About Cebuano Studies Center

The Cebuano Studies Center is a center of research on all aspects of Cebuano culture. It functions as (1) a special library to house source materials pertaining to Cebu, as well as the predominantly Cebuano-speaking areas in the country; (2) a research center devoted to studies pertaining to Cebu in the area of the humanities and social sciences; and (3) a special office assisting in the promotion of Cebuano culture and the arts.

The Cebuano Studies Center was established in December 1975 by the University of San Carlos as part of the extension services of the university.  It was first conceived in 1972 as an answer to the growing demand for research services in local history and vernacular literature. As envisioned, the Center hopes to be of service to more scholars and researchers, and in more areas of study.

The Center is administered by the Office of the President of the University of San Carlos, and is officially affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. It is staffed by personnel to handle its library and has a cooperating relationship with the University Libraries and San Carlos Publications.

In the Last 30 Years

The Cebuano Studies Center has become an active instrument in encouraging and supporting research activities within the university in the areas of the social sciences and the humanities. In addition, the CSC has become a model of its kind, as a local/regional research center in the country, through its varied activities in the conduct and promotion of local/ regional studies.

The Center has been very active and effective in ways more than one would expect from an office with modest staffing and funding components. It has brought to its staff a great deal of experience which should serve the Center  in good stead in strengthening its programs even more in the years ahead. The CSC also performs an active role in academic activities in the Philippines, particularly in its organizational activities, publications, lectures, and research in various fields.

The work of the Cebuano Studies Center, especially under the directorship of  Dr. Resil B. Mojares (from 1975 to 1996), has received commendations from many sources, from both institutions and individual scholars. It has played a significant role in enhancing cultural awareness in the Cebuano community not only through its functions as a public library and a center of such educational activities as symposia, workshops and lectures, but through the assistance it has extended to local governments and various community associations. There is a new level of cultural awareness in Cebu today – indicated, among others, by the fact that there are public museums being put up in the city and both provincial and city governments have created cultural commissions. The CSC has been active as consultant in these varied activities. Recently, it has been commissioned to manage the Town and City Histories Project of the Province of Cebu.

In recognition of its work, the Center was awarded as “Most Outstanding Institution in Cebu in the Field of Art & Culture” during the 1983 City Charter Day Celebrations. Nationally, it received a Gawad Award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines for “Excellence in Cultural Research” in 1993. Its founding director, Resil Mojares, was recipient of the CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts, citing among others his work in the development of the Center “as a vital national research institution.”  From the CHED, the Center was given an award for its Research Program in 2006.

The Staff

Directors:

Dr. Hope Sabanpan-Yu (2011- )
Dr. Erlinda K. Alburo, (1996-2011)
Dr. Resil B. Mojares (1975-1996)

Librarians:

Mary Allen Mae Oral (2002- )
Anita L. Rosario (1989-2002)
Celia Sy Piecco (1978-1989)
Marian Diosay (1976-1978)
Fe Susan Go (1975-1976)

Secretaries:
Ma. Erlinda Braga (1978- )
Gregoria Dubria (1975-1978)

Category: CSC content