On the occasion of the visit to Malaga of a delegation from the Ateneo de Manila University and, specifically, to the Economic Society of Friends of the Country as part of the Casa America project in Malaga, the founding members of the Spanish-Philippine Cultural Society signed the act of constitution of the association in the company of several members of the Faculty of Law of the Ateneo de Manila University, headed by its dean José María Hofileña.
The founders are José Antonio Sierra Lumbreras, José Manuel de Torres Perea, Antonio Quesada Sánchez, David Cuevas Góngora, Francisco Ruiz Noguera, Jorge Villalobos Portalés and Jorge Chauca García, representing civil society and the Faculties of Law, Philosophy and Arts and Education Sciences of the University of Malaga.
As recalled by Jorge Chauca García, one of the founders, the objectives of the Society are: to promote cultural, educational, artistic, touristic, sporting and commercial relations of the city and province of Malaga, as well as Andalusia, with the Philippines; to contribute to the development of Malaga's relations with the Filipino communities in Spain; to spread the legacy of Professor Rubén Balane for being the greatest promoter of the recovery of academic ties between the Philippine and Spanish universities; and to collaborate with Philippine and Malaga institutions, as well as with the University of Malaga.
The unveiling of the plaque in honour of Ruy López de Villalobos in his birthplace will take place on Wednesday 20 April at 18:00 hours. The Malaga-born Ruy López de Villalobos was the captain of the expedition that drew up the first cartographic map of the Philippines and laid the foundations for locating the best route for the voyage of discovery. He was also the one who baptised these islands (until then called the islands of the West) with the name of the Philippines, in honour of the then Prince of Asturias.
Submitted by José Antonio Sierra, Hispanismo advisor.