Research

As the national university, we champion and support innovative research that addresses the country’s most pressing challenges.

03 Mar 2026

Indigenous myths are closely connected to the lived experiences and ongoing struggle of the Lumad for self-determination

Myths that involve sacred spaces largely make up local knowledge among Indigenous Peoples across continents. Often, these myths are dismissed...

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02 Mar 2026

Study uses machine learning to predict whether a patient is intoxicated due to pesticide exposure

In response to a growing human population, greater attempts to correspondingly increase agricultural production become necessary. To boost crop production,...

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27 Feb 2026

Researchers use ChatGPT in their writing mainly out of trust in the technology than perceived usefulness

ChatGPT has attracted the attention of the scientific community. Unlike existing writing tools that are conventionally capable of checking styles,...

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26 Feb 2026

Croplands in Tarlac have been reduced due to their conversion into farms for solar power plants

Clean energy, such as solar power, is an important solution for reducing carbon emissions and ensuring a stable energy supply....

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25 Feb 2026

Films function as visual records of national violence and their inclusion in cinematic archives is crucial to preserve historical memory

This research revisits the discourses surrounding films about the regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. It proposes the employment...

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24 Feb 2026

Scientists develop a model that shows how heat moves during femtosecond pulsed laser ablation

Imagine a laser so fast, it can zap tiny bits of metal in the blink of an eye. This process,...

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23 Feb 2026

Density is not only experienced by residents but also actively produced through their discursive and material practices

While there is a long and varied history of research on urban density, there is little work examining how
high-density urbanism...

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20 Feb 2026

Nine plant species in the beach forest of Hijo in Davao del Norte are considered threatened

Philippine flora, noted for its high levels of endemism, is increasingly threatened by deforestation, climate change, illegal logging, and infrastructure...

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19 Feb 2026

ASEAN would benefit from a shared regulatory framework for business competition, particularly in relation to artificial intelligence

Big tech companies are facing more and more scrutiny over their business practices, especially in the US and Europe, where...

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18 Feb 2026

A comprehensive approach to landfill management is essential to enhancing urban resilience in the context of climate change

In 2050, the global waste levels are expected to rise by 69% from 2016 levels, reaching 3.4 billion tons. Unfortunately,...

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16 Feb 2026

New mechanical cacao bean huller achieves high-efficiency separation with high-purity nib output

Cacao beans are the key ingredients in making chocolate, and their quality and processing efficiency greatly affect the taste and...

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11 Feb 2026

Lalani of the Distant Sea creates an independent Philippine-inspired fantasy world that transcends national boundaries

Lalani of the Distant Sea, a middle-grade fantasy novel by Newbery Medal–winning Filipino American author Erin Entrada Kelly, illustrates how...

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Research

This study rests on the premise that motherhood is composed of unaccounted invisible work. Moreover, motherhood is not a natural or biological identity, but rather an active act of doing. Instead of “motherhood”, the term “mothering” best encapsulates the work that mothers do. Extending this further to a sociological concept of articulation work originally posited by Strauss (1985), mothering is argued in this paper to be “motherwork”. It is a negotiation between managing and making-do with discontinuities that arise in the act of mothering. This involves conversations, often difficult to facilitate, that mothers do in their attempts to regulate their adolescent children’s social media use.

Using an exploratory interpretivist approach to communication research and using the tools of feminist interviewing and focus group discussion (FGD) facilitation, this paper examined how authentic connections between mothers and their adolescent children are made possible in parental regulation of social media use. Thirty (30) mother informants were selected using intensity sampling. Guided by Carey’s (2009) Communication as Ritual Model and Kramarae’s (2005) Muted Group Theory, data revealed how authentic connections between mothers and their adolescent children emerge in conversations that covered following: a.) body, voice, and sexuality—a bridge over muddy waters; b.) housework, productivity, and functionality—a challenge to old paradigms; c.) happiness and success—the convolution between the now and the future; d.) community, parenting, and family—the ambivalent “village”; and e.) influence, purpose, and value—the anxiety to matter.

This paper shows the intensity of “accidental unmutings” in conversations about motherwork. Mothers’ reflections reveal insights that help us rethink how we engage with technology, how it shapes our identities, and how social media relates to parental regulation. These insights are “accidental” because they go beyond mothers’ initial concerns—such as screen time, misbehavior, or neglect of school or housework. The term highlights the spontaneous, moment-to-moment responses mothers negotiate. Unmuting also counters the historical mutedness of mothers when expressing the complexities of motherwork. Through everyday conversations about children’s anxiety, chores, or sibling conflicts, mothers reveal deeper insights into human connection. As first responders to their children’s needs, they continually correct, mend, and care in the course of daily life.

Author: Julienne Thesa Baldo-Cubelo (College of Mass Communication, now the College of Media and Communication, University of the Philippines Diliman)

Read the full paper: https://www.plarideljournal.org/may-akda/baldo-cubelo-julienne-thesa/

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