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Albert Alejo

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Albert Alejo
Born (1958-08-25) August 25, 1958 (age 66)
Alma materUniversity of Santo Tomas (BA)
Ateneo de Manila University (MA)
SOAS University of London (MA & PhD)

Albert "Paring Bert" Eduave Alejo (born August 25, 1958, Cagayan de Oro) is a Filipino Jesuit, anthropologist, activist, and Tagalog poet.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][excessive citations] His areas of interest include: corruption and violence and the formation of social conscience; intercultural and interreligious dialogue; social research; and creative writing.[1]

Education

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Alejo holds a doctorate in Social anthropology from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has taught at the Ateneo de Davao, Ateneo de Zamboanga, Ateneo de Manila University, and the Pontifical Gregorian University.[1]

Writing

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In the 1990s, Alejo lived among the Lumad of Mindanao and was witness (and active participant) to their long-drawn struggle for the recognition of ancestral rights.[3] His experience is documented in the ethnographic work Generating Energies in Mount Apo: Cultural Politics in a Contested Environment, published in 2000.[3][8]

Alejo's body of work also includes a philosophical treatise on the Filipino concept of loob in Tao Po! Tuloy!: Isang Landas ng Pag-unawa sa Loob ng Tao (Loob: Filipino philosophy of relational interiority), drawing influence from Sikolohiyang Filipino, and the Eastern and Western philosophical traditions; and collections of Tagalog poetry in Sanayan lang ang Pagpatay (Killing is a matter of practice, 1993); and Nabighani: Mga Saling Tula ng Kapwa Nilikha (Captivated: Tagalog translations of mystical poems, 2015).[9][6][10]

Social engagement

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Alejo is involved in anti-corruption, human rights, and indigenous people's rights advocacy.[11][12][3][13] In 2003, Alejo led Ehem!, a nationwide Jesuit anti-corruption campaign.[2] He also co-founded the Citizens-Customs Action Network (CITIZCAN), a Bureau of Customs third-party monitoring initiative; served as director of the Archdiocese of Manila Labor Center; and is contributor and editor of Asia Mindanaw; the Mindanao Law Journal; and Agham Mindanaw.

In 2020, Alejo was arrested and charged with sedition, along with eight others, for an alleged plot to oust Rodrigo Duterte.[12][2][11] In a court ruling dated September 3, 2023, Alejo was acquitted of sedition along with co-accused and fellow drug war critic Father Flaviano Villanueva.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Alejo, Albert E., S.J." Ateneo de Manila University. July 25, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Fr. Albert Alejo | Philippine Jesuits". Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Alejo, Albert E. (2000). Generating Energies in Mount Apo: Cultural Politics in a Contested Environment. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.
  4. ^ Magisterial Lectures | Fr Bert Alejo – "Tao Po! Tuloy! Halina sa Loob ng Tao", June 22, 2020, retrieved May 31, 2021
  5. ^ "Albert Alejo" (PDF). Loyola School of Theology.
  6. ^ a b "Alejo Biodata" (PDF). Pontifical Gregorian University.
  7. ^ Basagan ng Trip with Leloy Claudio: Catholic faith responses to political crisis, June 22, 2018, retrieved May 31, 2021
  8. ^ "Generating Energies in Mount Apo: Cultural Politics in a Contested Environment-print". Ateneo de Manila University Press. September 9, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "Tao Po! Tuloy! : Isang Landas ng Pag-unawa sa Loob ng Tao". Ateneo de Manila University Press. October 6, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  10. ^ Doyo, Ma Ceres P. (December 29, 2016). "'Sanayan lang'". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Paring Bert's crusade". Rappler. March 31, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Philippine court orders arrest of two priests for sedition – UCA News". ucanews.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  13. ^ Fr Albert Alejo shows death threats vs priests, March 11, 2019, retrieved May 31, 2021
  14. ^ McKeown, Jonah (September 8, 2023). "Filipino priests acquitted of sedition charges". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved April 24, 2024.