Dr. Celestina Boncan, PHA President 2006-2008, recently completed a one-year secondment at the National Historical Institute (NHI) as Chief of the Research, Publications and Heraldry Division (RPHD).
In the RPHD, she supervised the conduct of researches on Philippine history, the publication of scholarly works on Philippine history, and the identification and marking of historical places and figures.
She convened three seminars commemorating historic events --- the centennial of the cornerstone-laying of the Philippine Legislative Building (May 21, 2009), the centennial of Baguio City (September 1, 2009), and the celebration of Dia del Galeon (October 13, 2009 in Manila, April 6, 2010 in Zamboanga City, May 27, 2010 in Cebu City).
She also started a “Teacher Training on Philippine History and Heritage” which aims to make the country’s public school teachers competent and effective in teaching Philippine History by including heritage awareness, appreciation of preserving and protecting historic sites and structures, and advocating respect for the country’s flag and anthem. The Teacher Training became the NHI flagship project for 2009 as it was brought to many parts of the country such as Manila (April), Dauis, Bohol (May), Legazpi City (June), Lipa City (July), Baguio City (September), Baler (October), and Dapitan City (December). The Teacher Training is a free service given by the NHI; the speakers come from the NHI’s three technical divisions, namely, Research, Publications and Heraldry Division, Historic Preservation Division, and Historic Sites and Education Division. The NHI is continuing the Teacher Training as a flagship project for 2010 as two trainings have already been held --- in Zamboanga City (April) and Cebu City (May).
As Chief History Researcher, Dr. Boncan was the authorized NHI spokesperson on controversial historical issues.
The Honor and Professional Association of Filipino Historians
