Gov’t backs UK university’s Phl studies program

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government has provided the University of London in the United Kingdom with a P5-milliom gift agreement to support various activities of its Philippine studies program.

Philippine Ambassador to the UK Antonio Lagdameo recently met with Baroness Valerie Amos, director of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London, to sign the gift agreement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Sen. Loren Legarda, the main sponsor of the project, also attended the signing of the agreement.

The funding will support various academic activities and projects to advance Philippine studies at the university from 2017 to 2020.

Included in the project is a series of academic activities that include workshops, conferences, language curriculum program, research and travel grants, digitization of SOAS Philippine materials, and administrative work for the establishment of a Philippine Studies Center within the university.

“We welcome this academic collaboration between the Philippine embassy and SOAS, a first of its kind in the UK. We very much look forward to expanding this meaningful partnership between the Philippines and SOAS,” Lagdameo said.