The speakers included South African Ambassador Bartinah Radebe-Netshitenzhe and South Korean historian Prof. Sung Kang, who situated the Filipino wartime experience in an international context; scholars Prof. Bernard Karganilla and Prof. Marcelino Macapinlac Jr., who discussed parallel guerrilla resistance movements across the Philippines; local historians Emil Justimbaste and Lakan Uhay Alegre who spotlighted Eastern Visayas wartime heroes; Leyte 3rd District Representative Anna Veloso-Tuazon who shared notes from a project to transform former battle sites into places of healing; and Mr. Raymond Ciriaco who talked about guerilla notes and Mickey Mouse money.

 

A highlight of the two-day forum was the Tacloban launch of the 50th Anniversary Special Edition of “The Philippines: A Past Revisited” written by historians Renato and Letizia Constantino. The book was presented by journalist Anna Karmina Constantino-Torres.

 

Over 130 participants from local schools and universities, local government units, and civic organizations attended the two-day event.