Albay Province Research Articles

Insights on Begonia jagori (Begoniaceae), a cryptic species of Albay Province, Luzon Island, Philippines

In documenting the flora of Mt. Malinao, Albay Province, Bicol region, Philippines an unknown Begonia from section Petermannia was discovered in the higher altitudes. Further study of relevant specimens and protologue identified it as Begonia jagori, a species endemic to the Philippines. Begonia jagori was known from a single collection in 1861 and since then, it has not been recollected or redocumented again. The collection locality was listed broadly as Luzon, and the protologue lacked some details. Using the materials from Mt. Malinao, the plant was redescribed and lectotypified. A note comparing its affinity to B. cumingiana is provided.

Level of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices towards HIV and AIDS among Vulnerable Population in the Province of Albay: An Assessment

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are chronic infectious diseases that revolve around its impact on public health, including the transmission risk it poses, the prevalence of stigma and discrimination, inadequate access to prevention and treatment services, and the socioeconomic burden it places on affected individuals and the community as a whole. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of a vulnerable population regarding HIV/AIDS in Albay province. It examined the respondents' demographics regarding age, sex, civil status, religion, education, workplace, and income. Additionally, it assessed their understanding, attitudes, and behaviors related to HIV/AIDS, considering personal, social, and economic factors. Thus, a plan to enhance the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the vulnerable population toward HIV/AIDS is proposed that aims to enhance knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning HIV/AIDS among the vulnerable population. The study reveals that vulnerable populations exhibited moderate levels of knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding HIV/AIDS. Personal, social, and economic factors moderately influenced these levels, with significant associations found between various demographic factors and knowledge, attitude, and practices.

Accessibility, Usability and Satisfaction of Library Users in the Hybrid Resources and Services of Academic Libraries in the Province of Albay

This study determines the Accessibility, usability and satisfaction of library users in the hybrid resources and services of academic libraries in Albay province. The methodology used in this research was descriptive-correlational technique. As result in conducting the study the findings were as follows: 1. the level of accessibility of academic libraries in the Province of Albay was high with an average weighted mean of 3.27 accessible in terms of hybrid resources and services. 2. The level of usability for hybrid Resources and Services are both high with the weighted mean of 3.21. 3. The level of satisfaction of library users was high with an average weighted mean of 3.25., 4.There is a significant relationship between the level of accessibility and level of usability since the p value of 0.000 was lower than the level of significance at 0.01., 5. There is a significant relationship between the level of usability and satisfaction in the hybrid resources and services since the p value of 0.000 was lower than the level of significance at 0.01., 6.There is a significant relationship between the level of accessibility and satisfaction of the academic libraries in the province of Albay since the p value of 0.000 was lower than the level of significance at 0.01., 7. An action plan is designed to implicate in the result based on the findings of the study. The researcher has concluded after the result on the findings: 1. The library users are more often of accessing the hybrid resources than accessing its hybrid services. 2. The library users seldom utilize the hybrid services offered by the academic libraries. 3. Despite the low percentage in the accessibility and usability of hybrid resources, the library users still access and utilize both hybrid resources and services of academic libraries which lead to generate a highly satisfied level for satisfaction. 4. The higher the level of accessibility in academic libraries, the higher the level of usability of hybrid resources. 5. The higher level of accessibility of academic libraries, the higher level of usability of hybrid services. 6. The higher the level of accessibility and usability of the hybrid resources and services, the higher satisfaction will be rated from the library users. 7. An action plan is a tool in improving for the weak percentage on the hybrid library resources and services indicated for the accessibility and usability of users in the academic libraries of the Province of Albay

Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of Rapu-Rapu and the West Coast of Albay Province, Philippines

Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of Rapu-Rapu and the West Coast of Albay Province, Philippines

Spending Behavior of Non-Teaching Personnel in Private Higher Educational Institutions in Albay Province

Spending behavior is disbursing money in response to an action, an environment, or a person to satisfy needs and wants. Employees provide their services in exchange for payment, which may take the form of wages or salary. The aim of this study was to determine the spending behavior of non-teaching personnel in private higher educational institutions in Albay and how they are going to improve their spending behavior. This study used mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative research designs, and utilizing a survey questionnaire which has three parts, to gather the necessary data and information needed for this study. Using the statistical tool frequency count and percentage distribution, Likert scale, and ranking. The analyzed data revealed that the respondents "often" spend on their necessities and "seldom" when it comes to their leisure. However, there are problems encountered by the respondents along with their spending practices that resulted in not having a budget plan. Employees should always keep track of their expenses to ensure proper spending. As a result, they will become more aware of their finances, which will make it easier for them to alter their spending habits by being able to track where their money is going. Employees should be aware of the significance of their financial decisions. They will have a better chance of being financially secure if they have the right knowledge in handling finances.

The Appreciation of Cryptocurrency: A Study on Digital Asset Knowledge among Rural Bank Personnel in the Second District of Albay Province

The COVID-19 pandemic is a modern problem brought about by ease in travel, advanced trade and industry, and the like. This global health concern requires solutions to limit face-to-face interactions, such as cryptocurrency. The researcher makes an effort to use less fiat, which results in paperless transactions. With this system already in place, this study examined how rural bank personnel appreciate cryptocurrency. This study used the descriptive research design and an online survey as its data gathering tool. The respondents were regular employees of rural banks in the second district of Albay who consented to participate in the study. The statistical methods used in the study were the Kendall Coefficient of Concordance W and Chi-square. The findings are the following: the rural banks' managers were less appreciative of cryptocurrency, and supervisors and office staff felt indecisive about their appreciation. Also, there is a significance of agreement among the respondents in terms of knowledge, regardless of rank. In general, the respondents were not ready to understand and accept cryptocurrency. This study recommends further research to involve other professionals in Albay. The rural bank personnel may also attend webinars regarding digital assets and cryptocurrency. It also recommends the collaboration of banks to improve cryptocurrency appreciation and related concerns.

Determination of Public and Private Primary Birthing Centers Service Delivery Network Functionality in Albay, Philippines

Background. One of the strategies adopted by the Department of Health (DOH) to improve maternal outcomes is the systems approach which means understanding extensively how the system operates to determine factors affecting the delivery of services. In 2014, Albay province responded by adapting and implementing the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, and Nutrition (MNCHN) Service Delivery Network Guidelines. However, no external monitoring and evaluation have been done to assess the compliance of birthing facilities to these guidelines.
 Objectives. To determine Legazpi city’s obstetric service delivery network functionality and to compare government and private primary level birthing facilities in terms of 1) governance; 2) human resources; 3) protocols; 4) transportation and communication; and 5) emergency drugs and equipment.
 Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study using the referral system assessment (RSA) questionnaire translated into a scorecard with a review of secondary data on high-risk pregnancies, referral rates, and maternal mortalities was done on eight facilities in Legazpi City.
 Results: Overall, none of the health facilities assessed were fully-functional. Privately owned facilities scored highest in emergency drugs and equipment (83.3%) and lowest in human resources (38.9%). Government facilities scored highest in emergency drugs and equipment (88.9%) but lowest in transportation and communication (44.4%). Statistically significant differences were observed for human resources (p-value=0.0180), wherein public facilities garnered higher scores, and in transportation and communication (p-value=0.0294), private facilities showed better scores. Only one maternal death in 418 referrals was reported.
 Conclusion. Overall, the health facilities varied in the level of functionality in terms of SDN guidelines.

Leadership Behavior and Challenges of Swimming Coaches in the Province of Albay

This study aims to determine the Leadership Behavior and Challenges of Swimming Coaches in the Province of Albay. The participants of the study include 30 swimming coaches in the 1st and 2nd district of Albay during the school year 2017- 2019. Purposive sampling was used in this study. The researcher utilized the mixed method of research, the Quantitative and Qualitative design. Findings showed that majority of respondents are typically married men in their late 30s. Most of the swimming coaches attended the same trainings and seminars in swimming. The most or strongly observed behavior among the coaches are the training and instruction behavior and positive feedback or rewarding behavior. It only shows that they focused more on the training process towards the athlete's improvement. Autocratic behavior ranked last among the leadership behaviors. Coaches who exhibit this type of behavior must concentrate on the training process in order to enhance their athletes' results. They must be able to teach an athlete/swimmer how to learn the requisite skills. The coaching leadership style should be suited to the situation. Excellent coaches can switch between styles automatically, depending on the behavior of the athlete and the task at hand. Among the five leadership behaviors, autocratic is the least effective and the most effective is the positive feedback followed by training and instruction, democratic and social support. The swimming coaches in the Province of Albay are less practicing the democratic nor the autocratic style of coaching. The level of effectiveness of the leadership behavior showed that coaches exhibited a higher leadership style in training and instruction followed by positive feedback, social support, and democratic and low in autocratic behavior. Swimming coaches should keep their swimmers motivated whether they are losing or winning. On the other hand, during the interview, the swimming coaches in the Albay Province enumerated several issues and concerns that need immediate action or attention. The researcher developed an action plan to address the challenges faced by the swimming coaches along with democratic behavior, autocratic behavior, training behavior, social support, and positive feedback.

Talking about volcanoes: institutional narratives, the nature of risk, and Mount Mayon in the Philippines.

Volcanoes are talked about as if they are one and the same thing. If they are differentiated, they are referred to as active or inactive, and classified according to their structure and composition. Volcanoes, however, do not mean the same thing to all people. Mount Mayon in Albay province, Philippines, is a case in point. Through interviews with a volcanologist, an engineer, a politician, a historian, and a local resident, this paper explores what people think a volcano is and the risks it poses. These informants do not share a common narrative. Their personal storylines are embedded in public narratives that are fixed in time and place, and master narratives that reflect the social values and standards of their group or profession. How stories are told, what is said, and the context within which they emerge constitute an institutional narrative that is important to understanding better how people perceive risk and improving disaster risk management.

One Health Surveillance for Rabies: A Case Study of Integrated Bite Case Management in Albay Province, Philippines

Canine rabies is a significant public health concern and economic burden in the Philippines. Animal Bite Treatment Centers (ABTCs) that provide post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to bite patients have been established across the country, but the incidence of bite patient presentations has grown unsustainably, whilst rabies transmission in domestic dogs has not been controlled. Moreover, weak surveillance leads to low case detection and late outbreak responses. Here we investigated the potential for Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM) to improve rabies detection in Albay province. Using information obtained from animal bite histories combined with phone follow-ups and field investigations, we demonstrated that IBCM resulted in a fourfold increase in case detection over 13 months of study compared to the prior period. Bite patient incidence across Albay was very high (>600/100,000 persons/year) with PEP administered mostly indiscriminately. Clinic attendance reflected availability of PEP and proximity to ABTCs rather than rabies incidence (<3% of patient presentations were from “probable” or confirmed rabies exposures) and is therefore not a suitable indicator of rabies burden. Further analysis of the IBCM data suggests that rabies transmission is mostly localized with focal cases from the previous month and current cases in neighbouring villages being most predictive of future rabies occurrence. We conclude that investigations of suspicious biting incidents identified through IBCM have potential to foster intersectoral relationships, and collaborative investments between public health and veterinary services, enabling the One Health ethos to be applied in a more sustainable and equitable way. Triage of patients and investigations of suspect dogs offer an effective tool for improved PEP provisioning and reduction of unnecessary expenditure, whilst targeted field investigations should lead to increased and earlier detection of rabid dogs. Given the enduring risk of re-introductions from neighbouring populations, enhanced surveillance is critical to achieving and maintaining rabies freedom.

Rainwater harvesting for enhancing upland agriculture: Lessons and experiences in selected upland farming communities in Albay Province, Philippines

The upland farming communities in the Philippines are among the vulnerable sectors to climate change impacts. Their agricultural production is generally rainfed, and their farms are in marginal upland areas with steep slopes prone to soil erosion. Water scarcity is a common and perennial problem. To address the need expressed by the smallholder farmers, 11 rainwater harvesting facilities (RWHFs) were established in three upland farming communities in Albay Province, Philippines. The project team facilitated the establishment of RWHFs from two state universities, three local government units, and farming communities. Capacity development and participatory project planning and implementation were the important project approaches. This project generated several lessons. These include the essence of multisectoral collaboration, comprised of local government units, farming communities, and state colleges and universities; the value of collective action of farmers; effectiveness of cross-farm visits and on-site training; tapping locals for project monitoring; integration of sustainable land use management system to sustain RWHFs; and, the importance of resource sharing in carrying out project activities. The project experiences and lessons could be used as a reference by other development programs in replicating this initiative in other upland farming communities in the country.

Ligao City’s Folklore: A Repertoire of Culture and Tradition, An Anthology of Indigenous Healing

The study is centered on the narratives on indigenous healing practices of Ligao City, Albay province, Philippines. It gathered genres, documented repertoire, validated text authenticity, translated texts into vernacular, and classified the typology of indigenous healing practices in the area. The research is descriptive ethno-literary in nature, employing ethnographic methods such as community immersion, participant observation, unstructured interviews, and digital documentation. The collected texts were transcribed from the dialect/vernacular and translated into the English language; they were then anthologized and classified according to their respective genres; and the research process and data were captured through a coffee table book and ethnovideography. The study found eighty-one (81) narratives on indigenous healing practices. Ligao’s indigenous healing practices are more difficult to translate into other Bicol dialects and into the English language due to its unique syllabication, sound, and spelling. Plenty of words spoken and written in the dialect do not have an exact translation or counterpart in the English language; they need lengthy elaboration to contextualize their meanings. Narratives on Indigenous Healing Practices in Ligao City are present in the culture and tradition of an older generation that in their dawn realized this repertoire of various lore showcasing valuable historical and cultural information could be eventually lost. As the different practices of indigenous healing continue to decrease in number significantly every year, abandoned by the generations who used to embrace them, preservation of the lore for posterity must be a priority.

Geophilosophical realness of risk: a case study in national housing authority resettlement sites in Albay, Philippines

The geophilosophical realness of risk, as introduced in this study, is composed of the risk hotspot or cold spot information which are stored and sorted in hexagonal bins representing the host environment within the 25-km radius from the crater of the Mayon Volcano. The z scores measured from these hexagonal bins mimic the risk realness or risk reality phenomenon happening in Albay Province, Philippines. The objective of the study is to assess risk reality phenomena that generate risk knowledge originated from applying the seven metatheorems based on the Schoen Golden Triangle and the Fibonacci Golden Ratio. Risk assessment in this study uses the stability site selection criteria and hexagonal binning technique to store, sort, and process risk hotspot and coldspot information. This approach led to the disclosure of risk phenomenon on the 14 out of 25 resettlement sites (host environment) that remained at risk and continuously increasing the risk trend. When people are continuously allowed to occupy risk hotspots areas it hints at ineffective risk governance to neutralize the passively exposed population. This study concluded that the risk reality phenomena assessment opens new avenues for scientifically informed land use, nil exposure, and 0-risk policy in addition to the existing 0-casualty goal to get prepared with the right direction, decision and action to sensitively utilize the stable host environments aligned to improve risk governance.

Diversity of Tree Species Within an Urban Forest Fragment in Albay Province, Eastern Philippines

Forest fragments in urban areas are important in many aspects of the urban landscape. In this study, tree species within the Bicol Kalikasan Park—an urban forest fragment in the province of Albay, Eastern Philippines—were accounted for the first time. Its community structure was assessed using the PointCentered Quarter Method (PCQM). Diversity, dominance, and evenness indices were likewise computed. Results indicated that the 25 recorded tree species were distributed to at least among 25 families. There is moderate diversity (H’ = 2.84), very high evenness (J = 0.88) and very low dominance (D = 0.08) in the sampled forest. The species Ficus septica (IV = 28.93), Melanolepis multiglandolosa (IV = 9.74) and Omalanthus populneus (IV = 2.94) are indicative of a facilitated regrowth forest. Invasive species such as Gmelina arborea (IV = 40.12) and Swietenia macrophylla (IV = 21.75) were recorded, with importance values (IV) ranked first and sixth, respectively. Tree diversity within the Bicol Kalikasan Forest Park was suggestive of the diversity of other organisms that were dependent on the tree species. Existing threats to the forest fragment, such as the expansion of the city and an adjacent university campus may be addressed by a strong policy that defines the extent of expansion and urbanization.

Disaster Risk Communication and the Zero-Casualty Goal of Albay Province, Philippines

The province of Albay in the Philippines is highly vulnerable to climatic and geologic hazards, but it has largely achieved its zero-casualty goal for the past two decades. In recognition of this achievement, the province has garnered numerous awards from international and national organizations. Past studies have identified Albay's success factors, but the role of communication has been overlooked. Thus, this research discusses the communication projects and protocols of Albay on disaster management. Data were obtained from interviews of key informants and examination of official documents. Results showed that the province's communication activities are assigned to specific persons, embedded in an early warning system, enacted using multiple media, supported by multiple stakeholders, and implemented under a strict protocol. These make Albay's disaster communication practices effective in attaining its zero-casualty goal during disasters.

ARIMBAY’S VERBAL LORE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FOLKTALES

This is a descriptive ethno-literary research that documented, translated, classified, and analysed folktales from Barangay Arimbay, Legazpi City, Albay Province, Philippines. The ethnographic methods of data collection, as well as the vertical and horizontal tests of Manuel (1985) were employed in the validation of 74 diversified folktales gathered from the said locale. The Labovian and literary approaches for the structural and textual analysis were employed to identify structural patterns, themes, beliefs, values, cultural practices and traditions discernible from the texts. This study revealed that the environment plays a major influence in the creation, transmission and diffusion of varied types of folktales, while the life of a folktale largely depends upon its narrators and on its generational transmission. Said folktales mirror a belief system where the supernatural and paranormal outweigh religious influences. Arimbay folktales are well-springs of information about the people’s mythical, legendary, historical past and mainstream experiences which bridges

COMPETENCIES OF NURSES IN ALBAY: AN ASSESSMENT

Health service delivery in the country has evolved into dual delivery systems of public and private health service institutions. The nurses, as one of the health care service providers, need to posses competencies to deliver quality nursing care. Hence, the conduct of the study was deemed important to determine the competencies of nurses from Albay province and the factors that contributed to their competencies. The respondents consisted of 56 public health nurses with permanent position and have worked for at least a year; and 197 clients from the three city health and 15 municipal health offices in Albay. Descriptive research design was utilized using the 11 Key Responsibility Areas of the Philippine Nursing Curriculum in assessing the competencies of the nurses. Frequency counting, ranking and weighted mean were applied in the analysis of data. Results of the study revealed that the over-all self-rating of nurses from Albay was excellent. Clientele’s evaluation of the nurse’s comptencies was very satisfactory. According to 14% of the nurse respondents, their intellectual capacities contributed highly to their nursing competencies followed by relationship with co-workers (13%), and spiritual/moral values (12%). Financial aspect contributed the least (5%).

Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council’s (BADAC) Drug Clearing Program: Basis for the Development of Community Rehabilitation Program for Drug Surrenderees

The social and medical problems of drug abuse are a matter of increasing global concern. The government, through its joint efforts with the concerned agencies, the authorities, and criminal justice professionals, sought to find solutions to address the problems on illegal drugs. Unfortunately, until now, it has not been solved. The war on drugs became an unending process of killings and repeated use of drugs. This study aimed to evaluate the extent of implementation of the Barangay Drug Clearing Program and the problems encountered in Albay province. To facilitate the study, the researcher used a descriptive method of research. The respondents of the study were the barangay officials, drug surrenderees, and police officers in the two selected municipalities and cities in the second district of Albay. The statistical techniques used in the study were weighted arithmetic mean, Kruskal Wallis H, and Mann Whitney u. The survey questionnaire was used to facilitate the collection of data from the respondents. Data revealed that the pre-operation phase, operation phase, and post-operation phase of BADAC’s drug clearing program are implemented. However, the topmost problem encountered is the lack of rehabilitation facilities. Thus, the program of BADAC is functional through the active participation of the barangay officials, but inevitable problems occur in its implementation.

Climate Change Responsive Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Crop Farming in Albay Province, Philippines

Identifying, documenting and analyzing indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in crop farming can help develop sustainable technologies since those IKS have evolved through the test of time involving several generations of farmers that made the communities survive. This study was conceptualized and conducted under such context. This qualitative and descriptive study involved the most senior and longtime farmers in the study sites as sources of information. Focus group discussion (FGD) was the method used in data and information gathering. Participants were purposively sampled from farming communities in Albay where indigenous practices still exist to some extent. Indigenous practices in farming that are responsive to climate change adaptation have been identified. Mulching, coconut leaf pruning in coco-based vegetable farms, use of coconut fronds as windbreaks, collapsing of trellis and bending of young plants towards the ground as protection from typhoon, rainwater harvesting and use of plant sap to water crops during rainless months and minimum tillage were the climate change adaptive IKS identified. These indigenous practices can be studied for possible adoption as climate change adaptation mechanisms.

Phonological, Lexical, and Morphological Analysis of the Philippine East Miraya Bikol-Pilar Dialect

The paper describes the vowel phonemes of the Pilar variety of East Miraya Bikol spoken in the Philippines. It also reports on the level of mutual intelligibility of this variety with other East Miraya dialects, and identifies its more common derivational and inflectional morphemes. It employed five instruments: the Swadesh list, the Praat, the JPlot Formant, the Pear Film, and the Math 139 Frequency Counter. Many Bikol speakers do not distinguish between [ɛ] vs. [i], and [ɔ] vs. [u] in pronouncing native words, and therefore consider each pair of sounds as belonging to one phoneme. The Pilar dialect, therefore, has a threevowel system: a low central /a/, a front /i/ (with two allophones [i] and [ɛ]) and a back /u/ (with also two allophones [ɔ] and [u]). Historical spelling and practice, however, necessitate the use of five vowel symbols, namely “a,” “e,” “i,” “o,” and “u” to represent the Pilar phonemes in writing. The greatest mutual intelligibility using Pilar dialect as the point of reference occurs with Pilar and Daraga dialects while the lowest is with Pilar and Donsol dialects despite the fact that Pilar and Donsol are municipalities of Sorsogon Province while Daraga is a town in Albay Province. Words in the Pilar dialect may be formed by a root or stem plus one or more affixes, or they may consist of a particle, which is invulnerable to affixation but cannot stand alone without a host. On the whole, the study found derivational and inflectional morphemes, which signal a wide array of modal and aspectual expressions.