Central Luzon Research Articles

Count them in! Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in a Diversified Workforce: A Transformative Mixed-Method Study

Employment is considered a critical element of independent living most especially for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). In the context of work, it is a gateway to further showcase their talents, skills and other capabilities as part of nation building and catalyst of significant change. This study aimed to gather significant inputs from organizations in the context of hiring, retention, practical and policy strategy towards the formulation of hiring and retention action plans for PWDs. Research design used is a mixed-method sequential transformative. Data were gathered through surveys, interviews, and focused group discussions by using validated tool and questionnaire. Purposive sampling method was utilized. Participants are in Central Luzon, Region III, Philippines who have first-hand engagement in the employment of PWDs. Ninety eight (98) organizations were consulted being represented by HR Officers and Managers with 161 employed PWDs. The study utilized SPSS in generating descriptive and correlational statistics. Qualitative data undergone data analysis. Results are being divided into the degree of expressing agreement in hiring and retention of workers with disabilities, and the degree of expressing rating on practical and policy strategies in hiring and retention of workers with disabilities. The results rejected the null hypothesis set in this study that there is no significant relationship of the type of disabilities of employed PWDs and organizations with PWDs’ inclusivity per province, nature of work environment and job titles of employed PWDs due to all type of disabilities have significant association with the organization employing PWDs; nature of work environment, and job titles but limited to visual; auditorial; orthopedic, and psychosocial disabilities for white collar category; visual; orthopedic, and psychosocial disabilities for blue collar; and visual; auditorial; orthopedic, and psychosocial disabilities for pink collar category. Barriers identified were, lack of awareness, incompetency amongst PWDs, costly, lack of institutional inclusivity policy and loss of productivity. Solutions are financial support and subsidies, capability building, institutional inclusivity policy, partnership between industry & government, and improvement of the existing non-discrimination law especially on inclusivity.

Evaluation of strategies using simulation model to control a potential outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza among poultry farms in Central Luzon, Philippines.

The Philippines confirmed its first epidemic of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) on August 11, 2017. It ended in November of 2017. Despite the successful management of the epidemic, reemergence is a continuous threat. The aim of this study was to conduct a mathematical model to assess the spatial transmission of HPAI among poultry farms in Central Luzon. Different control strategies and the current government protocol of 1 km radius pre-emptive culling (PEC) from infected farms were evaluated. The alternative strategies include 0.5km PEC, 1.5km PEC, 2 km PEC, 2.5 km PEC, and 3 km PEC, no pre-emptive culling (NPEC). The NPEC scenario was further modeled with a time of government notification set at 24hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours after the detection. Disease spread scenarios under each strategy were generated using an SEIR (susceptible-exposed-infectious-removed) stochastic model. A spatial transmission kernel was calculated and used to represent all potential routes of infection between farms. We assumed that the latent period occurs between 1-2 days, disease detection at 5-7 days post-infection, notification of authorities at 5-7 days post-detection and start of culling at 1-3 days post notification. The epidemic scenarios were compared based on the number of infected farms, the total number of culled farms, and the duration of the epidemic. Our results revealed that the current protocol is the most appropriate option compared with the other alternative interventions considered among farms with reproductive ratio (Ri) > 1. Shortening the culling radius to 0.5 km increased the duration of the epidemic. Further increase in the PEC zone decreased the duration of the epidemic but may not justify the increased number of farms to be culled. Nonetheless, the no-pre-emptive culling (NPEC) strategy can be an effective alternative to the current protocol if farm managers inform the government immediately within 24 hours of observation of the presence of HPAI in their farms. Moreover, if notification is made on days 1-3 after the detection, the scale and length of the outbreak have been significantly reduced. In conclusion, this study provided a comparison of various control measures for confronting the spread of HPAI infection using the simulation model. Policy makers can use this information to enhance the effectiveness of the current control strategy.

Metal Concentrations in Sediments of the Alinsaog River, Santa Cruz, Zambales, Central Luzon, Philippines.

Background.Efforts are needed to evaluate heavy metal concentrations in aquatic sediments which serve as repositories and as sources of contamination of other habitats.Objectives.The present study assessed temporal changes in the pH, particle size and concentration of metals in sediments of a mining-affected river in Zambales, Philippines.Methods.Sediment samples were collected at different periods in four stations along the river using a modified Van Veen grab. The samples were subjected to quartering, air-drying, and sieved through a mesh of 40 mm prior to X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy analysis using Thermo Scientific Niton XL3t to determine metal concentrations. The sediment particle size was analyzed by the sieve method and soil pH by the electrode method.Results.Measured metal concentrations in the sediment were as follows: iron (Fe)> calcium (Ca)> chromium (Cr)> nickel (Ni)> manganese (Mn) with averages of 174.6 mg/g, 7.89 mg/g, 6.54 mg/g, 4.82 mg/g, and 2.75 mg/g dry matter (DM), respectively. The mean pH of riverine sediments was generally neutral, except for Station 4. In terms of particle size, silt and clay fractions increased in the upstream station but decreased in the midstream and downstream stations across the sampling periods. The flooding brought by Typhoon Koppu resulted in lowered concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cr, and Ni and an upsurge in Ca and potassium levels.Discussion.Most of the heavy metals (Fe, Ni, Cr, Mn) exceeded the probable effect level (PEL) for inorganics in sediments, suggesting that the adverse effects of these metals on the environment and aquatic organisms are expected to occur frequently. In comparison with Station 4, which was less affected by siltation, there was a sign of metal enrichment in the area. This indicates that soil erosion and runoff, which might have been triggered by vegetation loss, mineral extraction, and agricultural activities, had a significant impact on the quality of river sediments.Conclusions.The findings of the study point to the need for the formulation and implementation of appropriate regulatory measures for the protection and rehabilitation of the heavy metal-loaded river.Competing Interests.The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Spatiotemporal Variation of Groundwater Arsenic in Pampanga, Philippines

Several confirmed cases of arsenic (As) poisoning have been reported in Central Luzon, the Philippines, in recent years. There is a growing interest in As research in the Philippines due to the reported As poisoning cases. However, an extensive spatiotemporal As study has not been conducted. In this work, As concentration measurements were conducted in 101 wells in Guagua, Pampanga, in Central Luzon, the Philippines, from November 2018 to November 2019. The wells included 86 public hand pumps, 10 pumping stations, and 5 private, jet-powered pumps. Using hydride generation—inductively coupled plasma—optical emission spectroscopy (HG-ICP-OES), analysis of the wells in 12 barangays in Guagua revealed that 38.7% had average As concentrations beyond the 10 ppb limit with some wells having high Mn (4.0 ppm) and Fe (2.0 ppm) content as well. The high pH and reducing conditions in the wells in Guagua may have contributed to the persistence of As in the groundwater. The mean difference in wet season versus dry season As measurements were −4.4 (As < 10 ppb), −13.2 (10 to 50 ppb As), and −27.4 (As > 50 ppb). Eighty-three wells (82.2%) had higher As concentrations in the dry season, 8 wells (7.92%) had higher As concentrations in the wet season, 7 wells (6.93%) had no significant difference between the wet and dry season, and 3 wells had been decommissioned. These results indicate that there is a significant difference in As concentrations in the wet and dry seasons, and this could have implications in water treatment technology and policy implementation. The work resulted in the first year-long characterization of groundwater As in the Philippines.

Potential of Alternate Wetting and Drying Irrigation Practices for the Mitigation of GHG Emissions from Rice Fields: Two Cases in Central Luzon (Philippines)

Reducing methane (CH4) emission from paddy rice production is an important target for many Asian countries in order to comply with their climate policy commitments. National greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory approaches like the Tier-2 approach of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are useful to assess country-scale emissions from the agricultural sector. In paddy rice, alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is a promising and well-studied water management technique which, as shown in experimental studies, can effectively reduce CH4 emissions. However, so far little is known about GHG emission rates under AWD when the technique is fully controlled by farmers. This study assesses CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes under continuous flooded (CF) and AWD treatments for seven subsequent seasons on farmers’ fields in a pumped irrigation system in Central Luzon, Philippines. Under AWD management, CH4 emissions were substantially reduced (73% in dry season (DS), 21% in wet season (WS)). In all treatments, CH4 is the major contributor to the total GHG emission and is, thus, identified as the driving force to the global warming potential (GWP). The contribution of N2O emissions to the GWP was higher in CF than in AWD, however, these only offset 15% of the decrease in CH4 emission and, therefore, did not jeopardize the strong reduction in the GWP. The study proves the feasibility of AWD under farmers’ management as well as the intended mitigation effect. Resulting from this study, it is recommended to incentivize dissemination strategies in order to improve the effectiveness of mitigation initiatives. A comparison of single CH4 emissions to calculated emissions with the IPCC Tier-2 inventory approach identified that, although averaged values showed a sufficient degree of accuracy, fluctuations for single measurement points have high variation which limit the use of the method for field-level assessments.

Identification of High-Risk Areas for the Spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Central Luzon, Philippines.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) is a major problem in the poultry industry. It is highly contagious and is associated with a high mortality rate. The Philippines experienced an outbreak of avian influenza (AI) in 2017. As there is always a risk of re-emergence, efforts to manage disease outbreaks should be optimal. Linked to this is the need for an effective surveillance procedure to capture disease outbreaks at their early stage. Risk-based surveillance is the most effective and economical approach to outbreak management. This study evaluated the potential of commercial poultry farms in Central Luzon to transmit HPAI by calculating their respective reproductive ratios (). The reproductive number for each farm is based on the spatial kernel and the infectious period. A risk map has been created based on the calculated R0. There were 882 (76.63%) farms with < 1. Farms with ≥ 1 were all located in Pampanga Province. These farms were concentrated in the towns of San Luis (n = 12) and Candaba (n = 257). This study demonstrates the utility of mapping farm-level estimates for informing HPAI risk management activities.

GIS-Modeling of Island Hopping Through the Philippines Demonstrates Trade-Offs Migrant Grey-Faced Buzzards During Oceanic Crossings

Migration can be costly with consequences that can influence population trajectories. These costs and consequences are especially heightened during over-water travels, which can be high-risk events for birds. We created spatial models to evaluate potential migratory responses of “oceanic”, island-hopping grey-faced buzzards that encounter variation in landscape parameters and weather as they move through and out of the Philippine archipelago. We constrained the modeled routes to enter the island chain at Basco and to use one of four potential exit points in the south of the country, either Balabac, Bongao, Balut Island, or Cape San Agustin. We used all possible combinations of our three external parameters (stopover sites, water crossings and wind direction) to model alternative migratory routes for each of the four exit points (n = 20 migratory routes). Modeled grey-faced buzzard routes were between 1,582 and 2,970 km. Routes overlapped over eastern and central Luzon, along a leading line created by the Sierra Madre Mountains. Routes also overlapped and suggested unavoidable over-water crossings between Mindoro and Palawan, Negros and Zamboanga del Norte, and Leyte and Surigao. Our models suggest that the optimal migratory strategy for these birds is to find the shortest route to an exit point with the greatest possible access to stopover habitats and fewest open-water crossings under wind resistance. Understanding how each of these external factors affected the geography and characteristics of the migratory routes helps us to understand the context for different migratory strategies of birds that face dangerous open-water crossings on migration.

A study on health and hygiene needs, strategies, and well‐being of an Aeta indigenous community in the Philippines through photovoice methods

AbstractOn a global scale, poor access to health and social welfare services for indigenous populations has threatened their overall well‐being, especially those living in remote or peripheral areas. Academics from two higher education institutions in South Korea and the Philippines conducted a community‐based research in an indigenous Aeta community in the highlands of Pampanga Province in the Philippines’ Central Luzon region. Using a photovoice method and community survey, they investigated family health and hygiene as well as the current strategies this indigenous community employs to address their concerns. Results revealed that the community lacks the basic human needs and services such as water, food, shelter, education, and health service. They demonstrated, however, resilience in managing their lives by making use of the available natural resources and by drawing strength from community spirit. This study provided insights on how higher education institutions and other concerned agencies craft initiatives intended to benefit vulnerable populations and underserved communities such as the indigenous peoples.

Emotional quotient, work attitude and teaching performance of secondary school teachers

The teacher, aside from the challenges he/she faces in everyday work, the rigors of student management and the mountain of paperwork, is also confronted with the task to be emotionally matured, exhibit positive work habits, and display high teaching performance. This study aimed to determine the emotional quotient, work attitude, and teaching performance of secondary school teachers. The study used a descriptive-correlational method of research. Seven hundred and sixty-eight (768) public secondary school teachers from four school division offices in Central Luzon, Philippines took part in the study. To determine the emotional quotient and work attitude of the respondents, the study used tools by Helgriegel, et al. (1992), and the Department of Education’s Competency Based-Performance Appraisal System for Teachers (CB-PAST) for the teaching performance. Analysis of the data is through frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson-r, and chi-square. The results showed that the emotional quotient of the secondary school teacher was “high”. The work attitudes of teachers in terms of sense of efficacy, sense of community, and a sense of professional interest was “very high”. In addition, the respondents also got a “very satisfactory” rating in their teaching performance. The teachers’ emotional quotient and their teaching performance were significantly correlated. The researcher also found significant correlations between teachers’ work attitude in terms of the sense of efficacy and their teaching performance. Further perusal revealed significant differences among the respondents’ work attitudes when grouped according to gender, educational attainment, and length of service. Based on the results, the researcher suggested pertinent implications for the study.

IPv6 campus transition: A Central Luzon State University case study

Internet connections still use IPv4 as the primary address protocol and it is now facing exhaustion. However, academic institutions specifically in the Philippines should devise steps to address the exhaustion of IPv4. In this paper, this is brought to light as we present the IPv4 to IPv6 campus transition techniques to address the issue. The experiment is carried out in Central Luzon State University and is assessed if the university is able to adopt the IPv6 transition in their campus network. Two IPv6 transition mechanisms were implemented and tested. As a general result, it has been found out, through testbeds, that the dual-stack transition mechanism is more suitable than 6 to 4 tunnel broker. The results have also shown that 6 to 4 tunnel broker was outperformed by dual-stack transition mechanism in all areas and presents better performance. Additionally, results also showed that IPv4 presents slight advantages in terms of network performance than IPv6 with a very small percentage in difference, and this does mean that migration to IPv6 is possible without performance detriments. Furthermore, the results also provide a proof of concept for the university especially in the Philippines to consider IPv6 for future migration within their campus network.

MOTIVATING FACTORS OF TEACHERS IN DEVELOPING SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS (SLMS)

The study was conducted to identify the motivating factors of teachers in developing supplementary learning materials in the Schools Division in Central Luzon, Philippines. Findings revealed there were ten (10) motivating factors that help teachers to develop supplementary learning materials namely: helps them to deliver the lesson easier; motivates learners; receives recognition and achievement; promotes participation and ICT collaboration; develops creativity; enhances teaching and learning processes; enhances language, skills and communication; provides contextualized instructional materials; develops skills in writing and drawing; and helps them for ranking purposes. While there were hindering factors why teachers could not develop supplementary learning materials such as: lack of ICT skills and knowledge; lack of time, lack of materials; lack of budget; their teaching loads; additional clerical works; stress; lack of support; no internet connection; and their attitude towards the development of SLMs. Based from the findings of the study, a proposed policy was developed to further improve teachers’ motivational factors in developing SLMs and to respond to the issues addressed by the teachers regarding the matter. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations were offered.

Prototype Development of Low-Cost Semi Automated Foam Shredder Equipment

The Furniture Industry of the Philippines is one of the most labor-intensive and artistic industries in the country which develops the hardworking, creative and enterprising qualities of Filipinos in manufacturing best-quality furniture. With this, the Philippines is dubbed as the “Milan of Asia.” In Pampanga alone, there are several furniture SMEs which manufactures for both local and international clients. Aside from the saw dusts as the by product, scrap foams are also a hurdle for the furniture manufacturers in Pampanga and Central Luzon. Due to the continuous demand of the furniture industries in Pampanga, the study incubated to develop a lowcost semi-automated foam shredder prototypes that will cater the need of furniture industries to crash foams within the customer specification to create a new set of raw materials. The system requirements for the prototypes followed the first utility model that was created. The target of the study is to reduce the production and operating cost of the foam shredder without compromising the capacity, quality and aesthetics of the prototype. The prototype must pass the requirements as follows: (a) safe and efficient, (b) easy to use; (c) reliable and maintainable; (d) yielding capacity of 40 kgs/hr. Ten (10) furniture companies are selected in order to conduct the validation testing of the prototypes developed.

Application of Mixed Integer Linear Programming Approach on Crop Rotation Practices in Organic Farms in Central Luzon and Calabarzon, Philippines

The primary objective and purpose of agriculture is to sustain society. With this is mind, two farming concepts have emerged with different methods and systems in complying with the industry’s objective. Organic farming, the less practiced between the two, is more fitting to uphold the sustenance of society in a healthier and long term span. Crop rotation scheduling, the required method in organic farming has always been done manually with no established basis. The aim of this study is to maximize the efficiency of organic farming in the second and third highest agricultural land area in the Philippines. Thus, a decision making tool is utilized to be applied to simple crop rotation practices in the industry. This tool takes into consideration several variables in organic farming. Best-selling and top produce in the areas are used with the corresponding profit organic farms may obtain with planting them. Constraints are generally stated to fit a realistic situation in farms, neglecting too complex variables to maintain simplicity and uniformity. Generation of a crop rotation schedule has been successful, showing which crops to be planted, how many, and in what period to be planted in the span of twelve (12) months, including the fallow. However, we suggest that further study and tests must be conducted using more powerful and complex analytic tools with consideration of specific variables and constraints applicable to different settings to generate more accurate crop rotation schedules.

Farm locations and dwelling clusters: Do they make production and technical efficiency spatially contagious?

In the last decades, local rice supplies in the Philippines have fallen short of local demand. As a result, the Philippines has become a net importer of rice. Reacting to this situation, the Philippine government introduced the Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP) in 2012 with the belief that the Philippines can attain rice self-sufficiency. As physical farm expansion yields only 20% of the necessary increase in production, the remaining 80% must come from increased productivity. This study uses a sample of rice production areas in Central Luzon as representative of rice production in the Philippines. Stochastic production frontier analysis revealed that the average technical efficiency of farms in Central Luzon ranges between 0.76 and 0.92 in the wet and dry seasons. Increasing farm productivity can help attain the FSSP production target by potentially increasing yield per hectare. A combination of spatial econometrics with geostatistical tools demonstrated the presence of spatial dependence in yield and farm performance. Results show significant clustering of best and worst performing farms, specifically in Tarlac City. To increase farm technical efficiency and help attain food production targets at national and even global levels, policy interventions should consider focusing on geographically prioritized areas for technical efficiency improvement.

Marketability of Mango-based Products: Input to Product Development of Locally Farm Produced Mangoes in Central Luzon, Philippines

Mangifera Indica, commonly known as mango, is a high-value crop with yield gaps brought by its seasonal production. The study was conducted to determine the marketability of mango-based products as one of the most abundant commodities in the Philippines. The study made used a descriptive survey method to describe the type of consumer market and determine their preferences in fruit-based food items. The study revealed that the market consists of varied generations, with the majority under generation Y or the millennials. Most of them were female, single, college graduates, employed, preferred to purchase fruit-based products weekly, and answered that they would be willing to try mango-based products. The market likewise considers products’ nutritional value that researchers, food technologists, and other food manufacturers must capitalize on incubating new product lines and marketing strategies to employ.

Quantitative assessment of biosecurity in broiler farms using Biocheck.UGent in Central Luzon, Philippines

The biosecurity status of 397 broiler farms in Central Luzon, the highest poultry meat–producing region in the Philippines, was assessed using Biocheck.Ugent. This online biosecurity assessment tool quantifies biosecurity level or compliance of surveyed farms. The system generates scores that reflect the current biosecurity status of each farm in terms of the different external and internal biosecurity measures being implemented in each farm. It was initially developed for pigs and broilers but recently is available for layers, swine, and cattle (beef, dairy, and veal).The overall biosecurity score of broiler farms in Central Luzon was 71.2%, with average external and internal biosecurity scores of 68.5 and 77.2%, respectively. Bataan had the highest biosecurity scores (76.5%) compared with the other 6 provinces. This was also true for the external and internal biosecurity scores of the province, with mean scores of 72.1 and 80.1%, respectively. Of the 11 subcategories of external and internal biosecurity that were assessed, purchase of day-old chicks, feeds and water supply, supply of materials, cleaning and disinfection, and materials between compartments had scores higher than the global scores. Low scores were generated from transport of live animals and infrastructure and biological vectors.The mean biosecurity score of farms with traditional/conventional type of housing was 7.8% lower than that with tunnel vent housing. Every year as the farm gets older, there was a corresponding drop of 0.2% in the biosecurity score.Biosecurity measures are in place in broiler farms in the country. However, there were areas with low scores which need to be prioritized to improve and upgrade the farms' biosecurity status.To date, this is the first quantitative assessment of biosecurity in broiler farms in the Philippines. High biosecurity scores may entail greater protection from disease incursion.

Morphotectonic Kinematic Indicators along the Vigan-Aggao Fault: The Western Deformation Front of the Philippine Fault Zone in Northern Luzon, the Philippines

The Vigan-Aggao Fault is a 140-km-long complex active fault system consisting of multiple traces in the westernmost part of the Philippine Fault Zone (PFZ) in northern Luzon, the Philippines. In this paper, its traces, segmentation, and oblique left-lateral strike-slip motion are determined from horizontal and vertical displacements measured from over a thousand piercing points pricked from displaced spurs and streams observed from Google Earth Pro satellite images. This work marks the first instance of the extensive use of Google Earth as a tool in mapping and determining the kinematics of active faults. Complete 3D image coverage of a major thoroughgoing active fault system is freely and easily accessible on the Google Earth Pro platform. It provides a great advantage to researchers collecting morphotectonic displacement data, especially where access to aerial photos covering the entire fault system is next to impossible. This tool has not been applied in the past due to apprehensions on the positional measurement accuracy (mainly of the vertical component). The new method outlined in this paper demonstrates the applicability of this tool in the detailed mapping of active fault traces through a neotectonic analysis of fault-zone features. From the sense of motion of the active faults in northern Luzon and of the major bounding faults in central Luzon, the nature of deformation in these regions can be inferred. An understanding of the kinematics is critical in appreciating the distribution and the preferred mode of accommodation of deformation by faulting in central and northern Luzon resulting from oblique convergence of the Sunda Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. The location, extent, segmentation patterns, and sense of motion of active faults are critical in coming up with reasonable estimates of the hazards involved and identifying areas prone to these hazards. The magnitude of earthquakes is also partly dependent on the type and nature of fault movement. With a proper evaluation of these parameters, earthquake hazards and their effects in different tectonic settings worldwide can be estimated more accurately.

Downscaling Seasonal Climate Forecasts for Risks Management of Rice Production in the Philippines

Objectives: This study is centered on the potential use of a dynamic seasonal climate forecast for informing climate risk management in Central Luzon, Philippines to improve rice productivity and resilience. Specifically, we seek to test the downscalibility of the seasonal climate forecasts in the region using a multi-variate spatio-temporal downscaling technique, understand and assess the predictability of rice yield at selected growing areas in the Philippines, and provide guidance on how to develop agricultural risk management strategies. Methods/statistical analysis: The coupled Global Circulation Model (GCM) CFSv2 was used to evaluate the utility of MJJA (May-June-JulyAugust) rainfall forecasts for risk management of rice production in Central Luzon, Philippines. We used a non-homogeneous hidden Markov model (NHMM) to downscale and simulate the GCM forecasts to selected weather stations in the region. On the other hand, we evaluated the skill of the climate forecasts for predicting crop yields. The simulated rainfall was used to drive the rice models set up in DSSATv4.5. Other weather variables needed by DSSAT were generated and conditioned on the occurrence of rainfall based on NHMM rainfall simulation. Simulated rice yields obtained from these models using observed (i.e., simulated by observed weather) and conditioned rainfall (i.e., NHMM downscaling) serve as a baseline for evaluating yields. We also performed a sensitivity analysis to assess appropriate planting windows for the target season for risk management. Findings: Inter-annual variability of rainfall is moderately simulated, with a skill (r) of 0.41, suggesting that NHMM was fairly successful downscaling rainfall from the regional scale given the predictive nature of the predictor, at three months lead time. The observed MJJA mean rainfall from the six stations falls at around 56% within the interquartile ranges of simulated rainfall, which indicates reasonable skill of the NHMM downscaling CFSv2’s MJJA rainfall hindcasts. Simulated yield was found comparable with the observed at 5% level of significance using t-test (p > 0.05). The correlations between observed and predicted yields are equal to 0.56. This indicates that the models can represent about 31.36% of the inter-annual variability of the yields of rice, albeit of the three months lead-time of the CFSv2 hindcasts. It suggests a reasonable performance of the models in simulating rice yield using the NHMM generated climate information. Climatologically, the best planting and sowing windows for rice in the study area is on the first week of May. This can be adjusted by using seasonal climate forecasts information. Harvest period should not cross over in the month of September to avoid exposure to heavy typhoons. Application/ improvements: Sensitivity analysis showed that planting rice earlier than the usual planting windows practiced by the farmers could improve resilience to climate risks. Managing the variance of this management window, however, is of paramount importance, which can be informed by skillful climate forecasts. Keywords: Seasonal Climate Forecast, Downscaling, Nonhomogenous Hidden Markov Model, Crop Model, Climate Risks Management, Yield Prediction.

Problem Solving Ability of First Year High School Students in Mathematics as Affected by Cognitive Development Levels and Teaching Strategies

Improving problem solving abilities among students remain to be a challenge among teachers and students. This study aimed to identify problem solving ability of first year students as affected by cognitive development levels and teaching strategies of first year high school students in Mathematics I. The study utilized descriptive and experimental methods. A total of 150 students from three classes in a public secondary school in Central Luzon, Philippines were included. Tools were validated questionnaires to measure problem solving abilities and cognitive development levels. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, Mean, Standard Deviation, T-Test, ANOVA, and Regression Analysis. Results showed that the cognitive level of development of the students are satisfactory across all domains (X=2.81). Discovery, Exposition, and Traditional Methods of Teaching were found to significantly improve the problem solving ability of the students with a p-value of 0.000 in each group. All groups have no significant difference in performance which may imply that no teaching method is better than the other. Lastly, cognitive domains of the students in knowledge, comprehension, application and evaluation were found to be significant determinants of students’ problem solving ability. The study results can be a springboard to improve problem solving abilities of high school students. Cognitive development could be considered as a basis for grouping high school students in all curriculum levels and can be evaluated by future researchers for effectiveness.

Damage State Assessment of a Pre-Stress Concrete Girder (PSCG) Bridge using Non Linear Analysis for Real-time Structural Health Monitoring

Philippines is located in the pacific ring of fire, which indicates that seismic movement is frequently happening. West valley fault line located in the central Luzon might move due to its 400 to 500-year recurrence, and the last recorded movement was on 1958. According to MMIERS, the movement of west valley fault with 7.2 magnitude earthquake can cause one of the biggest devastation in Metro Manila. In preparation for that, this study aims to assess the vulnerability of a pre-stress bridge against seismic movement by the aid of USHER technology. The USHER system includes structural assessment, remote sensing, and real time monitoring through the portal. This study will focus on the structural assessment of the bridge, which identify the acceleration limits that the bridge can endure to interpret different level of damage. As a result, by 10% of probability of exceedance from SEAOC using the moderate damage fragility curve, the results in three directions are 0.37641g in longitudinal axis, 0.366025g in transverse axis, and 0.394498g in the vertical direction. The most critical is in the transverse direction, which can produce a maximum of 67mm displacement of the bridge in the inelastic stage. In validation through the sensor, which has a reading from the smart bridge project, the maximum acceleration recorded was 0.138g. This concludes that the bridge is safe and no retrofitting works is need.