In 2019, The Center for Philippine Studies obtained a grant from the Department of Education Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA). This program, titled “Mapping Language and Culture in the Philippine South” (also called Project Magsayod) was finally implemented in summer 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It trained 10 K-12 teachers, faculty and students on the basics of the Cebuano language and area studies focusing on the southern Philippines (Cebu and “Muslim Mindanao”) for four weeks at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City. Originally, 12 participants were selected, but two dropped out for some reasons, the pandemic being one of them.

While in Cebu, the 10 participants immersed in the learning of basic Cebuano (Sinugbo in the local lingo) for about four weeks under the supervision of the USC Coordinator, Dr. Hope Yu. The Project Director and grant writer was Dr. Federico V. Magdalena, while the Co-Director was Dr. Pia Arboleda, who was also the Center’s Director.

The following year (2023), the Center again obtained and implemented a second Fulbright-Hays GPA, “Filipino Language and Indigenous Cultural Heritage” (locally titled “Project Dunong at Kalinangan“). This time, the training site and host was De La Salle University in Dasmarinas, Cavite. The number of participants doubled to 19 American teachers and students from Hawaii and California, who underwent four weeks of training during the summer 2023. They trained under the supervision of the DLSU Coordinator, Dr. Christian Goerge Francisco.

In Cavite, they learned basic Filipino (Tagalog-based language in the country) and cultural heritage focusing on Mindanao and Luzon regions for the purpose of integrating their knowledge in their respective curriculum at home. Like its Magsayod predecessor, Project Dunong was successfully completed. The project director in both projects is Dr. Magdalena, affiliate faculty at the Asian Studies Department, and Deputy Director of the Center. The project Co-Project Director is Dr. Pia Arboleda, the Center Director, with Dr. Jayson Parba as Program Administrator. The duo are language professors at the UH Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures, which is concurrently chaired by Dr. Arboleda.

The CPS project, Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (aka Project: Dunong at Kalinangan), was completed last year (2023) in Dasmarinas, Cavite, with De La Salle University as host. It’s the second FH project implemented by UHM Center for Philippine Studies. The UHM Team is composed of Dr. Federico Magdalena, Project Director, Dr. Pia Arboleda, Co-Project Director and the Center Director, and Dr. Jayson Parba, Project Administrator.

Project Dunong at Kalinangan ran from June 8 to July 6, 2023, shortly after the pre-departure orientation on June 5-6, 2023. Nineteen participants from Hawaii, California and Arizona have been selected to participate in this month-long immersion program on Filipino language and cultural heritage in the Philippines.

Reports of project completion have been submitted to Fulbright-Hays GPA management.