10th Philippine Maritime Heritage Forum: Bridging Science, Heritage, and the Future of the Sea

Photo by AIMS Museo Maritimo

October 21, 2026 – Pasay City, NCR, Philippines

Article by AIMS Museo Maritimo Team

The upcoming 10th Philippine Maritime Heritage Forum (PMHF) on October 24, 2026, brings together scholars, researchers, heritage advocates and other stakeholders to explore the relationship between the maritime world and the marine environment. For generations, the sea has sustained Filipino communities through livelihood, travel, trade, and culture. At the same time, increasing human activity has placed growing pressure on marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

Photo of 10th PMHF Speakers.

With the theme “Bridging the Maritime and Marine World for a Sustainable Future,” the forum will bring perspectives from science, history, cultural heritage, and traditional knowledge. This year’s discussions highlight how understanding our maritime past and present can help shape more thoughtful and sustainable ways of living with the ocean.

The forum begins with “Bridging Science and the Sea: Building Coastal Stewardship through Community, Conservation, and Collaboration” by Dr. Chona Camille VinceCruz-Abeledo of De La Salle University–Manila. The presentation explores how scientific knowledge, local experience, and traditional knowledge can work together to strengthen coastal conservation and community stewardship.

Dr. Arleigh Ross Dela Cruz, also from De La Salle University–Manila, will present “Between Port and Pasture: Cattle Importation, Quarantine, and Regulations on Livestock Movement in the Colonial Philippines, 1902–1934.” The study examines how colonial livestock policies, quarantine measures, and regulations extended from ports to provincial communities, reveal connections between maritime transportation, customs administration, agriculture, public health, and state control.

Meanwhile, Asst. Prof. Ian Dale B. Rios of Cebu Normal University will discuss “Maritime Spaces as Vital Local Cultural Heritage Sites in the Philippines.” Drawing from coastal communities in Cebu, the presentation examines traditional boatbuilding, ethnoastronomy, local knowledge, and the ways marine ecosystems and cultural heritage are deeply interconnected.

Rounding out the presentations is Dr. Romeo Toring, Jr. of the University of San Carlos with “Pagpanday sa Baroto ug Paglayag sa Barko: Changing Maritime Traditions of the Philippines from Cebu, the Visayas and beyond.” The lecture traces the evolution of Philippine boatbuilding and maritime traditions, from early Visayan vessels and the Galleon Trade to modern fishing boats, commercial vessels, and the continuing challenges faced by traditional boatbuilders.

More than a conference, the 10th Philippine Maritime Heritage Forum seeks to become a vehicle for dialogue by connecting maritime heritage with stewardship, and the past with our shared responsibility for the future of the sea.

10th PMHF Program.

Through collaboration across disciplines and communities, the forum underscores a vital message which is, protecting maritime heritage means not only remembering our relationship with the sea, but also working together to ensure that both people and marine ecosystems can continue to thrive.