Social Ethics Society

  By Professor Menelito Mansueto  Based on my limited engagements with Peace Studies related themes, I agree and share a similar observation with my former classmate and a good friend: Dr. Bernard Caslib, of the University of the Philippines–Manila, who opines that Peace Education is a relatively new import in the Philippine educational curricula.   On my part, my exposure to Peace Studies concepts was brought to my new teaching environment in Mindanao State University System (MSU), which offers and handles the mandatory course “Fundamentals of Peace Education,” among tertiary students, an effort which brought MSU System the status and distinction as a National Peace University.    Part of my personal and scholarly growth is my encounter and collaborations with the research works of Dr. Juichiro Tanabe of Waseda University in Tokyo. Tanabe’s novel Buddhist approach to Peacebuilding Education captivates my interest in the field. Probably the most notable sch...

Academics from Mindanao and the Visayas will be presenting their respective papers on decoloniality in the SES-PUP International Ethics Conference at Waseda University in Tokyo this coming September. Dr. Anesito Cutillas of Cebu Technological University - Argao will deliver a paper entitled "Bridging the Gap: Addressing Healthcare Access and Cultural Safety in Mamanwa Communities Through Educational Empowerment," Dr. Cutillas has done extensive studies on decoloniality together with Dr. Jeffry Ocay, a leading figure in Critical Theory in the country. Prof. Oliver Perater of Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology will present his paper " A Critical Re-examination of the Dominant Assumption of Collectivism in Indigenous Filipino Cultural Identity through Individualist Framework," and Prof. Menelito Mansueto of MSU-IIT will talk about his recent study, " Antonio Gramsci’s ‘Organic’ and ‘Traditional’ Intellectuals: Their Role in the Mobilization...

  Menelito Mansueto, a faculty member of the Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology and member of the Board of Directors of the Social Ethics Society, has risen in rank in the AD World Scientific Index. He is now ranked number 19 among 79 Philosophy scholars in the Philippines.  Mansueto's growth as an academic follows the path of discipline, discovery and real commitment. As co-editor of the Philippine Democracy Online, his courage is apparent in voicing his opinion on issues of national interest. Mansueto has done novel work on indigenous thought, notably in Mindanao.  He has published papers in local and international journals, including book chapters, and has attended local and international conferences. He will present a paper in the SES-PUP International Ethics Conference at Waseda University in Tokyo this coming September.  The link to the latest rankings can be found below: https://www.adscientificindex.com/h-index-rankings/?tit_sub=Histor...

  Fr. Dexter Veloso, PhD, the President of the Social Ethics Society, will present his paper on peace building in the SES-PUP International Ethics Conference at Waseda University in Tokyo this September. Fr. Dexter is a Professor at the Saint Francis Xavier College Seminary in Davao City and the Holy Cross of Davao College. He studied at the University of Santo Tomas and later attended Ateneo de Davao University for his Master's degree under the direction of Dr. Renante Pilapil. Fr. Veloso has a doctorate degree in Global Justice and Sustainability from the American University of Sovereign Nations under the tutelage of Dr. Darryl Macer. Dr. Macer is a geneticist who attended Cambridge University. Fr. Veloso's paper will tackle the role of civil society in peace building, especially on the contributions of the Catholic Church in the effort to help establish just and democratic institutions. 

  Dr. Rogelio Bayod, the man behind the success of the Social Ethics Society as an organization, will present a seminal paper on the unique contribution of Mindanao to Philosophy in the Philippines. The Waseda Conference is itself a product of the time and effort put forward by the men and women of the SES, who are continually doing their share in the internationalization of the organization, all for the unwavering desire to enhance philosophical reflection in Mindanao by engaging with global scholars. Dr. Bayod himself has brought the likes of Dr. Darryl Macer, Dr. Daniel Mishori, and Dr. Wataru Kusaka to the campuses of Mindanao-based schools. The paper is entitled "Whispers from the Margins: Towards, Mindanawon Philosophy, Power, and Philippine Democracy." It is an attempt to reflect on the problems, issues and approach that Mindanao thinkers thought to address the challenges of our time. The paper is not meant to compete with Manila scholarship. Mindanao's small part ...

  A total of 42 Abstracts have been approved for Oral Presentation in the SES-PUP International Ethics Conference at Waseda University in Tokyo this September. This was revealed by Prof. Migs Mansueto of MSU-IIT, head of the Secretariat.  "We have presenters from Japan, Turkey and the Philippines. Academics from the top schools in the country will be joining us," according to the official statement of the Scientific Committee headed by Dr. Ian Clark Parcon of Ateneo de Davao University. The Social Ethics Society and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Center for Philosophy and the Humanities are co-organizers, in cooperation with Waseda University in Tokyo. Dr. Juichiro Tanabe of Waseda University is the conference chair. 

  Dr. Godiva Eviota-Rivera of the Mindanao State University - Marawi will present her paper on peace building in the SES-PUP International Ethics Conference this coming September 5&6, 2025 at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Her paper is "Violence Against Women Overseas Filipino Workers: Hope and Healing in Post-conflict Peacebuilding.” The international event will be attended by Filipino, Japanese, and other foreign scholars, including those from Waseda University, the University of Ankara, Toyo University, Keio University, the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, MSU-IIT, University of Santo Tomas, UPLB, CTU Argao, and the University of San Carlos, among others. The keynote speakers in the event are Dr. Rhee Maji (Waseda), Dr. Ian Clark Parcon (AdDU), Dr. Juichiro Tanabe (Waseda), Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc (AdDU), and Dr. Napoleon Mabaquiao (DLSU). Dr. Eviota-Rivera's presentation is sponsored by the Social Ethics Socie...

  Menelito Mansueto, a faculty member of the Philosophy Department of Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology, is in Marburg, Germany to attend the Southeast Asian University Partnership for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation Regional Conference 2025 at Philipps-University, Marburg. Mansueto, the managing editor of the SES Journal of Applied Philosophy, is the author of the book Decolonial Turn in the Philippine South. He has conducted research on local culture and indigeneity. He is a part of the SES-CTU research group that studied the way of life of the T'boli and Obu Manobo. 

  Professor Maji Rhee has been teaching at School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University since 2009. Prior to joining Waseda, Professor Rhee was a faculty member at Portland State University. Prof. Rhee received Ed.D. from Rutgers University, LL.M. and JS.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Prof. Rhee has been engaged in research projects related to forensic linguistics and Legal Communications. Dr. Ian Clark Parcon is an Associate Professor in Philosophy at Ateneo de Davao University, Davao City, Philippines. He has an extensive involvement in gender advocacy which spans more than 20 years of giving gender related trainings to different sectors in the community and advancing gender fair policies. He also is currently active in research dealing with male involvement in feminism. He holds a doctorate degree in Philosophy from Ateneo de Manila University. He finished his Master of Arts degree in Applied Ethics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology,...

1. Cultivating Peace Through Moral Education in the Philippines: A Pathway to Harmony - Bernardo N. Caslib, Jr., Ph.D. (University of the Philippines – Manila) 2. Conatus over Conflict: Manifestation of Spinoza’s Transindividual Striving - Isabela Salaveria Carrillo (Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Sta. Mesa, Manila) 3. Ethical Global Citizenship Education for Social Justice - Emiliano Bosio (Toyo University, Japan) 4. An Ecocentric Approach to Autonomy in AI-Powered Nudging for Climate Change Mitigation - Joseph Martin Mendoza Jose, Ph.D (De La Salle University) 5. Mitigating Risks in AI: Can the Ethics Review Process Help? – Dr. Jeffrey L. Bartilet (Polytechnic University of the Philippines) 6. Supervision Strategies in Managing the Stress of Instructors due to Inevitable Academic Overloads and Pressures - Rhea Jane L. Caynila (Cebu Technological University) 7. Depoliticizing ESG: A Foucauldian Critique of Technicization and Neoliberal Strategies - Michael Angelo Bunagan ...

  Mindanao-based philosophy teachers held a forum to discuss the proposal to remove Ethics in the General Education curriculum. Four young college teachers expressed their views in separate presentations during the Ethics Forum hosted by the Social Ethics Society, held in Eden, Davao City on July 5, 2025. The presentors were Zandee Jaquias (USTP), Ardione Fuentes (Ateneo de Davao University), Adelbert Escollada (MSU - Gensan) and James Pabonita (Opol Community College).  The speakers discussed the practical, legal, strategic, economic, and moral aspect of the issue pertaining to the move of Edcom 2. The academicians who attended are united in their position to protest against this injustice that undermines the education of our youth. Mr. Niel Capidos, a graduate student at the Catholic University of Louvain, expressed that the proposal is not just a curricular matter but is something that impacts the employment of thousands of teachers, a sentiment that was also shared by othe...

  Academics from the country's top schools - UP Diliman, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, and the University of Santo Tomas, will be attending the first international conference organized by the Social Ethics Society (SES), the SES-PUP International Ethics Conference at Waseda University, an event initiated two years ago by the SES with Peace and Conflict Studies scholar Dr. Juichiro Tanabe of Waseda University. The Polytechnic University of the Philippines is a co-organizer.  "The SES seeks to elevate local scholarship into global standards," says Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc, SES Chair. A total of 49 academics will be presenting papers, including faculty members from Toyo University, the University of Ankara, and Hiroshima University. Fr. Dexter Veloso, SES President, is elated to know that the Ethics conference is getting a lot of interest. The gathering will discuss Philippine Democracy, Climate Justice, AI in Education, Artificial Intelligence, an...