Bicol University (Bikol: Unibersidad nin Bikol, Tagalog: Pamantasan ng Bikol), also referred to by its acronym BU, is a regional state, research and coeducational higher education institution in Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines with associate campuses scattered throughout the provinces of Albay and Sorsogon. BU is an ISO 9001:2008 certified public university. The university is partly subsidized by the Philippine government. Students of the university and its graduates are referred to as “Mga Iskolar ng Bayan” (“Scholars of the Nation”) but they are commonly called as Bueños. Students who wish to study in the university must pass the Bicol University College Entrance Test (BUCET).
The Philippine Department of Education emphasizes the engineering design process (EDP) as a pedagogical approach for developing problem solvers and innovators, yet Filipino learners remain among the lowest performers in science internationally. Engineering design is widely regarded as the central integrator of integrated STEM instruction, yet its integration is hardest in the life sciences, where abstract, submicroscopic phenomena and dependence on technologies unavailable in ordinary classrooms constrain what teachers can design. This study examined a webinar-based capacity building intervention preparing pre-service science teachers to develop EDP-oriented lesson plans and activities for Cell and Molecular Biology. Delivered as a one-month, three-session synchronous webinar series with digital scaffolds such as editable lesson templates, annotated exemplars, and shared resources, the intervention was evaluated using a mixed-method design with 24 third-year pre-service science teachers. Lesson plan evaluations improved from "Moderately Evident" (M = 4.01) to "Highly Evident" (M = 4.68), a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). EDP-oriented activities were rated "Highly Evident" (M = 4.33) and demonstration teaching "Satisfactory" (M = 87.36). Four themes emerged: Value of EDP in STEM Education, Impact of the Webinar Series, Challenges in Implementing EDP, and Novel Experiences and Insights. Notably, participants' most persistent constraint was technological: access to affordable, accessible materials for rendering cellular processes designable. Findings indicate that technology-mediated capacity building can prepare pre-service teachers for integrated STEM in the life sciences, but that teacher education must also equip them with low-cost tools for visualizing and modelling submicroscopic phenomena.
Achieving safe and reliable water services remains a critical challenge in many rapidly urbanizing cities and is central to Sustainable Development Goal 6. In the Philippines, service delivery is constrained by aging infrastructure, fragmented governance, and weak accountability, slowing progress toward universal access. This study examines household perspectives on water services in Legazpi City, one of the fastest-urbanizing cities in the country, drawing on a large-scale household survey. Using Importance-Performance Analysis and thematic coding, it evaluates five service dimensions: water quality, supply reliability, staff performance, customer support, and billing. Results show consistent strengths in staff courtesy and billing accuracy but reveal persistent concerns about water quality and supply reliability, which households view as essential to daily well-being. Thematic evidence highlights discolored water, weak pressure, frequent interruptions, and poor communication. These findings emphasize the need for infrastructure investment, stronger transparency, and institutionalized user feedback to improve service governance.
This study evaluates the legislative and official decisions made by the Sangguniang Panglungsod of Sorsogon City regarding disaster management from 2022 and 2024. The research groups these legislations into the four phases of disaster management: Prevention and Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Rehabilitation and Recovery. By categorizing these legislations, the study indicates how these help the city to be resilient and emphasize areas which improvements in these policies are needed. A qualitative design was used, applying document and thematic analysis to review official city records. Findings indicates that the city government has made consistent progress in fund, resource allocation, and disaster risk management planning. However, the analysis indicates a lack of proper post evaluation. The study suggests that the Sangguniang Panglungsod should utilize a monitoring tool to bridge the gap on policy enactment and ground level enforcement of DRRM policies.
This study examined how science teachers integrate Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction (DRRR) concepts in Grade 9 Life Science learning competencies. Using a descriptive qualitative research design, data were collected through individual interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis. Findings revealed that teachers employ diverse integration strategies, including health–hazard, environmental, scenario-based, inquiry-based, community-based, and reflective approaches. These strategies enable students to connect scientific concepts with real-life disaster contexts, promoting awareness and resilience. However, the integration is often implicit and not consistently reflected in instructional documents such as Daily Lesson Logs. The study highlights the need for structured teaching guides to support explicit and systematic DRRR integration in science education.
Abstract This study developed and evaluated the mechanical feeding assembly which used a screw-type conveyor and bucket type catcher for cracking. It was developed to mechanize the tedious process of pili nut feeding and shelling. Also to cater the demand of pili nut kernel needed by the industry. The machine was powered by 3 hp single phase electric motor and included the hopper-conveyor and feeding assemblies. Material characteristics and other relevant pili nut properties were determined and used in the design of the mechanical feeding assembly for compressive type pili nut cracker. The machine’s performance was established using pili nuts at different sizes, loading weight and cracker speed. The machine performed well using 15 rpm cracker speed with small-sized pili nut at 6 kg loading weight. At this set-up, the machine showed consistent and satisfactory performance in terms of machine capacity (0.671kg/min) and whole kernel recovery (99.23%). The capacity of the machine triples the manual cracking. It has the highest kernel recovery of all the existing mechanized pili nut cracker and manual cracking of pili nut. This study eliminates the tedious and dangerous feeding of pili nut during cracking.
