July 19, 2025
Partido State University (ParSU) warmly welcomed the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) team for the 2025 Field Season of the Bicol Archaeological Project (BAP) on Friday, July 19, 2025.
Launched in 2016, the BAP is an interdisciplinary research program exploring the enduring impacts of Spanish colonialism on the Bicol region, focusing on how Indigenous communities responded to and resisted these colonial changes. The initiative is a collaborative endeavor among UCLA, ParSU, the Archdiocese of Caceres, and various Local Government Units across Camarines Sur.
Running from July to August, the BAP aims to deepen historical knowledge, promote cultural heritage awareness, and engage academic and local communities through lecture-workshops and community engagement activities, among others. This year's focus is on Binanwaan localities, aiming to reconstruct a more nuanced understanding of historical land use, cultural persistence, and place-making practices in Bicol.
The BAP team is led by Professor Stephen Acabado of UCLA and composed of students, faculty, and researchers from UCLA, University of Oregon, University of the Philippines-Baguio, and ParSU.ย
Through this, the university remains at the forefront of vital research and community collaboration where archaeology meets cultural preservation and education.
