Francisco Socrates
2018 John Jay Fellow
Hometown: Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines
College: University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
Francisco Socrates is from the Philippines. He has just finished his undergraduate studies from the University of Santo Tomas, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology last June 2017. In college, he has had numerous experiences working with the poor in his country. His undergraduate thesis was about the formation of a large informal settlement in Manila. He was also active in volunteering for outreach projects for the poor. What struck him the most in his engagement with these people is their strong faith in God. However, he sees that much still needs to be improved in giving them access to formal education.
Meanwhile, in his engagements with his fellow university students, he sees that the tides of relativism and a secularism that excludes religion from the public life and discourse are beginning to grow in a number of Academic circles in the Philippines. His participation in the First Principles and the Theologico-Political Question summer seminar at the Witherspoon Institute in July of 2017 inspired him to learn more from the West about the different ways of approaching this issue from a Christian perspective, especially as he considers pursuing a career in academia. He wants to contribute in bridging the gap between the secularistic outlook of some of their intellectual leaders and the deep-seated orientation towards Christian values of the majority of Filipino people.
He sees that his participation at the John Jay Fellows Program will help him hone his ability to engage in intellectual discourse on the classics and the contemporary texts alike. He is looking forward to learning from and with the other Fellows whose Christian zeal and youthful idealism have driven them to participate in this program.
In his spare time, Bino likes spending time outdoors.