YESTERDAY, during the second technical working group committee meeting for the planning of “Situating the Filipino and the Philippines in 1521: International Quincentennial Conference on the Victory at Mactan, the Introduction of Christianity in the Philippines, and the Philippine Part in the First Circumnavigation of the World,” slated for October 2021, being the representative of the De La Salle University Department of History with our chairman Rinna Orillos-Juan, I proposed to the body that we observe a moment of silence to remember two influential historical writers of the country — Benito J. Legarda, Jr. and Gilda Cordero Fernando — who died hours apart in the past two days on History Month.

The meeting, chaired by National Quincentennial Committee (NQC) Vice Chairman Rene Escalante, brought together all the presidents of three historical associations: Malou Camagay of the Philippine Historical Association, Nita Churchill of the Philippine National Historical Society and Randy Madrid of the Asosasyon ng mga Dalubhasa May Hilig at Interes sa Kasaysayan. Also present were the chairs of the history departments of major universities around the country and representatives from the Bangsamoro bureau on cultural heritage and the Church Historians Associations of the Philippines. It was actually Ian Alfonso of the NQC secretariat who reminded me of the sad milestone.