Dr. Zialcita at “In Search of the ‘Other’ Sea" Conference

On May 14, 2013, Dr. Fernando N. Zialcita of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology read a paper on “The Pacific: The Philippines’ Overlooked Neighborhood” at  “In Search of the ‘Other’ Sea”, a conference organized by Instituto Cervantes  at the Ortigas Foundation Library, Pasig City to mark the 500th anniversary of the Discovery of the Pacific by  Balboa. Today, thanks in part to  the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and to increased trade, the Pacific World is a major theater. 

 

Filipino contributions to the making of this world before the 20th century are singular. Filipinos share a common Austronesian heritage  in language, navigational skills, and art with the  peoples of Malaysia, Indonesia,  Micronesia and Polynesia. During the 250 years of the Galleon Trade, Filipinos left a deep imprint on Mexico via Tagalog words still in use in Mexican Spanish, tuba-making, and other customs. Mexicans, who settled in the Philippines, made a similar imprint on its culture. Before 1898 Guam and the Marianas were a  province of the Philippines and part of  the diocese of Cebu. The Filipino presence continues to be felt in the culture of the Marianas.