11 December 2014 - Mr. Robert Charles G. Capistrano, a Filipino recipient of the Victoria Doctoral Scholarship and the Victoria Submission Scholarship of the Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) successfully defended his thesis on “Host-Guest Interactions: First-Generation Filipino Immigrants in New Zealand and Their Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFRs) from the Philippines” in October 2014. He called on Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Virginia H. Benavidez at the Philippine Embassy on November 14 and shared his academic credentials, professional background, projects, research studies, publications, and future teaching engagement at the University of the Philippines.
Dr. Capistrano attained his Doctor of Philosophy in Tourism Management from VUW in 2014, Master of Marine Management from Dalhousie University in 2007, Master of Arts in Humanities Major in Women’s Studies from St. Scholastica’s College in 2006, Certificate in Community-based Resource Management from St. Francis Xavier University, Coady International Institute in 2002, and Bachelor of Science in Biology from De La Salle University in Manila in 1998.
In outlining his teaching and research objectives, Dr. Capistrano would like to share his knowledge, skills, and expertise in tourism and hospitality management. Dr. Capistrano seeks to handle teaching courses related to tourist behavior, destination management, sustainable and nature-based tourism and share learnings derived from his doctoral dissertation on VFRs. Dr. Capistrano desires to utilize his 15-year combined academic and practical experiences in the field of community-based natural resource management, gender and development, and social dimensions of marine protected areas. He also would like to exhibit his articles on indigenous peoples’ rights published in international academic journals.
Ambassador Benavidez congratulated Dr. Capistrano for his outstanding academic achievement. His passion to continues to serve the Philippines through his many conservation projects. Ambassador Benavidez stated that, “He is truly a kind-hearted and selfless academician and practitioner who brings pride and honour to the Filipino people and we wish him every success as he goes back home and takes up a teaching position at the University of the Philippines-Asian Institute of Tourism. In his own words, Dr. Capistrano dedicated his doctoral thesis “to the Filipino immigrant-hosts of New Zealand and their visiting loved ones from the Philippines. May succeeding generations of Filipinos in New Zealand continue to fuel VFR travel and inspire research on other cultures.” He thanked the Philippine Embassy Team for all the support and assistance in his academic and professional journey in New Zealand. END