I am an indigenous scholar belonging to one of the Subanen cultural communities in Misamis Occidental, Mindanao, Philippines. I specialize in Critical Theory, the Frankfurt School Tradition (Marcuse and Honneth) and its significance and applicability to marginalized communities (especially the peasants and indigenous peoples in the Philippines) at the margins of the global spectrum. In fact, my PhD in Philosophy thesis focused on the applicability of Herbert Marcuse’s model of critical theory to the Philippines. It was published by Aletheia as Critical Theory at the Margins: Applying Herbert Marcuse’s Model of Critical Theory to the Philippines, and won the Best Book in Philosophy Award at the 42nd National Book Awards (November 2024), conferred by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle (MCC). Recently, I am working on two book projects, namely, Rethinking Inclusive Education through Axel Honneth’s Theory of Recognition and Indigenous Rights and the Politics of Recognition in the Philippines.
I am currently serving as University Professor at the Graduate School of Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) in Tacloban City. Prior to joining EVSU in June 2019, I was Full Professor of Philosophy at Silliman University in Dumaguete City for fifteen years. During my tenure in Silliman, I also held key administrative roles, including Chair of the Department of Philosophy for three years and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for four years.
I have held additional academic appointments as Associate Professorial Lecturer of the University of Santo Tomas, Adjunct Lecturer at Ateneo de Manila University, Visiting Lecturer at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, and Visiting Lecturer at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City. At EVSU, I have undertaken several leadership roles, including Campus Director of the EVSU Ormoc City Campus, Director of the Office of Curriculum and Instruction, Director of Training and Development, and Director of the Multimedia Development Center.
I earned my PhD in Philosophy from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, in 2013, and completed my postdoctoral research at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and the Institute for Social Research (IFS), Frankfurt, Germany, in 2016. My international academic engagements include serving as a Visiting PhD Student at the New School for Social Research in New York City (2010), Visiting Scholar at Chung Chi College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2014), DAAD-DIES ProGrant Scholar at the University of Cologne, Germany (2019), DAAD-DIES UNILEAD Scholar at the University of Oldenburg, Germany (2021), and DAAD-DIES International Deans’ Course Scholar at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Germany (2024).