A fresh look at the local history of Mindanao during the Philippine Revolution which presented new and existing historiographies from 1898 to 1901 was highlighted in an academic conference hosted by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on 25-26 May 2026 at the Ayala Museum, Makati City.
The conference sought to explore the enduring legacies of the Philippine Revolution, Philippine-American War, and the First Philippine Republic beyond 1901 in partnership with the Ayala Foundation, the Ayala Museum, and the member-affiliates of the Local Historical Committees Network (LHCN).
Scheduled on the first day of the conference on 25 May 2026 dubbed SESSION 3: HISTORIOGRAPHICAL INQUIRY OF MINDANAO LOCAL HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE AND NATIONHOOD, it featured the following topics:
The Maranao Resistance to Spanish Occupation and its Impact on Mindanao during the Philippine Revolution by Assistant Professor Rey Luis A. Montesclaros of the Department of History, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Mindanao State University — Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT);
The Philippine-American War in Northern Mindanao by Rene Michael D. Baños, Founding Member of the Northern Mindanao Heritage Network;
and Musings on the Relevance of the First Official Raising of the Philippine Flag in Mindanao by Neil Martial D. Santillan, Ph.D., Professor, Department of History, University of the Philippines Diliman.
An Open Forum with the panelists immediately followed with Josef Alec D. Geradila, Historic Sites Development Officer, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) moderating.
“It is gratifying to note that Mindanao historians and heritage advocates have once again taken center stage at this recent academic conference,” observed Iligan City Historian Ricardo Jorge S. Caluen. “In the 1970s, historians like the National Artist Resil B. Mojares and Marcelino Foronda (my History professor at DLSU) started the so-called Local History Movement in the country, a very welcome thrust in the historiography of Philippine History. It sought to fill the lacunae in the writing of the national narrative that—until that point in the time—was heavily Manila-centric.”
Noting the growing inclusion of Mindanao history in the national history narrative, Dr. Faina C. Abaya-Ulindang, author/lecturer/professor at Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, Iligan Medical Center College, and formerly at Mindanao State University, noted: : “That will be a great contribution. These Mindanao tales- factual/archival or some narratives gathered as oral history, I am sure many will take interest in that, because as you had observed Mindanao history remains peripheral in our national history, specifically World War II history/ies. Yes, that will be a very timely project. XU Archives has I believe substantial sources for World War II.”
Caluen remarked further, “Perhaps one could say that the eminent historian Renato Constantino may have been a major influence in promoting the writing about socio-politico developments in the regions with his analysis that the writing of a national history is often centered on “major” events taking place in the capital and environs, neglecting to consider the dynamics in the regions that definitely impact upon nationwide developments.”
Xavier University and the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology are major contributors to the development of local history studies because as early as the late 1970s and early 1980s these academic institutions had already organized national conferences on local history with the support of what was then the National Historical Institute (now NHCP), the Philippine National Historical Society, and other like bodies, he added.
“The participation of researchers like Rene Michael Baños, Prof. Rey Luis Montesclaros, and Dr. Neil Martial Santillan proves there is considerable writing about Mindanao history that is taking place. It only awaits a proper forum, like the recently-concluded, for it to be publicized.”
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Cover photo: The Battle of Cagayan, also known as the Siete de Abril, was fought on 7 April 1900 between the Liber Troop of Gen Nicolas Capistrano and the 40th Infantry Regiment, US Volunteers. (Painting by Danny Pitaro, City Museum of Cagayan de Oro and Heritage Studies Center)
