22/06/2026
“Where Social Scientists Stand: Listening Beyond the Classroom”
The Bachelor of Secondary Education–Social Studies 1F engaged in a meaningful field activity across selected sites in La Trinidad, Benguet, including the Benguet Trading Post, BAPTC, BODA Headquarters, and the Balili Community. This immersion required students to move beyond classroom-based theory and engage directly with the lived realities of various sectors through structured interviews and community interaction.
In dialogue with farmers, middlemen, vendors, public utility jeepney drivers, local leaders, community stakeholders, and members of the community, the activity surfaced a wide range of systemic and structural concerns that continue to shape everyday life. These narratives show that social issues are not isolated events but interconnected realities shaped by economic, political, and environmental systems.
Over time, many of these concerns have been normalized, overlooked, or ignored, often met with public indifference or delayed institutional response. Yet within these spaces of neglect, the youth are confronted with a clear responsibility to listen, to understand, and to respond with critical awareness.
From the agricultural sector, where farmers face challenges such as market instability, smuggling practices, and limited institutional support, to the transport sector, where jeepney drivers navigate the uncertainty of modernization and possible phaseout, and to environmental concerns such as the continued neglect of the Balili River, these conditions reflect deeper issues of governance, equity, and sustainability.
This experience is not only academic but also formative. It emphasizes the essential role of social scientists in connecting observation with action and transforming lived realities into informed analysis. More importantly, it challenges us to move beyond awareness and toward meaningful civic engagement.
Ultimately, this field exposure serves as a reminder that societies do not change through awareness alone, but through sustained critical inquiry, collective responsibility, and intentional action. To stand as social scientists is to interpret society while also participating in its transformation, ensuring that voices from the margins are not only heard but also meaningfully addressed.
La Trinidad, Benguet | May 2, 2025
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