David Michael San Juan

David Michael San Juan
Born
David Michael San Juan
OccupationsWriter, activist, professor
AwardsMananaysay ng Taon (2009)
Makata ng Taon (2010)
Philippine Normal University's Gawad Sulo for Eminent Alumni in Education Sciences and Various Areas of Specialization in Education (2025)
Academic background
Alma materBulacan State University (BSE)
Philippine Normal University (MA)
Centro Escolar University (PhD)

David Michael M. San Juan is a Filipino writer, activist, and professor.[1][2][3]

Education

San Juan graduated with a Bachelor in Secondary Education (BSE), major in Filipino, magna cum laude, from Bulacan State University and a Master of Arts (MA) in Teaching Filipino from the Philippine Normal University. He later earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Southeast Asian Studies from Centro Escolar University.

Professional Experience and Public Service

San Juan is a full professor in the Filipino/Philippine Studies Department at De La Salle University.[4] He also currently serves as the Commissioner for Cultural Dissemination of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts[5] and president of the Association of Faculty and Educators of DLSU (AFED)[6]. He was also among the nominees of ACT Teachers Partylist in past elections[7][8] He also served as the president of the Pambansang Samahan sa Linggwistika at Literaturang Filipino (PSLLF; National Organization of Philippine Linguistics and Literature)[9]

In his last year in college, he was elected president of the University-wide Student Government-Supreme Student Council and concurrently served as the Student Regent of Bulacan State University, having previously served as Managing Editor of Pacesetter, the said university's official student publication[10].

Awards

San Juan was declared Mananaysay ng Taon (Essayist of the Year) in 2009[11][12] and Makata ng Taon (Poet of the Year) in 2010[13] by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF or Commission on the Filipino Language).

In 2025, he was among the awardees for the Philippine Normal University's Gawad Sulo (Torch Award) for Eminent Alumni in Education Sciences and Various Areas of Specialization in Education[14][15].

In 2024, De La Salle University bestowed him with the St. Jaime Hilario Pillar of Lasallian Excellence in Community Engagement in the 12th Pillar of Lasallian Educators Excellence Awards[16].

In 2012, he presented a paper on "wang-wang" (literally: "siren" or "alarm", figuratively "call to action" for citizens and government) which was declared the Philippines' "Salita ng Taon" (Word of the Year) in a conference organized by the Filipinas Institute of Translation.[17] In 2014, he co-presented a paper on "endo" (end of contract; Filipino colloquial term for labor contractualization/flexibilization) with John Kelvin R. Briones, which was declared as the Philippines' 2nd Word of the Year then.[18] He was also a finalist in a 2009 climate change-themed essay writing contest organized by the World Bank[19][20]

Advocacies

As convener of Taumbayan Ayaw sa Magnanakaw at Abusado Network Alliance (TAMA NA; People Against Thieves and Abusive Ones Network Alliance), he co-organized the 2025 Baha sa Luneta anti-corruption rally.[21] He led the online petition "to block the creation of the Maharlika Wealth Fund principally because it will use pension funds from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) which will be placed in high-risk investments with no representation from pension contributors."[22] Along with popular clamor expressed in street protests, the said petition helped convince Congress to remove the provision allowing the use of GSIS and SSS funds for the controversial Maharlika Wealth Fund[23]. San Juan also helped draft and advocate for the passage of the Tax Reform Act for the Masses and the Middle Class (TRAMM) which intends to reduce personal income tax rates for workers in the Philippines[24][25][26]. He was also the co-founder of the language advocacy group Tanggol Wika which lobby for the restoration of Filipino language and literature core courses in Philippine universities.

Notable Publications

He wrote an essay on "Noynoying" (a Filipino coined term which means "government inaction" on social ills)[27] which was translated in French.[28] He also pioneered the use of the term Scopus-centrism to criticize the practice of global ranking agencies and universities that prioritize only publications listed in the Elsevier-owned Scopus database[29].

His other notable publications are listed below:

Books

  • Language and Education Policies in the Philippines: Critique and Alternatives. (2023). Center for Philippine Studies, Research Institute for Culture and Language, Polytechnic University of the Philippines.[30]
  • Sosyalismo sa Kontekstong Pilipino. (Socialism in the Philippine Context.). (2023). Makati: Academia Filipina Press.

Book Chapters

  • Poverty, Living Wage and Income Inequality in the Developing World: Views and Visions from the Philippines. in Global Poverty. (2023). Raju J. Das & Deepak K. Mishra (eds.). Leiden: Brill.[31]
  • Counter-Hegemonic Discourses and Responses to Neoliberal Restructuring and Neocolonial Education: A Critical Evaluation of K–12's Development and Implementation in the Philippines. in Education and power in contemporary Southeast Asia. (2023). Azmil Tayeb et al. (eds.). Routledge.[32]

Journal Articles

  • Healthcare Advocacy & Legislation in the Philippines: Social Movement/Civil Society Alternatives to Privatization & Commodification. (2025). Social Sciences and Development Review 17 (1).[33]

References

  1. ↑ Juan, David Michael M. San (17 August 2014). "Debunking PH language myths". opinion.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  2. ↑ "ILIR and CLRPs first labor research seminar launched last April". 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015 – via PUP.
  3. ↑ "David Michael M. San Juan". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  4. ↑ "David Michael San Juan - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  5. ↑ "Board of Commissioners - National Commission for Culture and the Arts". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Archived from the original on 2025-09-07. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  6. ↑ The Lasallian. "UNIVERSITY: Association of Faculty and Educators of DLSU, Inc. President David San Juan has called for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to abandon its proposed General Education (GE) curriculum that seeks to halve the GE units in the undergraduate level". Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  7. ↑ Sampang, Dianne; arlenelim (2024-10-06). "ACT Teachers Party-list files Cona for House reelection". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  8. ↑ "ACT Teachers party-list files CONA for 2022 polls on World Teacher's Day". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  9. ↑ "Dr. David Michael M. San Juan – IROFONIC 2024". Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  10. ↑ Pinoy Weekly. "WHY I'M HERE | David Michael San Juan, propesor sa Filipino". Pinoy Weekly. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  11. ↑ San Juan, David Michael (2020). Suri, Saliksik, Sanaysay: Mga Babasahin sa Wika, Panitikan, at Lipunang Pilipino [Analyses, Researches, Essays: Readings in Philippine Language, Literature, and Society] (in Filipino). Quezon City: Sentro ng Wikang Filipino-University of the Philippines Diliman. p. 463. ISBN 978-621-8196-37-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  12. ↑ "Diwa ng Wika at Panitikan 7". www.digilearn.com.ph. Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  13. ↑ "Talaang ginto : Gawad Surian sa Tula 2007-2010 / Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino". library.kwf.gov.ph. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  14. ↑ Philippine Normal University. "As one of the highlights of the 33rd Universityhood Anniversary celebration of the Philippine Normal University, a new batch of alumni was recognized for their stellar contributions to their respective fields while embodying the values upheld by their alma mater". Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  15. ↑ ACT Teachers Party-List. "CONGRATS, PROF. DAVID!". Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  16. ↑ De La Salle University (January 2024). "12th Annual Pillars of Lasallian Educators Excellence Awards" (PDF). Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "And the word of the year is ... 'wang-wang!'". GMA News Online. 22 September 2012. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  18. ↑ "Filipinas Institute of Translation, Inc.: "Selfie" ang salita ng taon ng 2014". www.fit.org.ph. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  19. ↑ "Pinoy youth win accolades in World Bank essay tilt". ABS-CBN News. 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  20. ↑ Gaje, Virgilio M. "PIA daily news in English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Waray, Pangalatok from around the Philippines". archives.pia.gov.ph. Archived from the original on 2016-06-04. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  21. ↑ "What you need to know about the two rallies happening on Sept. 21". Philstar Life. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  22. ↑ Aurelio, Julie M. (2022-12-03). "Critics roll out petition against Maharlika fund". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  23. ↑ Aurelio, Julie M. (2022-12-08). "House drops GSIS, SSS from Maharlika fund plan". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  24. ↑ Leon, Marguerite de (2022-05-29). "[OPINION] The Department of Finance must stop taxing the masses and middle class more!". RAPPLER. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  25. ↑ Leon, Marguerite de (2023-01-04). "[OPINYON] Wish sa bagong taon: Mas mababang income tax at tanggal-VAT para sa nakararami". RAPPLER. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  26. ↑ Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (2022-07-12). "Tax reforms for 20% income tax rate cap, exemption of first P400k earnings pushed". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  27. ↑ Reven, Erom (2012-03-27). "La Solidaridad: Beyond Noynoying". La Solidaridad. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  28. ↑ "Inégalités : le "noynoying" nourrit la pauvreté". Courrier international. 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  29. ↑ "Journal Issue - UPD E-Journals". saliksik.upd.edu.ph. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  30. ↑ Juan, David Michael M. San (2023-01-01). LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION POLICIES IN THE PHILIPPINES: Critiques and Alternatives. Center for Philippine Studies, Research Institute for Culture and Language, Polytechnic University of the Philippines. ISBN 978-621-8387-03-4.
  31. ↑ Das, Raju J.; Mishra, Deepak K. (2022-11-21). Global Poverty: Rethinking Causality. BRILL. doi:10.1163/9789004514607_012. ISBN 978-90-04-51460-7.
  32. ↑ Tayeb, Azmil; Metro, Rosalie; Brehm, Will (2023-05-25). Education and Power in Contemporary Southeast Asia (1 ed.). London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003397144. ISBN 978-1-003-39714-4.
  33. ↑ Juan, David Michael San (2025-11-10). "Healthcare Advocacy & Legislation in the Philippines: Social Movement/Civil Society Alternatives to Privatization & Commodification". Social Sciences and Development Review. 17 (1): 1–45. doi:10.70922/hb5rm284. ISSN 2546-0757.
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