Research

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

06 Feb 2026

Inflation in the Philippines is often driven by factors beyond the direct control of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

Inflation is a persistent economic concern that affects everyone in the Philippines, especially the poor. This study looks at what...

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05 Feb 2026

Yeasts collected from Mount Makiling can be viable sources of biofuel

In the quest for sustainable energy sources, scientists are increasingly turning to nature for solutions. A recent study published in...

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04 Feb 2026

Philippine regions differ in their pace of rural transformation, from lagging areas to those shifting beyond agriculture and a few with integrated rural–urban economies

This rural transformation study conducted in the Philippines provides a comprehensive understanding of the status and progress of the country’s...

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03 Feb 2026

A simple artificial intelligence method makes it possible to digitally restore severely degraded historical architectural drawings

Historical architectural drawings are important records of our cultural heritage, but many have been damaged or degraded over time. For...

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02 Feb 2026

New tool helps high school educators assess how well students think in an integrated, transdisciplinary way

In today’s world, solving big problems like climate change, global health, and social inequality requires thinking that extends beyond a...

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30 Jan 2026

Burong isda (fermented fish), indigenous to the Philippines, has probiotic potential for digestive and immune health

Fermented foods in the Philippines, such as burong isda (fermented fish), are not only part of our culinary heritage but...

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29 Jan 2026

The strength and structure of three commercially important bamboo species in the Philippines vary greatly by location

Timber shortages in the Philippines have increased demand for alternative materials such as bamboo, which is used as a substitute...

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28 Jan 2026

Researchers develop a model that helps companies make smarter choices in carbon trading

Carbon trading is a mechanism that allows entities to sell or purchase credits which indicate the right to emit carbon...

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27 Jan 2026

Around 1,500 social media influencer accounts were involved in covert or under-the-radar campaigning during the 2022 Philippine presidential elections

This study estimates the number of social media influencers on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube, and the amount of money...

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26 Jan 2026

Re-industrializing the domestic production base can greatly strengthen economic diversification in the Philippines

This paper builds on the broad argument that economic diversification can drive industrial upgrading and growth in an emerging economy...

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23 Jan 2026

Most students recognize the relevance of learning competencies in chemistry to sustainable development

Chemistry is deeply interconnected with various aspects of sustainability. However, enabling students to analyze these interconnections requires adequate support in...

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22 Jan 2026

Researchers develop a method for creating maps that show how national cultures have evolved over time

Culture is understood as a shared and negotiated system of meaning that people learn and practice by interpreting their experience...

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Research

Big tech companies are facing more and more scrutiny over their business practices, especially in the US and Europe, where there is concern about monopolies and fair competition. But in Southeast Asia (ASEAN)—even though it is the world’s fifth-largest economy—this issue has not received much attention.

This article suggests that ASEAN could benefit a lot from creating a shared set of rules about business competition, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI). Establishing a unified competition law framework in Southeast Asia has the potential to significantly benefit the region’s AI industry by simplifying the regulatory landscape, fostering collaboration, and encouraging innovation. Integrating competition law principles into existing frameworks, such as the ASEAN Guide on AI and Ethics, the ASEAN Regional Guidelines on Competition Policy, and the ASEAN Competition Action Plan, offers a pragmatic and feasible path forward. This approach could harmonize ethical and competitive practices across the region without imposing excessive regulatory burdens. If countries in the region had the same laws, it would be easier for AI companies to operate across borders, encourage healthy competition, and protect consumers.

At the same time, AI is pervasive and cross-cutting across various domains. Because of its many potential applications, the AI industry, with its reliance on critical inputs such as data, compute, and model, can serve as a test case for the application of competition law in ASEAN, particularly in other digital market domains like digital payments and e-commerce in general. By addressing issues such as dependency relationships in mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships, as well as providing policy support for digital services and telecommunications infrastructure, the region can help ensure equitable access to key resources and prevent market concentration. Regulating access to proprietary data, compute infrastructure, and AI models through fair and non-exclusive licensing terms can foster greater inclusivity and competition in the industry. Public-private initiatives, such as data-sharing platforms, can further empower smaller firms and startups to compete independently. These factors are crucial in strengthening the free flow of data, compute, and model in the region.

The article also proposes some practical guidelines that could be added to this shared framework, helping ensure AI is developed and used in a fair and responsible way. Clear regulations targeting anti-competitive practices, coupled with initiatives to promote fair access to critical inputs for the industry, can help ensure that the benefits of AI are shared across all Member States, paving the way for a thriving, inclusive, and forward-looking AI ecosystem. Overall, this could boost innovation, support fairer business practices, and help grow the region’s economy.

Authors: Chad Patrick Osorio (Law Group, Wageningen University and Research | School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños) and Jamlech Iram Gojo Cruz (Institute of Computer Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños)

Read the full paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596125000503