The Institute of Philippine Cutlure join the Research Committee of the Second National Rural Congress (NRC). The Congress, organized by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, through bishops Antonio Ledesma and Broderick Pabillo, is a review of the continuing issues confronting the majority of our people living in rural areas since the first National Rural Congress held in 1967. In the first Congress, the Church highlighted the call that "the Church must go to the barrios." The involvement of the Church in rural issues was concretized in the formation of diocesan social action centres, rural cooperatives, advocacy groups for agrarian reform, and others.
The Second National Rural Congress is a process of nationwide diocesan consultations at the diocese level. The National consultation with the Plenary Assembly of the CBCP was held on 7-8 July 2008 at the San Carlos Seminary in Makati.
Members of the Research Committee include the Asian Social Institute (ASI), Focus on the Global South, John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues (JJCICSI), and the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations (SOLAIR). The IPC is represented by Dr. Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu, IPC Director, and Dr. Mary Racelis, IPC Research Scientist, who is a Lay Consultant of the NRC II.