What Filipino Philosophy Really Meant to Me
By Menelito Mansueto, MA A few weeks ago, Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc wrote a short piece, “Doing Philosophy in the Philippines: My Take." That article provoked me to write my own with regard to this long controversy surrounding what has since become an issue - the meaning of Filipino Philosophy. After all, nobody has the exclusive authority to interpret what Filipino Philosophy is. Every definition is expected to be influenced by particular biases and cultural prejudice. In my capacity as a writer, I would also like to share my thoughts regarding this issue. My involvement in Philosophy almost comprised my entire adult life. I began my journey as a seminarian in the SVD in 1998. In my early years in the formation, we woke up, dined, and engaged with religious brothers and priests who happen to be our formators. Bro. Romualdo Abulad was one of them. At that age though, I cannot figure it out his exact contribution to Filipino philosophy. But he was a mentor both intellectually a...