Research

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

18 Jun 2026

Performative writing highlights the physical and emotional sides of José Estrella’s theaters, which traditional academic writing can overlook

In this essay, Tiatco and Javier critically annotate and document Jose Estrella’s important works, making her an important figure in...

Read More

17 Jun 2026

Using artificial intelligence, study achieves nearly 99% accuracy in classifying mammograms

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, including in the Philippines, and early detection is crucial in...

Read More

16 Jun 2026

Integrating art into the curriculum can deepen students’ understanding and appreciation of mathematical functions

Mathematics can be more than just numbers and formulas; it can also be a medium for creativity, exploration, and self-expression....

Read More

15 Jun 2026

Many gay, bisexual, and transgender Filipinos who create and sell online sex content do so to express themselves and challenge sexual and gender norms

This study explores how gay, bisexual, and transgender (GBT) people in the Philippines make money by creating and selling sexual...

Read More

10 Jun 2026

Combining Design Thinking and Agile-Scrum enhances student learning outcomes, creativity, and collaboration

Traditional software engineering education heavily emphasizes technical coding skills, but the evolving tech industry demands creativity, collaboration, and user empathy....

Read More

09 Jun 2026

Even with standardized pay, inequalities remain in the type of work assigned to faculty members based on gender and marital status

Scholars across multiple disciplines have extensively studied and debated the complexities of workplace discrimination.

This study looks at how gender...

Read More

05 Jun 2026

Although adequately staffed, some healthcare facilities in GIDAs face uneven distribution of health workers and reliance on temporary staff

There is a need to evaluate the current staffing and workload among healthcare facilities in the country, particularly among geographically...

Read More

04 Jun 2026

Adolescent girls feel a deep sense of loss—both of self and of trust—after experiencing sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is a significant issue for adolescent girls in the Philippines. In the Philippines, rape is the leading form...

Read More

03 Jun 2026

Common factors affecting the social acceptability of waste-to-energy projects include perceived risks, trust, awareness, and knowledge

Due to population growth and economic development, the sustainable management of municipal solid waste (MSW) remains a challenging issue for...

Read More

29 May 2026

In Bicol, poverty levels vary from one area to another

The Philippines is a developing country with many regions suffering from poverty. In Luzon, the poorest region is Bicol, with...

Read More

28 May 2026

The peels of marang and breadfruit can be sustainable sources of antioxidant and anticancer compounds

Unhealthy lifestyles and poor diets can lead to chronic diseases such as cancer. One way to address this health concern...

Read More

26 May 2026

A notation system for teaching arnis strikes and movements has been developed

The indigenous martial art of arnis is recognized as the national sport of the Philippines. Known regionally as eskrima, kali,...

Read More

Research

An effective strategy for human remains identification with a high success rate and low cost is vital for low to low-middle-income countries. Prompt identification of human remains is essential for the swift recovery of families and communities affected by large-scale disasters. However, the systematic integration of forensic disciplines into standard practice remains to be implemented in many areas. Even in countries like the Philippines, where over 20 typhoons occur annually, leaving numerous, even thousands of persons missing for many years after the disaster, institutions continue to struggle in adopting standard protocols for human remains identification (HRI). This paper examines the barriers to implementing such protocols and explores the feasibility of maximizing the use of forensic odontology in the identification process in resource-constrained settings. The discussion highlights the situation in the Philippines resulting from these barriers and provides actionable plans for overcoming these challenges. By doing so, we can maximize the use of available technologies, such as forensic odontology, when local resources are limited, trained professionals are scarce, and a sustainable and efficient operational framework for handling mass fatality incidents (MFIs) is not in place.

This work is significant as it addresses a critical gap in disaster response and postmortem identification in low-resource settings, where the absence of standardized protocols and limited access to advanced forensic technologies have long impeded timely HRI. By highlighting the practicality and value of forensic odontology—an often underutilized yet accessible forensic discipline—this paper underscores the potential to develop scalable, context-appropriate solutions for mass fatality incidents. The findings are especially relevant for countries like the Philippines, where recurrent natural disasters place a heavy burden on already strained forensic systems. Advancing the integration of forensic odontology into disaster preparedness frameworks can enhance identification outcomes, restore dignity to the deceased, and provide much-needed closure to grieving families. Furthermore, the recommendations provided offer a roadmap for policymakers, academic institutions, and disaster response agencies seeking to enhance forensic capabilities through targeted investment in human resource development, inter-agency collaboration, and evidence-based policy reform. In doing so, this work contributes to the global discourse on equitable forensic science and disaster resilience.

Authors: Ernest Joie T. Guzman (Philippine Genome Center, Program on Biodiversity, Ethnicity, and Forensics, University of the Philippines | Department of Science and Technology, Science Education Institute, Taguig City, Philippines) and Maria Corazon A. De Ungria (Philippine Genome Center, Program on Biodiversity, Ethnicity, and Forensics, University of the Philippines | DNA Analysis Laboratory, Natural Sciences Research Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman | Research Ethics Board, University of the Philippines Diliman)

Read the full paper: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100575