8th NSSC to tackle governance, sustainability issues

The Philippine Social Science Council, in partnership with Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas, will convene the Eighth National Social Science Congress (NSSC 8) June 15-17.

NSSC 8 expects to gather experts, researchers, students and practitioners to tackle the theme Inclusive Governance: Gateways to Sustainable Futures.

The conference will cover topics relevant to the pursuit of inclusive governance and sustainability such as governance of natural resources, management of cultural heritage and diversity, local governance reforms, management of climate change and natural disasters, governance of cyberspace, online community and mass media, language policy, and women’s role and contributions to good governance.

Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan, chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education, will serve as NSSC 8 keynote speaker. In addition, the opening plenary will feature Dr. Peter P. Laurel, President of Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas and newly-elected Batangas Governor Hermilando I. Mandanas, who will give their respective welcome remarks.

Three international experts on disaster governance will participate in a special plenary session “Disasters Risk Governance: Lessons from Asia” on the second day of the conference. These are Dr. Yasuo Tanaka of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia; Dr. Kanako Iuchi of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Japan; and Dr. Fouad Bendimerad of Earthquakes and Megacities.

Ms. Paulina Lawsin-Nayra of the Eastern Visayas Network of NGOs and POs, a coalition of nongovernment organizations engaged in post-disaster rehabilitation of Tacloban, will serve as session discussant.

National Commission for Culture and the Arts Chair Felipe de Leon, anthropologists Ponciano Bennagen and Cynthia Zayas, and geographer Simeona Martinez will discuss their “Theoretical Perspectives on Inclusive Governance and Sustainable Futures” in another plenary session of the conference.

This year’s NSSC 8 will be the first NSSC to be held outside of Metro Manila. “NSSC 8 marks an important change in the conduct of the Congress as it veers away from privileging Manila-centric confabs, and instead taps the country’s various regions’ rich resources and talents in organizing a scholarly endeavor,” says Dr. Portus, Chairperson of the PSSC Board of Trustees.

“This cascading of the NSSC, and its attendant benefits, to the regions fulfills the need to inclusively engage our social scientists nationwide in academic and proprietary discourses,” he added.