty of the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature, the lead department in the convening from June 22-24 of the 1st International Conference on Rizal at the new GT-Auditorium of the Asian Center in UP Diliman, in commemoration of his 150th birth anniversary.
More than 300 delegates are expected to attend the gathering. Organized by the UP through its three colleges—Arts and Letters, Social Sciences and Philosophy, and the Asian Center—abstracts for papers have been submitted, peer reviewed and the output papers are soon to be completed.
Attending the conference are the Rizal family (descendants of Paciano, Olympia and Saturnina), Quezon City officials led by Mayor Herbert Bautista, university officials led by UP president Alfredo Pascual, and UP Diliman chancellor Caesar Saloma, Rizal organizations, members of the diplomatic corps and government institutions such as the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
Aside from Nery, confirmed speakers include the following: Lucien Spittael, Syed Farid Alatas of the National University of Singapore, Victor Sumsky of Moscow State University, Yoshiko Nagano of Japan, Vasco Caini of Italy, Cristin Barron of Mexico, Reynaldo Ileto, Epifanio San Juan, Floro Quibuyen, Zeus Salazar, Caroline Hau, Ambeth Ocampo, Augusto de Viana, among many other Rizal scholars, for a total of one keynote speaker, 10 plenary speakers and seven parallel sessions for paper presenters. The breadth and depth of Rizalian discourse in the conference speaks volume on the man who championed education as a struggle for truth, justice and liberation. It is in this spirit that the conference is open to academics, the public and media.
—PROF. MELECIO C. FABROS III,
2011 International Rizal Conference Committee,
College of Arts and Letters,
Bulwagang Rizal (Faculty Center), University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City