Papers by Christopher Ryan Maboloc
The exponential growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses very serious ethical questions and p... more The exponential growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses very serious ethical questions and policy implications. Will the advance of AI in education destroy the primary purpose of human learning? How does ChatGPT affect the transformative or critical role of education? The concern about ChatGPT is about how it influences the attitude of students when it comes to the learning process. But ChatGPT actually poses more serious ethical questions. AI actually gives rise to a host of issues concerning attitudes towards modern technology and how it reduces everything into a question of efficiency. The identity of indigenous peoples is also threatened by AI. This study analyses the AI Policies of three schools in the Philippines and provides a commentary on the implications of the provisions from an ethical vantage point. The argument is that these policies are rooted in the capital-driven and consumerist agenda of the West but is wanting on the question of cultural identity.
This paper seeks to link philosophy and the social sciences. To be able to do so, I will first ex... more This paper seeks to link philosophy and the social sciences. To be able to do so, I will first explain the distinction between the methods of philosophy and that of the social sciences. To put flesh into my argument, I will examine the problem of poverty using the lens of Thomas Pogge, who provides a definition, description, and explanation of poverty. To understand poverty as a moral as well as a political issue, I will elucidate some concepts introduced by Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum, and Iris Marion Young, illustrating in the process how their thoughts actually intersect. Finally, I will discuss the meaning of democracy and how, in order to understand it, one must appeal, beyond theory, to everyday experiences. The social sciences, in this regard, can be linked to moral philosophy. The social sciences should not be construed as separate or purely distinct from the philosophical questions that have shaped human knowledge.
This paper intends to discuss the nature and consequences of the institutional causal factors of ... more This paper intends to discuss the nature and consequences of the institutional causal factors of deprivation in Muslim Mindanao. Poverty can be attributed to clannish rivalries, failures in peace agreements, a shadow economy controlled by local bosses, and a patronage system of government dominated by the elites. Historical as well as structural injustice are the direct causes of poverty in the region. Exclusion is anchored in centralised rule, which denies Muslim Filipinos their basic rights to human well-being. The existing approaches to improving the standard of living in Muslim Mindanao do not address the control of political dynasties, enabled by political power brokers who want to perpetuate their vested interests. Following the ethical frameworks of Thomas Pogge and Iris Marion Young, I argue that overturning the problem of poverty in the Bangsamoro requires the levelling of the playing field by introducing grassroots-based political parties who in turn, once in power, can dismantle the dominance of influential clans and families by introducing inclusive and competitive economic policies that can promote equitable wealth distribution within the region.
The study examines structural poverty in Muslim Mindanao from the perspectives of Thomas Pogge an... more The study examines structural poverty in Muslim Mindanao from the perspectives of Thomas Pogge and Iris Marion Young. It attempts to explain the critical aspect of the region's economic injustice and power dynamics in terms of how the same has contributed to the deprivation of its people. Three Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted to help explicate the structural nature of the problem of poverty. The study used primary data from the FGD and secondary data from texts for its analysis. The study explains the influence and impact of the shadow or underground economy in the Bangsamoro. Its predatory character defines the political economy of Muslim Mindanao. The influence of political clans and the lack of people empowerment have subjected the Muslim minority in the Philippines to an exploitative type of economic system that has made the region one of the poorest in the country. The paper argues for structural reforms beyond state-centric measures to sustain peace and development in Muslim Mindanao. Changing the power dynamics in the Bangsamoro is necessary if people are to benefit from authentic autonomy.
The primary question of this investigation has something to do with the legitimacy of religious a... more The primary question of this investigation has something to do with the legitimacy of religious authority over the power and authority of the state. The concept of legitimacy is a critical question in the Social Contract tradition. Furthermore, I shall ask whether such legitimacy extends to religious questions more importantly, to the concept of the separation of state and religion. It is not as if these questions have not been tackled before. Many philosophers have since discussed the matter. My point is to explore the question in order to respond to present-day issues and concerns, including the case of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the proposal to legalize divorce in the Philippines, and the moral force of the Iglesia Ni Cristo when it comes to political issues. John Locke writes that the sole business of the Church is the salvation of souls. In this way, Locke provides one of the earliest liberal ideas when it comes to the separation of Church and State. But what is the basis of this principle? I will speak from a political vantage point, although history is replete with grand narratives on the tumultuous relationship between state and religion.
This study examines the philosophy behind the Dabawenyo DCPlinado Curriculum Integration Program.... more This study examines the philosophy behind the Dabawenyo DCPlinado Curriculum Integration Program. It looks into the problems, issues, and goals that the program intends to address. The pedagogical framework used recognizes the universal dimension of ethical learning, but acknowledges at the same time the big challenges and nuances given the unique circumstances that students and people in general are in. It responds to the real intent of values education, which is the moral development of individuals and society as a whole. While recognizing the negative connotation of the concept of discipline, the argument is that without it, peace and progress cannot be achieved. Discipline has nothing to do with punishment. It is about the conviction to commit oneself in order to accomplish an important task or goal. This sense of commitment is important in being a good or responsible citizen.
is a thought-provoking, scientific, and practical book that documents, discusses, and challenges ... more is a thought-provoking, scientific, and practical book that documents, discusses, and challenges the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the delivery of instruction. Using qualitative analysis, the authors assert that online cheating is apparent because "students are attracted and even seduced by the availability of the information on the internet." 1 The authors are correct in this observation, although they also recommended what they labeled as the RIA (Remote Integrity and Accountability) framework in addressing the problem.
Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics, 2024
Employing the interpretive textual analysis, this work examined available literature and document... more Employing the interpretive textual analysis, this work examined available literature and documents. The Spanish colonial regime failed to subjugate Mindanao due to the strong resistance from the Moros. The pacifist approach of the Americans ignored the island. The regime did not consider what it called the Moro Province as part of their colony. The Philippine Commonwealth Government, through its Manila-centric and elite driven type of governance, also neglected Mindanao, reducing it into a land resource. Through the Great Migration of the 1920s until the 1940s, poor and landless peasants from Luzon and the Visayas were resettled in the South, displacing Muslims and Indigenous Peoples, collectively known as Lumad.
Philosophia: International Journal of Philosophy, 2025
This paper attempts to appropriate Iris Marion Young's politics of difference to the problem of s... more This paper attempts to appropriate Iris Marion Young's politics of difference to the problem of structural injustice in Muslim Mindanao. It has two motivations. The first intent is to discuss the meaning of responsibility in relation to the reality of oppression in the Bangsamoro. The second motive is to determine moral blame in order to assign responsibility in the struggle for equality. This study fuses difference politics with the dialectical method to understand the discrimination against the Indigenous Peoples and the Muslims in the region. The use of Young's perspective offers a critical stance in analyzing the problem of socio-political exclusion and poverty in Mindanao. I argue that whoever benefits from the prevailing unjust system should be held equally liable for any moral blame. Unless the moral, as well as the structural nature of the problem is recognized, democratic reforms in the Bangsamoro cannot effectively take place.
"Biopower, New Normal, Decency and Otherness: Philosophical Reflections on the Covid-19 Pandemic." Covid-19 and Public Policy. Ed. by Manas Chatterji. (Leeds, UK: Emerald Publishing, 2025),
Covid-19 and Public Policy, 2025
The COVID-19 Pandemic was a moral crisis. It made manifest the power of the state over individual... more The COVID-19 Pandemic was a moral crisis. It made manifest the power of the state over individual freedom. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the whole world came to a halt. Restrictions in the mobility of people meant that the virus has control over governments. The pandemic forced people to reflect and realize the meaning of life, the value of relationships, and the importance of solidarity in the fight against the virus. The last public health emergency also introduced novel terminologies to the public-new normal, biopolitics, and vaccine nationalism. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a philosophical background to the COVID-19 pandemic, analyze its impact on human society, and reflect on its existential as well as ethical implications. Death was apparent but people remained indifferent. There was only apathy for the 'other'. The pandemic was not just a question of survival. It was a moral crisis that challenged the purpose of our humanity and reminded us of the meaning of human decency.
South East Asian Journal of General Studies, 2024
Difference politics looks into institutional rules, norms and practices that reinforce the positi... more Difference politics looks into institutional rules, norms and practices that reinforce the positional inequalities in society. This imbalance in the socioeconomic structure gives undue favor to those who are at the top of the hierarchy. To rectify this injustice, unjust structures should be dismantled, and replaced with inclusive mechanisms and policies. Identity politics focuses on recognizing the unfair and unequal treatment of minorities. Group-differentiated rights empower people. But there exists a gap because political representation is not enough to alter the deeply embedded societal inequalities. Using the Bangsamoro as a case in point, it is argued that to address the problem, the roots of the historical injustice against Muslim Filipinos and Lumads must be traced. To create a just society in the Bangsamoro, inclusive institutions must be built based on the framework of holistic peacebuilding.
Indonesian Journal of Political Studies , 2024
Structural injustice appears normalized and legitimized in modern societal culture. The Mindanao ... more Structural injustice appears normalized and legitimized in modern societal culture. The Mindanao problem is not a religious conflict between Christians and Muslims. War and peace in Mindanao points is a question of historical and structural injustice. Portraying the Christian and Muslim divide as some form of religious war silences the suffering of its Indigenous Peoples. The exclusion of the Lumad is due to a type of violence against their identity. Philippine society labels indigenous peoples as illiterate and the Muslim Filipino as violent. In the Filipino socio-cultural hierarchy, the Christian is at the top whereas in the middle lies the Muslim Filipino. Powerless and without any voice, at the bottom dwells the Lumad. There was no peace in the past because of this moral divide. Peace is not just the absence of conflict. It is a process that involves the full recognition of human dignity and the respect for basic human rights. It can only be achieved if it is inclusive, which means that it is meant for all human beings and not just to satisfy the economic or political demands of a dominant group. This is why inclusion cannot be limited to the distribution of resources. While politics caters to the satisfaction of power players, peace can only be rooted in the solidarity of a people as one nation.
This paper intends to present the origin, concepts, and methodological approaches in the study of... more This paper intends to present the origin, concepts, and methodological approaches in the study of hermeneutics-semantics, semiotics, logical analysis, ontology, and phenomenology-in order to explain the workings of language in human experience. The question of being is the most important question in the whole of philosophy. In parallel, the question of meaning is the most fundamental when it comes to hermeneutics. The research aims to respond to the question of being by means of understanding language. To be able to answer this question, the paper will elaborate the philosophy of language of Ferdinand de Saussure, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Edmund Husserl, and his successor at Freiburg, Martin Heidegger. Hans-Georg Gadamer found a way of explicating hermeneutics in which he asserts that truth is beyond method. Paul Ricoeur grafts this assertion to phenomenology through the narrative theory. This paper argues that there is no singular method of understanding the meaning of meaning because the truth makes itself manifest in its different ways of unfolding.
This paper responds to the critics of radical democracy in the Philippines. Critics say that I mi... more This paper responds to the critics of radical democracy in the Philippines. Critics say that I misused Chantal Mouffe's ideas on the subject. It is their contention that I misinterpreted radicalism to mean as a radical break from liberalism. Critics also suggest that my position is narrowly focused on the conflict between President Duterte and the elites, ignoring ordinary people or the demos as the essence of radical democracy. I believe that the claims they make are erroneous. Duterte's rise to power in 2016 was a reaction to elite politics in the country and the failures of EDSA People Power I. In both instances, the clamor for true reform or change came from the people themselves. Critics suggest that I failed to explicate the theory of Mouffe's agonism, which is at the heart of her radical democracy project. Duterte's conflict with the political elites in the country is a testament to the agonism or struggle in Philippine society. By dismantling elitism in the country, the consolidation of our democracy takes a "radical turn" and comes with the man who embodies the underrepresented voices in Philippine society. The point of the matter is that Duterte simply gave radical politics a substantive meaning. It is the same kind of radicalism that actually seeks a just, equal, and democratic way of life.
This paper aims to provide an ethical perspective for the Bangsamoro as it pursues sustainable pe... more This paper aims to provide an ethical perspective for the Bangsamoro as it pursues sustainable peace and development. While it agrees as crucial the need to address cultural as well as the historical injustices, the Bangsamoro requires a development framework that will enable it to be fully integrated in societal culture and the international community. Principled governance and democratic inclusion are viewed as critical to maintain the integrity of the region. But the problem of the Bangsamoro is not just political. It must prepare itself, as it does right now, towards a shared future where it can respond to the realities of a neoliberal economic order. It is argued that a human-centered approach to development is important to sustain the peace and social cohesion in the region.
This paper explains why natural disasters are a public health issue. A case in point is the Masar... more This paper explains why natural disasters are a public health issue. A case in point is the Masara landslide in Maco Town, the Philippines. Public health concerns are not just the physical but also the ‘total well-being of persons’. Classifying natural calamities as a concern related to public health will give a sense of urgency on the matter and thereby encourage governments to act on the negative effects of climate change, especially in developing countries.
This investigation explains the situation in the Bangsamoro. The peace agreement, which has resul... more This investigation explains the situation in the Bangsamoro. The peace agreement, which has resulted in the cessation of hostilities between the Muslim rebels (MILF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), has achieved what the Bangsamoro desired: wealth redistribution and autonomy. It is argued that the present condition can be described as a state of negative peace. Now, in order to sustain the peacebuilding process, there is a need to reform the institutions in the Bangsamoro. A truly inclusive system will require the integration of Lumads, Muslims, and Christians into a societal culture of a diverse region. This integral type of peace requires the sense of belongingness and the shared future among diverse groups. If the Bangsamoro must succeed, people should co-exist sans their prejudice against each other in establishing a just and equal socio-political order.
This paper is an attempt to fuse poetry and philosophy as a means to interpret social issues. In ... more This paper is an attempt to fuse poetry and philosophy as a means to interpret social issues. In the country's history, poems have had a great impact in inspiring the people in their struggle for freedom and to express their love for country. The first poem, "Kunwari," explicates the character and impact of President Duterte on social issues in terms of the way he challenged the Catholic Church, a certain form of poetic justice, one might say. The second poem "Pag-big," will explore the intricacies of love as an experience and an ideal that unites two human beings amidst all the complexities of human reality. The third and final poem, "Babae" is about womanhood. It presents the essence of being a woman and the power of women to nurture and make all life bearable despite the conflicts and emptiness of living in a world that is complex and tumultuous.
"Ethics of Justice in Elderly Care: Ageism and the Covid-19 Pandemic." Community Health Equity Research and Policy Journal [co-author]. Online First (2023): 1-7.
Background: The study looks into the condition of elderly Covid-19 patients regarding the kind of... more Background: The study looks into the condition of elderly Covid-19 patients regarding the kind of attention they received during the pandemic given the scarcity of medical resources in the countries mentioned in this investigation. In this case, we apply the bioethical principle of justice on the age-based criteria in determining which patient must receive treatment The argument is that the same is a form of discrimination against the elderly.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to emphasize that the age-based criteria in deciding whether to treat elderly Covid-19 patients or not is violative of the bioethical principle of justice since it discriminates against them.
Method: This study uses the interpretive method. The authors analyzed the literature and the arguments pertaining to the issue of ageism at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic. We mentioned the countries where the issue of prioritization was a big concern. The qualitative analysis in this paper is meant to respond to such medical dilemma.
Analysis: In our analysis, we determined that when age is used as a criterion, it violates the bioethical principle of justice. The principle is meant to ensure that physicians are fair in dealing with patients. Using age in deciding whether a life is worth saving or not is a prejudice against old people who require care and attention.
Discussion: Medical doctors must treat patients equally and without bias. The challenge, however, is that due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, a triage is put in place to be able to manage the overwhelming influx of Covid-19 patients. Some age-based medical treatment criteria that recommend age-based cutoffs for specific treatments are morally
untenable. This is because the same is bereft of any acceptable justification that warrants the judgment that the elderly must have
less priority when medical resources are scarce.
Conclusion: In conclusion, doctors must not discriminate patients on the basis of age. All lives are equal in moral worth. We argue that governments must promulgate non-discriminatory policies when it comes to medical treatment during a global public health emergency
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Papers by Christopher Ryan Maboloc
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to emphasize that the age-based criteria in deciding whether to treat elderly Covid-19 patients or not is violative of the bioethical principle of justice since it discriminates against them.
Method: This study uses the interpretive method. The authors analyzed the literature and the arguments pertaining to the issue of ageism at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic. We mentioned the countries where the issue of prioritization was a big concern. The qualitative analysis in this paper is meant to respond to such medical dilemma.
Analysis: In our analysis, we determined that when age is used as a criterion, it violates the bioethical principle of justice. The principle is meant to ensure that physicians are fair in dealing with patients. Using age in deciding whether a life is worth saving or not is a prejudice against old people who require care and attention.
Discussion: Medical doctors must treat patients equally and without bias. The challenge, however, is that due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, a triage is put in place to be able to manage the overwhelming influx of Covid-19 patients. Some age-based medical treatment criteria that recommend age-based cutoffs for specific treatments are morally
untenable. This is because the same is bereft of any acceptable justification that warrants the judgment that the elderly must have
less priority when medical resources are scarce.
Conclusion: In conclusion, doctors must not discriminate patients on the basis of age. All lives are equal in moral worth. We argue that governments must promulgate non-discriminatory policies when it comes to medical treatment during a global public health emergency