Department of Philosophy
Brief History | Roster of Chairs
Brief History
In the Philippines one institution of higher learning with a Department of Philosophy is the University of San Carlos. This school, the oldest educational institution in the Philippines, is strategically located in Central Visayas, in the island of Cebu, particularly in its capital, Cebu City. It has addressed the philosophical needs of thinkers in this part of the world, that is, esp. in the Visayas and Mindanao.
From 1936 to the present, except for the three-year war-time interruption (1941-1944), Philosophy is taught at USC. In the span of sixty-one years as a University, philosophy remains robust. On July 11, 1956, eight-years after Colegio de San Carlos evolved to be the University of San Carlos, Philosophy commenced as a Department. With it came Bachelor of Philosophy (PhB) and Master of Arts in Philosophy (MA Philosophy). Just as any momentous event is forever heralded by a significant upsurge of being, so also the degree program Bachelor of Arts major in Philosophy (AB Philosophy) opened on June 15, 1953 and paved the way for the Department of Philosophy. To give it full character, in 1960, courses were offered leading to the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (PhD Philosophy). The department was 1 of only 2 departments of Philosophy in the country that offered the said program – UST being the first.
The Philosophy program of the department cannot be said to have a specific and definite orientation. The reason is that courses offered cover all areas in the discipline together with an intensive analysis of the thought of the major philosophers. However, the freedom of this philosophical enterprise is founded on a background knowledge of the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition, appropriate to a Catholic University.
The philosophical atmosphere of the department is influenced by the varied interests of its faculty. Through the years, the department has had guest lecturers who brought with them fresh “inputs” from abroad. Thus the stream of philosophical thought in the department is ever vivified since the influence of these “imports” and their “thinking” stay behind long after they moved on; not to mention the contribution also of those who stayed behind.
Guest professors with PhD in Philosophy include Fr. Leonardo R. Estioko, SVD (Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome), Fr. Stephen T. Ernest, SVD (Fordham University, New York), Fr. Florencio L. Lagura, SVD (Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium), Dr. Manuel B. Dy, Jr., (UST, Manila),Fr. Heinz Kulüke, SVD (Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome), Fr. Michel Marie Pruvost, FJ (University of Paris, Sorbonne), Fr. Pablito M. Tagura, SVD (Marquette University, Wisconsin), Br. Romualdo E. Abulad, SVD (UST, Manila), Dr. Alfredo P. Co (UST, Manila).
In the spirit of interdisciplinarity, the department had welcomed and still does, professors with other expertise. They are Eric Robin Mitchell (Doctor of Religion, Southern California School of Theology, Claremont), Fr. Dionisio M. Miranda, SVD (STD, Academia Alfonsiana, Rome), Fr. Manuel F. Ginete, CM (PhD Religious Studies, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium), Fr. Ramon D. Echica (STD, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium), Fr. Pio C. Estepa, SVD (PhD Social Sciences, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome), Dr. Buenaventura A. Cordova (Doctor of Missiology, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome), Dr. Josephine Pasricha (PhD Literature, UST, Manila) and Dr. Christopher Bernido (PhD Theoretical Physics, State University of New York, Albany). Except for Dr. Bernido, although they have doctorate degrees in different fields, they have their philosophy training in the Bachelor or Masteral degree.
From the start of the 1960s to the beginning of the 1970s, Fr. Joseph Watzlawik, SVD, PhD (UST, Manila) guided graduate philosophy with its toddler degree programs towards growth and maturity, while taking care of undergraduate philosophy. His involvement in doing philosophy did not cease even though he became Chairman of the department of Philosophy, Regent of the College of Law, and Secretary General of the University of San Carlos.
In the mid-70s, Fr. Quintin C. Terrenal, SVD (PhD, Catholic University of America) arrived to become a full-timer, involved in philosophical research and teaching both undergraduate and graduate philosophy, even with his hands full as chairman of the Philosophy Department and later as VPAA. Fr. Terrenal envisioned a way to ensure the ever-renewed continuing philosophical life of USC philosophy alumni. To this end, he initiated the Philosophical Association of the Visayas and Mindanao (PHAVISMINDA) assisted by the department of philosophy with its chairman at that time, Amosa Velez (PhD, USC, Cebu). He procured from Germany what became the Graduate Philosophy Trust Fund to subsidize philosophical research and Graduate study of tenured faculty members of the department of philosophy and the annual conferences of PHAVISMINDA.
On April 24, 2003, the three-year USC-UST Linkage in the Graduate Philosophy Programs was inaugurated. The Visiting Professors were the following: Br. Romualdo E. Abulad, SVD, Ph.D., Prof. Jove Jim Aguas, Alfredo P. Co., Ph.D., and Josephine Pasricha, Ph.D. This was part of the program of UST as CHED Center of Excellence for Philosophy and USC as CHED Center of Development for Philosophy.
In summer 2004, the department started to offer the Masters of Philosophy (M. Phil) non-thesis program in response to the request of the Commission on Higher Education to assist teachers of philosophy without a Master’s degree.
In summer 2007, the first official international linkage of the department with a foreign university was launched. Prof. Peter König of the University of Heidelberg lectured on Gadamer and Derrida to the graduate students of philosophy. The department, though one of the oldest existing departments, is also one of the last departments to link with international institutions. Due to its self-perception as one of the best, it has become sluggish in developing its faculty and so other universities have overtaken it.
To regain its lost laurels, the present chairperson, Br. Romualdo E. Abulad, SVD, starts anew to develop its faculty to become competitive again. Thus, to keep the faculty in updating themselves, the monthly round table philosophical discussion has been started. They are also encouraged to pursue further studies abroad. Thus, the new breed of faculty such as Ranie Villaver (PhD studies, University of New South Wales, Sydney), Ryan Urbano (Masters in Applied Ethics, Linköping University, Sweden and Utrecht University, the Netherlands), and Maje Purino (Study visit to Engakuji Zen Monastery, Kamakura, Japan) heeded the call.
Enrolment in the Philosophy program reached its zenith in the 1980s. This is most evident in undergraduate philosophy where majority of students are seminarians who belong to several Religious Formation Houses such as the Society of the Divine Word (SVD, Missionary Society of the Philippines (MSP), Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC), Congregation of the Most Sacred Redeemer (CSsR), Society of St. Columban (SSC), Congregation of the Passions (CP), Fraternity of Mary Immaculate (FFI), Missionaries of Our Lady of Africa (MOLA), Scalibrinian (Cs), Piarist-Escolapios (SchP), Order of the Carmelites (OCarm), and Sisteres of Fraternidad Misionera Verbum Dei (FMVD).
The USC Philosophy Department has had its chairperson in the person of Fr. Joseph Watzlawik, SVD, Ph.D. (1960 – 1971), Ledinila Quimpo, PhD (1971 – 1974), Amosa Velez, PhD (OIC Second Semester 1974 to 1975), Fr. Quintin Terrenal, SVD, PhD (1975 – 1976), Amosa Velez, PhD (OIC, 1976 to 1978, 1978 to 1993), Virginia Jayme, PhD (1993 – 2000), Antonio Diluvio, MA (2000 – 2008) and at present Br. Romualdo Abulad, SVD (2008 - ).
Roster of Chairs
Fr. Joseph Watslavik, Ph.D.
1960’s to August 1971
Ledinila Quimpo, Ph.D.
1971 to 1974 first semester
Amosa Velez, M.A.
OIC Second Semester 1974 to 1975
Fr. Quentin Terrenal
1975-1976
Amosa L. Velez, Ph.D.
OIC, 1976 to 1978
1978 to 1993
Virginia L. Jayme. Ph.D.
1993 to 2000
Antonio P. Diluvio, M.A.
2001 to 2008
Br. Romualdo E. Abulad, SVD, Ph.D.
2008-present
