First, a distinction must be made between Filipino philosophy and Filipinos doing philosophy. It's not the case that to be a Filipino philosopher, one must be writing Filipino philosophy. A Filipino scholar can be considered a philosopher even if what he or she writes is about Kant or Hegel. What Filipino philosophy means is another matter. For now, I prefer that we simply do philosophy or that we philosophize.
We must also distinguish philosophizing in terms of its formal character and in terms of what ordinary folks do. To me, the manner that I was raised by my father elicited so many questions in my mind and I believe that many among us who are into the business of thinking, also experience the same, e.g. whether you are loved, what's the meaning of life, or if there is really a god.
Of course, there's nothing original about those questions. But the point is, I just want to emphasize, not all get to ask about those things because perhaps life for other people is comfortable in some way. But to those who have had a different albeit difficult life, it is a part of the daily routine to be perplexed about the meaning of human existence. We have even come to a point where we simply have to be that radical human being that Albert Camus talks about in the The Rebel.
But going back into the distinction that I made at the outset, the debate hinges on what exactly do we mean by doing philosophy. For this reason, I try to make a distinction again between philosophy as a traditional discipline and philosophy in terms of modern scholarship, one that is heavily grounded in publishing in indexed journals and getting cited by other scholars, thereby creating an impact in one's field of expertise.
The top philosophers in the country belong to the first group. They are revered in view of their contributions to the way philosophy is done in the traditional sense. It's that type of influence that has established its mark in the identity of philosophical departments in the country. People like Emerita Quito, Florentino Timbreza, Fr. Roque Ferriols, SJ, Alfredo Co, Leonardo Mercado, Romualdo Abulad, and Manny Dy Jr., are admired as pioneers. Many look up to them as giants in their own right for their vast contributions to the practice of philosophizing in the Philippines.
The top philosophy scholars in the country belong to the second group. Here, one takes a more scientific approach in terms of ranking and classification. The standard of measure is not tradition, which is more appropriate to the older generation of thinkers, but publications in top philosophy journals. Getting published in reputable publishing houses such as the Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Springer, Taylor and Francis, and Sage is a definitive accomplishment. This gives philosophy in the Philippines a more global outlook in terms of identity and influence, which also means that local scholars like JJ Joaquin, Paolo Bolanos, Rey Pilapil, and the late Ryan Urbano, among others, are catching up with their international peers.
Suffice to say that some faculty members who are attached to and are teaching in premier schools or universities in Manila are on top due to a host of factors, including funding and an excellent research environment. But some researchers in outlier regions are catching up. In fact, the likes of a Jan Gresil Kahambing, Jeffry Ocay, and Raymundo Pavo have published excellent materials in prominent journals.
There is a group of rising researchers in the field. These are young teachers who have devoted their time and attention in doing philosophy. We usually see them attending philosophy conferences and publishing papers in high caliber journals. They constitute the vast majority of thinkers in the country in whose hands the ability and logical competence of millions of our students depend.
Finally, the extent of influence in terms of doing philosophy should not be based on ranking or the standing of universities, but in terms of how the work of any scholar for that matter has provoked discussions and debates. It's hard to fill the shoes of a giant of thought but it is harder to present new and critical ideas that can challenge established traditions when it comes to philosophical thinking and its rigor.
- Christopher Ryan Maboloc, PhD