What does it mean to be a Scholar?

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By Menelito Mansueto, MA

MSU-IIT 

One of the heated issues in academia today is the ranking of scholars based on citations. It's only in the Philippines that getting cited is a source of scorn for some. So, let's look at the facts. Being cited means that other scholars are reading your work. It doesn't mean though that your paper has no value if it's not cited. A paper has several academic purposes. In the area of scholarship, however, if one claims to be an expert on a topic or a philosopher, it's important to consider the impact of your work among your peers, here and abroad. Internationally, top scholars have thousands of citations, which makes them influential in the field. In the Philippines, especially for Philosophy, it's quite an achievement to be recognized by your peers. We can mention two names, Jeremiah Joaquin and FPA Demeterio, both from DLSU. JJ has 594 citations while Demeterio has 395 citations. JJ's work is on analytic philosophy while Demeterio deals with Filipino philosophy. Regardless of the opinion of people, facts are facts. The above implies that both are credible and reliable sources of analysis and interpretation. One of the most contentious and controversial topics today is Christopher Ryan Maboloc's work on Chantal Mouffe. Based on Google Scholar, his articles on the subject have been cited in more than 100 papers, including those authored by Fr. Raymond Festin, Jojo Abinales, and Wataru Kusaka. In other areas, Dr. Rolando Gripaldo remains an authority on Filipino philosophy, Fr. Daniel Franklin Pilario on Bourdieu, Dr. Jeffry Ocay on Marcuse, and Dr. Alfredo Co of UST on Zen Buddhism.

It is quite rare for Mindanawon scholars, who are based in the southern part of the country, to emerge as top-rated experts in philosophy. But it comes not as a surprise that Mindanao has produced an excellent breed of academics, specifically in a discipline like philosophy which requires critical skills.  Mindanao has its unique narrative and history. The late Dr. Gripaldo has long served as a professor in the Philosophy Department of MSU-Marawi before his transfer to DLSU in Manila. The Philosophy Department of MSU-Main has been in existence since the 1970s. On the other hand, Fr. Michael Moga is a Jesuit priest who has been very influential in the enduring development of Philosophy in Mindanao. He single-handedly established the Philosophy Departments in the three Ateneo schools here, Ateneo de Davao University, Xavier University, and Ateneo de Zamboanga University. During the start of the millennium, Dr. Romulo Bautista was influential in Mindanao by bringing in his brand of Marxism. At present, AdDU has produced excellent scholars as part of their roster of faculty – Maboloc is joined by Dr. Ian Clark Parcon, and Dr. Renante Pilapil, an expert on Axel Honneth. The 2024 AD Scientific Index ranks Maboloc as number 1 for Philosophy, with 10 H-Index articles. Beyond these matrices, the impact is obvious. The presence of critics actually means that the work is relevant and is a challenge to the current convention and the interpretation of the ideas of a particular philosopher. 

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