CEBU, Philippines - A 12-person team of archaeologists and students from the University of San Carlos arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia last Saturday, January 11, to attend the 20th Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association (IPPA). IPPA is the largest organization of archaeologists working in the Asia-Pacific region and meets once every four years. Over 700 speakers and paper presenters are expected to report on current archaeological projects as well as the state of the discipline.
The results of the excavations conducted since 2011 by USC Museum, the Department of Anthropology, Sociology and History (DASH) and the National Museum of the Philippines on an Iron Age site in San Remigio will be presented by archaeologist Jobers R. Bersales during the conference, which ends on Saturday, January 18.
Also with the team are two USC vice-presidents, Fr. Eleno Bucia, SVD of administration and Fr. Generoso B. Rebayla, Jr., SVD of finance, who have taken advantage of the opportunity visit archaeological sites and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Angkor Wat. Among the faculty members present are Andrew Fernandez of DASH as well as Brenda Seno, Ivy Castro and Ivy Marie Apa, all of the Department of Fine Arts, who are all pursuing their doctorate and master's degrees in anthropology together. Two undergraduate students, Allan Palatao and John Russell, and doctorate students Atty. Zigfred Diaz and Bethlehem Ponce as well as former archaeology intern Paolo Abella complete the delegation. Except for Castro and Apa, all were involved in the excavations conducted in San Remigio.