LOCAL ANTENNAE AND MESSAGES
THE PHILIPPINE LOCAL ANTENNA
PROF. ALLAN B.
DE GUZMAN, Ph.D.
Philippine Local Antenna Coordinator
PROF. BELINDA V.
DE CASTRO, Ph.D.
Director, Research Center for Social Sciences and Education /
Philippine Local Antenna Member
ASSOC. PROF. JOEL L. ADAMOS, Ed.D.
Philippine Local Antenna Member
PROGRAM ANTENNAS FROM 14 COUNTRIES
Universidade Católica de Moçambique, Beira, Moçambique
Université Catholique d’Afrique de l’Ouest, Cote d’Ivoire
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile
Universidad Anahuac, México D.F., Mexico
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Perú
Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
The Catholic University of America, Washington D.C., U.S.A.
Christ University, Bangalore, India
Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines
Ukrainian Catholic University, Lviv, Ukraine
Instituto Universitario de Investigación Ortega y Gasset, Madrid, Spain
Libera Università Maria Santissima Assunta, Roma, Italy
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano, Italy
Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, Beyrouth, Lebanon
MESSAGE FROM
PROF. MSGR. GUY-RÉAL THIVIERGE
The Pontifical Foundation Gravissimum Educationis, created by Pope Francis in 2015, operates in the context of the Congregation for Catholic Education (Ministry of Education of the Holy See), promoting research, formation and new models of education. In this regard, it is worthy to remember that there are in the world more than 1,760 Catholic universities and institutions of higher education and more than 216,000 Catholic schools involved in the service of human promotion through formation, dialogue and evangelization.
One of the projects of our Foundation is “Democracy: an educational urgency in pluricultural and plurireligious contexts”. This project starts from the assumption that the democratic thinking and the political-institutional forms of the current democracies came about at a time and in contexts that no longer exist. Social changes have taken place at a staggering pace and theoretical-political developments have not been able to keep up with global events. This observation leads us to think that the crisis of the current democracies is, among others, connected to the distance between the “historical” vision of democracy and the new global scenarios, rich in changes and upheavals. Starting from this assumption, 14 universities in the world are involved in this research, tackling these problematics from various angles (cultural, social, political, economic and communicational.
Moreover, often and with increasing emphasis Pope Francis affirms, “To change the world, we must change education.” It is the way forward if we are to re-establish “good governance” for our countries and for the whole world. Democratic education is necessary to transform the new planetary needs into a vision, a language and renewed political practices. In this perspective, only education can enrich political awareness with the principles of global interdependence and common destiny (“Common House”), inspiring decisions that take into account inclusion, representativeness, dialogue and participation – aspects that are at the heart of a vital, relational democracy and promote the values of common good, solidarity, fraternity and peace.
We strongly hope that the research and formation initiatives carried out by the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas will allow the researchers to achieve some of these objectives. With my best wishes for your educational community, students, professors and researchers, in favour of an ever greater consolidation of the values of democracy and peace for your country and your region.
Prof. Msgr. Guy-Réal Thivierge,
Secretary General of the Foundation
Vatican City, October 04, 2021
MESSAGE FROM
VERY REV. FR. RICHARD G. ANG, O.P.
Herodotus, one of the most important Greek historians, said that the only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance. This is precisely the reason why since the beginning of time the desire to learn and to acquire knowledge has been the ultimate goal of mankind. Knowledge empowers while ignorance enslaves that is why teachers have a very important role to play in society. We have seen during the time of the pandemic that despite the challenging situation, man continues to seek knowledge. Schools make necessary adjustments such as shifting to the enriched virtual mode of instruction for learning to take place. Academic organizations and associations continue to hold virtual conferences and symposia to facilitate intellectual discussions and exchanges that will provide an avenue for knowledge production and knowledge transmission. This is one good reason why we commend the UST Research Center for Social Sciences and Education (RCSSEd) in cooperation with the Fondazione Gravissimum Educationis for spearheading the Democracy Project for public school teachers which promotes democracy as a prime value through education.
A significant offshoot of this project is the creation of a Democracy Website that will feature lectures on democracy by renowned scholars and experts as well as articles and materials on democratic education. This is a genuine testament to the need for knowledge to reach a greater number of people. The website will serve as a vast repository of knowledge that learners can always go to in order to update themselves on cutting-edge research as well as the latest updates in the field of education, particularly how democracy plays a pivotal role in the various dimensions of education. The development of the website is a clear indication of the genuine commitment of educators to make important contributions readily available and accessible. I take this opportunity to congratulate the people behind this noteworthy endeavor as well as the teachers who successfully completed the certificate program. This achievement will truly help in the manner in which democracy finds its rightful place in the area of teaching and learning.
(Sgd.) Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P.
Rector
University of Santo Tomas
Manila, The Philippines
MESSAGE FROM
PROF. ALLAN B.
DE GUZMAN, Ph.D.
On behalf of the Philippine Local Antenna Team, I welcome you all to Advocatus, our window to championing democracy through education, and our commitment to meaningful social transformation.
Three years ago, the University of Santo Tomas was among the 14 universities across the globe chosen by the Fondazione Gravissimum Educationis to participate in a project aimed at generating empirical data on the nexus between education and democracy and initiating capacity-building programs on democratic citizenship. As indicated by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) reports, the long-standing observations of democratic deficits and failed citizenship in different countries, including the Philippines, call for a collective reflection and meaningful action on the true agenda of today’s education in pluricultural and plurireligious contexts. The Philippine Local Antenna Team believes that a critique of the state of democracy is also a critique of education. By and large, the business of education is to witness a meaningful transformation in the way students think, feel, and behave as future members of a society, based on a solid adherence to democratic values and ideals.
The University of Santo Tomas does not operate in isolation. True to its Catholic nature, it is committed to nurturing and ensuring the life, dynamics, and continuity of democratic ideals in this part of the globe. Through its local antenna, the University firmly believes in the democratizing power of education. As a great work in progress, the role of education in nurturing individuals for authentic citizenship requires a more holistic, synergistic, and dynamic partnership of all stakeholders.
In the belief that every teacher is a teacher of democracy, we invite you to navigate this meaningful space as we continue to champion democracy through our enduring commitment to scholarships of teaching, discovery, and integration. May the academic exchange of thoughts, beliefs, and practices create a space for more meaningful initiatives of replication and innovation in your respective communities of practice.
May you become witnesses and agents of social transformation through education rooted in democratic ideals. May your reflective thoughts, decisions, and actions as teachers be your proactive response to Pope Francis’s statement, “Only by changing education can we change the world” (Pope Francis, 2018).
(Sgd.) Prof. Allan B. de Guzman, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Philippine Local Antenna Team
University of Santo Tomas
Manila, The Philippines
