Dr. Mary Racelis (IPC Research Scientist) and Dr. Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu (IPC Director), along with former IPC Research Associates, Dr. Jean Miralao, Dr. Manuel Diaz, Ms. Leslie Lopez, and Mr. Tito Valiente, visited Canaman, Camarines Sur. Canaman is the first research site of IPC Founding Director Fr. Francis Xavier “Frank” Lynch.

The group was in Naga City to participate in the National Conference of the Philippine Sociological Society (PSS), which was held at the Ateneo de Naga University last October  14 and 15, 2011. Dr. Saloma-Akpedonu, former PSS President, was one of the opening plenary session speakers on the theme “Technology Reshaping Society: Society Shaping Technology.” 

In remarks to formally close the conference, Dr. Cristina Lim, Director of the Ateneo Social Science Research Center (ASSRC) of Ateneo de Naga which hosted the conference acknowledged the common history of the Institute of Philippine Culture and the ASSRC. In 1973, the IPC had sought assistance of Ateneo de Naga’s Research and Service Center (RSC)(which later assumed the name of Ateneo Social Science Research Center) in establishing a research unit in Bikol to serve the needs of the Bikol River Basin Development Program Office which was created in the same year. Thus was formed the Social Survey Research Unit (SSRU) with the eminent anthropologist/sociologist Fr. Frank X. Lynch, S.J. as its first director. This project which ran from late 1973 to mid-1976 was IPC Project 100. It engaged the services of a number of RSC personnel in conducting surveys for the BRBDPO.