Ambeth Ocampo
Encyclopedia
Ambeth R. Ocampo is a multi-awarded Filipino
historian, academic, journalist, and author best known for his writings about Philippines' national hero José Rizal
and for "Looking Back", his bi-weekly editorial page column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer
. He became the chair of the Philippines' National Historical Institute
in 2002 and of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts
in 2005.
from primary, secondary and tertiary levels but attained his BA and MA in Philippine Studies from De La Salle University
, Manila. He took graduate courses in the University of the Philippines (Diliman)
and later read for a DPhil in Southeast Asian History at the University of London
School of Oriental and African Studies
(SOAS). His postgraduate work was interrupted in 1993 when he entered the Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, Manila where he was known as Dom. Ignacio Maria, OSB. He left the monastery in 1997 but still considers returning sometime in the future.
. In 1990, the Philippine Daily Inquirer took on Ocampo and his column. In December 1996, to commemorate the centennial of Jose Rizal, Ocampo and the Inquirer published a series of front-page articles about Rizal which won the first LRP Award for Journalism. The series was later integrated into an expanded edition of Rizal Without the Overcoat. When Ocampo was appointed chair of the National Historical Institute and later elected chair of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared she was an ardent reader of Ocampo's newspaper column, admiring his writings because he "makes history so approachable."
, Vietnam
, and North Korea
as well as Executive Programs on culture with France
, Mexico
, and the People's Republic of China
. He served as Chairman of the National Historical Commission 2002-2011 and concurrently as Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts 2005-2007.
Prior to these national government positions, he served as Co-Chair, with Carmen Guerrero Nakpil
, of the Manila Historical Commission 1996-1998.
He recently weathered criticism over his attempt to enforce the existing Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines by reminding artists singing the Philippine national anthem at international boxing bouts of the proper way to sing the anthem, and his controversial decision to paint the Rizal clan house green - to teach Filipinos the origin of the word "rizal" that came from "ricial" meaning a green field ready for harvest.
He successfully worked for the passage of Republic Act 10086 restoring the National Historical Institute into the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Passed in record time, less than a year, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the measure into law in May 2010. Under the new law, the former NHI is reorganized, expanded, its duties and powers clarified and strengthened.
and Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines (Diliman). He is also a member of the Board of Regents, Universidad de Manila
(formerly City College of Manila) where he served as President and Vice-President for Academic Affairs 1996-1998.
On April 23, 2008, Ocampo gave a lecture entitled "Bridging the cultural and generation gap among second generation Filipinos in Europe" at the Philippine Embassy in Vienna
.
He has held appointments as visiting research fellow in: Kyoto University; Sophia University, Tokyo; and Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.
His personal and official papers, notes and correspondence are deposited in the University of the Philippines Archives in Diliman, Quezon City
.
A collector of Filipiniana his extensive library is divided between: his home in Makati City
; Holy Angel University
, Angeles, Pampanga
; the Center for Southeast Asian Studies Library, Kyoto University;
In recognition of his work in cultural administration and his contributions to Philippine history, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines
conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Public Administration, honoris causa, in December 2008.
in these categories: Essay, Literary HIstory, and Bibliography. He also won a Premio Manuel Bernabe awarded by the then Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Espana en Filipinas and a Premio Quijano de Manila from the Instituto Cervantes
Manila. He was elected National Fellow for Essay by the University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center (1995–1996).
He was a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar (2000) and Research Fellow, Kyoto University
Center for Southeast Asian Studies (2003) and Senior Fellow, Asian Public Intellectual Program awarded by the Nippon Foundation (2010). His other awards include: TOYM Ten Outstanding Young Men (History) in 1997, Gawad Balagtas lifetime achievement award (Essay) from the Writers Union of the Philippines, 2006 MetroBank Outstanding Teacher Award, Gatpuno Villegas Award/ Patnubay ng Sining one of the highest awards given by the City of Manila for Culture (2007).
He holds the rank of Commander in the Order of the Knights of Rizal
, and the Encomienda [Commander] de la Orden del Merito Civil conferred by the Kingdom of Spain for his contribution to the success of the State visit of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in December 2007.
In June 2008, he was conferred the rank of Officier in the Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the Republic of France for his contributions to the arts and letters as: writer, academic, cultural administrator, and for his support of cultural exchanges between the Philippines and France.
In 2010, he was conferred one of the highest civilian awards of the Philippines, the Order of Lakandula
, Rank of Bayani for his contributions in cultural administration, the popularization of Philippine history, and for having served as Chairman of the National Historical Institute from 2002–2010, and concurrently Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts 2005-2007, without compensation.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
historian, academic, journalist, and author best known for his writings about Philippines' national hero José Rizal
José Rizal
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda , was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by...
and for "Looking Back", his bi-weekly editorial page column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
. He became the chair of the Philippines' National Historical Institute
National Historical Institute (Philippines)
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines is part of the government of the Philippines...
in 2002 and of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (Philippines)
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines is the official arts council for the Philippines.-History:In 1987, then President Corazon C. Aquino penned Executive Order No. 118 creating the Presidential Commission on Culture and Arts...
in 2005.
Educational background
Ocampo was educated in the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila UniversityAteneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
from primary, secondary and tertiary levels but attained his BA and MA in Philippine Studies from De La Salle University
De La Salle University
De La Salle University is a private Lasallian university in Malate, Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1911 by De La Salle Brothers as the De La Salle College in Paco, Manila with Blimond Pierre serving as its first director...
, Manila. He took graduate courses in the University of the Philippines (Diliman)
University of the Philippines, Diliman
The University of the Philippines Diliman , is a coeducational and public research university located in Quezon City, Philippines. It is the flagship university, seat of administration, and the fourth oldest constituent university of the University of the Philippines System...
and later read for a DPhil in Southeast Asian History at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
(SOAS). His postgraduate work was interrupted in 1993 when he entered the Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, Manila where he was known as Dom. Ignacio Maria, OSB. He left the monastery in 1997 but still considers returning sometime in the future.
Columnist
Ocampo started writing for Weekend Magazine of the Philippines Daily Express in 1985 and joined the staff soon after. His column, "Looking Back", first appeared in the Philippine Daily Globe in 1987 and he compiled the material from these columns into two bestselling books: Looking Back and Rizal Without the OvercoatRizal Without the Overcoat
Rizal Without the Overcoat is a book by Filipino writer Ambeth Ocampo, adapted from his "Looking Back" column in the Philippine Daily Globe from October 1987 to July 1990...
. In 1990, the Philippine Daily Inquirer took on Ocampo and his column. In December 1996, to commemorate the centennial of Jose Rizal, Ocampo and the Inquirer published a series of front-page articles about Rizal which won the first LRP Award for Journalism. The series was later integrated into an expanded edition of Rizal Without the Overcoat. When Ocampo was appointed chair of the National Historical Institute and later elected chair of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared she was an ardent reader of Ocampo's newspaper column, admiring his writings because he "makes history so approachable."
Government service
In 1999, Ocampo was appointed to the Board of the National Historical Institute by President Joseph Ejercito Estrada. In 2002, he was appointed NHI Chairman by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In 2005, he was elected Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Philippines. As NCCA chairman, he oversaw funding for the arts and provided support for the cultural agencies: national Library, National Archives, National Museum, etc. He emphasized culture as a main theme in diplomacy and was granted full powers to sign, for the Republic of the Philippines, Cultural Agreements with PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
as well as Executive Programs on culture with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. He served as Chairman of the National Historical Commission 2002-2011 and concurrently as Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts 2005-2007.
Prior to these national government positions, he served as Co-Chair, with Carmen Guerrero Nakpil
Carmen Guerrero Nakpil
Carmen Guerrero Nakpil is a Filipino writer and historian.She came from a literary family, which includes her brother, the diplomat and novelist León María Guerrero III, uncles Fernando María Guerrero and Manuel Guerrero who were poets and essayists, and cousin Wilfrido María Guerrero, who was a...
, of the Manila Historical Commission 1996-1998.
He recently weathered criticism over his attempt to enforce the existing Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines by reminding artists singing the Philippine national anthem at international boxing bouts of the proper way to sing the anthem, and his controversial decision to paint the Rizal clan house green - to teach Filipinos the origin of the word "rizal" that came from "ricial" meaning a green field ready for harvest.
He successfully worked for the passage of Republic Act 10086 restoring the National Historical Institute into the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Passed in record time, less than a year, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the measure into law in May 2010. Under the new law, the former NHI is reorganized, expanded, its duties and powers clarified and strengthened.
In academe
Ocampo, is currently Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of History, School of Social Sciences, Ateneo de Manila UniversityAteneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
and Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines (Diliman). He is also a member of the Board of Regents, Universidad de Manila
Universidad de Manila
The Universidad de Manila is a public university in Manila, Philippines...
(formerly City College of Manila) where he served as President and Vice-President for Academic Affairs 1996-1998.
On April 23, 2008, Ocampo gave a lecture entitled "Bridging the cultural and generation gap among second generation Filipinos in Europe" at the Philippine Embassy in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
He has held appointments as visiting research fellow in: Kyoto University; Sophia University, Tokyo; and Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.
His personal and official papers, notes and correspondence are deposited in the University of the Philippines Archives in Diliman, Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
.
A collector of Filipiniana his extensive library is divided between: his home in Makati City
Makati City
The City of Makati is one of the 17 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines and one of the major financial, commercial and economic hubs in Asia...
; Holy Angel University
Holy Angel University
Holy Angel University is a private Catholic university located in Angeles City, Philippines. Founded in 1933, it is considered the first Catholic school in the country that was founded by the laity as well as the first Catholic high school that was co-educational .Sitting on a...
, Angeles, Pampanga
Pampanga
Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...
; the Center for Southeast Asian Studies Library, Kyoto University;
In recognition of his work in cultural administration and his contributions to Philippine history, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
The Polytechnic University of the Philippines commonly known as PUP is a public research university in the Philippines. It was founded on October 19, 1904 as the Manila Business School, offering commerce-related courses...
conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Public Administration, honoris causa, in December 2008.
Published works
Some of Ocampo's more popular books (most still available in print today) include:- The Paintings of E. Aguilar Cruz (1986)
- Looking Back (1990)
- Rizal Without the OvercoatRizal Without the OvercoatRizal Without the Overcoat is a book by Filipino writer Ambeth Ocampo, adapted from his "Looking Back" column in the Philippine Daily Globe from October 1987 to July 1990...
(1990, revised 2008) - Makamisa: The Search for Rizal's Third Novel (1993, revised 2008)
- Aguinaldo's BreakfastAguinaldo's BreakfastAguinaldo's Breakfast and More Looking Back Essays is a book by Filipino writer Ambeth Ocampo. It contains his Philippine Daily Globe columns which were not published in his earlier books. It also includes longer pieces that were published in the Weekend Magazine, the Sunday supplement of the...
(1993) - A Calendar of Rizaliana in the Vault of the Philippine National Library (1993, revised 2011)
- Bonifacio's Bolo (1995)
- Teodora Alonso (1995, reprinted 2008)
- Talking History: Conversations with Teodoro A. Agoncillo (1995, revised 2011)
- Mabini's Ghost (1995)
- Luna's Moustache (1997)
- The Centennial Countdown (1998)
- Meaning and History: The Rizal Lectures (2001, revised 2011)
- Bones of Contention: The Bonifacio Lectures (2001)
- 60 Years and Bon Vivant: Philippine-French Relations (As editor, 2008)
- 101 Stories of the Philippine Revolution (Revised edition of The Centennial Countdown, 2008)
- Looking Back (new edition, 2010)
- Dirty Dancing: Looking Back 2 (2010)
- Death by Garrote: Looking Back 3 (2010)
- "Chulalongkorn's elephant: Looking Back 4 (2011)
Honors, awards, and decorations
Ocampo has won three National Book AwardsPhilippine National Book Awards
The Philippine National Book Awards, or simply the National Book Awards, is a Philippine literary award sponsored by the NBDB and the MCC . It is the national book award of the Philippines...
in these categories: Essay, Literary HIstory, and Bibliography. He also won a Premio Manuel Bernabe awarded by the then Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Espana en Filipinas and a Premio Quijano de Manila from the Instituto Cervantes
Instituto Cervantes
The Cervantes Institute is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes , the author of Don Quixote and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature...
Manila. He was elected National Fellow for Essay by the University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center (1995–1996).
He was a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar (2000) and Research Fellow, Kyoto University
Kyoto University
, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
Center for Southeast Asian Studies (2003) and Senior Fellow, Asian Public Intellectual Program awarded by the Nippon Foundation (2010). His other awards include: TOYM Ten Outstanding Young Men (History) in 1997, Gawad Balagtas lifetime achievement award (Essay) from the Writers Union of the Philippines, 2006 MetroBank Outstanding Teacher Award, Gatpuno Villegas Award/ Patnubay ng Sining one of the highest awards given by the City of Manila for Culture (2007).
He holds the rank of Commander in the Order of the Knights of Rizal
Knights of Rizal
The Order of the Knights of Rizal is a fraternal organization created to honor and uphold the ideals of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal. Established on December 30, 1911 the organization was granted a legislative charter by the President of the Philippines as a civic and patriotic organization...
, and the Encomienda [Commander] de la Orden del Merito Civil conferred by the Kingdom of Spain for his contribution to the success of the State visit of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in December 2007.
In June 2008, he was conferred the rank of Officier in the Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the Republic of France for his contributions to the arts and letters as: writer, academic, cultural administrator, and for his support of cultural exchanges between the Philippines and France.
In 2010, he was conferred one of the highest civilian awards of the Philippines, the Order of Lakandula
Order of Lakandula
The Order of Lakandula is one of the highest honors given by the Republic of the Philippines. It is an order of political and civic merit, awarded in memory of Lakandula’s dedication to the responsibilities of leadership, prudence, fortitude, courage and resolve in the service of one’s people.Its...
, Rank of Bayani for his contributions in cultural administration, the popularization of Philippine history, and for having served as Chairman of the National Historical Institute from 2002–2010, and concurrently Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts 2005-2007, without compensation.