Aklan State University

Mangroves are important tropical coastal ecosystems providing various ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, coastal protection, mitigation of storm winds and surges, as well as serving as habitat for various organisms, etc. However, huge areas of mangroves were already lost because of anthropogenic activities such as conversion of mangrove to aquaculture ponds in the last half century. Therefore, numerous countries like the Philippines have made an immense effort to restore the lost mangroves by replanting. One of the threats to mangrove reforestation is the damage caused by burrowing of marine isopods Sphaeroma terebrans, i.e. the holes created by isopods in the mangrove trunk can cause mangrove trees to fall. In the present study, for three mangrove species, Avicennia marina, A. alba, and Sonneratia alba, isopod hole density at the trunk surface and decay extent of trunks were measured at a recovering forest in Batan Estuary, Aklan, Philippines. The trunk decay was evaluated using acoustic tomography by measuring the travel times and attenuation of the sound wave within the focal trunk. Also, we attempted to clarify the relationships among isopod hole density, trunk decay extent and relative height from mean lower low water (MLLW) level. The hole density decreased significantly with increasing time of exposure to the atmosphere (height relative to MLLW). The trunk decay area increased with decreasing relative height above the MLLW level in A. marina, but did not decrease significantly in the other tree species. The relationship between trunk decay volume and hole density was insignificant, but A. marina had a higher trunk decay volume than the other two species. The present results partially supported our hypothesis that trunk decay extent is a function of isopod hole density on the trunk surface, as well as the species of the host tree, i.e. interspecific differences in trunk decay area and volume were detected but the effect of hole density on the trunk decay volume was insignificant. The holes caused by isopods could be a trigger to start the formation of hollow space in the trunks but further research on the other influential parameters, such as tolerances to water quality, xylophagous fungus and physical disturbance, would be necessary to understand the decay process of mangrove trunks considering their interspecific differences.

Understanding the psychological drivers of student engagement is essential in advancing educational outcomes, particularly in Physical Education in the higher education. This study explored the interconnection between curiosity and study engagement among students enrolled in PE and related disciplines across various Philippine universities. Adopting a quantitative research design, responses were gathered from 1,273 students using validated instruments that assessed two dimensions of curiosity (stretching and embracing) and three components of study engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption). Statistical analysis using Spearman's rho revealed a significant and positive relationship between curiosity and engagement, indicating that students who exhibit greater curiosity also demonstrate higher levels of academic engagement. Notably, both dimensions of curiosity were strongly correlated with all facets of engagement. These findings highlight the reciprocal nature of curiosity and engagement, suggesting that when learners are encouraged to explore, question, and embrace new experiences, they become more energized, committed, and immersed in their academic tasks. This underscores the potential of curiosity as a catalyst for enhancing motivation and persistence in PE learning environments. The results emphasize the need for educators to create pedagogical approaches that nurture curiosity and support meaningful engagement. Additionally, the study contributes to the broader discourse on student-centered learning by positioning curiosity not merely as a trait but as a powerful enabler of sustained academic involvement. Future investigations may benefit from exploring these relationships over time or in varying educational contexts to further illuminate the mechanisms underlying student engagement in PE.

This study is a phenomenological investigation of how Filipino university students experience conflict and compromise while cohabiting in shared housing. Grounded in Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and enriched by Sikolohiyang Pilipino, the study explored the lived experiences of four female fourth-year students residing in boarding houses near Aklan State University – New Washington Campus. Data were gathered through two phases of semi-structured interviews and a four-week reflexive journaling protocol, then analyzed following IPA's iterative coding procedures. Five superordinate themes emerged: the shock of transitioning into shared living, the embodied, somatic weight of unspoken stress, conflict avoidance shaped by the double-edged logic of pakikisama (getting along with others), the emergence of assertive communication as a form of empowerment, and the gradual transformation of shared space into a meaningful sense of home. Findings show that Filipino cultural values such as pakikisama ((getting along with others), hiya (shame), and utang na loob (debt of gratitude), actively structure how conflict is recognized, suppressed, or eventually voiced, and that direct communication, once attempted, consistently improved roommate relationships despite cultural pressure toward silence. The study concludes that cohabitation among Filipino university students is a psychosocial event that is simultaneously economic, relational, cultural, and developmental, and recommends pre-move-in orientation programs, written roommate agreements, and accessible mediation channels for a better support students navigating shared housing.

Purpose The aim of the study is to ascertain the effectiveness of mobile fitness application assisted exercise in improving athletes’ physical skills as well as their performance in throwing events. Material and methods 10 purposively selected Grade 9 Male athletes of the Department of Education, Western Visayas in the Philippines took part as subjects of the study. The control group performed the traditional set of exercises designed by the researchers and the experimental group were exposed to the mobile fitness application. The physical fitness test provided in the Department of Education Order No. 34, series 2019 was used to determine the athlete’s physical skills. Results The athletic skills of the throwers in both groups did not significantly differ after exposing to training programs (p > 0.05). Similarly, the outcome demonstrated that following the training regimens, there was no noticeable difference in the longest distance reached by the throwers of the same group. (p > 0.05). Results further revealed that the mobile fitness application-assisted exercises made significant improvement in the athletes’ strength, power, endurance, speed, coordination, flexibility, and agility; however, it did not improve the balance and agility of the athletes. The training program using an application have better improvement than the regular training program. Hence, better improvement on these skills could have led to better throwing ability. Conclusions Our findings suggest that mobile fitness application-assisted exercise improves the athletes’ strength, power, speed, coordination, flexibility, and throwing skills in throwing events. The physical education teachers may recommend using the mobile fitness application-assisted exercise to enhance the physical skills of the athletes and to improve their performance in throwing events.

ABSTRACT Mangroves play a vital role in supporting diverse associated fauna, yet information on the fish communities they host in the Philippines remains limited. In this study, we assessed fish diversity across four Philippine bioregions—Catanduanes, Batangas, Aklan, and Palawan—using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding. We analyzed 2,053,055 sequence reads of the 12S rRNA gene from water samples. We annotated 276 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), of which 159 (57.6%) were resolved to species level. OTU richness was highest in Batangas, followed by Aklan, Catanduanes, and Palawan (medians = 57, 46, 34, and 26, respectively), with many unique OTUs per site (40–48) and per habitat type (111 in fringe mangroves, 98 in riverine mangroves). However, alpha diversity, which accounts for species richness and evenness, did not differ significantly among sites or habitats, indicating overall similar diversity. In contrast, beta diversity varied significantly across bioregions, driven by biogeographic and environmental factors such as site, salinity, climate, habitat type, vegetation, and water flow. Most identified species were classified as ‘Least Concern’ (n = 123), but the presence of ‘Not Evaluated’ (n = 22) and ‘Data Deficient’ (n = 12) species highlights gaps in conservation knowledge. Two Vulnerable species, the brown‐marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) and the spotted seahorse (Hippocampus kuda), were also detected, emphasizing the conservation value of mangroves. More than half of the species‐level OTUs (n = 96; 60.38%) have commercial value, illustrating the role of mangroves in supporting coastal livelihoods. Several OTUs could only be annotated to genus or family, and the presence of ‘Unknown species’ indicates unexplored biodiversity, underscoring the need to expand tropical genetic reference databases. Overall, our findings demonstrate that eDNA metabarcoding is a reliable tool for assessing fish diversity across spatial scales and has strong potential for long‐term monitoring and management to support mangrove resilience and sustainability.