Bukidnon State University

ABSTRACT Body shaming and weight discrimination remain largely unaddressed in Philippine law and policy despite their significant implications for human dignity, equality, and health. This paper examines how existing statutes, including the Safe Spaces Act (RA 11,313), the Anti-Bullying Act (RA 10,627), and the Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10,175), provide partial remedies but fail to explicitly recognize weight or body size as protected categories. While these laws penalize harassment, bullying, and online defamation, their scope is fragmented and enforcement inconsistent. High-profile cases, such as sanctions against public transport operators and electoral candidates, highlight both the potential and the limitations of current mechanisms. Drawing from fat studies scholarship, the commentary situates body shaming within broader systems of stigma and normalization that shape cultural and political life in the Philippines. It argues that meaningful protection requires a dual strategy: strengthening legal frameworks through explicit recognition of weight discrimination, while also advancing cultural change through fat activism and digital resistance. Insights from fat studies on activism as a social movement and emerging work on digital counter-narratives show that legal reforms must be paired with grassroots and cultural initiatives that challenge systemic body-based oppression. By combining legislative protections, institutional safeguards, and activist strategies, the Philippines can move beyond incidental remedies toward structural and cultural change. Establishing comprehensive protections would affirm the state’s commitment to dignity and equality for all individuals, while also creating space for collective resistance to body normativity and the celebration of body diversity.

This study investigated the correlation between use of social media and purchase intentions of consumers to coffee shops in Cabanglasan, Bukidnon using quantitative correlational research design anchored on the Theory of Planned Behavior. More narrowly, it focused on the effects of two social media tactics (productpost and customer-post) as these affect consumer decision making. Participants For the data gathering, BSBA students of Bukidnon State University–Cabanglasan Campus who were frequent avails on using social media and potential costumers of a coffee shop. An internally developed 23-item questionnaire was used for assessing internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=0.84). Findings: According to the results, product-orientated posts were perceived as very appealing with high levels of interest and purchase intention, while customer-oriented posts were moderately appealing and focused on trust and credibility. It was indicated that there is a high positive significant relationship between the use of social networking on predicting purchase intentions using by the buyer people. These results provide support for the impact of visual product content as well as interactive customer engagement on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions. This study highlights the significance of social media in adding value to customer engagement, trust and loyalty for these small rural coffee businesses. Practical implications: It is suggested that on the local level, entrepreneurs could complement their digitally enabled and mediated marketing efforts with creative content generation and engagement to achieve visibility, loyalty of cosumership and economy-based community development.

This study intended to investigate the motivational factors and their relationship to teachers’ job performance as well as the actual satisfaction of the stakeholders in the implementation of school-based management influence teachers’ performance. Specifically, it sought to answer the extent that the teachers are motivated by the motivational factors in terms of the existence needs, relatedness needs and growth needs. The study also aimed to gather data from the teachers’ latest RPMS rating as basis for the teachers’ performance and the level of satisfaction of the teachers in the implementation of School- Based Management of the school in terms of Leadership and Governance, Curriculum and Instruction, Accountability and Continuous Improvement and Management of Resources and to examine the significant relationship between the motivational factors and level of satisfaction in the implementation of SBM and the teachers’ performance. A convenience research design was utilized, involving 250 public elementary school teachers. The researchers adopted a questionnaire that underwent validity and reliability testing. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and Pearson r. The study concluded the higher is teachers’ motivation and positive governance, the better is their performance.

This qualitative study underscores the importance of Learning Activity Sheets (LAS) as reinforcement tools in Grade 11 Earth and Life Science, particularly in enhancing student comprehension, engagement, and independent learning within senior high school classrooms. Despite the widespread implementation of LAS, a research gap remains in the limited qualitative literature that examines teachers’ perspectives on their instructional effectiveness and the practical challenges encountered during classroom implementation. Addressing this gap, the study aimed to explore how LAS support student learning, identify the challenges teachers face in using them, and describe strategies employed to enhance their effectiveness. A qualitative research design was utilized, employing purposive sampling to select Grade 11 science teachers as participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews that allowed teachers to share their experiences and insights, and the responses were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and meaningful themes. Findings revealed that teachers perceive LAS as effective instructional tools that improve student understanding, engagement, and independent learning, particularly when activities are well-structured, promote collaboration, and are linked to real-life contexts. However, teachers also reported challenges such as limited instructional time, varying levels of student motivation, and difficulties in aligning LAS with lesson objectives. Anchored on B.F. Skinner’s Reinforcement Theory and Piaget’s Constructivist Theory, the study implies that thoughtfully designed and contextually relevant LAS can strengthen instructional practices, promote learner-centered engagement, and improve learning outcomes in Earth and Life Science. The findings provide valuable insights for teachers, curriculum developers, and school administrators in improving the design and implementation of LAS in senior high school science education.

Rivers are one of the most vital freshwater resources on Earth, but human activities often cause degradation, emphasizing the need for water quality monitoring. To capture maximum environmental variability, water samples were collected from three strategically mapped sites along the Laligan River using standardized preservation and transport protocols. The analysis was compared against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Class C water standards. Physicochemical results were mixed. Parameters like Total Dissolved Solids (188.41 mg/L), Turbidity (0.78 NTU), pH (7.76), and Total Alkalinity (98.11 mg/L) were compliant. However, two parameters exceeded the limit: Nitrate (8.81 mg/L average, limit 7 mg/L) and the toxic heavy metal Cadmium (0.006 mg/L average, limit 0.005 mg/L), with both peaking midstream. Most critically, the average Dissolved Oxygen (DO) was 4.48 mg/L, falling below the 5.0 mg/L minimum standard, decrease sharply midstream and downstream due to likely organic pollution. The microbiological quality showed severe contamination. Fecal Coliforms (FC) were already non-compliant upstream at 4,000 MPN/100 mL (limit 400 MPN/100 mL). This concentration dramatically escalated to 17,000 MPN/100 mL midstream and downstream, exceeding the standard by over 42 times and indicating a massive influx of domestic or animal waste. Total Coliforms (TC) mirrored this trend, soaring from a compliant 3,000 MPN/100 mL upstream to 15,000 MPN/100 mL mid- and downstream. While basic parameters are stable, the combination of low DO, elevated Nitrate and Cadmium, and overwhelmingly high Fecal Coliform counts renders the river unsuitable for Class C uses and poses a grave public health risk.

This study addresses the lack of research on how social media advertising functions in rural coffee shops, particularly in Cabanglasan, Bukidnon. Its objective is to examine whether business profile characteristics— years in business, number of employees, and social media platforms used— relate to the effectiveness of social media advertising. A descriptive correlational design was used, and data were gathered from all licensed coffee shop owners in Cabanglasan who actively use social media. Results show that while most coffee shops are new, small-scale, and primarily rely on Facebook, these business profile factors do not significantly influence advertising effectiveness. Instead, owners emphasized that engaging content, consistent posting, and customer interaction are the primary drivers of online visibility and customer response. The study concludes that coffee shops should prioritize improving content quality and platform use strategies rather than relying on business size or longevity. These insights offer practical guidance for small rural businesses and contribute to the growing body of digital marketing research in non-urban settings.

This qualitative study explored the initiatives undertaken by public elementary school heads in empowering teacher-leadership within the division of Malaybalay City during school year 2024–2025. Guided by transformational leadership theory, distributed leadership theory, and Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenological approach, the study examined how school heads cultivate teacher - leadership, the challenges they encounter, and the capacity-building needs necessary for sustaining empowerment. The research employed a qualitative phenomenological design to gain deep insights into the lived experiences of school heads. Data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs), with validated interview and motive guide questions developed through expert consultation. Fourteen school heads were purposively selected based on their leadership experience and involvement in teacher development programs. Using Moustakas’ (1994) analytical framework—epoche, horizontalization, clustering of meaning units, and synthesis—the findings revealed three core themes: (1) strategic and relational delegation, where leadership roles were assigned intentionally to build teacher capacity and trust; (2) the power of affirmation, which emphasized recognition, inclusion, and emotional support; and (3) leading by example, where school heads modeled integrity, consistency, and commitment to inspire leadership. Challenges included low teacher self-efficacy, reluctance to lead, and systemic constraints such as limited resources. In response, participants advocated for holistic, values-based training and technical capacity-building programs to further empower teacher-leaders. This study affirms the pivotal role of school heads in building collaborative, inclusive, and resilient school cultures through intentional teacher empowerment. The findings contribute to leadership discourse and offer insights for policy-makers, education leaders, and future researchers aiming to strengthen teacher-leadership in the Philippine basic education context.

Even if online shopping is already widely used, it shouldn’t be assumed that in-store shopping is now irrelevant. Lots of buyers still purchase in-store. The shopping decision of the consumers in the municipality of Cabanglasan, Bukidnon is significantly affected by time, cost, availability, convenience, and experience. Consumers’ webrooming and showrooming behaviour are caused by various sets of online and offline elements. The research studied how shopping behaviour factors relates to the shopping preferences of people in Poblacion, Cabanglasan in order to discover this dynamic. Using a descriptive-quantitative approach, data were collected from 384 respondents using a structured questionnaire. The research used Spearman’s Rank Correlation because of the Theory of Planned Behaviour which guidance of the variables. The results showed that all found variables of shopping behaviour affect the preference of consumers significantly. Price and convenience affected them the most. Those who replied had good attitudes towards both online buying and store buying, suggesting that there is a hybrid mode of shopping, where people switch between the two depending on the situation. This study shows that consumers’ behaviour is an important determinant of their choices. The advice is that businesses should increase online system affordability, access and efficiency. In-store should improve engagement, personalized assistance and instant product availability. According to these insights, retailers and local policymakers can develop strategies in light of the evolving dual-channel retail world.