Social Ethics Society

Menelito "Migs" Mansueto is not your typical scholar. He is not the silent type "pen and paper" academician. Migs is a graduate of Holy Name University and a student of the late Eddie Babor, notably the most prominent philosopher from Bohol who was formerly the president of PHAVISMINDA. Today, the young scholar from Bohol is the rising star when it comes to critical thought and political philosophy. He has taught at the University of Santo Tomas, FEU-Diliman and presently, at Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Migs will give the Opening Remarks in the last leg of the 2021 SES Webinar Series, to be held on July 6. The series has been successful. Past speakers in the virtual event include international scholars such as Juichiro Tanabe and Layne Hartsell, and the philosopher John Weckert. Daniel Mishori of Tel Aviv University will headline the event in July. The local scholars who gave online lectures were Atty. Jamil Matalam, Prof. Ian Clark Parcon, Dr. Randy Tudy, Dr. Ro...

Dr. Daniel Mishori of Tel Aviv University will headline as Guest Lecturer in the last leg of the 2021 SES Webinar Series. The theme is "Philosophical Perspectives in the Margins". The virtual event will be held this July 6, 2021 from 2PM to 6PM. Dr. Mishori will discuss biopolitics and medical technocracy. The other speakers for this event are Mr. Gerry Arambala of La Salle University - Ozamiz, Dr. Cesar Tecson of Cor Jesu College, and Dr. Godiva Eviota of Mindanao State University - Marawi Campus. Dr. Roger Bayod will be the host of the event. The webinar is a collaboration between Cor Jesu College and the Social Ethics Society. To join, please send an email to roger.bayod@gmail.com. Registration is free.

Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc and his former research assistant Ms. Kathleen Pastrana will present a research paper on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) using the framework of the computer ethics expert and Australian philosopher John Weckert in the 17th International Public Health Conference hosted by the American University of Sovereign Nations, a global educational institution based in Arizona, USA. The paper, with the title "John Weckert's Ethics of Technology: Social Implications in the Digital Age," will tackle a host of issues, including monitoring, surveillance, the right to privacy and the role of women in ICT. Ms. Pastrana is a Mass Communication graduate and formerly the Public Information Officer of the University of Southeastern Philippines. The virtual conference, which will be participated in by researchers from the US, Japan, India, Turkey, Malaysia, and Spain, among others, will be held this coming May 28 & 29, 2021.

Australian philosopher Peter Singer will give the Opening Remarks in the Philosophical Society of the University of the Philippines - Los Baños Conference this coming May 22, 2021. The theme of the undergraduate conference is "Timeless Pillars Reaching New Horizons."  Vice President Leni Robredo will also deliver a message in the virtual event. The two plenary speakers are Dr. Jacklyn Cleofas of UPLB and Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc of Ateneo de Davao University. The two speakers were classmates in the class of Dr. Leovino Garcia at the Ateneo de Manila University.

La Salle University Ozamiz Philosophy Chair Gerry Arambala gave a talk on temporality to San Pedro College students in Davao City last May 12, 2021. The short lecture combined the Heideggerian concept of time and physical time which is often linear. The speaker has written studies in metaphysics, the capability approach and global poverty. He studied in Italy as a young seminarian. The talk, which was joined online by many students, was well-received.

The Social Ethics Society, in partnership with Cor Jesu College and La Salle University - Ozamiz, successfully conducted the 3rd leg of its 2021 Webinar Series. Asst. Prof. Menelito Mansueto of Letran gave a very scathing critique of the EDSA narrative while Dr. Rogelio Bayod discussed the state of indigenous peoples (IP) in the post-IPRA Philippines. Japanese scholar Asuna Yoshizawa of Kyoto University explored the cohabitation between Christians and Muslims in the Southern Philippines while Dean Benjiemen Labastin of La Salle put into question the thesis describing Philippine politics and society as a contested democracy. The event was hosted by Dr. Randy Tudy. LSU Philo Chair Gerry Arambala gave the rationale while Fr. Urbano Pardillo Jr. in closing pointed out the value of studying our history as people.

Fr. Michael Moga, SJ, can be considered as the singular figure who established, pursued, and developed philosophy as an academic program in the three Ateneo schools in Mindanao. He can be credited for having influenced their teaching tradition, although most of the senior faculty during the eighties actually went to Ateneo de Manila University to study for their graduate degrees. Their focus was mainly on instruction. But Fr. Moga would produce a dozen books in philosophy. Ateneo de Manila's philosophical tradition is rooted in phenomenological existentialism, a paradigm-shift that was started by Dr. Ramon Reyes and Fr. Jose Cruz, SJ. While ADMU has pioneered the teaching of philosophy in Filipino, the same did not get a headstart in the Ateneo schools in Mindanao. Perhaps, the social and historical context of Mindanao demanded another approach. Such is clear in the works of Bro. Karl Gaspar, who is an anthropologist, but might as well be described as Mindanao's foremost philos...

The Social Ethics Society, in partnership with the University of Southeastern Philippines, hosted the 1st SES-USEP Writeshop last May 6-7, 2021 at Eden Nature Park in Davao City. The hybrid even was attended by 20 in-person participants while 120+ joined online. The Keynote Speaker, USEP-CDM Dean Dr. Rec Eguia, gave an input on Futures Thinking. The other speakers were Dr. Randy Tudy, Dr. Jovito Anito, Dr. Moises Torrentira, Jr., and Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc. Pastor Samuel Cho of the Mind Institute Phils. gave a lecture on Mind Education on the second day. A critiquing session was held with Dr. Roger Bayod, SES Journal editor. The event aims at giving advice to the participants on their papers or manuscript prior to submission, helping them detect predatory journals, and providing useful suggestions on how to publish in Scopus-indexed journals.

This is the transcript of the Interview of Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc on his radical democracy project by VSU professor Beljsus Enaya. In 2017, Dr. Maboloc was awarded a research grant by Ateneo de Davao University. The research has produced several papers published in Scopus-indexed journals. He presented his research at Nagoya University in Japan in 2018. Dr. Maboloc also edited a special issue on Duterte in the SES Journal of Applied Philosophy and the 7th SES Conference was dedicated to the theme radical democracy. Dr, Maboloc was awarded the Public Intellectual Prize by the Philosophical Association of the Philippines in 2020.  INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT: 1. What motivates you in defending the Duterte regime? That is a misunderstanding. I am not defending Duterte. I am explaining why politics in Ph is contested. Also, I object to the use of the word "regime." It is a loaded term. 2. Why are there fewer Filipino philosophical thinkers who, like you, have the same or better po...

  Vision The Social Ethics Society is a premier philosophical association that is committed in developing cutting edge research and promoting the scholarly outputs of its members. Mission The Social Ethics Society organizes conferences, trainings, and seminars on applied ethics, politics and culture, development theory, and the social sciences. The outcomes of these endeavors are competent and highly capable leaders in their chosen field of expertise. They are expected to engage with state and non-state actors toward the achievement of meaningful goals that benefit Mindanao and Philippine society, as well as the global community. Goals 1. To deepen the ethical and philosophical reflections on important social, political, cultural, and development issues in the Philippines; 2. To advance the skills, abilities, and knowledge of its members through linkages, workshops, and research activities with its partner institutions and organizations;  3. To publish journals, books, monogra...

Mind Education seeks to develop good character through the virtues of prudence, charity, love and honesty which all bring peace and spiritual and moral truths found among faiths. In the flourishing of life, we welcome others, respect their dignity, toward the development of the human mind. The rights and welfare of persons are fundamental components of a society where people enjoy life in a happy and meaningful way. The society must look for unity and harmony among its people by empowering people in all sectoes. Teachers and researchers are pillars of the well-being of society. This brings the possibility of dialogue and experiences and knowledge. There is a greater need for mind education to help everyone find meaning in their daily life through interaction that envision the good of everyone in the community. The first realization is that mind education is necessary to develop the consciousness of the people on the ground. This helps the relationships among persons. The second realiza...