From Roots to Recognition: 51 Years of the Center for West Visayan Studies

By Sashah B. Dioso

The origins of the Center for West Visayan Studies can be traced to the early 1970s, when Dionisia Rola, then dean of UP College Iloilo, advocated for a center dedicated to Visayan studies.

Responding to the need for a coordinated effort to preserve, promote, and disseminate the region’s rich historical and cultural heritage, the University of the Philippines Board of Regents approved the creation of the Visayan Studies Program on June 26, 1975.

Lourdes V. De Castro was designated the program’s first coordinator on Oct. 16, 1975, laying the foundation for its research and documentation initiatives.

Moises Ponteras, who served as coordinator from 1981 to 1983, succeeded De Castro.

During these formative years, the program established itself as a pioneering institution for research on the history and culture of Western Visayas.

The program achieved a major institutional milestone under the leadership of Henry Funtecha.

After serving three consecutive terms as coordinator, Funtecha successfully worked for the elevation of the Visayan Studies Program into the West Visayan Studies Center following approval by the UP Board of Regents at its 1,016th meeting in 1988.

Despite its elevation to a center, the West Visayan Studies Center remained under the College of Arts and Sciences.

As its first director, Funtecha expanded the center’s research programs and significantly increased its collection of research materials, strengthening its reputation as a leading institution for West Visayan studies.

To avoid confusion with West Visayas State College, the center was renamed the Center for West Visayan Studies on June 29, 1989.

The center has since been led by Alicia P. Magos, Melanie T. Padilla, Jorge V. Ebay, Randy M. Madrid, Frances Anthea B. Redison, and Jonevee B. Amparo, who broadened its research, extension, and cultural heritage programs.

Over five decades, the center has built a substantial collection of materials and artifacts documenting the history and cultural heritage of Western Visayas.

The repository reflects the sustained scholarship and leadership of its successive directors, who expanded the center’s research agenda and strengthened its role as a regional institution for historical and cultural studies.

Among the center’s pioneering initiatives were De Castro’s documentation of fishlore in Western Visayas and Ponteras’ recording of folk healing traditions and ethnomedicine practices.

During his tenure as director, Funtecha expanded the center’s research output by securing support from international and local funding agencies for projects on West Visayan history and culture.

He also mobilized scholars through the annual Conference on West Visayan History and Culture, which produced a substantial body of pioneering research on local and oral history.

Building on these foundations, Magos brought the indigenous epics of Central Panay to wider audiences through her lifelong anthropological work with indigenous cultural communities.

The results of these collaborations are preserved and showcased at the Indigenous Peoples Resource Center, which was established at the center in 2015.

During Padilla’s directorship, the center further strengthened its cultural preservation initiatives by establishing the CWVS Textile Museum and the Humay Museum.

Both museums house rare and significant collections representing the region’s tangible cultural heritage.

Under Ebay’s leadership, the center broadened its scope to include public safety, disaster resilience, and community development.

Responding to the national call to foster a culture of safety and resilience, particularly in disaster-affected small island communities, the center established the Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Hub.

Its Rehabilitation for Island Sustainability and Empowerment Gigantes Project in the Gigantes Islands in Carles, Iloilo, received the inaugural Gawad Pangulo Award for Excellence in Public Service in 2016.

The Disaster Risk Reduction Training, Education and Advocacy for Children’s Protection and Resilience Project was recognized at the third Gawad Pangulo Award for Excellence in Public Service in 2019.

During this period, the center also expanded its engagement with indigenous cultural communities and small island communities.

The center celebrated its 45th anniversary during Madrid’s directorship, a period marked by sustained efforts to strengthen its standing alongside other regional studies centers in the Philippines.

On Jan. 25, 2020, the center became a member of the Kapisanan ng mga Bahay Saliksikan sa Bansa, a national organization of regional studies centers.

The center continued to expand its institutional reach under Redison’s directorship.

At its 1,385th meeting on Nov. 30, 2023, the UP Board of Regents approved the center’s elevation as a unit under the UP Visayas Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension.

The change reinforced the center’s strategic role in advancing research, extension, and cultural initiatives.

During this period, the center also strengthened its partnerships with local governments through collaborative research projects on weaving traditions, culinary heritage, and regionwide cultural mapping.

These initiatives deepened its engagement with communities across Western Visayas.

The center’s growing contributions soon received wider recognition.

On July 12, 2024, the Iloilo City government and the Iloilo City Local Culture and Arts Council recognized the center with a Heritage Award for its contributions to preserving and promoting cultural heritage.

In May 2025, the center became an affiliate member of the Local Historical Committees Network, a National Historical Commission of the Philippines program that coordinates, supports, and promotes local historical initiatives nationwide.

On Dec. 18, 2025, the center received the inaugural Gawad Balangaw for Culture and the Arts in the organization category.

The Regional Culture, Heritage and the Arts Committee of the Regional Development Council VI confers Gawad Balangaw as the region’s highest recognition for significant contributions to Western Visayan culture and the arts.

The center is currently led by officer-in-charge Jonevee B. Amparo, whose expertise in language and cultural research strengthens its research and extension initiatives.

Amparo is supported by university research associates Darlene Joy Calsado and Sashah B. Dioso and administrative assistant Faith Reforma in advancing the center’s programs and activities.