TOKYO, JAPAN — The 2nd Social Ethics Society–Polytechnic University of the Philippines (SES-PUP) International Ethics Conference brought together philosophers, academics, researchers, and scholars from the Philippines and abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo from September 9 to 11, 2026. The event, held for the second time in Japan's capital, examined the relationship between ethics, peace, democracy, human dignity, global security, and sustainable development. Dr. Juichiro Tanabe and Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc delivered the opening messages for the conference.
Held under the theme “A New World Order: Peace, Democracy, Global Security, and a Sustainable Future,” the three-day conference provided an international forum for critical reflection on some of the most pressing ethical, political, and social challenges confronting the contemporary world. The event was organized by the Social Ethics Society (SES) in partnership with the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), with Waseda University serving as host. The conference featured distinguished scholars whose lectures and presentations. Dr. Godiva Eviota Rivera, Fr. Urbano Pardillo, Jr., and Dr. Ian Clark Parcon served as masters of ceremony.The first keynote speaker, Dr. Ayman Yousef (Arab American University), discussed the present situation in Palestine and the conflict between Iran and the United States. The second keynote speaker, Dr. Maji Rhee (Waseda University) discussed virtue ethics in the age of Artificial Intelligence. She analyzed the implications of AI Systems on human society. The third keynote speaker was Dr. Yuji Uesugi (Waseda University), whose participation underscored the importance of peace and conflict studies in contemporary ethical discourse.
Among the featured plenary speakers was Dr. Juichiro Tanabe (Waseda University), who also served as conference chair. Tanabe played an important role in facilitating academic cooperation between Waseda University and the Philippine academic community. His participation strengthened the conference's emphasis on dialogue, peacebuilding, and international solidarity. Dr. Tanabe has worked with Mindanao researchers and scholars, writing and publishing on topics such as post-liberal peace, environmental ethics, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Ian Clark Parcon (Ateneo de Davao University) opened the event with his plenary lecture on corrective agonism, offering a middle ground between deliberative democracy and agonistic philosophy. Dr. Bernard Caslib Jr. (UP Manila/Ateneo de Manila University) posed the question, "Can virtue be taught?" in his lecture on AI and virtue ethics, highlighting the dilemma teachers face in the advent of generative AI. Dr. Randy Tudy (University of Southeastern Philippines) delivered his lecture on the use, challenges, and risks in the use of AI for research.
Dr. Rogelio Bayod (North Valley College) discussed using indigenous knowledge as a new paradigm in curriculum design, emphasizing how traditional knowledge has been silenced in the generally Western-bred educational systems and methodologies used in schools. Prof. Migs Mansueto (MSU-IIT), on the other hand, explained the need to include Mindanao in philosophical conversations, advancing his own scholarship on decoloniality and the politics of recognition. He criticized the exclusion of Mindanao and advocated for a more inclusive intellectual environment.
Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc (Ateneo de Davao University) delivered a plenary presentation entitled “History and Indigeneity: A Preliminary Inquiry into Mindanao Philosophy.” His presentation examined the historical and philosophical development of Mindanao thought, highlighting indigenous knowledge, Bangsamoro history, colonial experience, and the emergence of contemporary philosophical traditions in Southern Philippines, citing the works of Macario Tiu, Karl Gaspar, Salah Jubair, and Fr. Michael Moga, SJ, as the genealogical sources of Mindanao's rich philosophical traditions.
Fr. Urbano Pardillo Jr. of Saint Francis Xavier College Seminary and Fr. Dexter Veloso of Holy Cross of Davao College, who contributed perspectives on ethics, human formation, leadership, peace, and the responsibilities of educational and religious institutions. Dr. Godiva Eviota Rivera discussed the role of metaphor in the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur, explaining examples from the local language on the virtues of peace and solidarity, while Prof. Agnes Sunga Oblefias argued in favor of the subaltern in her paper on inclusion and epistemic injustice.
A significant feature of the conference was its effort to bring Philippine philosophical perspectives into a wider international conversation. In particular, the Mindanao-focused discussions challenged Manila-centered approaches to Philippine intellectual history and highlighted the contributions of indigenous, Muslim, and local philosophical traditions. Individual paper presentations highlighted various issues and problems, as manifested in the presentations of Fr. Kenneth Centeno (Adamson University) on democratic legitimacy, Roland Theuas Pada (UST) on socialized violence, Dr. Anton Heinrich Rennesland (UST) on urban bioethics, and Erwin Bautista (UST) on the Rawlsian theory of justice.
Fr. Roy Daniel (Centro Escolar University), who actively engaged all plenary speakers with his important questions, discussed the need to listen to the voices from the peripheries while Ms. Mery Joy Salinas presented topics on business ethics. Ms. Janille Javier (Kinamoto SHS) talked about environmental ethics while Ms. Paula Nicole Eugenio discussed ethical concerns on the reality of aging. Dr. Jahangir Alam (Dhaka University) delivered his paper on the relationship between human flourishing and economic progress. Gian Carlo Villaluz (UST) talked about Filipino philosophy while Dr. Aldrin Quintero (NDMU) discussed the Iran and US War in the context of International Relations.
Maboloc’s presentation was part of a broader intellectual project exploring the evolution of Mindanao philosophy—from the historical and cultural writings of Macario Tiu and the liberation-oriented thought of Karl Gaspar, to the Bangsamoro intellectual tradition associated with Salah Jubair, the phenomenological philosophy of Fr. Michael Moga, and contemporary democratic and indigenous philosophies. Dr. Noel Parinas (UPLB) shed light on the issue of inclusive space in his presentation while Dr. Klein Fernandez (UPLB) offered his ideas on indigenous concepts such as "kinabuhi."
The successful three-day gathering at Waseda University demonstrated the growing international reach of Philippine philosophy and the continuing importance of academic dialogue across cultures, or in the words of Fr. Pardillo, "not in knowing but in learning to ask how to ask better questions." More than an academic conference, the SES-PUP gathering affirmed a shared commitment to ethics, world peace, democratic life, global solidarity, and the search for a sustainable future. A third version of the event has been planned for next year.