Filipino Studies Conferences

The program has launched the International Conference in Multidisciplinary Filipino Studies (ICMFS). With its initial hosting at UH Hilo, the conference has moved to the Philippines and was hosted at the De la Salle University - Dasmariñas in Cavite in 2018 and University of Southern Philippines Foundation in Cebu City in 2019. For the years 2020 and 2021, the ICMFS could not be hosted due to the pandemic.

ICMFS 2025 will be hosted by the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, the oldest university in Asia that was founded in the year 1611. The conference coordinator is Rodney Jubilado.

Aside from ICMFS, the Filipino Studies Program has also initiated the UH Hilo Humanities International Conference (UHHHIC). Since the scope of this conference is the discipline of the humanities in Asia and the Pacific, this conference can be hosted outside the US. UHHHIC 2025 will be held at the University of Hawaii at Hilo with the new name, Hawaii International Conference on the Humanities in Asia and the Pacific (HICHAP).

Aside from UHHIC or HICHAP, the Filipino Studies Program was also the sponsor for the Association for Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast (ASPAC) conference for the years 2020 and 2021. Although these two conferences did not materialize due to the effects of COVID, UH Hilo was able to host ASPAC 2024. ASPAC is the regional affiliate of the greater Association for Asian Studies, the international association devoted to the study of Asia.

Furthermore, the Filipino Studies Program sponsored the International Conference on the Teaching of Filipino as a Second Language held on June 17-19, 2021 at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines. The University of Santo Tomas through its Department of Filipino was the partner and host of this conference.