Philippine Democracy Online

By Christopher Ryan Maboloc, PhD  Modern schools are like factories. Schools produce doctors, engineers, nurses, etc. The curriculum is the operating manual. The central figure is no longer that young individual who is in search of knowledge. The emphasis has been policy, rules and regulations, outcomes or measurable outputs, reducing everything into some product or tool. Students no longer wonder. They are far more concerned about their grades, or in the case of schools, rankings. . Where did all of this start? In 1979, the former secretary of education in the country talked about developing students to become productive citizens. This means that what we are fashioning out of the classroom are the future labor force of industries. But what this means for elite schools is actually more appalling. We are creating future oppressors who, as drivers of the globalized economy, will be taking advantage of the powerless. The infatuation with outcomes simply means that we have reduced the ...

By Menelito Mansueto (Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology) Department of Philosophy Looking at my own journey both as a philosophy enthusiast and as a struggling educator back then beginning as a young graduate of philosophy in early 2000, I have some significant points of reflection to offer for the present generation of graduates or students in Philosophy – the so-called millennials. In my case, the primary reason why I took Philosophy as a baccalaureate course was because I was under seminary formation in which case a four-year degree in Philosophy is mandatory. During my first semester as a freshman, honestly, I had no idea at all what Philosophy was, and why I was taking it at all. As a student in a university run by our own congregation, we had the privilege to simply attend classes without having to worry about enrollment concerns. Thanks to the SVD missionaries who formerly have a college seminary formation in Cebu back in the day which granted us the pri...

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...

By Christopher Ryan Maboloc, PhD  Our educators are mistaken to think of technology as instrumental and neutral. Modern technology cannot be separated from the context of the society in which it operates. The use of technology in this regard embodies a certain kind of thinking that is rooted in techno-rationality. Technology, for Andrew Feenberg, "contains and delegates values and interests" that usually favor the powerful in society. In fact, Feenberg sees technology as a "disaster" for humankind.  Some people assume that technology always helps in various areas of life when in truth, it is just another manifestation of the privilege of the elite. It is clear that poor kids are left behind when it comes to learning using ICT (Information and Communications Tech). What is terribly missed is the understanding that modern gadgets, mobile phones, and internet connectivity also concern issues of access and ergo, economic justice. In this sense, the mindset that modern t...

By Christopher Ryan Maboloc, PhD A new born child should not be seen as a mouth to feed, but one who is a source of joy or basically, a blessing from God. This child, regardless of the emotions of his or her parents and the rationalizations of other peoplr, is a product of love. Our job as responsible citizens is to help create a happy society for this child, ensuring that this human being will be able to live the good life. Part of this task is economic, part of it rests in our ethical responsibilities. We do not live in an ideal world but we must face reality. Environmental degradation cannot be blamed on poor countries. The global rich treat poor countries as a source of raw materials, including cheap labor. Cobalt mining in the Congo kill people there and put thousands in abject misery, yet the Big Tech companies that use the mineral amass billions if not trillions of dollars in revenues annually, yet the advantage has been one-sided. The idea of sustainable progress or development...

In my short stay in Baguio City, I had the pleasure to meet two of its philosophy scholars and book authors, Dr. Gleemoore Makie of Urdaneta City University, who taught previously at the Philippine Military Academy, and Dr. Charlie Dagwasi, philosophy professor and dean at Benguet State University. Our conversations focused on the efforts of fellow philosophy and ethics researchers from the northern part of the country in exploring the wealth of local wisdom and at the same time, in enhancing the content of two general elective courses (Ethics and Logic). I missed my supposed to be meeting with Dr. Danilo Alterado by 15 minutes, as he already left the Saint Louis University Campus. Dr. Makie, who was my former student at the Ateneo de Davao, shared great stories about his colleague, Prof. Lian Giangan, who teaches presently at the PMA. This nice conversation took place over lunch while I tried the exquisite taste of Baguio's version of the dinuguan. Dr. Makie showed me his books, i...

By Gerry F. Arambala What I think is needed by the present generation is a philosophy that is capable of going into the ground and digging deep into the depths of every Filipino’s conscious experience and rationalizations.  A radical philosophy embodies every Filipino's thoughts and aspirations without disqualifying those whose thoughts might go against another as each tries to nurture his or her own unique experience.  Radical Filipino philosophy is a way of escaping the center. It is a form of indigenous philosophy marked by rigor and inclusivity and accepts the value and legitimacy of the lasting struggle for authentic emancipation. The following names have novel contributions to thought, expressing the Filipino condition in bold ways - Leonardo Mercado, Romualdo Abulad, Karl Gaspar, Florentino Timbreza, Emerita Quito, Jeff Ocay, Romulo Bautista, and Ruby Suazo.