Dumaguete historiographer Caridad Aldecoa-Rodriguez, who died in 2011, played a crucial role in making Negros Oriental one of the country’s most historically introspective localities. A product of the strong historiographic legacy of Silliman University, she stood out for her large body of history books on the province and its capital, making her one of the first “local” historians in a country where historiography, and history teaching, has largely centered on national history.

To wit, she wrote detailed histories of the province during the American Period, during the Japanese Occupation, and during the Third Republic. She also took a look at how the province participated during the Revolution against Spain, principally through the figure of Don Diego de la Viña, whose contributions to local history was mostly forgotten until Aldecoa-Rodriguez started writing about him and made him a central figure in the province’s late 19th century story—which made Negros Oriental one of the few provinces outside of Luzon to look into its role during this crucial period. This four-part collection of the history of Negros Oriental, from the Revolution to the Republic Period, is her magnum opus—a  project largely commissioned by the Negros Oriental Provincial Government under then Governor Emilio Macias II, and was sponsored by the Toyota Foundation.

Born in Dumaguete City in 22 March 1924, Aldecoa-Rodriguez pursued an academic career with a passion for history that led her to both the University of the Philippines and Silliman University, where she spent most of her teaching career. She served as a long-time faculty member and later became Chair of the History and Political Science Department at Silliman, where she mentored generations of scholars and public servants, including Earl Jude Cleope and Carlos Magtolis Jr. Her pedagogical approach was marked by a deep respect for archival research and oral history, which she taught with rigor and enthusiasm.

Her pathbreaking history of Negros Oriental—Negros Oriental and the Philippine Revolution (1983), Negros Oriental From American Rule to the Present: A History (1990, three volumes), and History of Dumaguete City (2001)—was a pioneering work in documenting the region’s transformation from Spanish colonial times to the modern era. Her essays and monographs—often published in regional journals and anthologies—remain key references for researchers and local historians. She was also instrumental in establishing local historical societies and organizing heritage preservation efforts in Dumaguete City and beyond.

In Handulantaw, fellow historian Carlos Magtolis Jr. remembers her love for her students and her teaching: “Her unfailing kindness and generosity made [her] a source of joy to all who were under her,” he wrote in his profile of her. “As a professor of history, she had displayed a remarkable mastery of the subject and skills in teaching it. She had a flair for the dramatic and possessed an imaginative mind, which made teaching and studying history easy and very interesting. Listening to her was like watching a movie, like a war picture or a romantic and dramatic movie. Gone With the Wind easily comes to mind. She would narrate and re-enact very interesting scenes from the Battle of Waterloo, or the American Civil War, or the Japanese occupation of Silliman campus, or her very own war experiences. All her stories, grippingly told, made her students enthusiastic for the day’s lessons. Every day, she would greet with a smiling face all those who entered the classroom quietly and politely—but she would stare angrily at the latecomers and follow them until they reached their respective seats.

“Superior service marked her work,” Prof. Magtolis continues. “She was a superb teacher, skilled in pedagogy—but above all, she was a teacher of students and not merely of history subjects. Her Christian witness was an integral part of her work and a vital force in her life. She joined Silliman University with a deep devotion to the ideals of the institution and with a rich background of teaching experience. During her years at Silliman, from 1947 to 1989, she was an indefatigable worker and took her work seriously, and became a model for many of us. In her work as historian, Rodriguez was an exemplary researcher and writer.”

Her name is also listed down in the 1974 Directory of Selected Manpower in the Philippines, and in Reference Asia’s Who’s Who of Men and Women of Achievement in 1989. For her achievements, she was named an Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee in 2001, Negros Oriental Centennial Endeavor Awardee in 1990, and Outstanding Dumagueteño Awardee in 1998. Dumagueteños have her to thank for modeling a deep and abiding dedication to the education of young people, for her excellent guidance and support, and for her impeccable record as local historian, history professor, administrator, author and writer of history books.

But beyond her academic contributions, she was also a committed civic leader, involved in cultural advocacy and historical preservation. Her legacy thus lives on in the scholars she inspired and the institutions she helped build. She exemplified the scholar as public intellectual, rooted in place yet mindful of the larger national and global context. Her life’s work continues to shape how the Visayan story is told—faithfully, passionately, and with unflinching regard for truth.