Jose Mario Bautista Maximiano

Background

In his youth, he was a versatile individual—a watercolor artist with a passion for mountain trekking and cycling. His athletic pursuits were equally diverse, spanning Judo, Aikido, table tennis, soccer, and swimming. A high achiever from a young age, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout (the highest Jose Rizal badge) and excelled as an award-winning orator and declaimer. By age 14, he began serving as a Salesian-trained catechist, sharing the Gospel with students at Legarda Elementary School in Sampaloc, Manila.

Education

His intellectual foundation is exceptionally robust, culminating in a Ph.D. from Universidad de Navarra, Spain, where he earned the highest distinction, Sobresaliente cum laude. This followed a Licentiate in Theology (Magna cum laude) and an M.A. in Religious Studies (Meritissimus) from the University of Santo Tomas (UST). Maximiano’s competence is broadened by studies in business from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and a practical mastery of languages like Latin, Spanish, and Italian, enabling him to engage deeply with primary theological sources.

Career

His professional career spans over four decades, marked by significant contributions across educational and managerial sectors. As an academic, he has enriched the curricula of leading institutions, teaching theology at his alma mater, UST, as well as the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). His leadership skills were demonstrated through administrative roles, including serving as the Dean of Arts & Sciences at La Consolacion College Manila and as the Planning Director at De La Salle University (DLSU) Dasmariñas, where he also held a distinguished chair in business. Beyond the classroom, he functions as a strategic management advisor, bridging his theological expertise with corporate concerns such as business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR). His dedication to education has been recognized with the Most Outstanding Educators Award from the Office of the Philippine President in 1999 and multiple Outstanding Faculty awards from DLSU. His Leadership & Public Engagement includes:

• Lead Convenor of the Love Our Pope Movement (LOPM) International, which advocates deeper lay engagement in Church life, synodality, and ecclesial reform.

• Strategic Management Advisor: He advises on business ethics, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and strategic planning, bridging his theological background with business leadership.

• Retreats and Seminars: Frequently speaks and facilitates retreats, recollections, and conferences for clergy, religious, seminarians, and laypeople — especially on topics such as church history, theology, CSR, and ecclesiology.

Works

More photos

• Other Work

  • His published books include the following:
    
    The Signs of the Times and the Social Teachings of the Church (Salesiana, 1992)
    
    Human Life is Beautiful (St. Paul’s, 1993)
    
    Why Remain a Catholic? (St. Paul’s, 1994)
    
    Spiritual Man: Christian Anthropology (St. Paul’s, 1995)
    
    Face to Face with Melanesia: Mission and Social Anthropology (1996)
    
    Global Business Ethics for Filipinos of the New Millennium (Anvil, 2001) Corporate Social Responsibility: Basic Principles and Best Practices (DLSU Press, 2004)
    
    Ethics and Social Responsibility in Mass Communication (Anvil, 2007)
    
    Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (Anvil, 2008, 2014)
    
    Pope Francis, the Catholic Bishop, and the Priest (Claretian Publication, 2014)
    
    The Beginning and the End: A Theology of the Human Person (Claretian Publication, 2016)
    
    The Church Can Handle the Truth: (Claretian Publication, 2017)
    
    24 Plus Contemporary People (Claretian Publication, 2019)
    
    MDXXI: 500 YOC Vol 1 (Claretian Publication, 2020)
    
    MCMLXXII: 500 YOC Vol 2 (Claretian Publication, 2021)
    
    Catholic Social Teachings in Contemporary Philippine History: 500 YOC Vol 3 (Claretian Publication, 2022)
    
    CHURCH REFORMS 1: Semper Purificanda (Claretian Publication, 2023)
    
    CHURCH REFORMS 2: From Vatican I to Vatican II (Claretian Publication, 2024)
    
    CHURCH REFORMS 3: The Synodal Legacy of Pope Francis (Claretian Publication, 2025
    
    CHURCH REFORMS 4: Pope Leo XIV: Church Reforms and Synodality (Claretian Publication, 2025)
    
    

    (His published books include the following: The Signs of ...)

Religion

MY PRAYER: O Lord, I stand before Thee, but a speck of dust, utterly reliant upon the strength of Thy Mighty Wind. Though I am a prodigal son and a forgiven sinner, I am ceaselessly blessed by Thy boundless and amazing grace. I earnestly beseech Thee for patience with me, Thy servant—a gifted creature, yet naught but dust. I humbly implore Thee to anoint my spirit as a missionary of Thy Holy Gospel and the call to synodality. Grant, I pray, that though utterly undeserving, I may yet be allowed to touch a single heart, inspire one soul, and glorify Thy Name through my pen until my final breath. Amen.

Politics

What kind of citizen do I want to become? Not one who watches from the sidelines, nor one who speaks only when safe. I want to be a citizen who treats conscience as sacred ground, who refuses to exchange dignity for convenience, who believes that the common good is not an abstraction but a shared inheritance entrusted to fragile human hands—mine included.

I hold on to one stubborn conviction: the Philippines is not beyond saving. We are simply awaiting citizens courageous enough to love her without conditions.

If I say yes—truly yes—then the ballot becomes a sacrament of hope. Parish halls become classrooms of discernment. Social media becomes a mission field. Bishops, priests, and nuns become shepherds of conscience. And citizens, once scattered by cynicism, begin to walk together again as a people who believe that grace can still rewrite our future.

We can do this together.

But only if we act.

Now.

Interests

• Writing, swimming, hiking, gardening

Connections

Spouse Josephine Mendiola Maximiano.

child:

Joanne Stephanie

child:

Joseph Anton

child:

Cassandra Nicole