June to July

2025 RLGSOSS Graduation

This year, the five Loyola Schools of Ateneo de Manila University graduated 2,660 students. Of this number, 743 were formed and nurtured by the Dr. Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences, including 10 Doctor of Philosophy, 51 Master, 21 Master of Arts, one Master of Science, 528 Bachelor of Arts, and 132 Bachelor of Science graduates.

"Higit sa pagtanggap ng diploma, tinatanggap ninyo ang isang mas mabigat na atas: ang maging katiwala ng pag-asa. It is of a future that is still being fought for. So I call on you: Tumindig. Tumaya. Magmahal. Stand up, especially when it is not popular. Take a risk, especially when the truth is being twisted. Love, especially when hope is being mocked by others."

Read the commencement speech of Atty Leila M De Lima, Doctor in Sociology, honoris causa, at the 2025 University Commencement on Friday, 20 June 2025.

Angelique Villasanta (PhD Clinical Psychology '25) is this year’s graduate students' representative of the Class of 2025. . Her journey can be found here, and her speech is here.

Robert Nelson "Tobi" Leung (BS Applied Mathematics, summa cum laude) is the College Class of 2025 valedictorian. His speech can be found here.

Mga Awit ng Lumipas

Mga Awit ng Lumipas featured songs uncovered from the Historical Data Papers (HDP), a nationwide collection of village histories compiled in 1951. This extraordinary project was initiated under the administration of President Elpidio Quirino, who sought to recover the nation’s cultural memory after the widespread loss of historical records during World War II. The HDP project set out to preserve the past by collecting oral histories from towns and barrios across the Philippines. These written accounts capture the origins, events, customs, and traditions of thousands of communities, creating an invaluable portrait of Philippine life before 1950.

For decades, access to the HDP remained limited. Only recently has their full value begun to emerge, thanks to a major digitization effort by the National Library of the Philippines. With this initiative, both scholars and the general public can now explore the HDP not only as a historical archive but also as a powerful resource for reconstructing a more popular history of the Philippines. Over the past three years, Ateneo de Manila University historians Dr Gregory Bankoff, Dr. David Lozada III, Marie Beatriz Gulinao, and Bianca Angelien Claveria, along with graduate students, have been closely studying the HDP’s more than 45,000 pages. While combing through these materials, they began to notice something unexpected: scattered among the village histories were not just song lyrics–of which there were thousands–but actual musical scores. Intrigued, they began gathering these fragments and eventually compiled a collection of around 180 complete compositions.

The performance, a revival of melodies that have mostly remained silent for over 75 years, was held on 28 June 2025 at the Areté's Doreen Fernandez Blackbox. It was a collaboration between the Department of History of the Dr. Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences and the Center for Ethnomusicology of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Music. The selection of 21 songs was guided not by methodical analysis but by a desire to honor regional diversity and representation.

The arrangements, crafted by students and faculty of the UP College of Music, breathe new life into the songs through settings for solo voices, choir, and rondalla ensemble. Featured performers include Novo Concertante Manila (choir), the University of the Philippines Rondalla, soprano Pauline Therese Arejola, and tenor Earvin Lumauag.

According to Dr. Bankoff, the partnership between the two universities seeks not only to present these rediscovered songs in performance but also to deepen scholarly engagement with them. Building on this initial offering, the collaborators are preparing both an academic publication and an anthology of selected songs from the Historical Data Papers, furthering the work of preservation, research, and cultural transmission.

2025 SEAS 101: In-Country Field Study in Vietnam

The students of SEAS 101: In-Country Field Study of the Ateneo Initiative for Southeast Asian Studies (AISEAS), in collaboration with the Ricardo Leong Institute for Global and Area Studies, are currently in Vietnam for the In-Country Field Study 2025. This year, thirteen students from the Diplomacy and International Relations, Economics, History, Information Design, Political Science, and Sociology degree programs embark on a fourteen-day in-country field to Hanoi (including Ha Long and Ninh Binh) and Ho Chi Minh, guided by the theme “The Lotus Path: Exploring Vietnam’s Economic and Cultural Transformation.”

AISEAS has partnered with the Vietnam National University - University of Economics of Business in developing a program that features academic lectures, cultural immersions, ecotourism experiences, and sectoral interactions with commerce and enterprise. An important partner in the delivery of the program is the Hanoi National University of Education. The program includes interactions with Ambassadors during the courtesy visit to the Embassy of Vietnam in the Philippines and to the Embassy of the Philippines in Hanoi.

SEAS 101, a 6-unit course offered by the Ateneo Initiative for Southeast Asian Studies, also held preparatory lectures and workshops on field study methods, Vietnam’s history, and environmental governance in the Mekong Delta. These lectures were delivered respectively by Mx Reed Viceral of AISEAS, Mr Alvin Cabalquinto of the Department of History, and Dr Van Pham Dang Tri of DRAGON-Mekong Institute of Can Tho University.

Ateneo Development Field School Students Partner with Barangay Tenani to Launch Biocultural Protocol for UNESCO World Heritage Bid

Twenty-five members of the five-week Ateneo Development Field School, including two faculty mentors, 22 Development Studies students, and one Commerce student from Lady Doak College, embarked on a community immersion in Barangay Tenani, Paranas, Samar, to co-create a Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP) supporting the Samar Island Natural Park’s (SINP) UNESCO World Heritage nomination. From June 15 to 28, 2025, they lived with host families, conducting both formal and informal interviews, as well as “kwentuhan” sessions, and led focus group discussions. They employed various rapid ethnographic assessments and participatory appraisal techniques alongside four local People’s Organizations (TORPEDO, TAWAD, RYAT, and the Senior Citizens Organization). Drawing on secondary scholarly sources and UNESCO’s selection criteria, four student teams documented local knowledge and belief systems from traditional healing practices to farming techniques and fishing rituals, among others. It established clear procedures for informed consent, benefit-sharing, and respectful collaboration. The resulting BCP articulates customary laws, governance practices, and protocols for external engagement, thereby strengthening community identity, reinforcing unity, and providing legal safeguards against the misappropriation of heritage resources.

This initiative aligns with preparations to nominate SINP, a 300,000-hectare landscape featuring lowland rainforests, karst caves, and endemic flora and fauna, under UNESCO criteria VII (natural beauty), IX (ecological processes), and X (biodiversity conservation). Local leaders and POs anticipate that World Heritage status will catalyze sustainable livelihoods, such as riverboat tours, eco-trail guiding, and handicraft enterprises, while attracting international funding and technical support. At the same time, the BCP embeds mechanisms to mitigate potential risks, such as rising living costs, land-use restrictions, and disruptions to traditional practices, ensuring that development remains inclusive and culturally respectful. This service-learning collaboration exemplifies Ateneo de Manila University’s commitment to integrating rigorous academic inquiry with community empowerment, equipping future development practitioners to build equitable, locally rooted partnerships.

Department of Sociology and Anthropology Social and Cultural Fieldschool 2025

The 3rd year BA Sociology students of SOAN 197.1/197.2: Social and Cultural Fieldschool, in collaboration with the Institute of Social Order, capped their social and cultural fieldschool in Infanta, Quezon Province, last June 04, 2025. The students, divided into three groups, engaged with three People’s Organizations, namely: Alitas Farmers and Fisherfolk Association Inc. (AFFA), Samahan ng mga Mangingisda ng Boboin (SMB), and Maralitang Mangingisda ng Munting Sabang Association (MMMSA).

From June 25 - July 03, 2025, the students were able to assess the PO’s organizational structure, the value chain of their primary products, and the challenges and opportunities available to the organizations. For the students, the field school gave them a deeper understanding of the importance of sociology and anthropology in uplifting local grassroots communities. The impact of their experience is invaluable, as they obtained new mechanisms in creatively opening opportunities to tackle social issues and in generating positive change. For them, the field school was the culmination of their theoretical training in sociology and anthropology by taking the responsibility of navigating through the factors that influence daily life. Their short but fruitful experience in Infanta cultivated the student’s desire to help and serve the people, emphasizing the value and what being a sociologist truly means.

On July 03, 2025, the students presented their findings to the AFFA, MMMSA, SMB, and the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist, emphasizing the strengths and the opportunities that can be pursued by the organizations in support of the Local Government of Infanta.

In case you missed it

On June 3, 2025, the Ricardo Leong Institute of Global and Area Studies (RLIGAS) at Ateneo de Manila University's Dr. Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences (RGL-SoSS) hosted a vital orientation for their project, "Defining Anticipated Health Needs." Dr. Dennis B. Batangan and student researcher Rian Mitchell Piamonte led the session, introducing participants to the eDelphi survey, an innovative online tool for gathering expert consensus. Attendees were warmly guided through the platform, ensuring a smooth registration and survey experience. This interactive setup fostered real-time collaboration among participants. Ultimately, the event marks a significant step in localizing foresight methodologies to strengthen Philippine health systems.

This Pride Month, we celebrate all forms of love, including a parent’s love for their child.

When a queer child comes out, parents can sometimes find themselves facing multiple emotions that can include shock, overwhelm, confusion, worry, fear, guilt, and sadness. For parents, it can be challenging to navigate their version of the "coming out" journey, and a lack of guidance and support can contribute to years of suffering and distress for both parents and queer children.

In partnership with Ateneo Gender Hub and Tagpuan Center for Dialogue, we offer "Pinoy Parenting with Pride: Learning How to Support an LGBTQIA+ Child." This two-part online workshop focuses on helping parents who are undergoing this journey by providing them with the knowledge, skills, and resources that they'll need so that they can support themselves and their children in ways that enhance their well-being and the well-being of their families as a whole.

Interested participants who wish to join the online workshop can sign up at bit.ly/pw_pride

We offer different rates for either one or both parents attending the workshop. We also offer scholarships!

Dr. Alvin P. Ang and Dr. Jeremaiah M. Opiniano's paper, "Remittance investment climate analysis: Ascertaining the local development potential of overseas remittances in Philippine rural hometowns," has been honored by the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL) with the 2025 Outstanding Scientific Paper Award! Published in the Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, this work makes a significant contribution to its field.

On the horizon

The Ateneo Martial Law Museum and Library (AMLML), in partnership with the Ateneo Library of Women's Writings (ALiWW) and the Ateneo Fine Arts Department, is excited to announce its participation in the 9th Annual Conference of the Memory Studies Association (MSA) in Prague.

Their exhibit, “Beyond the ‘Gloss and Discipline’: Martial Law as Written by Women Journalists in the Philippines,” will be showcased at the historic Karolinum from July 14–18, 2025. This important project highlights the often-unsung contributions of Filipina journalists during the Martial Law era (1972-1981), celebrating their courage and feminist perspective in challenging censorship and documenting the truth.

The AMLML is honored to contribute to global conversations about the role of women and the media in preserving national memory and resisting authoritarianism.

Never again! Never forget!

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