BERKELEY – The Philippine Studies Program of the Center for Southeast Asia Studies (CSEAS), Institute of East Asian Studies of the University of California (UC) Berkeley spearheaded the inaugural Brother Andrew Gonzalez Lecture titled “On (Not) Reading Rizal,” spotlighting on Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, last March 20 at UC Berkeley’s The Faculty Club.
The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, led by Consul General Neil Ferrer, attended the inaugural lecture as a partner of UC Berkeley’s Philippine Studies Program.
The lecture series, which is part of the grant by the Philippine government to the Philippine Studies Program, honors the legacy of former De La Salle University (DLSU) President, former Philippine Education Secretary, and UC Berkeley alumnus Brother Andrew Gonzalez.
Current DLSU President Br. Bernard Oca FSC joined the inaugural lecture, along with other top DLSU officials.
In his welcome remarks, Ferrer congratulated UC Berkeley’s Philippine Studies Program, headed by CSEAS Chair Dr. Lisandro “Leloy” Claudio, on the Program’s very first major lecture. He recognized the role of the Office of Sen. Loren Legarda to secure the financial grant that funded the creation of the Program at UC Berkeley.
The Philippine Consul General added: “Linkages with universities such as UC Berkeley is a key component of our non-partisan efforts towards Philippine cultural and public diplomacy, with the goal of fostering deeper knowledge about the Philippines and strengthening people-to-people ties especially here in the United States, which is home to 4.4 million Filipinos and Filipino Americans.”
Ferrer also touched on the lecture’s topic: “As Filipinos living abroad, we have the unique opportunity to be bridges between cultures, to promote understanding, and to advocate for the values that Rizal so passionately championed. We carry his ideals with us wherever we go, and it is through our collective efforts that we continue to honor his memory and ensure that his vision of a better Philippines is realized.”
“I hope that Rizal’s life and works will continue to inspire Filipinos and Filipino Americans to support efforts towards uplifting the conditions of our people in the Philippines and elsewhere, and to take pride in and promote our culture and heritage as the proud descendants of Rizal,” Ferrer concluded.
It is noteworthy that the lecture spotlighted on Rizal, who made San Francisco the first stop in his one and only visit to the United States.
In her keynote, Professor Caroline Hau of Kyoto University in Japan said that Rizal and his literary works have retained their elusiveness and foreignness despite their prevalence in the Philippine culture, and the government’s efforts to familiarize the Filipinos about Rizal through formal education.
Professor Hau attributed the timeless fascination to Rizal to the “worldliness” of his writings and its cosmopolitan outlook, as well as the separation of contemporary readers from Rizal by time, language, space, ideas, moral standards, values, and sensitivities.
Professor Hau also discussed the emergence of various versions of Rizal’s famous novels in films and pop culture, which somewhat became the sources of people’s knowledge and awareness on the novels instead of the original materials. She noted that different interpretations of the plot and characters, including modernized versions, have long been embedded in Philippine mainstream media.
According to the grant agreement signed between the Consulate and UC Berkeley in September 2024, “the University’s Philippine Studies Program will enable the conduct of academic exchanges, and will serve as a forum for Philippine-related research on relevant topics and as a venue for appropriate cultural activities,” with the objective of helping “spark interest for learning about the Philippines among US-born Filipino Americans and Americans in general.”
“Specifically, this grant aims to support the University in promoting Philippine Studies by enhancing its Filipiniana materials, conducting research and publications about the Philippines, institutionalizing Philippine Studies as an area of study in the University, developing experts in Philippine Studies, among other programs, projects, and activities,” the agreement further states.
The agreement stipulates that UC Berkeley “will have full academic, strategic, and operational control over decisions related to the grant.”
