Graciano's Dirty Fingers Book Launch and Panel Discussion

The National Museum of the Philippines - Iloilo and the Friends of UP Visayas High School Foundation, Inc. invited to the book launch of Graciano’s Dirty Fingers (Author: Emmanuel Lerona; Editors: Dr. Ma. Luisa E. Mabunay, Marilynn Quigley, & Francisco G. Villanueva), an updated archival-historiographical biography of Graciano López Jaena, grounded in newly recovered primary sources from the Philippines and Spain, including letters, periodicals, official records, and unpublished documents. Published by the Friends of UP Visayas High School Foundation, the book reexamines Graciano's political thought, journalistic work, networks in Spain, and role in the Propaganda Movement, situating him within broader Spanish republican and anti-colonial currents of the late nineteenth century. By revisiting disputed narratives and overlooked evidence, the book provides a more historically grounded understanding of López Jaena’s life, ideology, and legacy.

The launch frames the book not only as a scholarly contribution but also as a public invitation to rethink how Filipinos engage with archives, memory, and historical interpretation.

To deepen this conversation, the program includes a panel discussion on “Historiography as Counter-Archive,” featuring:

• Dr. Genevieve Asenjo, writer and literary scholar whose work interrogates archipelagic thinking, narrative, and cultural ecologies;
• Dr. Ma. Luisa Mabunay, Philippine studies scholar, historian, and editor whose expertise anchors the project’s methodological rigor;
• Prof. Stephen B. Alayon, information specialist known for advancing archival access, research data management, and the use of emerging technologies in community-centered preservation;
• Mia Fe Lopez-Cruz, 4th generation descendant of Graciano, and President, Dr. Graciano Lopez Jaena Foundation; and
• Berks Joseph Barrios Tan, a Social Studies scholar whose work engages historical research, heritage preservation, heritage preservation, and advocacy in human rights and civic participation.

Together, they will explore how historical research can function as a counter-archive—challenging dominant narratives, surfacing marginalized or silenced voices, and expanding what is possible in evidence-based storytelling in the age of digital tools, AI-assisted research, and open-access knowledge infrastructures.

THIS IS A FREE EVENT!

A limited number of copies of the book will be available at the launch for a LAUNCH PRICE of Php 600.00. Exclusively prior to the launch and for a limited time only, you may also pre-order a copy at Php 400.00 through this link:

https://forms.gle/GxE9YdQkRsJMX95c6
https://forms.gle/GxE9YdQkRsJMX95c6
https://forms.gle/GxE9YdQkRsJMX95c6
https://forms.gle/GxE9YdQkRsJMX95c6