Philosophy in the University of Santo Tomas
Two programs were offered in its year of foundation, Theology and Philosophy, patterned after the European system of tertiary education, and aimed at fulfilling the Church's mission of evangelization. Over time the University earned for itself the prestigious titles and came to be called - A La Real y Pontificia Universidad de Santo Tomas de Aquino, Universidad Catolica de Filipinas. The title Royal was given by King Carlos III of Spain on 1785; Pontifical by Pope Leo XIII on 1902 in his constitution, Quae Mari Sinico, and The Catholic University of the Philippines by Pope Pius XII on 1947. Through the centuries after its founding, the university has established itself as a beacon of Catholic faith and vanguard of Aristotelian-Thomistic Philosophy in the country.
The University has, from its inception, been awarding M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Philosophy. The UST Graduate School was established in 1938 which integrated all civil graduate degrees offered in the University, including Philosophy. To address to growing enrolments in civil education at the undergraduate level, the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters was established in 1896, then the College of Liberal Arts in 1926. In 1927, the complete separation of Ecclesiastical degrees in Philosophy took effect, the Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy was established. In 1964, the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters and the College of Liberal Arts were merged to form the Faculty of Arts and Letters. The civil A.B. Major in Philosophy program has been administered by the Faculty of Arts and Letters since then. The General Education courses (Logic, Philosophy of Man, and Ethics), however, were administered by the individual colleges.
Philosophy has been taught at the University since its very foundation in 1611.
On 28 April 1611, a Spanish Dominican and sinologist, Fr. Miguel de Benavides, established the Colegio de Nuestra Senora del Santissimo Rosario, which was later to be renamed the University of Santo Tomas.
The establishment of the Faculty of Arts and Letters in the 60’s brought a new-wave of young scholars to the University which allowed the Philosophy program to open its doors to philosophical trends beyond Aristotelian-Thomistic Philosophy. Thomism in the university has kept up with the times, which is the reason for its enduring presence. Despite this strength in Thomism, however, no philosophy of the West, either continental or analytic, and no philosophy of the East, from the ancients to the postmoderns, have not been heard within the university portals in its dialogical effort across civilizations. Fresh ideas are welcome in this Pontifical University, even as we continue to contemplate on the Catholic tradition. In effect, the community of Philosophy faculty and students in UST has grown to welcome varying, sometimes opposing, philosophical trends; the inclusive and dialogical characters of philosophical culture in UST were conditioned by the University's rich history.
The Department of Philosophy:
Ten Years On
The creation of the UST Department of Philosophy
In preparation for the University's quadricentennial anniversary, the now-defunct Department of Humanities was split on May 2010, creating the Department of Philosophy and the Department of Literature. At this time, the University's Rector, Very Rev. Fr. Rolando dela Rosa, O.P., appointed the founding-Chair of the UST Department of Philosophy (now Professor Emeritus) Dr. Alfredo P. Co, who was instrumental in the establishment and proper guidance of the Department of Philosophy during his one-year appointment.
With the establishment of a university-wide Department of Philosophy for the very first time in the University’s history, the different Philosophy faculty members of the civil academic units were convened and adopted under one administrative body. This translated to the proper alignment of the faculty members to their respective disciplines, creating a tightly knit philosophical community at the heart of the newly formed department. For the university at large, this meant the standardization of the various General Education Philosophy courses and likewise the revision of the A.B. Major in Philosophy degree under the Faculty of Arts and Letters.
Since then and through the efforts of the various chairs, the Department continued to be a lively community of thinkers. The Department of Philosophy continued numerous university-wide, national, and even international events, forging ties with universities and philosophical associations locally and abroad, and maintaining its publication thrust. Through such, the Department of Philosophy became the first and is currently one of only two departments of Philosophy in the country to be awarded by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education the status
The first ever international event hosted by the Department of Philosophy and spearheaded by its then-chair Prof. Dr. Alfredo P. Co was the very successful Thomism and Asian Cultures: Celebrating 400 Years of Dialogue Across Civilizations, an International Conference in commemoration of the 400 Year of Philosophy in UST and in the Philippines, held in May 2011, in conjunction with the University's Quadricentennial Celebrations.
Some department members pose with the Dean during the 2024 Solemn Investiture
School year 2020-2021 celebrated the Department’s tenth anniversary as a unified department under the Faculty of Arts and Letters. Due to the shift to the virtual environment because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the celebration took the form of a year-long online event under the title "1Deskurso: Isang Dekadang Diskurso" that featured various activities in commemoration of this milestone. Throughout the year, the Department hosted monthly reading sessions, several webinars, two book launches of the new publications of faculty members, and three conferences. Coming from this milestone, the Department looks forward to continuing its task of promoting excellence: upholding a humanistic and holistic education for the cultivation of human beings according to cultural, moral, and aesthetic ideals that are derived from a diversity of cultures and civilizations. This takes the form of further strengthening its core research thrusts, promoting underrepresented philosophy, maintaining current and forging new partnerships both with academic and non-academic institutions, and above all promoting discourse and critical thinking. This is represented by the Department’s research thrusts that have been the guiding principles in departmental plannings.
Department members during the AY 2023-2024 seccond-term planning
Besides teaching, the Department has been active in research and publication. Currently, majority of the department members are affiliated with university research centers, namely the Research Center of Culture, Arts, and the Humanities (RCCAH) and the Center for Theology, Religious Studies, and Ethics (CTRSE), having presented in national and international conferences with extensive publications ranging from journal articles and book chapters to monographs and edited volumes with established and independent publishers. The Department also manages its official journal, Kritike: An Online Journal of Philosophy. This is the primary avenue of the faculty members to share their research works and which also serves as a link to promote a research culture to the undergraduate level. This is made possible through the close collaboration of the editorial board of Kritike with that of the student-led Talisik: An Undergraduate Journal of Philosophy, allowing students to develop their research and editing skills that fosters a more inclusive research culture both during their academic stay and in their eventual respective workplaces.
From its establishment, the Department has been guided by the following members:
Prof. Dr. Alfredo P. Co (2010-2011)
Prof. Dr. Paolo A. Bolaños (2011-2019)
Prof. Dr. Jovito V. Cariño (2019-2022)
Prof. Dr. Marella Ada V. Mancenido-Bolaños (2022-present)
Department members during the AY 2024-2025 first-term planning
We look forward to welcoming you to the UST Department of Philosophy!
Choose Philosophy. Choose UST.
Prof. Marella Ada V. Mancenido-Bolaños, Ph.D.
Deparment Chair
Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts and Letters
Mr. Ronald S. Manalastas
Administrative Staff
Department of Philosophy
Rm. 109, Main Building
University of Santo Tomas
España blvd., Sampaloc, Manila
The Philippines
Tel no: (63-2) 406-1611 loc. 8669
Fax no: (63-2) 749-9779
Email: philosophy-ab@ust.edu.ph
Website: philosophy.ust.edu.ph
for graduate study concerns:
Prof. Paolo A. Bolaños, Ph.D.
Program Lead
Philosophy Cluster, UST Graduate School
or
UST Graduate School
G/F Thomas Aquinas Research Complex
University of Santo Tomas
España, Manila, 1015 Philippines
graduateschool@ust.edu.ph
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