As part of the UP Day of Remembrance 2024 commemoration, the UP Asian Center in partnership with OVCRD journals Humanities Diliman and Social Science Diliman and the UP President's Committee on Culture and the Arts will hold the hybrid public forum "Contesting Memories and Narratives of Philippine History in Social Media" on 14 October 2024, 9 AM, PHT (GMT+8), at the Seminar Room of the UP Asian Center and via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public. Online registration is required.
ABOUT THE PUBLIC FORUM
The unprecedented digital connectivity of the present enables accessible education and dissemination of vital information but also the rise of disinformation and contentious interpretations of social phenomena, past and present. This hybrid forum, as part of the UP Day of Remembrance 2024 commemoration, focuses on the contending interpretations of Philippine history in social media. It features active social media personalities who will discuss their personal experiences and reflections on creating Philippine history-related content. What challenges do history practitioners and social media personalities face in discussing and presenting contentious historical issues? How could informative and lively online discussions of "sensitive" historical topics be carried out without the unnecessary vitriol? Finally and most importantly, what do these contestations of historical memory tell about the current--and future--political and social conditions of the country?
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
JAN CARLO PUNONGBAYAN, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, UP School of Economics
Dr. JC Punongbayan is an Assistant Professor at the University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE), where he teached macroeconomics, microeconomics, and Philippine economic history. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from UPSE in 2021. He is also a Visiting Fellow of the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute based in Singapore. Before joining UPSE, Dr. Punongbayan was an economist at the Securities and Exchange Commission, a consultant at the World Bank Office in Manila, the research coordinator of the FEU Public Policy Center, and the head executive assistant at the National Economic and Development Authority. Currently, he serves as a columnist for the online news website Rappler.com, and co-host of Usapang Econ Podcast (available on Spotify and other podcast platforms). In 2023, his first book, False Nostalgia: The Marcos “Golden Age” Myths and How to Debunk Them, was published by Ateneo de Manila University Press. He was awarded The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award by JCI Philippines and the TOYM Foundation for his work in economics in 2024.
KIRBY ARAULLO
Content Creator, Culture Bearer, and Filipino Historian
Kirby Pábalan-Táyag Aráullo is a distinguished Filipino historian, culture bearer, and content creator based in California. As the co-founder of the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies at the University of California, Davis, Kirby has authored numerous books exploring Asian American, Philippine, and Southeast Asian histories. His academic journey includes education at Harvard and UC Davis, where he developed his passion for teaching Filipino history and culture through indigenous scripts. Kirby’s popular YouTube channel features a wealth of engaging content that delves into historical narratives and diverse cultural insights, attracting a global audience eager to learn.
MICHAEL CHARLESTON "XIAO" CHUA, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, De La Salle University Manila
Xiao Chua is currently an Assistant Professor of History at DLSU Manila. He graduated with BA History (2005) and MA History (2010) and Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He was the former vice president and current Public Relations Officer of the Philippine Historical Association. He has published in many academic journals including Social Science Diliman (2007), Philippine Social Sciences Review (2008-2009), Daluyan: Journal of the Filipino Language (2009). He is a co-author of Knowledge and Methods in Teaching History (2008) and Regional History: Insights, Research, Teaching (2012). He is considered one of the most active historical commentators on radio and television in the Philippines. Xiao was also one of the original panelists of The Bottomline with Boy Abunda and host of the segment on PTV-4 (Television ng Bayan), Xiao Time: Ako ay Pilipino.
ORVILLE TATCHO, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, University of the Philippines Baguio
Orville B. Tatcho is an associate professor in the Department of Communication, University of the Philippines Baguio. He served as chair of the Department of Communication, UP Baguio, from 2022 to 2024. He was a Fulbright-CHED scholar from 2018 to 2021 when he pursued his Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Alabama. His works on political discourse, rhetoric, and Igorot representation appear in book publishers and journals such as Palgrave Macmillan, Michigan State University Press, Humanities Diliman, Plaridel, and the Philippine Political Science Journal.
