Dr. Vivencio "Ven" Ballano holds a master's degree in Catholic theology and a doctorate in sociology from the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University, Manila, Philippines. He is currently the Program Chairperson of the master's degree program in sociology at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). To date, Dr. Ballano has published 7 Scopus-indexed books and three more forthcoming ones in 2024 with imprints Springer Nature and Routledge. He has also published extensively in the fields of sociology of law, gender and religion, sociological theology, clerical sexual abuse, and social ethics. Recently, gender, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and LGBTQI integration in the Catholic Church are the latest topics of his books.