Author: Emmanuel Luis A. Romanillos
Alternate names: Prof. Luigi Roma
Title: Professor of Spanish and Italian
Born: 19 August
Bio: **Emmanuel Luis Apuhin Romanillos** is a retired Full Professor 6 of Italian, Spanish and Latin at the Department of European Languages, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City (1986-2015). As class valedictorian, he finished grade school at South Elementary School (1963) and high school at Colegio de Santo Tomas-Recoletos (1967), both in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental. In April 1971, he graduated from Casiciaco Recoletos with an AB Classical degree. In October 1978, he obtained his Church History Licentiate magna cum laude from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. He pursued doctoral studies in Hispanic Literature at UP Diliman. He earned a Diploma de Lengua y Cultura Españolas from the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo in Santander, Spain. In 1986-2015, he taught Chabacano Literature, Latin and Spanish at UP Diliman. He further taught over twenty courses in Italian language, literature, translation, research methods, culture and civilization. He taught Philippine Church History at the University of Negros-Occidental-Recoletos in Bacolod City in the summer of 1980 and at the Recoletos School of Theology in 2008-2009 Furthermore, he gave classes on the History of the Augustinian Recollects at Seminario Mayor-Recoletos Baguio City in 1979, at Saint Ezekiel Moreno Novitiate-Recoletos Antipolo City, and two O.A.R.History lectures at the "mes de preparación para la profesión solemne" held at Talavera House of Prayer and at Casiciaco Recoletos Seminary

Prof. Romanillos received four professorial chairs from the University of the Philippines Diliman and did extensive research on the Chabacano Language, Dagohoy Revolt, the 19th-century revolutionary Creole friar from Manila Fray José Celiz, and the Chabacano sarsuwela. 

A teacher since 1975, Prof. Romanillos taught at Colegio «San Agustín» (Valladolid, Spain), Casiciaco Recoletos (Baguio), Far Eastern University (Manila), University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (Bacolod), Lyceum of the Philippines University (Manila), Miriam College (Quezon City), Recoletos School of Theology (Quezon City), San Sebastian College (Manila) and Carlos P. Romulo School of Diplomacy of the Foreign Service Institute (Pasay) and Magsaysay Institute of Shipping (Dasmariñas, Cavite). 

A prolific writer, he authored The Spires of San Sebastian (1991), Saint Ezekiel Moreno, Curate of Las Piñas (1992), Bishop Ezekiel Moreno, an Augustinian Recollect Saint among Filipinos (1993), San Carlos Parish Yesterday and Today (1995), The Augustinian Recollects in the Philippines: Hagiography and History (2001), Chabacano Studies (2006), The Augustinian Recollect History of Mindanao. 1622-1919. Essays and Documentary Sources (2007), and Life and Spirituality of Saint Ezekiel Moreno (2008). He co-authored The World in Perspective (1987), El Alma de España en Filipinas (1995), and The Other Stories. 1900-1910. English Translation of Selected Philippine Short Stories in Spanish (2002). His translation work Dulaan: ensayo sobre teatro filipino (1990) was published by the Cultural Center of the Philippines. His articles are found in such books as Cavite Cultura e Historia (2002), Tubod: The Heart of Bohol (2004), Recoletos: History, Legacy and Culture (2005) and Missions: Sharing the Faith. Building Lives (2008). He authored various papers in such journals as Recollectio, OAR Research Quarterly, UP Linguæ et Litteræ, Journal of History, and The Recoletos Observer, Recoletos Update, Quaerens (Journal of Theology and Pastoral Life of the Recoletos School of Theology) and Pintakasi (Cultural Heritage Journal of the CBCP Cultural Heritage Commission). 

Prof. Romanillos was made "Adopted Son" of Loay in Bohol Island by the Sangguniang Bayan in 2006, for successfully defending the Loay side at the Symposium on the Blood Compact Exact Site held at the National Historical Institute (now National Historical Commission of the Philippines) in Manila in 2004.  In 2008, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of San Carlos City commended Prof. Romanillos in its Resolution No. 08-391 and gave him recognition “for his outstanding work and excellent performance in the academe (language and culture).”  

Often invited to deliver lectures at international, national and local conferences, seminars and symposia, Prof. Romanillos talks on Bohol, Chabacano language and literature, Recollect cultural heritage and history. He is a founding member of the inactive Church Historians' Association of the Philippines. He is the Director of the Academia Filipina de la Lengua Española, correspondiente de la Real Academia Española since 2016, having been its member and project coordinator since 2005 and 2011, respectively.