2008

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            The first international conference on Philippine-Latin American Relations was held on December 15-17, 2008 in Manila, and was hosted by the City Government of Manila and the University of the Philippines. It was held in the latter and at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila The theme of the conference was “The Philippines and Latin America: Past, Present and Future.” Presentations centered on cross-cultural contacts and exchange, Manila’s origins, heritage, urban development; the Manila-Acapulco galleons: trade relations and problems of navigation; economic history, policies and investments; governance, revolts and empowerment:  ancient, colonial and contemporary; art and heritage;  development and demographic issues in the time of colonialism/globalization; everyday life: traditions and social practices; the old and the new in language, literature, music, architecture, arts and cinema; and problems of historical research in Philippine-Latin American studies.

 

2010

 

            PACLAS held its second international conference on October 5-7, 2010 in Manila, hosted by De La Salle University in Manila and the University of Santo Tomas. The Department of Foreign Affairs and various Latin American embassies in the Philippines collaborated in the conference. In commemoration of the bicentennial of the independence movements in Latin America, the conference theme was “Liberation and Independence in the Philippines and in Latin American Countries Today: Shared Histories, Diversities and Future Prospects.” Sub-topics included social justice, liberation movements, post-colonial developments, cultural revolution, and economic nationalism

 

2012

 

       The most recent conference was held on October 9-11, 2012 and was jointly organized with the Latin American Studies Council of Asia and Oceania (Consejo de Estudios Latinoamericanos de Asia y de Oceanía - CELAO). With the theme “Strengthening Exchanges across the Pacific,” the rich potential and actual cooperation among the countries of Asia and Latin America was its overarching object. It sought to explore the multiple dimensions of interaction in time and space particularly in what has evolved into the Asia-Pacific region.  Exchange involves people, ideas, goods and values; shared experiences and heritage; converging issues and solutions even in divergent contexts. This presented a rich field for comparative studies between different countries and sub-regions. Some of the sub-themes of the conference included movements of people (including labor migration) and transnational identities; trade relations and policy; transpacific investments; diplomacy, security and conflict resolution; democratic transition, retrogression and consolidation; civil society and civil action; labor relations and social welfare programs; culture and heritage: the arts, language and literature, history.

 

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Past Activities of PACLAS

 

               The first major event that was organized by PACLAS since its founding was the “Copa de America” Football Tournament in 2003. Hosted by the University of Santo Tomas, the embassies of Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela and Chile was paired with one Philippine university each to form a team.  The University of the East played as a guest team; this involvement introduced it to PACLAS and led to its request to join the consortium in 2004.

             In the same year, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) co-organized with the embassy of Venezuela a lecture by Mr. Arnoldo Jose Gabaldon, former minister of Public Works and Natural Resources of Venezuela.  It was titled “Sustainable Development and Democracy”.  Apart from this, PIDS organized a forum on its study of current Philippine-Latin American trade relations. 

           In 2004 a forum was organized by UST with the theme “Revitalizing Latin American Relations”.  Among the speakers were Latin American diplomats.  PACLAS member institutions also participated in the exhibit organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the FEALAC meeting in Manila.  It was part of the event “FEALAC Fiesta:  East Asia meets Latin America” and was held at Ali Mall in the Araneta Center, Cubao.

           The first “Semana Latinoamericana” was held in 2004.  Hosted by UST, it consisted of cultural exhibits and performances, film showings and lectures by Latin American ambassadors and other embassy officials.

           Two years later, “Encuentros with Latin America” (2006) was organized by PACLAS and was hosted by Ateneo de Manila University.  The week-long event featured student exhibits on various Latin American countries, lectures by embassy officials, documentary film showings, and an essay-writing contest on the topic “Why Friendship between Filipinos and Latin Americans Matters Today.”  It was capped by “Noche Latina” with a program of activities such as songs and dances, food sale and a quiz show.  These “semanas” are meant to raising awareness and popularizing knowledge of Latin America among the youth, considered a key avenue for promoting an abiding and productive interest in that region.

           Long-term initiatives mainly consist of creating a database of Latin American-related resources, developing a corps of specialists in Latin American studies and networking with Latin American and Latin American-related institutions. In this regard, PACLAS aspires to establish a scholarship program for student exchange and a research grants program.