Bicol University Research Articles

TEACHING STRATEGIES IN SWIMMING AND AQUATICS

Research-based instructional materials, such as course manuals, should be used to optimize the performance of instructors teaching swimming and aquatics. This study used an exploratory research design to explore the teaching strategies and challenges of ten swimming and aquatic course instructors at Bicol University through survey interviews and curriculum analysis. The study revealed that the instructors used various teaching approaches in the course, depending on the topic. Major challenges were poor facilities, overcrowded pools, and a lack of professional development. A course manual covering the eight topics of the course was developed. The manual was evaluated and scored as acceptable for use in teaching the course. It was concluded that the techniques for implementing theory-based learning and the difficulties that educators face may serve as the foundation for the development of successful teaching resources, such as books and manuals. Strong institutional support for providing adequate facilities and professional development for instructors is recommended. Use of the manual developed here is encouraged to evaluate its effectiveness.

Graduates’ Experiences in the Professional Graduate Teacher Education Programs of Bicol University, Philippines

The study aimed to determine the experiences in the graduate program that contribute to the graduates’ competency development; assess the degree of effectiveness, adequacy and relevance as a curricular program and recommend measures to enhance the curricular programs and its implementation. The study utilized descriptive research through conduct of survey questionnaire. The respondents are composed of 50 randomly selected graduates from 2010-2015 in the degree programs under Management and Professional Teacher Education Department of Bicol University College of Education. Results revealed that research, lecture and discussion, write ups, writing activity, recitation, community survey, community service, educational tours, essay writing, ICT utilization, preparation of charts and models, instructional materials development, debate, organizational exhibits, excursions, storytelling, internship, drama, sports, musical and arts activities are the noted experiences of the graduates that contributed to the graduates’ competency development. The curricular implementation is very effective, very relevant and very adequate in the masters and doctorate programs. Further, to enhance the curricular programs and its implementation the graduates recommended the following measures: strengthen linkage of academe to industry, strengthen experiential learning programs for the graduate school, develop innovative curricular programs for research based and course work graduate studies to catch up with globalization, enhance research programs of the university, develop student and faculty exchange programs for graduate studies, enhance accessibility of students to internet connections, enhance leadership programs of the university.

Knowledge and awareness on the fishery resources of elementary and high school students

Knowledge and awareness on the natural resources among elementary and high school students are important attributes for future resource conservation and management. However, the enslaving features of gadgets and technologies has shifted the focus of the students away from nature-based knowledge and has motivated the government to integrate environmental education (EE) to the basic education programs. However, its implementation has not been successful due to lack of teaching materials and limits on teachers’ capabilities. As such, it was found out that knowledge of elementary, junior high school (JHS) and senior high school (SHS) students on the native and unique natural resources of Bicol Region are almost the same, with an average score of 40%. But intervention through the use of EE teaching materials developed from the research publications and reports of Bicol University Tabaco Campus faculty-researchers showed that an increase of 31%, 21%, and 28% have been observed for elementary, JHS, and SHS students, respectively. However, a significant difference (p<0.05) was observed between high schoolers from urban setting as compared to the upland and island students with regards to the prior knowledge on natural resources, on the other hand, significant change was also observed in the increase of knowledge in upland (30% increase for JHS, and 42% for SHS) and island students (22% and 27% for JHS and SHS, respectively) as compared to the urban students (12% and 17% for JHS and SHS, respectively). No differences were observed for the elementary students across sites. Several factors were identified to influence knowledge and awareness of students such as, access to internet and mass media, exposure to local situations and prior knowledge, and influence of family and community.<br /> Overall, knowledge and awareness of elementary and high school students on the local natural resources are relatively low but existence of local and relevant EE learning materials can help increase them. It is therefore, recommended that EE through the KADUNUNG program should be institutionalized to improve knowledge and awareness of students in Tabaco City.

Stress and Wellbeing of Social Work Students in Field Instruction

ABSTRACT The study explored the professional and personal stress experienced by the social work students at the Bicol University, Daraga Campus in the Philippines during their field instruction. Furthermore, it sought to discuss the implications for social work education, particularly in the field instruction program. It employed qualitative methods to gather and analyze the data. The study revealed significant and interrelated themes based on the qualitative analysis derived from the conducted focus group discussion and review of documents. In terms of the professional stressors, the following were identified: organizational processes, interpersonal relationships with the staff, agency politics, physical set-up, and characteristics of clients. In terms of personal stressors, the respondents identified the following: academic requirements and pressure, family issues and concerns, financial limitations, and health conditions. These situations affected the students’ physical, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. The results of the study suggest that integrating subjects related to the prevention of stress and the promotion of self-care in the social work curriculum and in supervision can help social work students to better cope with professional stress, academic responsibilities, and personal challenges. It may lead to future social workers who know how to maintain healthy well-being, making them more effective, competent, and ethical practitioners.

Grey Literature Review of the Undergraduate Theses of the Bicol University Computer Science Program

Grey Literature Review of the Undergraduate Theses of the Bicol University Computer Science Program

Impact Assessment of Aqua Silviculture of Milagros and Placer, Masbate

With the alarming poverty incidence among fisherfolks communities, the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) embarked a project dubbed as Fisheries, Coastal Resources and Livelihood (FishCORAL) funded by United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (UN-IFAD) to address the problem by providing livelihood project to the coastal areas of different regions in the country. To assess the impact of the said project in the Bicol region, Bicol University in collaboration with different State Colleges and Universities in the region conducted a project called impact assessment on different project of the FishCORAL livelihood projects. The aim of the study is to assess the key indicators of the project if the goals of the project was met with the implementation of the livelihood project. The study used convenience sampling in the field surveys and focus group discussions to draw conclusion wherein the respondents are the recipient of the aqua silviculture livelihood project. The study reveals that the beneficiaries is under big household category making them hard to financially sustain the basic needs of the family because there is large percentage of dependent individuals. It was also noted that they do not have their own lot where they built their houses and the source of drinking water is unprotected well. In addition, the livelihood project is not sustainable because of various problems such as no profit from the first production cycle, most of the beneficiaries backed out during the implementation and the association itself is not technically prepared to implement the project to sustainable ends. Conduct of more technical capability training along varied aspects of aqua silviculture shall be caried out. Also, trainings on financial literacy, business management and basic record keeping are very necessary. There is also a need to craft a clearcut guideline and operational protocol to guide the aqua silviculture venture. Maybe, a root cause analysis of the previous production cycle should be carried-out to highlight lessons and undertake corrective measures. The association must be reorganized, reoriented and retooled.

The Employment Profile of Graduates in a State University in Bicol Region, Philippines

The conduct of a tracer study is a potent tool that documents the profile of the graduates which gives implications of how well pre-service training is given. This study focused on the employment profile of the graduates of Bicol University Gubat Campus, Philippines from 2015 to 2017 and analyzed the congruence of courses taken and the employment of the graduates. It gathered feedback from the employers of the graduates as to extent of the competencies they demonstrated in the performance of the job assigned to them. The study covered the seven (7) courses offered namely: Bachelor in Secondary Education, Bachelor of Elementary Education, AB in Peace Studies, BS in Computer Science, BS in Entrepreneurship, BSBA major in Microfinance, and Bachelor of Agricultural Technology. Using the descriptive data analysis method, the study probed on the frequency of responses of its key informants/subjects. Data generated were taken from two sets of instruments administered to both graduates and their employers. Results revealed that the graduates are employable. Most of the graduates were in jobs that are highly congruent with their school training. However, the college must still take measures to improve the skills of the graduates.

Role of Academic Institution to Inform Local and Regional Scale Biodiversity in the Eastern Philippines

The Philippines is among the most threatened biodiversity hotspots. Developing effective conservation requires science-based evidence from field data and observations. Yet, many important biodiversity information remain unpublished, particularly from academic institutions and NGOs. Here, we synthesized 34-year data from biodiversity studies from Bicol University in Luzon Island, Philippines. We found a large number of studies that increased in the post-2000 period with the majority of the studies focused on community surveys and animal and wildlife studies. While there is a massive number of studies, we found clear disproportionate distribution in terms of geographic and thematic areas. Our results may be based on a regional level, but if taken carefully, it has important implications and applications to other higher education institutions in the Philippines in promoting biodiversity studies and conservation in the country.

Physiological and Hydrological Characteristics of Sagumayon River Traversing Bicol University Main Campus, Legazpi City

The Sagumayon River stretches from Daraga, Albay, traversing Bicol University Main Campus at the rear portion, winding through the Albay district area and spilling out into the sea through the Macabalo River. The physical condition and usage of the Sagumayon River has changed drastically through the years because of pollution, climate change, and societal pressures. Considering future expansion, Bicol University has the opportunity to develop unused lots beyond the Sagumayon River in the southern part of its campus. However, flooding of the river during extreme rains poses risk to any future developments in the southern part of the University. This study determined the physiological and hydrological characteristics of the Sagumayon River that can aid in determining mitigation plans and structures that may counteract the effects of climate change. In order to determine the physiological characteristics of the Sagumayon River, the researchers conducted a route, topographical, and hydrological survey on the river. Likewise, float method and equation for velocity and discharge was used to monitor and ascertain the discharge of the river. Monitoring stations were also established to determine the velocity, discharge, maximum flow, minimum flow, and flood occurrence of the river. The section of the river upstream has a small cross-sectional capacity to carry run-off during heavy rainfall and will cause flooding to areas adjacent the river up to a ground elevation of 43.16 m and lower. It is therefore recommended that mitigating structures should be introduced along the bank of the river at risk to flooding and landslides before any development be introduced adjacent to these areas.

Insights and Prospects Toward the Undergraduate Mycological Researches of Bicol University

Mycology is a diverse field of study and yet relatively few mycological researches are published in the Philippines. This stems from a variety of problems such as limited number of experts, fewer mycological training, lack of financial and institutional support, and low preference for mycological researches. Unpublished undergraduate researches archived in educational institutions may mirror these research realities. This research was conducted to document the mycological researches of the Biology Department of Bicol University. Mycological researches were categorized into major themes. Highlights, focus, gaps, and challenges were reported. Results showed that only 76 of the 865 archived undergraduate research papers in the span of 33 years are mycological in nature, with only one published in a scientific journal. The 76 theses can be categorized into one of the following common themes: agricultural, biodiversity, food, industrial, and medical mycology. Among the agricultural-themed researches, most were on post-harvest pathology or plant pathology. In medical mycology, the majority merely used fungal species as test organisms for antifungal activities of plant extracts. To increase interests in fungi, three strategies are recommended: (1) increase exposure of students to mycological researches, (2) provide infrastructure and policy support for the actual conduct of experiments, and (3) encourage publication of results in peer-reviewed scientific journals. New research areas are also proposed that may be responsive to regional and national needs.

FishCoral-PRSA Information System for Albay Gulf

Purpose – The demand for the development of information systems provides a critical role in project management considering the call towards project automation. The study aims to develop and implement an information system (IS) used to managed the assessment results from socio-economic assessment, aquatic ecology and habitat, water quality assessment and capture fisheries of Albay Gulf. The study utilized the features of Geographical Information System (GIS) to render the coordinates of sampling target sites for spatial referencing. The Rational Unified Process (RUP) model was used to design the overall design, implementation and evaluation of the system. The source code of the developed program was used to develop the test cases the results showed that the internal and external characteristics of the developed system satisfied the standard functional system requirements. Thus, the system offers the features of an information system and may serve as a model of future IS projects. Information systems played a critical role in project management. The purpose of the study is to develop an information system to database the participatory resource and socio-economic assessment (PRSA) of Albay gulf. The system features managed the requirements for socio-economic, aquatic ecology and habitat, water quality and capture fisheries assessment. The features of the Geographical Information System (GIS) used to render the coordinates for spatial referencing of targets of the different components. The BFAR as the funding agency shall serve as the administrator of the system and in support Bicol University can help in the pilot testing of the developed system to partner agencies and various stakeholders.Method – The study used developmental type of research using Rational Unified Process (RUP). The system used PHP applications, bootstrap framework and other tools to design the functional requirements of the system. Black-box and White-box testing was used to analyze and validate the internal structures and functionalities of the system components including the full visibility of the logic and code structures.Results – This study generated the features for socio-economic, aquatic ecology and habitat, water quality and capture fisheries components. Each component has its own user interface showing the assessment results, field activities and infographics. Conclusion – The study provides effective and efficient interface for socio-economic assessment, aquatic ecology and habitat, water quality and capture fisheries assessment. The application of geographical information system generated the geospatial location for coral reefs, seaweed/seagrass, and mangrove sample target areas. Recommendations – The implementation of the system will help Government agencies like DA and BFAR secure the information (especially in projects like this) and serve as reference for future projects.Research Implications – The system is significant in providing updated information relating to socio-economic, aquatic ecology and habitat, water quality and capture fisheries which shall be used as policy support for Government and other stakeholders.

Health Profile of the Bicol University Teaching Workforce

This paper looked into the health profile of the Bicol University (BU) teaching workforce, including their health profile along usual blood pressure (BP) reading, and body mass index (BMI), their health practices in terms of supplements taken, use of over the counter medicines for common ailments, and prescribed medications taken for diagnosed non-communicable diseases. Finally, it determined the specific health preventive measures they practiced in the aspect of consultations with the doctor, laboratory tests, and health insurance owned. This is a descriptive, cross sectional study. It made use of semi-structured survey questionnaire and interview guide. FGD and interview were undertaken to affirm answers given through survey. The findings revealed that in the health profile along usual BP reading, 49 teaching workforce or 28.40% have a BP reading below 120/80 mmHg. In the computed BMI, 73 or 42.44% are overweight, 69 or 40.12% respondents are healthy and only 11 or 6.40% are obese. The teaching workforce are taking supplements like vitamins B, C, and E, and minerals like iron, potassium, magnesium and other multivitamins. In the over the counter medicines taken for common ailments paracetamol is for headache, fever, cough/colds, and body aches/pain, ibuprofen for headache, dysmenorrhea and body aches/pains, and decongestants for cough/colds. For the prescribed medicines for diagnosed non-communicable diseases, respondents mentioned metformin for diabetes, losartan/amlodipine for hypertension, and seretide for asthma. One health preventive measure they practice is, 91 or 52.91% consults with the doctor once a year, only 36 or 20.93% have a health insurance. The paper concludes that the BU teaching workforce considers their health fundamentally essential and they maintain a good type of health profile. They manifest good health practices and work in improving health practices and intensify health preventive measures within the context of healthy lifestyle to avoid the occurrence of non-communicable diseases.

FishCoral-PRSA Information System for Albay Gulf

Purpose – The demand for the development of information systems provides a critical role in project management considering the call towards project automation. The study aims to develop and implement an information system (IS) used to managed the assessment results from socio-economic assessment, aquatic ecology and habitat, water quality assessment and capture fisheries of Albay Gulf. The study utilized the features of Geographical Information System (GIS) to render the coordinates of sampling target sites for spatial referencing. The Rational Unified Process (RUP) model was used to design the overall design, implementation and evaluation of the system. The source code of the developed program was used to develop the test cases the results showed that the internal and external characteristics of the developed system satisfied the standard functional system requirements. Thus, the system offers the features of an information system and may serve as a model of future IS projects. Information systems played a critical role in project management. The purpose of the study is to develop an information system to database the participatory resource and socio-economic assessment (PRSA) of Albay gulf. The system features managed the requirements for socio-economic, aquatic ecology and habitat, water quality and capture fisheries assessment. The features of the Geographical Information System (GIS) used to render the coordinates for spatial referencing of targets of the different components. The BFAR as the funding agency shall serve as the administrator of the system and in support Bicol University can help in the pilot testing of the developed system to partner agencies and various stakeholders.Method – The study used developmental type of research using Rational Unified Process (RUP). The system used PHP applications, bootstrap framework and other tools to design the functional requirements of the system. Black-box and White-box testing was used to analyze and validate the internal structures and functionalities of the system components including the full visibility of the logic and code structures.Results – This study generated the features for socio-economic, aquatic ecology and habitat, water quality and capture fisheries components. Each component has its own user interface showing the assessment results, field activities and infographics. Conclusion – The study provides effective and efficient interface for socio-economic assessment, aquatic ecology and habitat, water quality and capture fisheries assessment. The application of geographical information system generated the geospatial location for coral reefs, seaweed/seagrass, and mangrove sample target areas. Recommendations – The implementation of the system will help Government agencies like DA and BFAR secure the information (especially in projects like this) and serve as reference for future projects.Research Implications – The system is significant in providing updated information relating to socio-economic, aquatic ecology and habitat, water quality and capture fisheries which shall be used as policy support for Government and other stakeholders.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Situation in Bicol University, Albay, Philippines

The Philippines is committed to “achieve universal and equitable access to adequate, safe, affordabledrinking water and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030” (SDG 6). Thus, this study attemptedto assess the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) situation of Bicol University (BU) in terms of existingwater facilities and water quality, sanitation, and hand washing facilities; the ratio of female and malestudents and personnel to WASH facilities; and the risks for contamination of wells with mechanizedpumping. This study employed the descriptive survey of WASH facilities utilizing spot-checking andobservation checklists based largely on School Sanitation and Health Services Guidelines and SanitaryInspection Form from the Department of Health (DOH) as well as document analysis of the existing DOHmicrobiological test report. Of the 15 colleges and three support units of the university, six (33%) had wellswith mechanized pumping (Level 1), 10 (56%) were being served by water districts (Level 3) and two (11%)had both Levels 1 and 3. Water from the aforesaid wells was unsafe to drink based on the DOH 2018–2019 microbiological test report of fecal contamination, which corroborates the moderate risk assessmentfindings. The sanitation facilities were not sufficiently maintained and proper hygiene not strictly observeddue to non-functioning equipment, inadequate water supply, and non-provision of cleaning materialsand toiletries, hence students and personnel are at risk for WASH-related infections. The present ratio offemale and male students and personnel to WASH facilities meet the Code on Sanitation of the Philippinesstandards. It is therefore advocated to increase financial investment in operation and maintenance ofexisting WASH facilities through sustainable budgetary allocation for repair, janitorial services, cleaningmaterials, and toiletries.

Geotechnical Characterization of the Soil along the Banks of the Sagumayon River in the Province of Albay, Philippines

The effects of pollution, weather and climate, and societal pressures had changed drastically thephysical characteristics and use of the Sagumayon River, an important river network in the city of Legazpi.This study aimed to obtain relevant geotechnical engineering properties of the soil along the river banks,which could provide an indication of its vulnerability to erosion, settlement, and slope failure. In-situ andex-situ tests conducted in four areas of the river along an 800-m stretch within the Bicol University–MainCampus revealed a granular type of soil, poorly graded sand with silt (SP-SM) of low SPT N-value (from2–20 blows/ ft), friction angle of 27° to 33° and Soil Bearing Capacity of 74 ~ 217 kPa. The riverbank soilsare susceptible to certain modes of erosion, settlement, and slope failure. The soil is comprised of 82% sandand 18% silt. Borehole sites with shallow groundwater table have been found to exhibit high soil moisturecontent values. Structures that will be built on the area should be designed to allow a tolerable, evensettlement of 25 mm and up to 37.5 mm of maximum differential settlement. The study recommends thatthe index properties obtained be used in conjunction with cross-sectional survey data of the river banks toanalyse the stability of the slopes. Remedial measures should be provided to secure against further surfaceerosion. In the design of structures to be built on the area, there is a need to validate the soil properties bydrilling more bore holes to ensure stability of structures.

Socio-Demographic Profile and Employment Status of Bicol University College of Arts and Letters Graduates (2008-2010)

A pressing concern in higher education is the employability of graduates. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are turning out 465,000 graduates every year on the average. Aside from the issue on the absorptive capacity of the labor market based on its required knowledge, skills, attitude and values, the quality of graduates is also an issue. The challenge is for HEIs to determine the relevance of curricular programs and their potential job marketability. Research-based approaches and strategies should be established to provide students a set of achievements, skills, understanding, and personal attributes that make them more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations which benefit themselves, the workforce, the community, and the economy. This tracer study of the Bicol University College of Arts and Letters assessed how well the college has trained its graduates for life in the workplace. It found that majority of the graduates are gainfully employed in related workplaces. Most of them got their first job within one month to less than three years after graduation and stayed in their first job within one month to less than three years. Compensation benefits such as salaries and other non-monetary benefits are the factors that made the graduates stay or leave their first job. Almost all competencies learned by the graduates were found very helpful and relevant to their jobs. Feedback and recommendations were also gained from both the graduates and the employers in order to improve the employability of the graduates. Findings indicate a need to revisit the curricular programs in order to address those issues.

Readiness of the Bicol University English Department for the Impact of K to 12 on Higher Education

With changes in the national educational landscape brought on by the implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program and the ASEAN’s move towards qualifications standardization among professionals, updating and improving existing curricula have been the way to go for higher education institutions in the country. Together with this comes the need to ensure that the faculty to implement the new curricula are ready to teach new subjects that will certainly be added. Using Hass and Parkay’s Model of Curriculum Design, this study looked into the readiness of faculty of Bicol University to implement the new CHED-prescribed AB English curriculum. Through a survey, document analysis, and a Focus Group Discussion (FGD), it determined the perceived level of readiness of the faculty to teach new subjects under the new curriculum and the actual level of readiness of the faculty to teach the said subjects, and it identified strategies that may be adopted to better prepare the English Department for this new curriculum. Findings revealed a discrepancy between perceived and actual readiness of the faculty, where members considered themselves ready, but their documents showing mismatches in educational preparation, teaching experience, and professional development. Training/retooling, full implementation of OBE, production of instructional materials that are K to 12–ready; adequate equipment and facilities; and immersion, apprenticeship, or fellowship abroad are the strategies identified to best prepare the faculty for the implementation of the new curriculum. Recommendations are immediate retooling and earning of appropriate postgraduate degrees, realignment of degrees and careful choice of seminars and trainings to be attended, and preparation of retooling/training package to factor in each individual faculty member in terms of interests and expertise based on the new subjects to be offered in the new CHED-prescribed AB English curriculum.

Bicol University College of Nursing Vision, Mission, Goal, and Objectives: Awareness, Dissemination, and Attainment

Bicol University College of Nursing’s (BUCN) vision, mission, goal, and objectives (VMGO) serve as a fundamental guide in its mandate for instruction, research, and extension, toward yielding world-class nurses. This study looked into stakeholders’ awareness of the BUCN VMGO, the college’s strategies towards its attainment, and possible enhancements towards its wider dissemination and greater assurance of attainment. This is a cross-sectional type of research which utilized a mix of sampling designs for selecting respondents—namely total enumeration for students; random sampling for BUCN administration, teaching, and non-teaching staff; and purposive sampling for parents, alumni, community, and linkages. Results show that stakeholders are highly aware of the BUCN VMGO due to wide dissemination through posters, flyers, IEC materials, and social media. The college’s strategies towards the attainment of its VMGO are seen to be well-practiced, most significant of which are ensuring a pool of highly qualified professors, distributing various VMGO info-dissemination materials, and promoting its personnel’s professional and personal development, and taking responsibility for students’ advancement. Areas for improvement include BUCN’s regular tracking of graduates, undertaking activities with institutional linkages and communities, encouraging students to join organizations and participate in their activities, and having parents and guardians commit to overseeing their children’s and wards’ academic standing. Summarily, it ca n be said that stakeholders are cognizant of BUCN’s VMGO, that BUCN implements effective strategies to realize its VMGO, and that different stakeholders have distinctive suggestions to help BUCN attain its vision and to improve the college in general.

Mainstreaming of Environmental Education in the Physical Science Courses of Bicol University College of Education

The ma in objective of the study is ma instrea ming a n environmental educa tion (EE) progra m in the Bachelor in Seconda ry Educa tion (BSED) curriculum of Bicol University College of Educa tion a nd determining  its effectiveness in developing awa reness a nd understa nding of environmental concepts a nd principles. The study utilized mixed methods of resea rch, specifically the developmental-descriptive- evalua tive method in the development of the curriculum guide for physical science courses. The curriculum guide showing the integra tion of environmental educa tion concepts a nd principles consisted of ten lessons distributed across the different subjects. This was successfully implemented over a nine-week period. The EE-enha nced physical science lessons were effective in developing awa reness a nd understa nding of the environmental concepts a nd principles. Students further ga ined positive a ttitudes a nd behaviors, which prepa red them for their job as future eco-mentors. It is recommended tha t the curriculum guide a nd the EE-enha nced physical science lessons be implemented in other teacher educa tion institutions a nd in other institutions of higher lea rning offering a va riety of undergradua te courses other tha n teacher educa tion.

Avifauna Survey within a University Campus and Adjacent Forest Fragment in Bicol, Eastern Philippines

With the lack of baseline information on avifauna within Bicol University and the adjacent forest fragment, this research aimed to identify bird species and compare their presence between an urbanized and forest areas. Avian diversity was documented within the Kalikasan Park and Bicol University Main Campus adjacent ecosystems, representing a forest fragment and semi-urbanized ecosystems, respectively. Bird survey was carried out through point count method. Identification was aided by existing taxonomic keys. A total of 44 species were recorded with eleven as Philippine endemics. Lonchura malacca(Chestnut Munia) and Aplonis panayensis (Asian Glossy Starling) were among the most frequently sighted. Bird species sighted was higher in the forest fragment as compared with the main campus area. The study recommends that Bicol University Main campus be transformed into an avian buffer and safe zone for the protection and conservation of these species and to provide policies to maintain high bird diversity.