FILIPINO PROFESSOR GIVES LECTURE AT UNIVERSITY OF LUCERNE

On 20 October 2014, Professor Roli Talampas of the University of the Philippines gave a talk on the profile of Filipino seafarers and the Sama-Bajau indigenous peoples in a lecture entitled:  Bohol Seafarers and Sama-Bajau: Social Capital and Re-Integration in a Central Visayan Island.

Speaking before social and cultural anthropology students of the University of Lucerne, Prof. Talampas first presented research findings on how Filipino seafarers labor hard, not only to send money back home, but to contribute to the development of their home communities. 

He stressed that the Filipino people are historically a seafaring people.  Being an archipelago, the sea plays a vital role in the cultural, political and economic life of all Filipinos since time immemorial.  To date, more than one-third of the seafarers/seamen worldwide are Filipinos.

Prof. Talampas next presented data on the plight of Filipino Sama-Bajau indigenous peoples who contend with subsistence livelihood, inadequate support for their health and education, and in some instances discrimination in Philippine society.

He submits the proposition that the concept of “reintegration” is the more nuanced and humane, and culturally sensitive, approach to understanding the conditions of the Sama-Bajau, compared to the previously adhered strategy of “resettlement and relocation”.

The attendees who numbered 60 students, found the presentation both informative and enlightening.

There is a strong link between the University of Lucerne and the Philippines.  Anthropology students from the university regularly undertake immersion activities in various parts of the country to have a greater appreciation of the Philippines and its people.