Authors Cruz and Bengan in Mindanao Book Fair

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

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Prof. Jhoanna Lynn Cruz of the Department of Humanities (most left, in the photo above) led a panel discussion entitled "Mindanao Fictions," at the Mindanao Book Fair on March 19, 2023, in her capacity as president of the Davao Writers Guild. Associate Prof. John Bengan (second from left), also of the Humanities department and author of "Armor," a collection of short stories, was joined by Elizabeth Joy Serrano-Quijano, author of "Dili Pwede Mogawas," a short story collection, and Jade Mark Capiñanes, author of "How to Grieve," prose collection. Prof. Cruz and the panelists discussed how their stories engage with re/writing Mindanao to help define Mindanaoan and/or Mindanawon literature. The panel was hosted by independent publisher Everything's Fine. The authors also accommodated book-signing requests. The public panel discussion addresses freedom of speech, social exclusion experiences, gender equality, and psychological well-being, among other ideas.

View the discussion here: https://youtu.be/GGKRbg9tGeY

Collaborative Linkages: Mindanaoan Researchers on Bioinformatics

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

The ‘Science Beyond Borders’ anthology of case studies features UK-Philippine research collaborations throughout the Newton Agham Fund lifecycle.

In the anthology, Dr. de Cadiz, the project leader of One Health Omics, provided valuable insights into the challenges and successes of research collaborations, emphasizing the importance of exposing Mindanaoan researchers to bioinformatics tools and techniques.

The One Health Omics project at the University of the Philippines Mindanao, in collaboration with PGC Mindanao, is a great example of how research collaborations between the UK and the Philippines can lead to building a bioinformatics workforce in Mindanao that can push the boundaries of knowledge and contribute to both science and the community.

Read the impact stories and case studies on research partnerships supported by Newton Agham: https://bit.ly/NewtonAgham

(Aleyla de Cadiz, DBSES)

ACIAR team revisits HORT/2007/066

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

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An ACIAR team visited UPMin on March 21, 2023, for an impact assessment scoping mission on the "Enhanced profitability of selected vegetable value chains in the southern Philippines Program (HORT/2007/066)."

Bethany Davies, Research Manager, and Matt Armstrong, Research Officer of the ACIAR Portfolio Planning and Impact Evaluation, led the ACIAR team. They were accompanied by Julie Delforce of Alinea International, the evaluation consultant. Ms. Hazel Aniceto and Mara Faylon, the Country Manager and Assistant Country Manager, respectively, of ACIAR Philippines, completed the team.

The team paid a courtesy visit to the Office of the Chancellor, where they were received by the OIC, School of Management Dean Aurelia Luzviminida Gomez.

The ACIAR team likewise interviewed UPMin's Adjunct Professor Sylvia Concepcion, Asst. Prof. Roxanne Aguinaldo, Dean Gomez, and University Researcher Marilou Montiflor as key informants.

The project contributes to poverty alleviation, economic empowerment, and economic growth, through the agricultural and food management of small enterprises through the partnership of ACIAR with UPMin.

Prof. Cayamanda publishes risk communication book

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

2023 KGC Community-based-Risk-Communication-Management-1-scaled 1 Reprinted from https://iiari.org/online_book/community-based-risk-communication-management-theory-and-application/)

Prof. Karen Joyce Cayamanda of the UPMin Department of Humanities produced this publication to provide the public with insight into the experience of the flood-vulnerable communities of Davao City, Philippines. The publication was the product of a dissertation for a Ph.D. in Development Studies program. The major objective of the publication is for the academe to assist in mitigating the dangers posed by flooding as a recurring disturbance in these sites.

As extensive literature on disaster studies examined risk communication and disaster risk management, it has been found to be discussed as separate concerns. These studies emphasize the significant role of risk communication and management at the level of the communities to enhance community preparedness and reduce the risks triggered by disasters like flooding. However, no literature has been found specifically in the area of risk communication management. Therefore, the study aimed to focus on this gap in the literature that integrates risk communication with disaster risk management towards a more integrative approach to risk reduction.

Using a convergent parallel mixed method design, the study was conducted utilizing both the qualitative and quantitative approaches in the data collection and analysis guided by the integrated frameworks of disaster risk management and the social amplification of risk (SARF). The merging of both analysis and interpretation results helped identify the findings' convergence or divergence. Results of the study revealed that the risk reduction strategies can be further enhanced through a risk communication management using a localized and participatory approach in the proper knowledge transfer of flood risk communication among the stakeholders involved, placing the community as the central actor for amplification.

This book highlights the proposed community-based flood-risk communication management (CBFRCM) framework as a modification of the SARF labeled as the Flood Risk Amplification Communication Theory (FRACT) as an alternative framework. Applying the theory necessitates enhancing risk communication management toward the resilience of flood-vulnerable communities, specifically in the context of Davao City, Philippines.

The authors wish to share these findings to encourage the use of the proposed theory in other contexts and optimize the role of risk communication as part of the risk reduction approaches of risk managers and policymakers on disaster management.

The book contributes to good governance, participatory decision-making, city disaster risk-reduction, and health risk-reduction, through a collaboration between UPMin's researchers and the city government.

WMSU and CMU biologists take PGC-Min training

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

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Scientists from the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) and the Central Mindanao University (CMU) arrived at UPMin on March 28, 2023, to take the Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) training provided by the Philippine Genome Center Mindanao. The scientists paid a courtesy visit to Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao before proceeding to the training. The WMSU team availed of the training for their study on ZamPen chicken, a Niche Center in the Region (NICER) for R&D, supported by the DOST. The WMSU team was composed of Dr. Kay P. Ramos, Dr. Genelyn G. Madjos, Dr. Myrtle AnnE. Penarendo, and Mr. Femie Jhay F. Maatubang. The CMU team was composed of Dr. Mark Lloyd G. Dapar, Dr. Chris Rey M. Lituanas, Ms. Karen Gem D. Ares, Ms. Marla Luz C. Capin, and Mr. Josipino B. Malaki, Jr. PGC-Min's Ms. Joan Acaso and Science Research Associate Juliet L. Arieja guided the visiting team.

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