The UH Mānoa Center for Philippine Studies
is excited to commemorate 50 years of excellence in serving the Filipino community. As we honor the past, we look forward to mobilizing and transforming for a brighter future, inspiring new generations through education and cultural exchange. We’re proud to present a dynamic range of programs in the coming year that reflect our commitment to education, culture, and community engagement.
Highlights will include:
- An art and culture exhibit in collaboration with East-West Center
- iJeepney online K-12 curriculum empowering next gen youth
- A Philippine rare library collections workshop and tour
- Center for Philippine Studies Anthology
- Artist residency workshops featuring local and international talent
- A Filipino-centered Dance Production in collaboration with Department of Theater and Dance
We are dedicated to building on the proud legacy of the Center for Philippine Studies, and we hope to raise $100K in the coming year to strengthen the Philippine Studies Enrichment Fund. This will help us continue empowering learners to embrace their identity and give back to the community through partnerships, knowledge production, advocacy, and the arts. We hope you’ll consider making a gift!
Celebration Events | October to December 2025
Consider a Gift to CPS “Rooted in the Past, Growing Together.“
You are invited to see this movie, Patawid in Filipino, Directed by Jade Castro. This is a story about Jorge,…
Veronica Alporha, PhD Candidate at the UH Department of History, recipient of the Belinda A. Aquino International Philippine Studies Endowment,…
Join us for an exciting lecture on Kadaugan sa Mactan (The Victorious Battle at Mactan) by Emmanuel Jones Mante, an…
The Center for Philippine Studies invites nominations for its annual Undergraduate Student Leadership Award, honoring an outstanding student who has…
An interesting presentation on the experience of Philippine Nikkeijin from Baguio City is coming soon. Don't miss it! Haruka Kei…
Please attend the presentation of Veronica Alporha, PhD Candidate at the UH Department of History, and a recipient of the…
Dancing in the Diaspora
Filipino Cultural Production:Dancing in the Diaspora Nov 14, 15, 21, 22, 7:30 pm, Nov 18 (Student showing, 9:00 am, & Nov 23, 2:00 pmJohn F. Kennedy Theatre Dancing in the Diaspora is a collaboration between the Department of Theatre and Dance, Center for Philippine Studies, and Kennedy Theatre This mainstage dance production will explore the experiences of Filipinos navigating belonging and exclusion in Hawai'i and beyond. Featuring Filipino indigenous storytelling, music, and different dance styles, the performance highlights dance as a force for identity, healing, and community.Written and Directed by Dr. J. Lorenzo Perillo.Click here for tickets.Follow on Instagram: @dancinginthediaspora
Adrian Alarilla says: “The Corky Trinidad Endowment Scholarship was a boon for me and my dissertation. I am fortunate that I received it at the right time (in between COVID-19 waves) and I was able to do my fieldwork with relative freedom.”
From his research, Adrian published an article, “Unsettling Islands: Philippine Cinema, Migration and Settler Colonialism,” in the Journal of Philippine Cinema, Vol. 6 (2021).
Kaelyn Howard is an MA student in Ethnomusicology at UH Mānoa. Her research focuses on Philippine folk and art song traditions, and as a classical singer she prioritizes Philippine art songs and African American spirituals. Kaelyn received the Corky Trinidad Endowment for a collaborative concert project between the Center of Philippine Studies and Department of Music in October 2025. The program Art Songs of the Philippines celebrates Philippine vocal music, presenting a variety of repertoire written by past and present Filipino composers.
Haruka Kei Waseda is an M.A. student in Asian Studies (’24) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, specializing in the Philippines. She is a recipient of the Belinda Aquino Endowment, which supports her upcoming research titled “Examining Transnational Ilokano Nikkei-jin/Diaspora in Japan and their Impact on the Ilocos Region. Her research explores the experiences of transnational Ilokano Nikkei-jin (Japanese descendants)/diaspora in Japan and their influences on Ilocos.
Emmanuel Jones Mante, MFA student, obtained a Corky Trinidad scholarship grant for his research on Mactan, Cebu entitled “Kadaugan sa Mactan Reenactment: Performing History and the April 27, 1521 Memory of Resistance.”
The award will enable him to do fieldwork in Cebu to retrace the Battle of Mactan involving the local hero, Lapu-Lapu, pitted against the Spanish soldiers under Ferdinand Magellan.