Philippine Context Research Articles

Language Theses and Dissertation Landscapes: An Analysis of Research Analyses

Content analysis of language research is one of the very widely researched topics worldwide. However, in the Philippine context, few studies and systematic reviews on the content analysis of language theses and dissertations are published. The current study examined the features of 25 studies that looked at the content of language theses and dissertations published from 2016 to 2021. Thematic focus, study design, data analysis methodologies, and research outcomes were all investigated. The findings show that research trends, research parts, rhetorical structures, and linguistic structures are the most commonly discussed topics. Content analysis is the most widely used methodology and data analysis approach. It is worth noting that only one of the reviewed studies produced a research output. Recommended topics and areas for future language research are offered.

The effect of agricultural productivity and fossil energy use on CO2 emissions in the Philippines; an environmental Kuznets curve approach

This study examines the relationship between agricultural productivity, fossil energy use, urbanization, and economic growth on CO2 emissions. We use data from 1970 to 2015 from the Philippines with data analysis using the ARDL and cointegration. The results confirm that all models have a positive outcome on CO2 emissions. The use of fossil energy and urbanization have a significant effect on CO2 emissions. However, agricultural productivity and economic growth have no significant effect on CO2 emissions. The model shows that the Kuznets curve hypothesis does not happen in the Philippines context. According to the results, the study suggests that the government should pay more attention to environmental impacts and development. Mitigation of the environmental efforts can be supporting the use of renewable energy, low emissions machines, and the effective implementation of environmental regulations.

The Potential of Systems Thinking in Tackling The Wicked Problem of Childhood Obesity in the Philippines

Obesity among children and adolescents in the Philippines has been on the rise over the last decade, and has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing the ‘wicked problem’ of obesity necessitates an approach that considers the complexity of multiple, interdependent factors at play in the obesogenic system. In current literature, there is a lack of system models that map out obesity systems in the Philippine context. Through a series of workshops involving three middle-income Southeast Asian countries, systems thinking principles and tools were applied to unpack a specific issue related to non-communicable diseases. A cross-sector, multidisciplinary team from the Philippines developed a causal loop diagram to map several contributing factors to childhood obesity in the country, such as individual biological factors, physical inactivity, child’s eating patterns, family lifestyle factors, food retail and advertisement, health literacy, and cultural influences. This exercise aimed to identify potential points of intervention and determine necessary data requirements to run the model. The article notes several limitations as well as recommendations for further improving the obesity system model. Experience from the workshop demonstrates the growing utility of systems thinking to approach complex public health problems and guide policymaking.

Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) Treatment, Prevention Strategies, and Risk Factors: A Philippine Situation

Chronic diseases, which are often referred to as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), are conditions that worsen over time gradually due to a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioral factors. In the Philippine context, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which collectively include diabetes, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are accountable for all fatalities of Filipino people. Several articles have stated that 38.6% have been hospitalized with hypertension, 3.9 million cases of diabetes, and 27.7% of Filipinos suffered from Asthma-COPD in the Philippines. However, with these diseases indicated, there are several treatments, prevention strategies, and risk factors that have been developed throughout the years. People of all ages, living in all regions and nations are affected by NCDs. Poor diet, inactivity, exposure to tobacco smoke, problematic alcohol use, environmental factors (including air pollution), and other risk factors for NCDs can affect children, adults, and seniors. Finding and treating these problems is essential for controlling NCDs. The economy of countries, especially those with low and moderate incomes, are significantly impacted by the co-occurrence of health burdens in populations going through transition, particularly in certain socioeconomic and cultural contexts. Methods, programs, and regulatory policies significantly relevant to NCDs in the Philippines are reviewed in the article. The paper also discusses facilitating factors that contribute to the NCDs situation in the country, which may become matters of interest in developing and updating the NCDs management approach of the healthcare system. This review aims to focus on and understand the different treatment, prevention strategies, and risk factors of NCD across the Philippines.

Adaptation of the Universal Treatment Curriculum to Philippine Context and Online Environment

Adaptation of the Universal Treatment Curriculum to Philippine Context and Online Environment

SMS-OPTIMIZED CONSUMER-GRADE TRACKING SYSTEM FOR LOW-COST MONITORING

Consumer grade tracking systems exist but are not optimally designed for low-cost operation in the Philippines setting. Tracking devices typically use Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technologies. Commonly, for device management and real-time tracking, data are transmitted as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) to a proprietary or third-party cloud service. This method is costly in the Philippines context as well as power consuming. This study was conducted to design a tracking system that is optimized for short messaging service (SMS) mode of data transmission. This study covered the design of a tracking device using consumer-grade hardware components, development of system interface to enable remote operation using commands sent as short message(s), development of a simple desktop client monitoring service and actual field-testing using land and water vehicles. Tests results showed a 100% tracking data delivery efficiency and small difference between Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) for each route indicating that there is a small variance in distance errors. The tracking device also performed well in a sea route which is comparable to a commercial standard GPS data logger. Test results also showed that the device can be used for tracking applications i.e., vehicle security, inland fleet management, monitoring of tourist boats, and research or field surveys, where GPS and GSM are available.

Quo Vadis, COVID-19?

Quo Vadis, COVID-19?

Changes and Challenges in the Teaching of Grammar in the Age of Disruption

The teaching of grammar during classroom meetings is entirely different from the grammar instruction in the new normal. The learning and teaching atmosphere has been more challenging in the contemporary time because people want to be safe and secure as they do transactions. The widespread threats of the pandemic forced humanity to observe mandatory policies and protocols in work, school, and home. Development of language skills is a long time thrust by which ESL teachers carry among their schools. In the Philippine setting, both private and public school teachers share common problems in a different context and situation. The importance of grammar skills can be reflected on the various tasks and activities performed by people in the worksite, academe, and industry. As such, language teachers confront the issues and challenges in the actual ESL classroom where students are expected to learn and master grammar skills among others. Not all students have a good language facility as shown by poor performance in the English language assessments. Some students dislike inclusion of grammar lessons in the curriculum for fear of being unable to participate in the class and produce outputs. This paper aims to identify and describe the challenges (in the time of pandemic) experienced by language teachers on the teaching of grammar in the local Philippine context. Before the study culminated, the researcher has decided to get the views of experts and experienced ESL teachers about this problem and/or issue. It is a fact that has been observed and proved by many teachers not just ESL area but other majors that having grammar competence can help both students and professionals to achieve their goals and perform communicative tasks in the workplace. Results of the study provided insights and tips on how language teachers can make grammar teaching effective and relevant despite changes in setting and environment.

Surfing the Waves of Infodemics: Building a Cohesive Philippine Framework against Misinformation

The sudden exponential increase in information accompanying COVID-19 has presented significant barriers to effective health communication. In a country where 76 million active social media accounts originate, this infodemic due to the pandemic has exposed inadequacies in Philippine information systems. As such, this paper aims to present the infodemic in the Philippine context, analyze existing frameworks countering minsinformation, identify problems, and propose solutions for misinformation. A comprehensive review of existing policies was conducted by inputting keywords in known databases, and analyzing literature, laws, and social media policies in the Philippines. The analysis has showed that (1) the current uncentralized system presents difficulties in mobilizing experts; (2) the older demographic is a neglected population amid high risk for misinformation; (3) individual passivity in searching for legitimate sources puts people at higher risk; (4) current legal frameworks insufficiently characterize and delineate misinformation and disinformation, leading to concerns on implementation and human rights. To address this, evidence recommends (1) creating a centralized government institution, representative of various sectors, to serve as the source of understandable and reliable scientific information; (2) strengthening current legal frameworks, with an emphasis on education, due process, and human rights; (3) ingraining a culture of fact-checking within the Filipino psyche via stakeholder engagement. Clear roles and responsibilities, along with active stakeholder engagement, are needed to build individual resilience against misinformation and strengthen veritable institutions that aid the country in responding to future health crises.

Impact of vaccine supplies and delays on optimal control of the COVID-19 pandemic: mapping interventions for the Philippines

BackgroundAround the world, controlling the COVID-19 pandemic requires national coordination of multiple intervention strategies. As vaccinations are globally introduced into the repertoire of available interventions, it is important to consider how changes in the local supply of vaccines, including delays in administration, may be addressed through existing policy levers. This study aims to identify the optimal level of interventions for COVID-19 from 2021 to 2022 in the Philippines, which as a developing country is particularly vulnerable to shifting assumptions around vaccine availability. Furthermore, we explore optimal strategies in scenarios featuring delays in vaccine administration, expansions of vaccine supply, and limited combinations of interventions.MethodsEmbedding our work within the local policy landscape, we apply optimal control theory to the compartmental model of COVID-19 used by the Philippine government’s pandemic surveillance platform and introduce four controls: (a) precautionary measures like community quarantines, (b) detection of asymptomatic cases, (c) detection of symptomatic cases, and (d) vaccinations. The model is fitted to local data using an L-BFGS minimization procedure. Optimality conditions are identified using Pontryagin’s minimum principle and numerically solved using the forward–backward sweep method.ResultsSimulation results indicate that early and effective implementation of both precautionary measures and symptomatic case detection is vital for averting the most infections at an efficient cost, resulting in >99% reduction of infections compared to the no-control scenario. Expanding vaccine administration capacity to 440,000 full immunizations daily will reduce the overall cost of optimal strategy by 25%, while allowing for a faster relaxation of more resource-intensive interventions. Furthermore, delays in vaccine administration require compensatory increases in the remaining policy levers to maintain a minimal number of infections. For example, delaying the vaccines by 180 days (6 months) will result in an 18% increase in the cost of the optimal strategy.ConclusionWe conclude with practical insights regarding policy priorities particularly attuned to the Philippine context, but also applicable more broadly in similar resource-constrained settings. We emphasize three key takeaways of (a) sustaining efficient case detection, isolation, and treatment strategies; (b) expanding not only vaccine supply but also the capacity to administer them, and; (c) timeliness and consistency in adopting policy measures.Graphic

Food delivery apps (FDAs) in Asia: an exploratory study across India and the Philippines

PurposeThis study explores and compares the reasons for or against including situational triggers on the adoption of food delivery apps (FDAs) across lesser-researched Asian countries like India and the Philippines.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilises a qualitative research methodology using focus group discussions and interviews across each country.FindingsRespondents from India highlighted the importance of convenience, aggressive discounts, app service quality, fulfilment and multiple payment options as the key reasons for adopting the FDAs. However, these factors require redressal in the Philippines context. Also, the study findings highlight some country-specific requirements: in the Philippines, food packaging, cheaper options provided by the local convenience stores and lack of variety of food options; in India, the impact of parental beliefs and segregated vegetarian food delivery.Practical implicationsThe study makes practical suggestions for consumer behaviour researchers, developers and marketers of FDAs who are confronted with challenges in app development for a multi-cultural audience and to ensure growth and the adoption of the FDAs across the two countries.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to compare diverse national markets to uncover differences and similarities in the factors impacting the adoption of FDAs. The results highlight the impact of varying levels of evolution of FDAs and social, technological and cultural contextual differences on the adoption of the FDAs across India and the Philippines.

Critical problems associated with climate change: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Philippine fisheries research.

This paper proposes to analyze the scientific production on climate change and fisheries in the Philippine context. This research theme was chosen considering the continuous increase in scientific studies related to climate change and fisheries and will therefore help in directing researchers on future directions for research to aid in addressing critical issues in the Philippine fisheries. A total of 69 search articles were extracted using the set criteria, indexed in Web of Science, and Scopus, covering the period from 1960 to 2020. After careful screening for eligibility, twenty-seven full-text articles were chosen for qualitative synthesis. Among the literature reviewed, research foci were categorized into four: impacts assessment (56% or 15 studies) followed by management (22% or 6 studies), adaptation (15% or 4 studies), and perception (7% or 2 studies), and main themes were categorized into four: resource management (59%), economy and livelihood (19%), governance and stakeholder participation (11%), and community marginalization (11%). This review contributes to the literature by identifying research potentials and suggesting a prescriptive approach to Philippine fisheries and climate change studies.

Filipino BIGBANG fandom: a textual analysis of online fandom community activities

Fandom produces specific subcultures described as those that cut across traditional geographic and generational boundaries. This research analyzes media text taken from a fandom Facebook group and investigates how Filipino BIGBANG fans (VIPPH), who consume such text, construct an online community. Findings revealed that VIPPH constructs BIGBANGPH through transaction (buying and selling of fan-made and official merchandise), interaction (comment threads), and participation (mini contest), all of which emerge from fandom activities conducted on Facebook. Online community membership is also suggested as another definition/criterion of an institutionalized cultural capital. This fandom research highlights BBPH as an online fandom community where different fandom contents are displayed for the analysis of reception, interpretive practice, and consumer activism. Specifically, the concept of a subtle resistance to commercialism is introduced. Localization and mimicry from the aspects of fandom activities and language are also discussed. To the author’s knowledge, the study is the first to contribute the idea of community construction to fandom research in the Philippine context by analyzing social media posts as text from the theoretical concepts of cultural capital, fandom, and mimicry.

Income and Happiness: a Philippine Context

This paper adds to the relatively scant developing country perspective in the economic literature on happiness by investigating the relationship between income and happiness in the context of Koronadal, a low-income city in Mindanao, Philippines. Subjective happiness and potential contributory factors to happiness (demographic, economic, and social capital variables) are elicited through a survey and analyzed using descriptive and regression analyses. The study provides empirical evidence for the “happy poor” image of the Filipinos, with its survey data revealing that despite high poverty incidence and generally low-income levels, people in Koronadal are pretty happy with a mean self-reported happiness score of 6.75 on a scale of 0–10. The study also lends some empirical support to the modified Easterlin hypothesis: an increase in income increases happiness marginally, but there exists a threshold level – a monthly income of about PHP 20,000 – beyond which further increase in income ceases to increase happiness. Further, survey data reveal that happier people are younger, female, possessing a mobile phone, living in houses with more bedrooms, with savings and no outstanding loans, and are members of credit cooperatives. In so far as these findings reveal some socially favorable economic and institutional conditions, they serve to provide inputs and directions to government officials and policymakers in terms of social programs formulation and implementation.

Urbanization Trends with Philippine Context

Urbanization Trends with Philippine Context

Exploring online search behavior for COVID-19 preventive measures: The Philippine case

Public health agencies have suggested nonpharmaceutical interventions to curb the spread of the COVID-19 infections. The study intended to explore the information-seeking behavior and information needs on preventive measures for COVID-19 in the Philippine context. The search interests and related queries for COVID-19 terms and each of the preventive measures for the period from December 31, 2019 to April 6, 2020 were generated from Google Trends. The search terms employed for COVID-19 were coronavirus, ncov, covid-19, covid19 and “covid 19.” The search terms of the preventive measures considered for this study included “community quarantine”, “cough etiquette”, “face mask” or facemask, “hand sanitizer”, handwashing or “hand washing” and “social distancing.” Spearman’s correlation was employed between the new daily COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 terms and the different preventive measures. The relative search volume for the coronavirus disease showed an increase up to the pronouncement of the country’s first case of COVID-19. An uptrend was also evident after the country’s first local transmission was confirmed. A strong positive correlation (rs = .788, p < .001) was observed between the new daily cases and search interests for COVID-19. The search interests for the different measures and the new daily cases were also positively correlated. Similarly, the search interests for the different measures and the COVID-19 terms were all positively correlated. The search interests for “face mask” or facemask, “hand sanitizer” and handwashing or “hand washing” were more correlated with the search interest for COVID-19 than with the number of new daily COVID-19 cases. The search interests for “cough etiquette”, “social distancing” and “community quarantine” were more correlated with the number of new daily COVID-19 cases than with the search interest for COVID-19. The public sought for additional details such as type, directions for proper use, and where to purchase as well as do-it-yourself alternatives for personal protective items. Personal protective or community measures were expected to be accompanied with definitions and guidelines as well as be available in translated versions. Google Trends could be a viable option to monitor and address the information needs of the public during a disease outbreak. Capturing and analyzing the search interests of the public could support the design and timely delivery of appropriate information essential to drive preventive measures during a disease outbreak.

Utilizing informal modes of engagement: civil society, substantive representation of women, and the Philippine women’s rights law

ABSTRACT This article asks how CSOs engage with policymakers in advancing policy change on women’s rights in the Philippine context where political dynasties are prevalent. It draws primarily upon interviews with leaders of women’s organizations, former leaders, directors, and current staff of the policy agency involved in the advocacy work for the Magna Carta of Women, which is regarded as the Philippine version of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Findings reveal that while CSOs used formal spaces such as official meetings and dialogues, CSOs also used informal modes of engagement: personal relationships, intermediaries, and reciprocity. Informal modes provide CSOs with the opportunity for sustained and long-term engagement as they develop personal bonds with policymakers which may extend beyond the term of office or appointment period.

Measuring Ilocano’s catholic youth’s attitude toward the catholic church and their behavioural intention to help the social action of the catholic church in the Philippines context

The study wanted to determine the correlation between the cognitive and affective attitude of the Catholic youth toward the Catholic Church and their behavioral intention to help the Social action of the Church in the future. To support the study, related literature and studies were reviewed. The study used a descriptive correlational research design. 400 youth were taken as respondents of the study. To gather the data, validated questionnaires were used, and the data were interpreted and analyzed using statistical tools such as Pearson r and Weighted mean. The study found that Catholic youth have a very high positive cognitive and affective attitude toward the Catholic Church and their behavioral intention to help the Church is also very high. Further, there is a correlation between the Catholic Youth’s cognitive and affective attitude and the behavioral intention to help the social action of the Catholic Church in the future.

The Effect of Reciprocity on Mobile Wallet Intention

The authors build on the literature on reciprocity by exploring a prevalent social and economic phenomenon in the Philippines where individuals with positive mobile phone balances can SMS loads to acquaintances. This practice is known as “pasaload”—an abbreviation of Pass-A-Load. The research was designed based on the literature review that in turn resulted in a research model that focused on six constructs: reciprocity, loyalty, habit, switching costs, trust, and future repurchase. Hypotheses were developed as the basis for a scaled survey of 1050 Philippine smartphone users, with the questions adapted from but adhering closely to the original questions from appropriate articles in the literature review. Overall the mediating effects from the two models are consistent with the expectations from the literature and analysis. In the Philippine context, habit might be a strong mediator even if the true financial and convenience costs to switch is low.

The quest to mental well-being: Nature connectedness, materialism and the mediating role of meaning in life in the Philippine context

It is believed that about 90% of the land area in the Philippines was once covered with forests. Today, Philippine forests have decreased to <20% due to deforestation and urbanization, and it is projected that the near annihilation of the forests in the country could happen within the next decades if the present rate of deforestation continues. Consequently, changes in people’s values brought about by urbanization and the national drive for economic progress were associated with surges in mental health problems and reduced well-being. Drawing from the Eco-Existential Positive Psychology Perspective and the Biophilia Hypothesis, the present study examined the mediating role of meaning in life as a mechanism that facilitates the influence of nature connectedness and materialism on well-being among persons from the Philippines. Parallel mediation models were tested using 589 participants. Results showed that both presence of meaning and search for meaning in life mediated the positive association between nature connectedness and well-being. On the other hand, presence of meaning, but not search for meaning, mediated the negative association between materialism and well-being. The results of the present study advanced our understanding of how satisfaction of one’s need to affiliate with nature and materialism contribute to well-being in the Philippine context. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.