Senator Loren Legarda
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Loren Legarda on Wednesday said that more universities worldwide will offer Philippine Studies programs by the end of the year, noting the growing interest in the country’s culture.
Legarda made this remark during the book launch of “From the Philippines to the World: A Global Catalogue of Philippine Studies Programs Abroad Promoting Academic Excellence and Cultural Diplomacy” at the Centro de Turismo in Intramuros, Manila.
The Department of Foreign Affairs noted that the book launch aims to introduce the book as “an academic resource to the global academic and diplomatic community.”
“By end of this year, we’re set to reach 33 academic institutions, an expansion of rising global interest in the Philippines as a vital source of knowledge and the enduring relevance and promise of this program,” Legarda said in her speech.
READ: Legarda cites importance of PH Studies courses
Legarda shared that she used to wonder why many countries offer cultural studies abroad except the Philippines. She mentioned that the Philippine Studies program abroad was first established in 2017 as the fruit of all her envisioning for the country to be a place of insight.
There are currently 24 universities worldwide offering Philippine Studies programs:
- La Trobe University
- ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute
- Busan University of Foreign Studies
- Thammasat University
- University of Applied Arts Vienna
- University of Namur
- Sciences Po
- Hamburg University
- Humboldt University
- Ruhr University Bochum
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa
- University of Alicante
- Universidad Complutense de madrid
- University of Zurich
- School of Oriental and African Studies London
- Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
- McGill University
- University of Alberta
- York University
- New York University
- University of California Berkeley
- University of California Los Angeles
- University of Hawaii Manoa
- University of Michigan
READ: PH gov’t grant supports Philippine Studies at UC Berkeley
“The (additional) 33 of this year can even double depending on the funds that we have and that I will ensure that we will be able to do in the next few months, if not years,” she added.
Legarda earlier emphasized the importance of taking up Philippine Studies courses, noting that the course is “more than an academic discipline” but a global platform for the Filipinos to raise knowledge that can contribute to insightful conversations.
She also said that universities offering the courses have become an important avenue for ideas and cultures to intersect. /cb
