A thesis on the history of the 200-year old Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) has won an Ateneo university student the Young Historian Award by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Philip Vergel Ay-Ad received the award August 20 from the NCCA National Committee on Historical Research (NCHR) Executive Council in recognition of his in-depth research on the history of then Escuela Náutica de Manila (ENDM) since its establishment in 1820 and its eventual progress as the country’s oldest and most prominent maritime institution.