In celebration of the Quincentennial Commemorations, Mabalacat City College, through the auspices of its History Program and Pantalakayan (AB History Students’ organization), in partnerships with Baliuag Polytechnic College, and Philippine Association of Arts, Social Sciences and Integrative Development Studies (PAASID) hosted the Quincentennial Lecture Series with the theme: “Perspectives in History: Celebrating the 500 Years of Filipino-Spanish Amity” last April 10, 17, and 24 2021.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to the Philippines H.E. Jorge Moragas Sanchez delivered a message on “Filipino-Spanish Amity'' on the first day, followed by the Director of Instituto Cervantes de Manila Señor Javier Galvan Guijo. Dr. Lino Dizon, Commissioner of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, opened the last day of the series.
This event featured the following renowned Filipino Historians who shared their profound perspectives on the significant milestones of the last 500 years in the Philippines:
Prof. Danilo Gerona, Ph.D., Director of the Magellan-Elcano Studies, Partido State University, Goa Campus, Camarines Sur
Topic: Christianization or Colonization: Re-examining the Imperial Objectives of the Magellan Expedition
Atty. Robert Jon I. Donesa, Baliwag Polytechnic College
Topic: Rereading and Retelling Magellan's 1521 Arrival in the Philippines with a Bisaya Worldview
Prof. Jose Victor Z. Torres, Ph.D., Full Professor at the History Department of De La Salle University-Manila and an Associate Director for Drama and History at the Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center
Topic: The Cross and the Crucible: The Spanish Missionaries' Legacy in Colonial Philippines.
MCC's very own Asst. Prof. Eduard DC Ramos, Ph.D. spoke about "Recollecting the Filipino-Spanish Amity"; Instructor James Darwin Lagman on "Water, Sea and River: Filipino-Spanish Point of Encounters; and Instructor John Edward E. Alfonso talked about "Found in Translation: Heritage and History in the Vocabularios". The mentioned lecture is part of the MCC Internationalization Office’s approach in enabling the community to be aware of local and international history.