CATARMAN, Northern Samar – A national conference on pioneering Visayas historian Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alcina was held at the University of Eastern Philippines here along with the launching of the National History Month celebration on his 350th death anniversary on Wednesday, July 31.

PIONEERING Visayas historian Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alcina is discussed in a conference in Catarman, Northern Samar on July 31. (Photo via Marie Marticio)
National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Chairman Prof. Regalado Trota Jose Jr. led the unveiling of Alcina’s national historical marker and the commemorative program in his honor on July 30 in Palapag, Northern Samar.
Jose said that one of the agenda of the activity is to inspire the people to start their historical drive.
Rolando Borrinaga of the Philippine National Historical Society said that Alcina helped restore the faith of the people after the Sumuroy rebellion.
“In the past, the Visayan history was about political and administrative development. When his writings came, our understanding of Philippine history has expanded,” Borrinaga said.
Alcina was a Spanish Jesuit missionary and historian who was born on February 2, 1610. He was ordained in Cebu and was assigned in various parishes across the archipelago, including Palapag.
He began to gather one of the most exhaustive compilations of Visayan history, culture, language, arts, and tradition during his missionary work in Palapag.
Alcina's History of the Bisayan Islands remains one of the quintessential historical sources on the pre-and colonial period Visayas. It paved the way for future generations of local historical research.