Founding and Early Vision (1973–1979)
The Social Development Research Center (SDRC) traces its origins to De La Salle University’s early efforts to foster a research-oriented academic environment. In 1973, then Academic Vice President Brother Andrew Gonzalez, FSC, initiated measures to make research a rewarding and integral part of university life. The goal was twofold: to provide funding and support services for research and publication of teaching materials, and to link university faculty with professionals in government, business, and industry seeking consultative and research expertise.
These efforts led to the creation of the Office of Research in 1977, which consolidated various faculty-led research activities within the University. In 1979, the Office was reorganized and renamed the Integrated Research Center (IRC) to coordinate research more efficiently across the University. The IRC brought together several research-related offices, including the Center for Urban Studies of the Behavioral Sciences Department, the Economic Research Bureau, the Project Management Center of the Graduate School of Business, the Research Unit of the Educational Management Center, the Textbook Development Office, the Case Research Development Office, and the Industrial Research and Development Center.
Among the IRC’s earliest accomplishments were industry-focused projects that produced ten financial case studies, surveyed the training needs of financial managers, and developed communication skills programs for corporate personnel.
Transition to Development-Oriented Research (1980s)
By the early 1980s, the IRC’s work evolved into two thrusts:
- Internally-funded research supporting the University’s instructional and academic goals; and
- Externally-funded development research addressing issues of poverty and social equity.
This led to the creation of two units: the University Research Office (URO), managing faculty research programs, and the External Research Office (ERO), coordinating externally supported research projects.
The ERO spearheaded major externally funded projects such as “Basic Services for the Urban Poor” (funded by the Asia Foundation), which piloted cooperative systems for basic service delivery in the Leveriza community, and developed a community management model for Metro Manila. Another landmark project, the Participatory Upland Management Program (PUMP), launched in 1981 with Ford Foundation support, trained communities in participatory forest resource management. It later gave rise to the Pundasyon Hanunuo Mangyan School Project in Mindoro Oriental—SDRC’s longest-running community-based education initiative, which remains active today under local leadership.
Also in 1981, a pioneering study on international labor migration—conducted with the Institute of Labor and Manpower Studies (now DOLE’s Institute of Labor Studies)—examined the socio-economic and psychosocial impacts of overseas migration on Filipino families, laying the foundation for decades of migration research at SDRC.
By 1983, the ERO articulated a clear mission for research that was relevant, policy-oriented, responsible, and multidisciplinary. It promoted excellence, collaboration, and the sharing of research outputs to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged sectors. During the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Center conducted socially responsive projects such as “Case Studies of Selected Basic Christian Communities in the Philippines” and “Reintegration of Returning Overseas Contract Workers”, both aimed at understanding grassroots participation and post-migration reintegration.
Emergence of SDRC (Late 1980s–1990s)
As the University began institutionalizing research structures in the late 1980s, the URO evolved into the University Research Coordination Office (URCO), while the ERO—with its social science orientation—was reconstituted as the Social Development Research Center (SDRC) under the College of Liberal Arts.
During this period, SDRC produced influential policy studies such as “Social Benefits and Costs: People’s Perceptions of the U.S. Bases in the Philippines” and “Health and Nutrition Status and Health-Seeking Behavior Among Families in Depressed Urban Poor Communities.” These projects reflected the Center’s growing focus on participatory, community-based approaches to development.
From 1993 to 1998, health, gender, and reproductive health became dominant themes in SDRC’s research agenda. Two major Ford Foundation–funded programs shaped this era:
- The Task Force and Postgraduate Program on Social Science and Reproductive Health, which promoted holistic reproductive health education and training; and
- The Postgraduate Training Program on Health Social Science, developed with the Behavioral Sciences Department, which became the first of its kind in the Philippines.
The success of these initiatives led to the establishment of a US$1 million endowment in 2004 to sustain scholarship grants and training in health social science. SDRC also coordinated the Asia-Pacific Regional Network on Gender, Sexuality, and Reproductive Health, producing comparative studies across ten countries in Asia.
Widening the Scope: Governance, Gender, and Poverty (1998–2005)
By the turn of the millennium, SDRC expanded its work to include institutional reform, local governance, and gendered community development. Projects such as “Civil Society and Governance” and “Promoting Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility in Developing Countries” reflected this broader focus on social accountability and sustainability.
From 2001 to 2003, SDRC deepened grassroots engagement through projects like “Support for Documentation and Assessment of the Impact of Training for Participatory Local Governance” and “Enabling Women for an Active Role in Community Development.” These initiatives emphasized participatory methods and direct community involvement.
By 2005, the Center was contributing to DLSU’s poverty reduction mandate, implementing studies such as “Beneficial Assessment of the Poverty Reduction Program of the DLSU System” and “Mapping and Tracking Poverty Through the Use of Non-Income Poverty and Welfare Measures.”
Global Research Partnerships and Capacity Building (2003–2010)
SDRC’s growing regional and global visibility was marked by partnerships with international agencies including WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, and the World Bank. The Operations Research Training for Malaria Control Program, supported by WHO–WPRO and ACTMalaria, trained health professionals from eight Asian countries in applied research.
The Center also hosted the international symposium “Infectious Diseases Among Children in Conflict Situations: Risk, Resilience, and Response,” in partnership with the University of New South Wales and the University of Oxford, bringing together researchers from Africa and Asia.
In 2005, SDRC participated in “Mapping of Mental Health Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries” and multi-country studies on agroforestry, transboundary water governance, and community-based dengue control, reaffirming its role in regional knowledge exchange and collaborative research.
Continuing Research Leadership (2010–2020)
From 2010 to 2020, SDRC further strengthened its reputation as a center for applied and policy-relevant research, expanding collaborations with international agencies, national institutions, and corporate partners. During this decade, SDRC conducted studies that advanced evidence-based policy, strengthened program design, and built research capacity across diverse sectors—including education, health, governance, social protection, and disaster resilience.
Notable projects from this period include the Impact Study on the Education Projects of Peace Corps Philippines, Kraft Foods Corporate Reputation Survey, and the Development of a Capacity Assessment Tool on Early Childhood Care and Development in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management. SDRC also implemented the Comprehensive Study on Scholarship and Financial Assistance Programs in the Philippines (AusAID), and the Political Economy of the Use of Knowledge and Research Evidence in Urban Resilience Interventions (ODI).
During the mid-2010s, the Center led multi-country and national initiatives such as Conservation Agriculture for Food Security in Cambodia and the Philippines (USAID), Climate Adaptation in Peri-urban Southeast Asia (IDRC), and Sexual and Reproductive Health of Women with Disability in the Philippines (W-DARE) (DFAT/UNFPA). SDRC also conducted local studies including the Health Facility Assessment of Zuellig Family Foundation’s Barangay Health Stations, Developing Competencies of Middle-Level Health Workers in Task-Sharing, and Effect of Devolution on Local Health Expenditure and Delivery of Health Services (PCHRD).
Its social protection and inclusion work expanded with the Qualitative Analysis on the Feasibility of a Universal Social Pension in the Philippines, National Kids Online Survey (NKOLS) (UNICEF), and National Study on Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) (UNICEF). SDRC also contributed to post-disaster and environmental resilience research through the Yolanda Aftermath Studies, Sow the Seeds of Change: Local Best Practices in Disaster Risk Reduction, and Mapping of Health Risks from Agents of Disasters and Extreme Events in the Philippines.
By the end of the decade, the Center was engaged in cross-sectoral partnerships such as Women in the Digital Age: Perceptions, Interests and Brand Preferences, Assessment of Existing Competencies of Child Development Workers (UNICEF), and Social and Behavior Change Communication Strategies for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health. These projects reflected SDRC’s continuing role as a bridge between research, advocacy, and program implementation in the Philippines.
Contemporary Research and Institutional Alignment (2020–Present)
Since 2020, SDRC has expanded its engagement with national health programs, community development, and digital transformations in society. Notable recent and ongoing projects include the PhilHealth Konsulta Package Process Evaluation, Development and Pilot Testing of Remote Counseling Protocols for OSAEC Survivors (The Asia Foundation/UNICEF), Fairwork Philippines and Resilient Platform Work PH (Manila Observatory), KATAWAG (Mental Health and HIV among Call Centre Employees), and TEENDig Kabataan (Digital wellbeing of Filipino youth).
As of Academic Year 2025–2026, SDRC has implemented over 300 research projects across its three thematic clusters:
- Public Health – addressing health systems, service delivery, and community wellbeing;
- Vulnerable Populations – focusing on the protection, rights, and resilience of marginalized groups; and
- Program Development and Evaluation – strengthening evidence-based policy and institutional learning.
SDRC’s initiatives are now aligned with De La Salle University’s Jubilee Goals, which guide research units toward transformative, socially responsive scholarship. The Center’s three departmental goals under this framework are:
- Ecosystem Goal: Influence national policy and strengthen evidence-based decision-making through impactful research and partnerships.
- Innovation Goal: Accelerate research translation through effective dissemination, communication, and stakeholder engagement.
- Inclusion Goal: Build research capacity among students, young researchers, and community partners toward a participatory knowledge ecosystem.
These directions are firmly rooted in SDRC’s enduring vision—to be a leading social development research center in Southeast Asia for the attainment of humane, inclusive, just, and sustainable communities—and its mission to conduct socially relevant research, disseminate findings for advocacy and capacity building, and strengthen linkages with local and global institutions.
A Lasting Legacy of Social Engagement
From its beginnings under Brother Andrew Gonzalez’s pioneering leadership to its present alignment with the University’s Jubilee Goals, SDRC has consistently bridged research, policy, and community empowerment. It remains a key instrument of De La Salle University’s mission to generate knowledge for the common good—continuing to shape policies, inform programs, and inspire new generations of scholars committed to social transformation.
