Presidents Annual Report 2007 1

Philippine Sociological Society
Introduction
In 2007, the Philippine Sociological Society (PSS) continued to represent, promote, and advance the social and intellectual interests of its members who come from a range of disciplines whose professional careers have a fundamental connection to sociology. It was led by a Board of Directors comprised of:
President: Dr. Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu (Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ateneo de Manila University)
Vice-President: Dr. Liza Lim (Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ateneo de Manila University)
Secretary: Dr. Dennis Erasga (Behavioral Sciences Department, De La Salle University)
Treasurer: Ms. Myla Arcinas (Behavioral Sciences Department, De La Salle University)
Board Members: Dr. Filomeno Aguilar Jr. (Department of History, Ateneo de Manila University) Ms. Nina Castillo-Carandang (Department of Epidemiology, University of the Philippines-Manila) Dr. Emma Porio (Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ateneo de Manila University) Dr. Ma. Elena Chiong-Javier, Immediate past president, ex-officio (Behavioral Sciences Department, De La Salle University)
As this Board completed its two-year term in December 2007, a new Board, elected at the General Assembly on 20 October 2007, is preparing to continue the initiatives and surpass the achievements of previous Boards. The members of the new Board are: Ms. Myla Arcinas (De La Salle University), Dr. Manuel Diaz (Philippine Social Science Center), Ms. Josephine Dionisio (University of the Philippines in Diliman), Dr. Corazon Lamug (University of the Philippines at Los Baños), Mr. Isagani Lachica (Philippine Social Science Center), Ms. Leslie Lopez (Ateneo de Manila University), and Dr. Emma Porio (Ateneo de Manila University). Dr. Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu, immediate past president, will sit on the Board as ex-officio.

I. Academic/Scholarly activities

NATIONAL CONFERENCE
In the spirit of continuing and adding new elements to the life of the association, the Board has set the PSS National Conference as a regular annual activity. This year’s conference, hosted by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the Ateneo de Manila University, was held on 19-20 October 2007 at the Ateneo de Manila University. The conference theme on “Sociologizing Education: Meanings, Processes, and Institutions” allowed 118 practitioners, researchers, faculty, and students of sociology from all over the country to discuss education and educational processes and, through sociological frameworks and methodologies, contribute to an understanding of this important aspect of our society. Dr. Anne Raffin of the Department of Sociology of the National University of Singapore delivered the Keynote Address, while a plenary panel anchored existing sociological frameworks and methods in the contemporary issues and challenges of Philippine education. The panel, convened by Dr. Emma Porio, was composed of Dr. Ma. Cynthia Rose Banzon Bautista (University of the Philippines in Diliman), Dr. Allan B.I. Bernardo (De La Salle University), and Dr. Virginia Miralao (Philippine Social Science Council. A workshop on “Communication Skills for Social Science Teachers” with Dr. Ricardo Abad (Ateneo de Manila University), 2001 Metrobank Outstanding Teacher awardee, enabled interested conference participants to enhance their teaching skills.

The 2008 National Conference, to be held in Cebu City, will be hosted by the University of San Carlos, while the 2009 National Conference will be hosted by the Mindanao State University in General Santos City.

the Philippine Sociological Review (PSR) In September 2007, the PSS released PSR Vol. 53 (2005; Dr. Emma Porio and
Dr. Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu, coeditors) on social capital. The papers in this issue contribute new questions and understandings of social capital by bringing attention to its specific forms and contextual factors that explain why the foundations, dynamics, and consequences of social capital may vary from one group or setting to another. Vol. 54 (2006; Dr. Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu, editor) on the culture and practice of science and technology in the Philippines became available on October 2007. This issue shows the scientific mind at work as scientists and technologists think about the problems we encounter daily in the country and how science and technology can be understood using the language of sociology.
Special issue editors (Ms. Stella Go and Dr. Raul Pertierra) are currently working on the 2007 and 2008 issues. Members are encouraged to send manuscripts of any topic current in Sociology to the PSS Secretariat ([e-mail]) for possible publication in the PSR.

II. Institutional or organizational development initiatives
PRESENCE ONLINE
PSS launched its website in 2007. The website, administered by Dr. Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu and the PSS Secretariat, is available at www. dsa-ateneo.net/pss.
Presence in the International Sociological Association
Dr. Emma Porio continues to sit as Member of the Executive Committee of the International Sociological Association (ISA), a non-profit association for scientific purposes in the field of sociology and social sciences. Other PSS members who have positions in the ISA Research Committees (RC) are: Dr. Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu, Secretary of the Board of the RC on the Sociology of Science and Technology; Dr. Esmeralda Sanchez, Board Member of the RC on the Sociology of Religion; and Mr. Clarence Batan, Board Member of the RC on the Sociology of Youth.
Presence in the Philippine Social Science Council
Dr. Filomeno Aguilar Jr., who represents the PSS in the Philippine Social Science Council, is Chair of the Council’s Board of Trustees. His leadership of the Council, as well as that of Dr. Emma Porio, who was the Council’s previous Chair, helps raise the profile of the PSS in the country’s social science community.
Support for research groups
At the PSS National Conferences, the joint sessions of the PSS and the ISA RC on the Sociology of Religion provided the venue for the establishment of the Philippine Association for the Sociology of Religion (PASR). The PASR will host the mid-term conference of the ISA RC on the Sociology of Religion in January 2008 at the University of Santo Tomas.
INITIATIVES FOR DEVELOPING A CULTURE OF SCIENCE The PSS joined other professional social science associations in the country in developing a strategic plan for developing a culture of science in the Philippines. The initiative, led by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), is ongoing.
Secretariat
The Philippine Social Science Council provides secretariat services to the Philippine Sociological Society. Ms. Grace Hain is managing the PSS’s secretariat services.

III. Financial Standing
The sale of the PSR, annual membership fees, Conference registration fees and a Conference Grant from the Philippine Social Science Council enable the PSS to undertake activities toward the development and promotion of sociology in the Philippines.