Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Calling Out the Alumni of the UP Asian Center

Details

Dear fellow Asian Center alumni: 

Greetings! 

I would like to invite you to a public forum, “In Search of Common Symbols in Southeast Asia : Re-discovering Pre-colonial Cultural Heritage and its Implications to ASEAN Engagements.”  It will be held on Thursday, 12 November 2015, 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the GT-Toyota  Asian Center Auditorium, Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman. The forum is free and open to the public. 

“In Search of Common Symbols in Southeast Asia” features performances of arts and culture groups and two lectures: 

  • “The Theme of the Naga Princess and the Warrior-Prince in Philippine and Southeast Asian Folklore” by Grace P. Odal-Devora, Ph.D.
  • “Common Symbols in the Arts and Culture of the Philippines and Southeast Asia” by Felipe de Leon, Jr., Ph.D. 

Please read the press release for more information. 

The forum also precedes a meeting of graduates of the UP Asian Center, which will also be on 12 November 2015, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. inside the auditorium.  For many of us, it has been a long time since our student days in Romulo Hall,  and there is no more opportune time to visit and catch up than on the 60th anniversary of the Asian Center. The forum is one of many planned activities all throughout November. 

More importantly, this meeting is a great chance for us graduates to begin the revitalization of our alumni organization, the Alumni, Friends, and Benefactors of the Asian Center (AFBAC). On the agenda is a brainstorming session where we can discuss our plans as an organization. There is much we can do to promote the study of Asia in the Philippines, especially in this “Asian Century.” And who is better equipped to do so than graduates of the Asian Center? We look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions on this matter.

But first things first. Let us all touch base in the interim. In this regard, may I ask you to fill out this Google Form? We hope to compile an updated and comprehensive directory of Asian Center graduates. This way, we can keep in touch and develop a database of scholars who can share their expertise with each other (as peer reviewers, resource speakers, etc.) and organize lectures, conferences, and roundtables.

Please: 

  • Inform me if you are joining us for the public forum and/or meeting on 12 November 2015; kindly send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., contact me at 63.917.800.5375; OR indicate so in the Google Form  as well.
  • Indicate in the online form if and how you can help us organize and prepare for the forum. We need assistance—in cash or in kind—on any of the following:  
    • Logistics (tarpaulin, poster design, etc.)
    • Food (snacks, coffee)
    • Secretariat (planning and organizing the forum) 
    • Promotions 
    • Attendance (providing an audience for the forum)
  • Forward this email and invitation to any AC alumni that you are still in touch with. We’ve tried hard to obtain email addresses through Google and the online registration system, but we weren’t able to collect everything. I hope you can send this so that we can reach as many alumni as possible. 
  • Stand by for further announcements regarding other activities for the 60th anniversary of the Asian Center. 

For comments, queries, and suggestions, please contact me at 63.917.800.5375 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thank you very much for your time, and I hope to meet on 12 November. 

Sincerely yours, 

REBECCA SAMSON - GADDI, Ph.D.
President, Alumni, Friends, and Benefactors of the Asian Center (AFBAC)

P.S. Please do not forget to fill out the Google Form for our directory, and kindly wait for another email announcing the other activities for the month-long celebrations of the Asian Center’s 60th anniversary. Thank you very much.