THROUGH THE years, the term ‘scientist’ has evolved. Now, not only does it refer to the men who specialize in the field of science, but also to people who prosper in other fields of social research.

In the month-long celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC) highlights its contribution to the development of social sciences in the country with the theme, “Celebrating 50 years of Social Science in the Philippines.”

This is to give due acknowledgment to the researchers that have imparted significant studies to different areas. “Many renowned social scientists in the Philippines trained and worked at IPC,” said IPC’s Acting Director, Elizabeth Macapagal.

Founded in 1960, IPC is a research organization of the School of Social Sciences (SOSS). Envisioning an improved quality of different groups through equality and peace, it looks for a better understanding of the country’s culture and society.

Church and Government

Among the series of talks conducted for the IPC’s 50th year-celebration, one particular talk focused on the issue of the politics of charity. It emphasized the split or dual-competency of the Church and the government.

The talk entitled “The Politics of Charity: Religious Autonomy and the Challenges of State Discipline and Regulation” gave several viewpoints of important Church and government officials.

“The notion that as Christians, one has the duty to help others and to find avenues in which one helps others and in the process, one helps oneself as well…is a pervasive answer among many social action workers I have interviewed and talked to. The sense of duty which animates this sense of sensibility of these workers serves to justify the [Church’s] relationships with the state,” IPC Research Associate Rene Raymond Raneses said, commenting on the activities of both sectors.

Raneses quoted Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice and Peace Chair Bishop Broderick Pobillo who said that, “The government cannot tell us what to do with things. We have our own [way of]…conducting our activities and this is within the traditions of the Catholic social teaching.”

However, Church officials still recognize the government’s responsibilities. “In the same way, we do not also impose our priorities to the government,” Pobillo added.

Although acknowledging that there are mixed reactions to the Church’s involvement in the State’s affairs, the talk gave the idea that the Church and the government could work alongside the other to help their constituents.

Junior Cecille Marie Alvero agreed with this, “They should just really respect each other’s way of reaching out to people.”

Celebration’s highlight

IPC also aims to enhance the capabilities of its development agencies; these agencies are composed of individuals who specialize in the different fields of research.

“IPC researchers from the past [five] decades shared their memorable experiences working at IPC, including their life-long lessons learned from these experiences,” Macapagal said.

The communal gathering and story-telling was facilitated by former IPC Director Ricardo Abad on September 15 at Social Development Complex AVR.

What’s next?

After conducting more than 300 projects in elite studies, environment and natural resources, gender and development, health, and poverty, among others, IPC hopes to continue providing venues for advancing scholarly studies and development-oriented research through internally and externally funded projects.

“Now a research center of [SOSS], IPC will continue its mission of making significant contributions in knowledge generation and theory building on Philippine society and culture through scholarly and action research,” Macapagal said

These projects will include the IPC Institutional Projects, the Merit Research Awards, and the Visiting Research Associates Program.