07/10/2026
The Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA), Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Philippines (KAS), and Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) organized the PPSA Presidents’ Lecture Series on Philippine Democracy last October 5, 2026, at the Bapa Benny Tudtud Auditorium of ADDU. This series of lectures featured Prof. Francisco A. Magno, PhD, a Professor of Political Science at De La Salle University (DLSU) who also serves as the Executive Director of DLSU Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance (JRIG) and a former PPSA President (2015-2017). He delivered the topic: “Political Science Research in the SDG World.”
Dr. Magno’s lecture emphasized that political science research in the SDG world is fundamentally a study of the relations of power, governance, and accountability, asking who defines problems, allocates resources, produces knowledge, makes decisions, and demands government response in the context of formal democratic commitments and implementation of sustainable development policies and initiatives. In the Philippine context, the SDG agenda provides the country’s political science scholars with an opportunity to make power, exclusion, participation, and accountability visible, connect theory with communities’ lived realities, and produce evidence that can strengthen democratic governance and institutional change.
Following the lecture, Ms. Roselyn Clemen served as the Faculty Discussant and shared her reflections on Dr. Magno’s lecture, focusing on how political science scholars can further utilize the UN SDG framework to advance research on governance and democratization. A number of participants actively engaged during the question and answer session, raising questions and sharing insights during the lecture.
The PPSA Presidents’ Lecture Series on Philippine Democracy is part of the activities for PPSA’s 65th Founding Anniversary. The lecture series aims to feature the ideas and perspectives of former PPSA Presidents on contemporary issues of democracy. More than 200 political science students, faculty members, and researchers across the Mindanao region attended the event. The final series of the PPSA Presidents’ lecture concluded with this event. However, sustained democratic engagement continues, reflecting the presence and active participation of different universities and colleges across the country.
The PPSA Board of Trustees and Secretariat Team, as well as our partner institutions in hosting the PPSA Presidents’ Lecture Series, express their sincere gratitude to KAS Philippines, our long-standing partner, for its active engagement and support throughout the Presidents’ Lecture.
PPSA would like to recognize the active participation of the following schools that contributed to the meaningful democratic discourse during the lecture at ADDU:
Ateneo de Davao University
University of Southern Mindanao - Kabacan
University of Mindanao
Holy Cross of Davao College
Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology
Mindanao State University - General Santos City
Far Eastern University
De La Salle University
