NCGS: Mapping the Development of Philippine Geography

by Mylene De Guzman

Faculty members of the Department of Geography presented a plenary session entitled “Mapping the Development of Philippine Geography” in the recently concluded 13^th National Conference on Geographical Studies (NCGS), an annual conference jointly organized by the Philippine Geographical Society (PGS) and the University of the Philippines Diliman Department of Geography.

Prof. Darlene Occena-Gutierrez, College Secretary of the College of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP),  presented the history of the discipline in the Philippines, based from the undergraduate thesis of Ms. Julia Catherina Agoncillo from the Department of History, entitled, “A Brief History of the Department of Geography of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy of the University of the Philippines Diliman (1922-present).”

Asst. Prof. Joseph Palis revisited articles about the history of the UP Diliman Department of Geography written by Professorial Lecturer Meliton B. Juanico, and Dr. Doracie B. Zoleta-Nantes. Dr. Nantes is a former chair of the Department of Geography and currently President of the Aurora State College of Technology (ASCOT).

Asst. Prof. Mylene De Guzman presented the five (5) research clusters along with the research interests, endeavors, and publications of the faculty members. The research clusters are as follows: Environment and Development Geographies (EDGE), Disaster Action Research Team (DART), Human Geography (HuG), Geographies of Media (GEM), and Geographic Information System and Techniques (GIST).

Asst. Prof. Emmanuel Garcia talked about the various field sites and service-learning activities of the Geography Field School, which was given the Gawad Pangulo Award for Excellence in Public Service in 2017.

To cap off the plenary session, Asst. Prof. Yany Lopez, current Chair of the Department of Geography, presented the career trajectories and opportunities for geography students, based on surveys that were accomplished by the graduates of the B.S. Geography program.

The plenary session was well-attended by geography majors, geography enthusiasts, and PGS members, and it was a fitting conclusion to the successful NCGS.

Visit the website of PGS (phgeographicalsociety.org) and the website of Department of Geography (http://geog.upd.edu.ph/) for updates on future events and activities.