Research

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

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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10 Feb 2026

Some key infrastructure in the reclaimed areas of the Manila Bay Freeport Zone is experiencing significant subsidence or downward ground movement

Land reclamation has been on the rise in the Philippines due to growing demands for land driven by economic and...

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09 Feb 2026

The annual economic value of primary bioresources in Mt. Malindang Range Natural Park is estimated at ₱42.7 million

Mt. Malindang Range Natural Park (MMRNP) in the Philippines is a vital protected area that supports a rich diversity of...

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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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Research

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is infamous for his war on drugs campaign, commonly known as Oplan Tokhang, which killed countless members of urban poor communities and left numerous families suffering the consequences of losing a loved one to state violence. This article centers on the narratives of ten (10) mothers and wives whose loved ones perished in Duterte’s drug war and who eventually joined the non-government organization called Rise Up for Life and for Rights that opposes drug-related extrajudicial killings and violations. Guided by Ernest Bormann’s Symbolic Convergence Theory, it brings to the surface the prevailing characters, settings, and plotlines embedded in the oral narratives of these left-behind women. Out of these converging elements, it further crafts the rhetorical vision of these women in relation to the brutal death of their beloved and to their own struggles and sufferings. This article throws into light a rhetorical vision that accounts for how families of the victims are no longer simply mothers and wives incapable of resistance and vulnerable to all forms of injustices. Informed, empowered, and open to change, they have realized and actively practice a kind of political agency in the wake of the adversities they faced during Duterte’s presidency and continue to face at the present time.

The article examines the elements, experiences, and encounters that comprise the oral narratives of families left behind by Duterte’s drug war. But rather than considering these aspects in isolation, they were considered together. Understanding them in conjunction with one another establishes that a collective understanding of political struggle and resistance has emerged among the respondents.

Moreover, the article reveals why the act of narrating is significant for the mothers and wives included here. The respondents have shown how oral narratives could contain and convey the layered ordeals they face then and now, using these oral narratives not only to expose the exploitation, discrimination, and intimidation they face from the police and other Filipinos but also to critique Duterte’s drug war. Their oral narratives show how left-behind families actively reinterpret their tragic experiences, rethink their views on drugs and drug users, overcome feelings of powerlessness, and reshape their sense of victimhood and marginalization.

Authors: Francis Louie F. Palaspas (Independent scholar) and Oscar T. Serquiña, Jr. (Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines Diliman)

Read the full paper: https://brill.com/view/journals/ppsj/45/3/article-p213_1.xml

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