•  12
    Pamulinawen: a Hermeneutics of Ilokano Cultural Self-understanding
    with Aldrin Jaramilla
    Philosophia: International Journal of Philosophy (Philippine e-journal) 22 (2): 275-290. 2021.
    This paper aims to institute that the folk song Pamulinawen is essentially a work of art descriptive of Ilokano cultural self-understanding. Specifically, it wants to elucidate that Pamulinanen, per se, is capable of self-assertion; it can usher itself to engage in a dialogue with the Ilokano beholder, and through the mediation of a common pagsasao, it embodies the individual and/or Nakem, the Ilokano collective identity. More than a popular song of courtship among the Ilokanos, the song Pamulin…Read more
  •  6
    “Maiyannatup a Panagripirip:” Towards an Ilokano Indigenous Doing of Philosophy
    with Aldrin S. Jaramilla
    Philosophia: International Journal of Philosophy (Philippine e-journal) 20 (1): 97-110. 2019.
    Philosophy is not all about parroting Western ideas and categorizations. There are esoteric philosophies, normally labelled as grassroot or indigenous, that are gaining recognition within formal academic circles. The Ilokano philosophy is alive at the margin, nonetheless implicit because its philosophical underpinnings are embedded in the way of life or cultural life of the Ilokanos. But through Maiyannatup a Panagripirip, the tacit Ilokano philosophy becomes outspoken and proves itself to be a …Read more
  •  5
    Nakem and Echoes of the Sacred: An Onto-Religious Musing
    In Soraj Hongladarom, Jeremiah Joven Joaquin & Frank Hoffman (eds.), Philosophies of Appropriated Religions: Perspectives from Southeast Asia, Springer Nature Singapore. pp. 167-180. 2023.
    This paper aims to show the centrality of the Ilokano indigenous term Nakem (will) as a hermeneutical key to ontological and ethnoreligious musing. It probes the echoes of the sacred in indigenous belief systems and practices as appropriating Christian religiosity. It attempts to rediscover the inherent echoes of the transcendent Nakem (Divine Will) in day-to-day Ilokano life as its epiphany. This paper focuses on the Christian religion but is mindful of the other indigenous expressions of belie…Read more
  •  4
    Self-Reflection in Critical Social Theory: Kant, Hegel, and Marx
    Philosophia: International Journal of Philosophy (Philippine e-journal) 14 (1): 16-26. 2013.
    Critical Social Theory's search for a normative ground of its engagement in the critique of contemporary societies is essentially founded on a reflexive way of thinking. Arguably, this can be traced back from modernity - specifically to Kant, Hegel, and Marx. This paper will demonstrate how the Kantian, Hegelian, and Marxian practices of self-reflection inform the concept of social critique. By an adequate understanding of self-reflection, we secure the methodological foundation of critical soci…Read more
  •  3
    Nakem Ken Ulimek: A Hermeneutics of Silence in the Ilokano Cosmic Self
    Philosophia: International Journal of Philosophy (Philippine e-journal) 16 (2): 127-139. 2015.
    This paper endeavors to explore and expand the communicative potential of silence from non-Western cultural spaces, of Asian-indigenous worldviews as hermeneutical key to critical and cosmic consciousness. Specifically, it speaks of the llokano cosmic Nakem (cosmic self or cosmic sense of being). At the core of the llokano Nakem is a cosmic impulse that situates this indigenous culture's resilience within the dissipating ecological integrity. Just like in other Asian classical texts, e.g., Taois…Read more
  • This paper is an attempt to explicate Jürgen Habermas’s discourse on education vis-à-vis his political project of a democratized society. Arguably, Habermas sees in the structures and processes inherent in the universities an ideal place for self-reflection and communicative action. Thus, his idea of a university is tied up with the potentials of establishing an emancipated, enlightened society. The agencies of selfreflection hinge with democratic practices and processes, and the facility of com…Read more
  • Michael Kirwan. Girard and Theology (review)
    Philosophia: International Journal of Philosophy (Philippine e-journal) 14 (2): 263-267. 2013.