The Philippine Historical Association (Kapisanang Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas in Tagalog) is a professional association of historians in the Philippines and is considered one of the oldest organizations of historians in the country. It was founded on September 18, 1955 by a group of prominent historians at Carbungco Restaurant located at Lepanto St., Manila. Among the group were Encarnacion Alzona, Gabriel Fabella, Gregorio Zaide, Nicolas Zafra, Celedonio Resurreccion, Teodoro Agoncillo and Esteban de Ocampo.
The association is a non-stock, non-profit, non-sectarian and a non-partisan organization. Its national office is located in Manila. It was established in 1955 by members of the Philippine National Historical Society.
The objectives and purposes of the association are the following: to promote and propagate historical knowledge and studies to collect and preserve relics, manuscripts, documents and the like pertaining to the Philippines to undertake any and other activities that will promote the objectives and purposes of the association.
Board of Governors A board of governors directs the annual activities of the PHA. It consists of eleven (11) regular members in good standing who are elected in the Annual General Assembly which is held on the last Sunday of January. The board of governors serves as the governing body of the association and manages its affairs and business. Upon their election, the board of governors elect among themselves the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and auditor. Also elected are other officers such as the press relations officer, the editor-in-chief of the Historical Bulletin and the chairs of the committees on membership, curriculum, and research.
The post of executive director was added to the board in 1975. The first executive director was Jorge Revilla. In the following year, Gloria Santos assumed the post. She has held this office till the present time, making her the longest running and continuously serving executive director.
Senior members of the association, the immediate past president and the chairmen of the National Historical Institute and the Philippine History Foundation constitute the Board of Consultants.
A meeting held by the association's founders on October 2, 1955 resulted in the election of the first board of governors.
Presidents The first president of the association was Gabriel Fabella who occupied the post for three years. He was succeeded by a host of prominent scholars, among them, Dalmacio Martin, Ricardo Arcilla, Sixto Orosa, Celedonio Resurreccion, Diosdado Capino, Bonifacio Salamanca, Romeo Cruz, Oscar Evangelista, Napoleon Casambre, Epitacio Palispis, Cesar Pobre, Ambeth Ocampo, Celestina Boncan, and Evelyn Songco.
Honorary presidents The association holds the distinction of having had Philippine presidents as its honorary presidents. President Ramon Magsaysay was the first honorary president of the association. Since then, the association has been graced by the honor of having Presidents Carlos Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Ferdinand Marcos, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in its roster as honorary president.
The first board of governors was inducted into office by President Ramon Magsaysay on December 12, 1955 in Malacañang Palace. Another incumbent president, Fidel Ramos, inducted into office the 1996 Board of Governors. This signature honor also took place in Malacañang Palace.
President Carlos P. Garcia gave the keynote address of the association's annual seminar which was held at the University of the East on November 28–29, 1958. In 1976, President Ferdinand Marcos invited the association to hold its annual seminar in Malacañang Palace and delivered the keynote address. In 1998 President Fidel Ramos designated the association to bring the spirit of the centennial celebration to all four corners of the archipelago through the project The Centennial Goes to the Barrio. In 1999 President Ramos graciously accepted the association's invitation to be the guest of honor and speaker in the launching of its book Philippine Presidents: 100 Years.
Philippine Historical Foundation One accomplishment of the 1980 Board of Governors was the creation of the Philippine Historical Foundation. As it was envisioned by its creators, the foundation was to be a non-stock, non-profit, non-denominational private organization for scholarly, educational, and cultural purposes.
In particular, the aims and objectives of the foundation are the following: 1) to foster, encourage and support scholarly research on any area of Philippine history; 2) to initiate, create, maintain and support a Philippine History Library and Museum to be administered by the Philippine Historical Association; 3) to provide financial support to worthwhile historical publications and projects; 4) to establish, assist and support professorial and research chairs in Philippine history; and 5) to collaborate with the Philippine Historical Association in achieving its purposes, aims and objectives and in implementing its program of activities and projects.
A Board of Trustees consisting of eleven members serves as the governing body of the foundation. The Board is presided over by a chairman who is joined by a vice chairman, secretary, treasurer, executive director, legal counsel and public relations officer. The other six members seat in the Board as trustees. There are four sectoral committees --- academe, business, international and professional—which are in charge of getting pledges of commitment.
Pursuant to the nature of its organization, the Philippine History Foundation will raise funds, accept donations, grants, bequests and legacies in cash or in kind which it shall hold in trust.
Past presidents, namely, Celedonio Resurreccion and Minerva Gonzalez, assisted the members of the incumbent board of governors in framing the constitution and by-laws of the foundation. Governor Antonio Avecilla was the first chairman of the foundation.
PHA Historical Bulletin The association promotes historical research and scholarship among its members through the publication of their works. The association has an official journal which is published every year. The journal first came out in 1957 and was called Buletin ng Kapisanang Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas. The Bulletin was renamed Historical Bulletin in 1959.
The association has come up with special issues of the Historical Bulletin. One such type of special issue is in honor of Filipino heroes and statesmen. Vol. XXII (1978) is devoted to Commonwealth President Manuel Quezon (Quezon: In Retrospect), edited by Mauro Garcia and Juan F. Rivera. Volume IV (June 1960), edited by Sixto Y. Orosa, and Vol. V (1961), edited by Carlos Quirino, are on Jose Rizal, the national hero. Volume IV (March 1960), edited by Teodoro A. Agoncillo, is on Claro M. Recto. Volume III (1959) is on Emilio Aguinaldo.
Another type of special issue is on significant events in Philippine history. Vol. XII (1968) is on the Japanese Occupation featuring the operations of the United States Army Forces in the Philippines, North Luzon.
There have also been special issues of the Historical Bulletin that dealt on themes in Philippine history. Volume XVII (1973) is on the study, teaching and writing of history.
PHA Balita The association maintains a newsletter called the PHA Balita. It was created in 1980 during the association's Silver Jubilee Year. The newsletter keeps the members informed of the activities of the association. It comes out twice a year.
PHA Annual Conference The main annual activity of the association is the holding of an annual conference whose theme deals with timely and relevant issues of national concern. The themes of the PHA Annual Conference in the last five years include Historical Development of Philippine Political Parties (2006), Kababaihan at Kabayanihan (2005), In Search of Good Governance: Retrospect and Prospects (2004), Terrorism: Historical Perspective and Implications (2003), and RP-US Relations: A Historical Perspective (2002).
Historical Milestones
50th Anniversary of the Philippine Assembly In 1957 President Carlos P. Garcia designated the association to take the lead for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Philippine Assembly, the first all-Filipino legislature in the country.
International Conference of Historians of Asia (IAHA) When it was just on its fifth year of existence, the association took the bold step of organizing an international conference of historians in Manila. It was the first international conference of its kind to be held in the country. The First International Conference of Historians of Asia was held on November 25–30, 1960. Appointed to oversee the preparations of the conference was a three-man committee made up of Nicolas Zafra, as chairman, and Jorge Revilla and Celedonio Resurreccion, as members.
The conference had two aims. The first was to afford scholars in different countries an opportunity to come together for an exchange of views, ideas and information regarding conditions and problems of historical study and research in their respective countries. The second was to bring about, through an association of scholars from Asia, the establishment of closer cultural relations among Asian countries and the enhancement of the effectiveness and usefulness of written history as a means of promoting international peace, goodwill and understanding.
The conference was a success. Australia, Burma, Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Macao, Pakistan, Ryukyus, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States sent delegates to the conference. No less than President Carlos P. Garcia addressed the delegates at the opening ceremony which was held at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives.
Speakers for the Philippines included Horacio de la Costa, S.J., Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil, Carlos Quirino, Encarnacion Alzona, Teodoro Agoncillo, Jose Maceda, Gregorio Zaide, Henry Otley Beyer, and Gabriel Fabella.
Aside from bringing together various historians in a meaningful discussion of historical research and study, the conference became the instrument for the creation of the International Association of Historians of Asia. Two days before the conference adjourned, the delegates adopted a constitution for the IAHA and elected its first officers. Constituting the first board of the IAHA were Domingo Abella, president; Chang Kuei-Yung, first vice-president; Yu-Kai Wang, second vice-president; Toshio Kawabe, third vice-president; Horacio de la Costa, S.J., secretary-general; Lao Kan, treasurer; and Sun Kwo-Tung, auditor.
The Filipino charter members of the IAHA include Domingo Abella, Teodoro Agoncillo, Celedonio Ancheta, Ricardo Arcilla, Horacio de la Costa, S.J., Pacifico Dumandan, Sr., Gabriel Fabella, Silvina Laya, Dalamcio Martin, Esteban de Ocampo, Sixto Orosa, Celedonio Resurreccion, Jorge Revilla, Leopoldo Yabes, Nicolas Zafra and Gregorio Zaide.
June 12 Independence Day It was the association that proposed to then President Diosdado Macapagal to change our Independence Day celebration from July 4 to June 12.
Promotion of Philippine History The association supported two initiatives of its prominent member, Teodoro Agoncillo, that have had a great impact in the promotion of Philippine history.
Commission on Philippine Historical Research The first is the creation of a Commission on Philippine Historical Research which eventually became the National Historical Institute.
Rizal Law The second is the teaching of the life and works of our national hero, Jose Rizal, which was eventually mandated under Republic Act No. 1425.
Decade of Centennials of Nationalism and Independence