LITERATURE EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES, INC. (LEAP, INC)
SEC. REG. No. CN201701311
TIN No. 009-525-693-000
Conference Theme
The Role of Literature and Language in Cultural Capital
Cultural capital, as defined by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, encompasses the non-financial social assets that promote social mobility beyond economic means. Literature and language are integral components of cultural capital, shaping identities, values, and worldviews. On the one hand, the study of literature enables individuals to gain insight into the human experience, fostering cultural appreciation and sensitivity. Language education, on the other hand, equips learners with the skills to communicate effectively, capacitating them to engage with diverse perspectives and navigate complex social landscapes. By bringing together diverse perspectives on literature and language teaching and learning, this conference will contribute to a deeper understanding of how literature and language can serve as powerful tools for social transformation and cultural preservation.
ICLE 2025 SPEAKERS
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Dr. Jazmin B. Llana
College of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University, Manila
Jazmin Badong Llana is a professor of drama, theater and performance studies at the Department of Literature, De La Salle University. In Philippine academia she pioneered the teaching and practice of performance studies and has organized academic conferences and other events that explored the productive uses of the performance paradigm in the context of the Philippines. She is the president of Performance Studies international and is an associate editor of Performance Research, the Routledge journal of the performing arts. She is a member of the Executive Council of the National Committee on Dramatic Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. She is a member of the CHED Technical Panel for the Performing Arts. Her research interests are in the areas of cultural performance, religion and performance, performance and politics, and the radical potentials of performance as method
Dr. Aneeta Sundararaj
Author, Taperstry of the Mind and Other Stories
Penguin Random House Southeast Asia
Aneeta Sundararaj is an award winning short story writer and a number of her stories have been included in a collection called 'Tapestry of the Mind and Other Stories' (Penguin Random House SEA, June 2024). Aneeta trained and practised as a lawyer before pursuing her dream of writing. She has also been published in many magazines, ezines and journals, including more than 250 feature articles in the Malaysian newspaper, the 'New Straits Times'. Her book projects include her bestselling novel, 'The Age of Smiling Secrets' which was shortlisted for the Anugerah Buku 2020 organised by the National Library of Malaysia and is currently being translated into Bahasa Indonesia. She has spoken at various festivals such as Ubud Readers and Writers Festival 2024, Bangalore International Literature Festival 2024, Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters, India 2025 and Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2025. Throughout, Aneeta continued to pursue her academic interests and, in 2021, successfully completed a doctoral thesis entitled ‘Management of Prosperity Among Artistes in Malaysia’. To know more about her work, visit her websites:http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com and http://aneetasundararaj.com.
Dr. Ma. Rhodora Ancheta
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
Dr. Maria Rhodora G. Ancheta is a professor at the Department of English and Comparative Literature at the University of the Philippines at Diliman and is currently the coordinator for the English Studies: Literature (Anglo-American Literature) Program, teaching American literature. She specializes in humor studies, especially on humor and popular cultural forms in Filipino and American culture, and in everyday life and domestic cultures, sociology of the body, and the Bakhtinian carnivalesque. Her book, Halakhak: National Humor in Filipino Popular Cultural Forms (2017), was nominated for the National Book Award for Best Literary Criticism, and she contributed to the National Book Award winning books, Philippine Modernities: Music, Performing Arts, and Language, 1880-1941 (2018), and Saysay Himig: A Sourcebook on Philippine Music History 1880-1941 (2018).
She was a past research fellow at the Center for Popular Cultural Studies at Bowling Green State University at Bowling Green, Ohio. She was a fellow of the USIS Summer Institute at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She was also a Visiting Professor at the National Huaqiao University in Quanzhou, China, and was deputy director for editorial at the University of the Philippines Press, and was president of the American Studies Association of the Philippines.
Dr. Ravelina Velasco
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Central Luzon State University, Nueva Ecija
Dr. Ravelina R. Velasco is the Vice President for Academic Affairs and former Dean of the College of Fisheries at Central Luzon State University (CLSU). An esteemed researcher in aquaculture, she has contributed to tilapia breeding, sustainable fisheries, and technology commercialization. With a Doctorate in Aquaculture, she led the Philippine National Tilapia Breeding Program and initiatives on probiotics in pond culture. Her leadership helped CLSU achieve AUN QA certification, develop new programs, and expand global partnerships. Dr. Velasco’s work bridges research and industry, advancing fisheries science and higher education in the Philippines.
Dr. Christopher P. Monterola
Asian Institute Management, Makati City
Dr. Christopher Monterola is a well-published physicist, machine learning scientist, educator, and technology advisor. He holds the Aboitiz Chair in Data Science and is a full professor at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), where he is the founding head of the Aboitiz School of Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (ASITE). He also leads the Analytics, Computing, and Complex Systems (ACCeSs) lab as Principal Scientist and Executive Managing Director. Chris has mentored over 200 data scientists and physicists, including 12 PhDs, across various sectors, both locally and internationally. His Complexity Science and AI R&D expertise has driven multi-million-dollar projects in the Philippines and Singapore, benefiting enterprises, governments, and society. Beyond academia, Dr. Monterola serves as the Lead Independent Director at Xurpas ($X), a publicly listed tech company, and has been a key consultant in several Philippine companies' and government agencies' digital transformation efforts. He played a pivotal role in shaping the National AI Roadmap for the Philippines, serves on the EDCOM2 Standing Committee, and sits on the advisory committee for the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028. In recognition of his accomplishments, Dr. Monterola was conferred the rank of Academician in 2020 by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), the highest recognition and scientific advisory body of the Philippines. As an academician, he is a lifelong advisor to the President and government on science and technology matters.