History


The Center for Philippine Studies (CPS) was originally established as a Program in 1975 by an Act of the Hawai’i State Legislature to recognize the contributions of Filipinos to the history of Hawaiʻi , and to highlight the academic expertise on the Philippines at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. It was subsequently established at the University of Hawaii as a Philippine Studies Program under the Asian Studies Program, which later became the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies.

Looking back, the Steering Committee responsible for the preparation of the Philippine Studies Program Feasibility Study was composed of the following members:

  • Prof. Walter F. Vella, Prof. of History and Director, Southeast Asian Studies (chairman)
  • Prof. Michael L. Forman, Assoc. Prof. of Linguistics (co-chairman)
  • Prof. Robert B. Stauffer, Prof. of Political Science
  • Prof. Benedict Kerkvliet, Asst. Prof. of Political Science
  • Prof. Ricardo D. Trimillos, Assoc. Prof. of Music
  • Prof. Virgie Chattergy, Asst. Prof. of Education
  • Prof. Teresita V. Ramos, Asst. Prof. of Indo-Pacific Languages
  • Dr. Amy Agbayani, Director, Operation Manong
  • Mrs. Estrella Sybinsky, Lecturer, Ethnic Studies, Leeward C.C.
  • Miss Evelyn Hernandez, Lecturer, Ethnic Studies, U.H. in Manoa
  • Miss Sharon Matutino, Student in Liberal Studies
  • Mr. Toy Arre, Jr., Deputy Finance Director, City & County, Honolulu
  • Mrs. Ethel A. Ward, TESOL Teacher, Farrington High School
  • Mr. James Tuyay, Student in Sociology
  • Dr. Ramon de la Pena, Director of Economic Planning, Kauai
  • Mr. Shiro Saito, Bibliographer, Hamilton Library
  • Dr. Belinda A. Aquino, Coordinator, Operation Manong

Dr. Belinda Aquino, Dr. Benedict Kerkvliet, and Dr. Amy Agbayani wrote and submitted the final report. Dr. Aquino served as the first director of the Center, then a program, when it opened in 1975.

In 1988 the Program became the Center for Philippine Studies and was put under the School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies (now School of Pacific and Asian Studies, or SPAS) for administrative reasons.

CPS through the years

Today, the Center is one of the established area studies centers of SPAS and part of the larger program on Asian/Southeast Asian Studies in the same School.

The Center has undertaken various outreach activities in the large Filipino community over the years.

Leadership Succession

The first director of the Center, Dr. Belinda Aquino was named a member of the statewide Filipino Centennial Celebration Commission that hosted the 100th anniversary of Filipino immigration to Hawai’i in 2006. The Center lobbied the State Legislature for funding for the Commission which set $150,000 as “seed money.” Dr. Aquino retired in 2009, and was succeeded by Dr. Ricardo D. Trimillos as Interim Director until July 2011.  Then, Dr. Vina Lanzona replaced Dr. Trimillos and stayed in office until July 2015. Dr. Patricio N. Abinales succeeded Dr. Lanzona, and a new election of the next director was held in April 2018, choosing Dr. Pia Arboleda. Dr. Arboleda held office as CPS director until December 2023.

In January 2024, the Center for Philippine Studies is currently headed by Dr. Patricia Espiritu Halagao and Dr. J. Lorenzo Perillo as Co-Directors. They were elected by the CPS Executive Council for three years.

Legacy of Directors

Dr. Belinda A. Aquino left a lasting legacy as the founding director of the Center. She started in 1975 until 2009. She successfully campaigned for funds to finance research projects of students, many of whom were writing their theses or dissertations. Over the years, Dr. Aquino secured four endowments with an estimated market value of at least $250,000 in 2024. These endowments are described elsewhere in this website. She was also a leading light in the establishment of several international conferences hosted by CPS, especially the International Conference on Philippine Studies (ICOPHIL) in collaboration with colleagues from the Philippines, Japan, and scholars from the United States and Europe. Dr. Aquino also directed the once-in-a-lifetime International Conference, the Centennial Celebration of Filipinos in Hawaiʻi in 2006.

After Dr. Aquino, Dr. Ric Trimillos took over the Center’s leadership for about two years. Though short, Dr. Trimillos instituted some significant changes in the Center. Among them, he systematized the operations of the Center, reorganized the Executive Council, created committees, revised the By-Laws, and redefined the term of the Director to four years with a possible renewal. He also made CPS continue the institutional collaboration with two Philippine universities in teaching a synchronous online course in Asian Studies (Mindanao and Hawaiʻi) that started in 2001 under a Ford Foundation Grant.

Dr. Vina Lanzona took over the helm of the CPS leadership when Dr. Trimilos retired. For the first time, the Center conducted a student project “Study Abroad,” with Dr. Lanzona leading the students to Ateneo de Manila University for a semester of study. She also organized the 40th CPS Anniversary with an international conference component attended by scholars from the Philippines, Japan, Australia and the United States. This conference was graced by a renowned scholar from Wisconsin, Dr. Alfre McCoy. During this time, the Center obtained some grants, including one from the United States Institute of Peace which implemented a two-year program on peace in the curriculum of a Philippine partner, Mindanao State University.

When Dr. Lanzona completed her term, she was succeeded by Dr. Patricio N. Abinales. He, too, instituted some innovative programs like establishing the CPS archives at ScholarSpace, which has attracted many Filipinists from the Philippines and all over the world. To date, this digital collection is visited by over 600,000 users annually, one of the most popular archives at SPAS. Under his watch, Dr. Abinales the Center sponsored mini-conferences on Mindanao and allowed the staff to attend international conferences representing the Center in those fora.

The last of the directors who joined CPS was Dr. Pia Arboleda. She propelled the Center to another leadership level. During her time, the Center obtained three external grants, two from Fulbright implemented in 2022 and 2023 in Cebu and Cavite, and one from the Philippine government through a donation from the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu courtesy of Senator Loren Legarda who made the grant possible. The Center also sponsored an international conference, “Ub-Ufok: Explorations on Philippine Folklore 2021,” attended by scholars worldwide.