Dr. Clarence M. Batan, PhD (Sociology) recently graduated from Dalhousie University at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada under the scholarship grants from the Government of Canada and Dalhousie’s Faculty of Graduate Studies.  His main research interests are sociology of children and youth; education, work and development; information and communication technology; and mixed-methods research. He is a an assistant professor of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, a research associate of the Research Cluster on Culture, Education and Social Issues (CESI) and web-based course designer and developer of Educational Technology Center (EdTech) at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) (Manila, Philippines).  He has experience in teaching, development work and short documentary film-making. At present, he is working on a policy paper on inactive youth (out-of-school and out-of-work) locally known in the Philippines as “istambay”.

He is a child of a carpenter, Israel Cabildo-Batan, and an office clerk, Violeta Mechilina-Batan, and grew-up in the municipality of Binangonan, Rizal. He graduated valedictorian from Binangonan Elementary School and Binangonan Catholic High School with various academic, literary and leadership distinctions. Inspired by Philippine social realities, from early 1990s to 1999, he became a young social advocate of ecology, youth empowerment, and community organizing throughhis own founded non-governmental organization, PUNLA : Kabataan sa Kalikasan. This social advocacy motivated him to study Sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Santo Tomas (UST). While in UST, he received major university awards namely Rector’s Award for Scholastic Excellence, Quezon Award for Exemplary Leadership, and Benavides Award for Civic Achievement.  This significant accomplishment conferred him the highest award given to a Thomasian student, the Santo Tomas Aquinas Award, for Exceptionally Outstanding Performance.  His leadership endowed the UST Sociological Society the Pope Leo XIII Communitarian Award.  In 1995, Clarence graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Magna Cum Laude. In the same year, he was named one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP) presented by President Fidel V. Ramos. 

As a student of social life and a teacher of sociology, he has already served three communities: the children of Barangay Limbon-limbon (Binangonan, Rizal), the Aetas of Sitio Malasa (Bamban, Tarlac), and the young people of Talim Island (Binangonan, Rizal). His sociological experience with the fisher folks of Talim Island shaped his first major research work, and earned him a Masters of Arts in Sociology (1999) at the University of the Philippines (Diliman). This masteral thesis was eventually published as a book entitled, TALIM: Mga Kuwento ng Sampung Kabataan (2000) (TALIM: Life Stories of Ten Young People), which was given the Lourdes Lontok-Cruz Award for its use of innovative, creative and gender-sensitive methodologies conferred by the Center for Women’s Studies Foundation (UP-Diliman). His recent dissertation research at Dalhousie University entitled, ISTAMBAY: A Sociological Analysis of Youth Inactivity in the Philippines, communicates his continued interest at analyzing "taken-for-granted" yet sociologically fascinating features in Philippine social life.

Clarence has also published in local refereed-journals and his research work on youth and mobile phone technology was part of the international book, Contemporary Youth Research: Local Expressions and Global Connections (2005). His most recent work is a creative non-fiction (in Filipino) about his family entitled, Batong-bahay: Naratibo ng kahirapan at tagumpay ng isang karaniwang pamilyang Pilipino (Stone house: A Filipino family’s narrative of poverty and success) was published by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Publishing House.

Updated: July 4, 2010

Ang Aking Kredo sa Buhay
Ni Clarence M. Batan

Mananatili akong simple sa lahat ng aking balakin. Ipagsasaya ko ang bawat umuusbong na ideya mula sa obserbasyon at karanasan. Matapat kong susuriin ang kalidad ng aking pakikitungo sa kapwa. Titingnan ko silang kabahagi ng mundo, kasamang anak ng Maykapal na di inuuri sa wika, kulay, anyo, yaman, natapos na pormal na edukasyon, kasarian, o anumang pinanghahawakang paniniwala.

Lilingon ako nang may pagkilala’t pasasalamat sa aking pinagmulan: mga magulang, kamag-anak, guro sa paaralan o sa malawak na pamantasan ng pakikipag-kapwa. Maluwag kong isusuko ang silakbo ng damdamin. Ilalaan ko ang aking enerhiya sa lubos na pagkilala sa sarili.

Tutuklasin ko ang karunungan sa likod ng problema, hamon, tukso at mga panlilinlang. Na sa krusyal na panahon ng pagdedesisyon, ang piliin ko ay ang tamang – hindi nililipasan ng panahon sapagkat sumusunod prinsipyo nang natural na pagdaloy ng buhay.

Di ako mapapagod na hanapin ang kahulugan ng bawat sitwasyon. Samantalang aktibo akong gumagawa ng paraan upang bigyang-kahulugan ang buhay ng mga taong nakakasalamuha ko, wala akong karapatang magpasama ng loob ng sinumang tao. Instrumento ako ng respeto at tagapagtanggol ng dignidad ng tao. Nakaukit sa aking puso ang matimyas na adhikaing maging bahagi sa pagpapataas ng kalidad ng buhay ng pamayanang aking kinabibilangan.

Hindi ako magbabalat-kayo sapag-ibig. Malinaw kong ihahayag ang aking intensiyon. Susuriin ko ang aking interes. Titiyakin kong handa ako sa kinakailangan pagbabago, dala ng magkasalong buhay. Mananatili akong tapat sa lahat ng pangako. Hindi ko pababayaaang manaig ang emosyon. Titimplahin kong may lambing ang bawat sandali. Hindi ako maglalaro.
Ituturing kong mahalaga ang bawat sandali at gawain – gaano man ito kaliit. Pahahalagahan ko ito tulad ng bagong silang na sanggol.

Hindi ako tatahimik hangga’t may magandang bagay na nagaganap sa mundo. Walang makakapigil sa aking isambulat ang istorya ng kabayanihan at mga taong banal ang mithiin.

Gagamitin ko ang bawat oras na walang tatapon. Pagaganahin ko ang lahat ng aking talento upang pagandahin ang mundo. Di ko pababayaang maging sagabal ang limitasyon, kahinaan, kakulangan – sa pagtupad ng aking misyong isang inspirasyon.

Mapagkumbaba kong tatanggapin ang lahat ng kritisismo. Hindi ko huhusgahan ang mga taong lumalait sa akin. Sila rin ay mga taong biktima ng sitwasyon. Pipilitin kong maintindihan ang kahulugan ng pangyayari na hindi mababawasan ang respeto ko sa kanila. Ang mga tumutuligsa ay mga taong rin, higit na nangangailangan ng atensiyon at pagmamahal.

Sa pagpanday ng aking sarili, gagawin kong daan ang pagmamahal sa aking kawing-kawing na pamilya mula sa aking tahanan, trabaho, pamayanan hanggang sa lipunan. Sa ganito, matitiyak kong sa anumang lugar na aking pupuntahan, matitiyak ang pundasyon ng mga prinsipyong aking natutunan. Kaya’t magsisilbing kalasag ang mga pagpapahalagang ito upang mag-iwan ng bakas.

Kung anumang mang bakas ay hindi ko na masasaksihan. Hindi ko kontrolado ang timbangan ng buhay. Ako’y anak ng Poong Maykapal. Sa bawat araw, mabubuhay akong nananabik sa oras ng kamatayan -- ang sandaling ang kredong ito ay hahanap ng kahulugan, magpapasalin-salin hanggang maging imortal.

Setyembre 2, 1999
4:30 ng hapon
Ibalong Centrum
Legaspi City
Philippines