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Developing civic competence among learners is the business of any social studies teacher. The overall success of any social studies teaching depends, in great measure, on the ability of teachers to approach controversial public issues (CPI) in the spirit of critical inquiry. However, previous studies suggest that the teaching of CPI is affected by teachers' pedagogical deficits, students' reluctance during discussions, and lack of emphasis on CPI in the curriculum. Hence, this paper purports to locate the preferred positionality, reasons, and practices in teaching CPI of a select group of Filipino social studies teachers (n = 379) in basic education. Using a multi-aspect questionnaire, results showed that teachers are leaning towards a committed impartiality position, and are driven by the desire to develop learners to be critical, reflective, and action-oriented as they engage in meaningful conversations about important social issues. Moreover, teachers' perceived instructional practice is an intersection of empowering, democratising, and conflicting moves, Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]