University of Hawai'i at Manoa

The Center's logo is a modernized, artistic rendition of the Maranao sun by Corky Trinidad . The letter "P" inside the sun stands for "Philippines." Bright colors of yellow and violet are added to the original drawing to suggest the color preference of the Maranao people. These colors, together with others, have inspired this site throughout its development. Why the choice of Maranao? The Maranao are a group of people from Lake Lanao, on the island of Mindanao, some 500 miles south of Manila, who represent one of the oldest civilizations (Islam) in the old world. Islam antedates the arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippines by at least 100 years, where Ferdinand Magellan and his crew introduced the Catholic religion in 1521.