Pioneers and Historical Influences
Fr. Michael Moga, SJ (Ateneo de Zamboanga University) is instrumental in establishing philosophy programs in the three Ateneo schools in Mindanao. Fr. Moga specializes in Heidegger and Phenomenology. He trained the pioneering faculty members of the philosophy departments of the above universities.
Dr. Rolando Gripaldo (De La Salle University- Manila) was a key figure in Filipino Philosophy with a circumstantialist approach, whose foundational philosophical work and writings includes his time in Mindanao. His two-volume book on Filipino philosophy is standard reading on the subject.
Dr. Romulo Bautista (Ateneo de Davao University) introduced "Bayanicrasya" (heroism and democracy theory). Educated in Madrid, he trained a generation of scholars. He co-founded the Social Ethics Society with Christopher RyanMaboloc. He mentored many teachers in different philosophy departments in Mindanao.
Contemporary Figures
Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc (Ateneo de Davao) specializes in social justice, structural inequality, and radical politics. He studied poverty in Muslim Mindanao through the theoretical framework of Thomas Pogge. He is the author of Radical Democracy in the Time of Duterte. He was mentored by Pogge during his ASAP Yale Global Justice Fellowship.
Dr. Renante Pilapil (Ateneo de Davao) is noted for his expertise in the Politics of Recognition and human rights. He examines recognition of marginalized groups through the thought of Axel Honneth and critical theory. He was under the mentorship of Honneth for his Fulbright Fellowship at Columbia University.
Dr. Raymundo Pavo (UP Mindanao) is a scholar who specializes in the thought of Collingwood. He focuses on the philosophy of lived spaces and has published papers on ethics, feminism, and local urban culture. He studied at the University of Louvain in Belgium and at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos.
Bro. Karl Gaspar, CSsR (Ateneo de Davao University) is a prominent anthropologist and theologian whose pioneering contributes to Lumad philosophy, centering on indigenous experiences and belief systems. He is the author of Handumanan which chronicles his work with IPs in Mindanao. He is a Tanglaw ng Lahi awardee.
Promising Scholars
Dr. Rogelio Bayod (North Valley College) has extensive publications on bioethics, indigenous knowledge systems, and development theory. He is also an expert in the field of education administration and governance.
Dr. Ian Clark Parcon (Ateneo de Davao University) is noted for his work on Habermas and Philippine democracy, especially on agonistic philosophy and its intersections in the country's present political scene.
Prof. Menelito Mansueto (MSU-IIT) is an online activist and author of Decolonial Turn in the Philippine South. He has published papers on mass media and social media ethics as well as political philosophy.
Prof. Gerry Arambala (University of San Agustin) has written on radical democracy using Mindanao as setting. He has published papers on the capability approach and the radical politics of Ozamiz City.