Former UST archivist Prof. Regalado Jose Jr. (left) takes his oath as the new chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on July 12. (NHCP photo)

THE UST archivist behind the digitalization of the UST Archives has been appointed as chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

Prof. Regalado Jose Jr., who was UST’s chief archivist from 2011 to 2021, took his oath as chair of the NHCP on July 12. He replaced Lisa Guerrero-Nakpil, who was appointed in March. 

“Professor Jose is renowned for his expertise in the cultural heritage of Philippine churches,” the NHCP said in a Facebook post welcoming its new chair. “He is also a leading researcher, scholar, and educator, playing a pivotal role in modernizing the (UST) Archives. 

Jose was earlier appointed as a regular board member of the NHCP. He was named to the board in May alongside Assoc. Prof. Eloisa de Castro of the UST Department of History. 

Jose was commissioner of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts from 2011 to 2013, during which he led its monuments and sites and archives committees.

An expert on sacred art, architecture, and history, Jose helped establish the UST Graduate School Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics in 2003. 

He teaches cultural heritage studies at the UST Graduate School. 

During his tenure as chief archivist, Jose led the modernization of the UST Archives by pushing for the digitization of rare documents through the Miguel de Benavides Digital Library. 

Jose holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and a master’s degree in Philippine studies, both of which he earned at the University of the Philippines Diliman. 

Among the accolades he has earned are the 1999 Cultural Center of the Philippines Centennial Award for Arts and the 2011 Basic Research Achievement Award in Humanities from the National Research Council of the Philippines. 

Jose took his oath before National Museum of the Philippines Director Jeremy Barns.

LEAVE A REPLY

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.