Mainly in postcolonial societies such as the Philippines, debates on gender, sexuality, and education often emerge as moral controversies grounded in heteropatriarchal nationalism without sustained reflection on their cultural and historical foundations. In this paper, contemporary Philippine literature is examined as an arena of social meaning-making in which gendered citizenship is negotiated through narratives of motherhood, queer identity, and childhood. It is argued that the seemingly natural ideals of the Filipino family, maternal sacrifice, and child innocence form a culturally organized system that regulates belonging to the nation while simultaneously generating spaces for feminist and queer resistance. The main objective of the study was to investigate how selected literary texts construct and contest moral regulation using Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis anchored in Philippine feminist scholarship. A qualitative corpus of novels, children’s literature, and ethnographic narratives that became subjects of public controversy was analyzed through thematic coding and cross-text comparison. Results showed that motherhood is moralized as civic duty yet reimagined as autonomy, queer bodies are framed as threats yet become sites of alternative kinship, and childhood innocence is mobilized in moral panic yet opens discussions on inclusive education. These findings demonstrate how literature operates as a counter public sphere where regulated bodies produce resistant meanings. They suggest that gendered nationhood is an ongoing relational process shaped by culture, policy, and imagination, pointing toward more inclusive Gender and Development approaches in education and governance.
This study presents a Density Functional Theory (DFT) investigation of transition metal oxides for hydrogen storage, employing machine learning as a supplementary screening tool. Given the scarcity of TMO data, we leverage Unsupervised Domain Adaptation to transfer knowledge from metal hydrides to metal oxides. Among the instance-based UDA methods tested, the nearest neighbor weighting with eXtreme Gradient Boost (NNW-XGB) model achieved the largest reduction in distributional discrepancy and predicted hydrogen storage capacities of 3.23 Hwt
This research examined the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in community transformation through the experiences of six Philippine-based development NGOs and their community partners, who were winners/finalists of the nationwide Galing Pook Citizenship Awards. We used a combination of a backward mapping approach and a multi-case study design in gathering narratives through 16 interviews and 20 focus group discussions with 39 NGO leaders and staff as well as 122 members and leaders of communities who have successfully undergone transformation. Results show that community readiness and buy-in, NGO leadership and brand equity, and support from local government and funding partners helped enable the change. Transformation strategies utilized by the NGOs with the community that catalyzed and helped sustain the change include building trust, empowering the community through capacity building, adhering to standards and constantly monitoring the programs, sustaining responsiveness through emerging programs, and aligning initiatives with local government goals. These responsive and holistic approaches helped enhance the quality of life in the community, enabled community engagement and commitment to change, and institutionalized programs through local government policies/support. The study presents valuable theoretical insights synthesized through a proposed model for engendering community transformation that highlights cocreation and co-ownership of change by NGOs and communities.
Ensuring the sustainability of swimming crab (Portunus spp.) capture fisheries requires adaptive governance frameworks that are grounded in robust monitoring systems and inclusive co-management practices. This study comparatively examines crab fisheries in Japan and the Philippines using the Social-Ecological Systems framework, integrating field interviews, catch data, and policy reviews across six coastal communities: Taytay (Palawan), Batad (Iloilo), and Hadji Panglima Tahil (Jolo, Sulu) in the Philippines, and Ehime, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi in Japan. Key governance contrasts emerge: Japan employs cooperative-based enforcement and longstanding stock enhancement programs but relies on species-aggregated monitoring amidst declining Gazami (P. trituberculatus) catches. The Philippines, meanwhile, demonstrates localized co-management success in Taytay yet struggles with weak enforcement and data gaps elsewhere. Monitoring capacity varies significantly—Taytay maintains detailed local records, while Japan lacks species-specific data despite formal systems. Stakeholder roles, gear types, and bait usage reflect ecological and institutional conditions, shaping fishing effort and compliance. Despite shared challenges—including the absence of Total Allowable Catch limits and fragmented data systems—both countries offer valuable lessons. Cross-country learning and adaptive, resilience-based governance models may enhance the sustainability of small-scale crab fisheries across tropical and temperate coastal contexts.
Giant clams in Southeast Asia are impacted by overfishing, habitat loss and climate change. To help prioritise pathways for more effective conservation, a multi-stakeholder roundtable applied a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis across three themes: protection measures, mariculture for conservation and multi-stakeholder engagement. Analysis revealed that strong international and national legislations support protection, but weak enforcement, limited funding and low public awareness emerged as persistent barriers. This policy brief, drawing on regional experiences, also underscores the importance of community engagement, financial sustainability and science communication as drivers of inclusive and enduring marine conservation, which may offer lessons beyond Southeast Asia.
