Filipino historian gets Spanish university’s highest honors
AFILIPINO historian was recognized with the highest academic honors by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid— Spain’s most prestigious academic institution.
Dr. Ros Costelo was given the mark of sobresaliente cum laude—the highest possible mark that can be bestowed by the Spanish educational system—after the presentation of her doctoral thesis: “Public Works and the Spanish Colonial Agenda of Sanitation, Order and Social Control in the Late 18th to 19th Century Manila.” She defended her thesis on January 28 before a panel composed of some of the most well-known historians from both Spain and the Philippines.
In her dissertation, Costelo detailed the way Spanish colonial policies helped or hindered the lives of Manileños through the creation of public works such as water systems, public streets and lighting, slaughterhouses, public markets and cemeteries. The panel lauded her work for its original research and its contribution to the study of colonial life in the waning days of the Spanish empire in the Philippines, with her research having produced several original maps of Manila in the 1800s drawn solely from her analysis of archival texts.
The historian’s writing analyzed and documented not just the physical infrastructure created by Spain’s colonial power, but also how these works themselves served to create or reinforce existing social stratification in Manila by way of the physical control they exerted over the city’s inhabitants.
According to the Philippine Embassy in Madrid, Costelo could only exclaim “Wow!” in response when the head of the academic tribunal announced that they were awarding her the highest honors.
Overcoming odds
OBTAINING a Doctorate in Contemporary History with flying colors in a foreign country came at the end of a long road for Costelo; yet, she never forgot her family’s sacrifices to help achieve her dreams.
Hailing from the municipality of Tunga in the province of Leyte, Dr. Costelo is the sixth of eight siblings born to the late Francisco Costelo and Cleta Costelo, who is a publicschool teacher. Theirs was a classic story of a Filipino family who did everything possible to ensure an education for all of their children.
Through hard work, talent and an irrepressible passion for learning—particularly for Philippine history—dr. Costelo obtained her Bachelor’s degree in History and landed a coveted spot as a lecturer at the University of the Philippines (Up)-diliman’s History Department—a job that she said allowed her to share her passion with equally enthusiastic students.
As is often the trajectory of Filipino historians studying the colonial Philippines, she eventually found herself deep in research within Spain’s archives, and then studying for a Master’s degree at the “Universidad….” Even with the added challenge of having to learn Spanish while simultaneously studying and researching, she earned a sobresaliente in her Master’s course.
While in the midst of preparations of her doctoral thesis defense, the pandemic spread across the European country, and a lockdown eventually ensued. Dr. Costelo was not spared from contracting the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). In her own words: “Learning a foreign language and adapting to new ways of living were some of my first struggles in Spain. Last year, the pandemic brought so many uncertainties for everyone. In my case, it began with the closing of universities, libraries and archives. Also, news from home was dispiriting: Our [father passed, and my mother] got ill.”
“Then, I tested positive for Covid-19 while I was in the final stretch of thesis writing. But I carried on,” relayed Dr. Costelo. “History has taught us with many narratives of people’s responses to the challenges of the times.”
She added, “In the end, this
achievement would not have been possible, if not for the support and prayers of many people and institutions. I am beyond grateful. I hope that my work can contribute to the fuller understanding of our nation’s story.”
Way of giving back
NOTWITHSTANDING the demands of her studies and obligations to her students in UP Diliman, Dr. Costelo still found ways to give back to the Filipino community during the lockdown in Spain—including her participation as a resource speaker and moderator in the virtual events organized by the Philippine Embassy in Madrid.
For Dr. Costelo, it was just another way for her to share her skills and resources with her fellow Filipinos in Spain—a community that has made her feel at home in the six years she has been so far.
The “Universidad” counts ilustrados and Philippine national heroes such as Jose Rizal and Antonio Luna among its distinguished alumni.