Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month

In celebration of Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo) in September 2020, MOAO hosted the Webinar entitled “The Balangay through the Lens of Philippine Maritime History and Boat Culture” on 23 September 2020, 1000H-1200H.

The webinar is designed to capacitate participants with information to gain a better appreciation of our national maritime identity and our early linkages with other countries. Graced by resource speakers from UP-Diliman, National Museum of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and the Balangay Expedition Team, the webinar aimed to contribute to the discourse on the importance of preserving and enriching our Philippine maritime culture.

In commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines, the role of the country in the Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation, and the victory of Lapu-Lapu in the Battle of Mactan; and the National Women’s Month, the Department of Foreign Affairs – Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office (MOAO) organized the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations Webinar held on 26 March 2021, 10:00am – 12:00nn.

The webinar was conducted in two parts: One on The Cebuano Pre-Colonial Rivalry: An Examination of the Maritime Conflict that Caused Magellan’s Downfall in the Battle of Mactan, facilitated by Mr. Vicente Angel S. Ybiernas, Assistant Professorial Lecturer, DLSU History Department; and the SEArenas: 500 years of Women’s Role in the Development of Philippines’ Maritime History facilitated by Dr. Cynthia Zayas.