BukSU to host first-ever Asian Biennial Conference on Forensic and Legal Linguistics in 2025

Bukidnon State University (BukSU) will host the first Asian Biennial Conference of the Philippine Association for Forensic and Legal Linguistics (PAFLL), on November 25-27, 2025, with the theme, “Language, Justice, and Indigenous Systems: Advancing Forensic and Legal Linguistics in the Asian Context.”

“Holding the 1st Asian Biennial Conference at Bukidnon State University will showcase the unique curriculum of the English Language Programs, which underscores forensic linguistics and their application to indigenous communities not only in Bukidnon but also in the region,” PAFLL President Dr. Marilu R. Madrunio said.

“Mindanao would benefit the PAFLL as an organization, the membership, the forensic linguistics community in the country and throughout Southeast Asia with its plan to have the Department of English collaborate with the University’s College of Law for this event,” Madrunio added.

Initially planned as a biennial national conference, the conference has been renamed the 1st Asian Biennial Conference to accommodate the clamor of forensic linguists in Southeast Asia to have one, following the trend of regional gatherings like the recent 5th European Conference in the UK.

The conference will feature expertise from plenary speakers based in the United Kingdom (UK) and Asia, with panel discussants from Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and Bukidnon, with BukSU leading the discussions on forensic language and the indigenous legal system: Visiting Research Fellow and Immediate Past President of the International Association for Forensic and Legal Linguistics (IAFLL), Dr. Isabel Picornell of the Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics (AIFL) will be joined by Dr. Laura Smith-Khan (University of England); PAFLL Founding President Dr. Marilu R. Madrunio; Dr. Nurshafawati Ahmad Sani of the Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin; Dr. Chuanyou Yuan of the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies; Dr. R. Dian Dia-an Muniroh of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia; Dr. Hazel Jean M. Abejuela of the Bukidnon State University; and 2023 National President of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Atty. Burt M. Estrada.

The hybrid format extends the conference’s reach to a wider audience, including those who are geographically distant or unable to attend in person, accommodating different time zones and work schedules. (BukSU – Information Unit)