Tuguegarao City – The School of Education, Arts, Sciences, and Health (SEASH), through its Social Sciences Department, and the Center for Social Innovation, Local Knowledge and Educational Research (CSILKER), organized a three-day research conference on local knowledge and indigenous studies last Oct. 25-27, 2017 at the University of Saint Louis (USL).

Researchers from different higher and basic institutions in the Philippines such as Cagayan State University, Department of Education (DepEd) Isabela, DepEd Pasig, Isabela State University, Lyceum of Aparri, Nueva Vizcaya State University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina, Philippine Normal University, and University of Santo Tomas presented their respective researches during the said conference.

From the conference theme: “Revaluing Local Knowledge: Rediscovering an Untapped Resource for Community Building,” researches presented were on indigenous peoples’ education, culture and the arts, local history, farming and agriculture, ethnomedicine, and disaster risk reduction management.

Four plenary speakers graced the event: Dr. Emmanuel James Pattaguan, USL Vice President for Academics and representative to the Asian University Digital Resource Network (AUDRN), for “Representing and Revaluing of Local Knowledge;” Dr. Leah Abayao, Director of the Cordillera Studies Center, University of the Philippines Baguio, for the “Opportunities and Challenges in the Indigenous Studies in the Philippines;” Mr. Enrique Gallardo, a public-private partnerships specialist, for “Local Knowledge and its Crucial Role in Good Governance;” and Dr. Samuel Soliven, OIC-Assistant Schools Division Superintendent, Division of Quirino, for the “Integration of Local Knowledge in Schools and Communities.”

The said research conference was endorsed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Education, and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).