For the second year in a row, the UP Diliman Department of Philosophy hosted the Emmanuel Q. Fernando Philosophy Undergraduate Conference from April 27-28, 2026. The event was held in honor of Professor Emmanuel Q. Fernando, MA (Cantab.), DPhil (Oxon.), a former Chairperson of the UP Diliman Department of Philosophy well-known for his contributions in philosophy of law, mathematical logic, and other areas of philosophy. The event is an opportunity for BA Philosophy majors of the department to come together and share their research on various philosophical topics with a wider audience. It is also intended to provide them with a preparatory platform on which they can hone their writing and presentation skills for publication and other conferences. The theme of the event was Analysis, a reference to the Anglo-American or analytic tradition of philosophy that Professor Fernando fervently championed throughout his academic career. Professor Fernando’s biography may be read here: Emmanuel Q. Fernando Biography and Selected Bibliography
Professor Fernando at the Counter Revolutionary Ceremony at Oxford University.
On the first day of the event, opening remarks were delivered by Officer-In Charge Associate Professor Lily Beth Lumagbas. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Gerald Pio Franco, PhD, a former student and advisee of Prof. Fernando, who reflected on his influence as a mentor, their shared interest in mathematical logic, and how mathematical logic went on to play an important part of their lives outside of the classroom. The program was hosted by graduating seniors Nawi Gonowon and Laurenz Dela Cruz. Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Marielle Antionette Zosa, MA served as Overall Project Head and Faculty Convener of the conference.
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Department Officer-In-Charge Professor Beth Lumagbas, PhD delivers her opening remarks.
Professor Gerald Pio Franco, PhD delivered the Keynote Address for the conference.
Assistant Professor Marielle Zosa served as Faculty Convener and Project Head of the Conference.
Attendees of the Opening Ceremonies included students and faculty members alike.
After the opening program, students broke out into various rooms and sessions throughout Pavilion 2 of Palma Hall in twelve sub-categories where philosophy majors presented papers that had either been written or were currently in progress. Papers from six of these sub-categories were presented on the first day, including Ethics, Applied Ethics, Philosophy of Mind, Political Philosophy, Epistemology, and Metaphysics. During the two day event, fifty-six students presented their papers after their abstracts had been screened by both senior and junior faculty members of the department. Each presentation was succeeded by a Q&A session during which audience members could ask questions or provide feedback for the speaker. There was also a faculty member present in each room to provide constructive comments on the presentations and award the Best Presenter. Notably, it was the first time for many of our philosophy majors to present in any conference, while it was the second or third time for others.
The final event for the first day was a Philosophy Quiz Bee in which philosophy majors were allowed to form teams of up to five members each in competing for First Place (PHP 5,000 Cash Prize and a plaque), Second Place (PHP 3,000 Cash Prize), and Third Place (PHP 2,000 Cash Prize) respectively. The event was hosted by Instr. Jevi Quitain and Instr. Patrick Villegas.
The Quiz Bee was hosted and facilitated by junior faculty members of the department, Instr. Jevi Quitain (Left) and Instr. Patrick Villegas (Right).
Philosophy majors from all batches wrote down and raised their answers on whiteboards.
On the second day of the program, presenters from the remaining six sub-categories presented on Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of Language, Feminist Philosophy, and the merged category of History of Philosophy & Logic .
Presenters from the Feminist Philosophy Category (L to R): Chloe Delos Santos, Lois Rigo, Iana Fernandez, Sam Arroyo, and Eunice Mejias.
Junior Josh Dones presents his work, “Is Consciousness a Problem or a Mystery?” in the Philosophy of Mind category.
Freshman Sam Acosta presents her work entitled, “Dualism’s Magnetism: A Response to Plumwood’s Proposal of Non-Anti-Feminist Logic” under the joint History of Philosophy & Logic Category.
On the afternoon of the second day, the first ever PhilosoFlick Film Festival was contested by three different teams who each submitted short 3 to 5-minute videos depicting some famous thought experiments in philosophy such as the Grandfather’s Paradox, Descartes’ Evil Demon, and Theseus’ Ship. A panel of faculty members served as judges to award Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Meanwhile, audience members were able to vote for the People’s Choice Award.
Members of the Student OrgComm gather at the Pilar Herrera Hall for the PhilosoFlick festival.
Even faculty members attended the PhilosoFlick Film Festival! (L to R: Instr. Ingrid De Jesus, Instr. Jevi Quitain, Instr. Gavin Chuacuco, and Assoc. Prof. Beth Lumagbas)
A scene from the Best Film award winner, The Grandfather Paradox, plays at Pilar Herrera Hall for all to view.
The Awarding Ceremonies took place immediately after the PhilosoFlick Film Festival. For the twelve sub-categories, three winners were awarded for writing the best full papers with First Place winning a PHP 2,000.00 Cash Prize, Second Place winning a PHP 1,500.00 Cash Prize, and Third Place winning a PHP 1,000.00. The essays were judged by senior faculty members. Meanwhile, junior faculty members who facilitated the parallel sessions awarded a Best Presenter. All winners won medals and certificates in recognition of their achievements.
The full papers of the First Prize Winner in each category can be read below:
Best Papers and Presentations
Category 1: Philosophy of Law
First Prize: Rachael Leigh D. Estanislao, “The Language of Law: A Philosophical Inquiry into Lingual Justice and Legal Accessibility in the Philippines” Full Paper Here: The Language of Law (Estanislao)
Second Prize: Danielle Rhoze S. Selnga, “Deprived Lib-HER-ty: Feminist Ethical Approach in Legalizing Divorce in the Philippines”
Third Prize: Markus Ysabel Manalo, “The Right to Life as a Unitary Interest: Challenging the Negative-Positive Distinction of Rights”
Best Presenter: Gustavo Ezekiel S.F. Molina, “Language and the Law: How does the Law Have Illocutionary Power?”
Category 2: Political Philosophy
First Prize: Juan Laurenz Dela Cruz, “Rising from the Rubble: Rethinking Survival in Gaza Using Hannah Arendt’s Conception of the Vita Activa in the Human Condition” Full Paper Here: Rising From The Rubble (Dela Cruz)
Second Prize: Lester Jean Santos, “The Legitimacy of the Leviathan in the New Age: The Rise of Strongman Rule in the Philippines”
Third Prize: Airich Jewel Bello, “Pluralism and Cultural Belonging: Chinese-Filipino Students Negotiating Identity in Philippine Academia”
Best Presenter: Shaina Dyanne A. Gonzales, “Galit ng Bayan: A Philosophical Inquiry into Collective Anger and Moral Protest in the Context of the Trillion Peso March”
Category 3 and 4: Applied Ethics and Ethics
First Prize: Shanaeia D. Tabbang, “Humans or Animals?: Analyzing the Human Life and Animal Suffering Tensions Surrounding Xenotransplantation” Full Paper Here: Humans or Animals? (Tabbang)
Second Prize: Jed Pontero, “Pag-Adya sa Etika ng Nangangahas na Rebolusyon: Sa Lente ni Delmas-Arendt”
Third Prize: Amia B. Altura, “Moral Instruments: The Female Reproductive System in Philippine Medical Fertility Practices”
Best Presenter (Applied Ethics): Karlo Mikel Terrell, “The Premature Termination of Suicidal Voices: The Removal of Autonomy in the Discourse Ethics of Suicide”
Best Presenter (Ethics): Sophia Mae L. Lingan, “How to Have an Ethical War: Evaluating the Ethical Necessity of Interventionism in the Post-Colonial World”
Category 5: Philosophy of Language
First Prize: Sheia Renice I. Cloma, “Beyond Baptism: Filipino Naming Practices and Kripke’s Theory of Rigid Designation Full Paper Here: Beyond Baptism (Cloma)
Second Prize: Aimiel D. Lamio, “Linguistic Closure, Epistemic Limitation, and the Gettier Problem: A Tarskian Analogy”
Third Prize: Lynelle Thea R. Castillo, “Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations and the Gaming Language”
Best Presenter: Peter Gene D. Tronco, “Pagbibinyag sa ‘Terorista’: Language Games as Instruments of State Violence”
Category 6: Philosophy of Mind
First Prize:Sean Marcus L. Ingalla, “Anomalous Monism as a Theory of Free Action: Against the Epiphenomenalist and Irrelevance Charges” Full Paper Here: Anomalous Monism as a Theory of Free Action (Ingalla)
Second Prize: Jan Bernadine Sese, “Paranoid Android: On (un)Meaningful Friendships with AI Chatbots”
Third Prize: Bonnie M. Marticio, “What-is-it-like to Experience an Illusion?”
Best Presenter: Sean Marcus L. Ingalla, “Anomalous Monism as a Theory of Free Action: Against the Epiphenomenalist and Irrelevance Charges”
Category 7: Philosophy of Science
First Prize (Tied): Paul Benedict Cano, “On Bilateral Contractualism as a Condition for Alignment” Full Paper Here: On Bilateral Contractualism as a Condition for Alignment (Cano)
First Prize (Tied): Artemio S. Arcega III, “On the Formal Isomorphism and the Asymptotic Limits of Digital Twins: Critiquing the Completeness of Discrete-Digital Representations” Full Paper Here: On the Formal Isomorphism and the Asymptotic Limits of Digital Twins
Third Prize: John Aldrick Operario, “The Cardinality of Justification: The Limitations of Infinitism Through the Application of Cantor’s Diagonalization Argument”
Best Presenter: Paul Benedict Cano, “On Bilateral Contractualism as a Condition for Alignment”
Category 8: Feminist Philosophy
First Prize: Lois Gail Rigo, “Illusion of Empowerment: Choice Feminism as False Consciousness” Full Paper Here: Illusion of Empowerment (Rigo)
Second Prize: Sam V. Arroyo, “The Real Woman: A Critique of Essentialist Definitions”
Third Prize: Jeulyanna Simoune T. Ferrer, “Grace and Grit: A Feminist Epistemological Analysis of Filipina Athletes’ Experiences in Sport”
Best Presenter: Sam V. Arroyo, “The Real Woman: A Critique of Essentialist Definition”
Category 9: Epistemology
First Prize: Ma. Anna Mikaela S. Gana, “A Lewisian Modal Response to Gettier’s Problem” Full Paper Here: A Lewisian Modal Response to Gettier’s Problem (Gana)
Second Prize: Mara Arianna P. Santos, “On Mirror Neurons: The Justification of Belief in Other Minds”
Third Prize (Tied): John Hendrix Angelo C. Ramos, “To What Extent Do We Choose to Believe: A Case for Indirect Doxastic Voluntarism and Involuntarism”
Third Prize (Tied): Yzha Loraine R. Deseo, “The Refusal of Correction: Anti-Intellectualism as Epistemic Vice in Contemporary Society”
Best presenter: Stefani Claire C. Garcia, “Mimicry of the Mind: Does Over-reliance on AI Lead to Epistemic Fragility?”
Category 10: Metaphysics
First Prize: Princess Gwen R. Gonowon, “Pseudo-Reactive: A Fischer and Ravizza Critique of Moral Agency in the Philippine Case” Full Paper Here: Pseudo-Reactive (Gonowon)
Second Prize: Gabriel Rafael D. Vicente, “Uploading the Mind: Can Personal Identity Be Preserved?”
Third Prize: Rhea M. Manalili, “In Flesh and Code: Synthetic Consciousness and Moral Responsibility Through Emergentism and Parfit’s Personal Identity Theory”
Best Presenter: Ciara Gascon, “Between Love and Narcissism: The Problem of Projection”
Category 11: Philosophy of Religion
First Prize: Gleanna Crizzen R. Abello, “On the Compatibility of the Randomness and Providence Theses” Full Paper Here: On The Compatibility of the Providence and Randomness Theses
Second Prize: Nica H. Raña, “On Confessions Without God: Felicity and Absolution of Sacramental Confessions in a Post-Theistic World”
Third Prize: Yoeiza S. Garcia, “The Problem of God’s Morality and the Limits of Human Understanding”
Best Presenter:Gleanna Crizzen R. Abello, “On the Compatibility of the Randomness and Providence Theses”
Category 12: History & Philosophy of Logic
First Prize: Maria Camille Z. Yu, “The Logic of the Inner Citadel: Reclaiming Stoic Agency in the Age of Digital Externality” Full Paper Here: The Logic of the Inner Citadel (Yu)
Second Prize: Preisianne Britinah T. Perez, “Ginhawa ang May Alam: A Nuanced Reading of Filipino Concepts Through Fuzzy Logic”
Third Prize (Tie): Karl Alfred T. Olalia, “Whose Love Counts?: Re-reading Héloïse in the Context of LGBTQ+ Relationships in the Philippines”
Best Presenter: Karl Alfred T. Olalia, “Whose Love Counts?: Re-reading Héloïse in the Context of LGBTQ+ Relationships in the Philippines”
Winners of the Metaphysics Category. L to R: Assoc. Prof. Lumagbas, Ciara Gascon (Best Presenter), Eya Manalili (Third Place), Gab Vicente (Second Place), Nawi Gonowon (First Place), Marielle Zosa, and Mika Gana
Winners of the joint Ethics & Applied Ethics Category. L to R: Assoc. Prof. Lumagbas, Mikel Terrell (Best Presenter: Applied Ethics), Sophia Lingan (Best Presenter: Ethics), Mia Altura (Third Place), Jed Pontero (Second Place), Shine Tabbang (First Place), Marielle Zosa, and Mika Gana
Team Quiz Bee Winners
First Place: Hume’s Forks and Beans (Isabella Balde, Laurenz Dela Cruz, Sarah Espiritu, Rachael Estanislao, Sean Ingalla)
Second Place: KantNiel (Iana Fernandez, Marky Manalo, Yoe Garcia, Dustin Aminiana, Jed Pontero
Third Place: Global Passive (Shaina Gonzales, Orange Lita, Audrey Yag-at, Damien Lamio, Ciara Gascon)
OIC Asst. Prof. Lumagbas, First Place Winners Rachael Estanislao, Isa Balde, Laurenz Dela Cruz, Sean Ingalla, and Sarah Espiritu. Project Head Marielle Zosa and Student Convener Mika Gana.
PhilosoFlick Film Festival Winners
Best Film: The Grandfather Paradox (Group 1)
Best Actor: Josiah Gatchalian (PhiloLens)
Best Actress: Sam Arroyo (Emma Emma Emma)
People’s Choice Award: (The Ship of Theseus) Emma Emma Emma
Winners of the Best Film: The Grandfather Paradox (featuring guest star Instr. Joshua Ocon)
Winners of the People’s Choice Award: The Ship of Theseus (Emma Emma Emma)
The Department of Philosophy would also like to recognize the efforts of the following Organizing Committee members, led by Asst. Prof. Henry Fernando, Asst. Prof. Marielle Zosa, and Mika Gana.
Organizing Committee (OrgComm)
Faculty Adviser: Asst. Prof. Henry Fernando
Faculty Convener and Project Head: Asst. Prof. Marielle Zosa
Faculty Co-Advisers: Asst. Prof. Renato Manaloto and Asst. Prof. Symel Noelin De Guzman-Daulat
Student Convener: Mika Gana
Student Deputy Convener: Tati Inumerables
Members: Shine Tabbang (Internals Committee Head), Mia Altura (Externals Committee Head), Paul Cano (Logistics Committee Head), Lois Gail Rigo (Publicity Committee Head), Josh Dones (Finance Committee Head), Karl Olalia, Sidney Pizarro, Jean Santos, Nica Raña, Jeanelle Saavedra, Adrian Galvez, Drix Ramos, Theody Ferrer, Miguel Padilla, Phillip Loja, Ana Abello, Gene Tronco, Theo Ebuen, John Reymond Acierto, Azel Pumicpic, Ciara Gascon, Yoe Garcia, Iana Fernandez, Bonnie Marticio, Leanndra Krisner
The Organizing Committee of the Inaugural Emmanuel Q. Fernando Philosophy Undergraduate Conference, led by Asst. Prof. Henry Fernando, Asst. Prof. Marielle Zosa, and Mika Gana.
The Department of Philosophy thanks all faculty members, staff, and students who participated in making this event possible. We hope to see everyone next year for the second edition of the EQF Philosophy Undergraduate Conference!
A final photo taken of attendees at the Awarding Ceremonies