Research

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

20 Jan 2026

A foreign-funded farm-to-market road project in Quezon worsened inequality by strengthening the power of rural elites

This study rigorously explored the multifaceted impacts of the Japanese-funded farm-to-market road (FMR) project in Agdangan, Quezon, focusing on its...

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19 Jan 2026

Filipina domestic workers in Singapore share some experiences with other overseas mothers but also face unique challenges

In this study, I looked at how single Filipina mothers working as domestic workers in Singapore maintain their familial ties,...

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16 Jan 2026

Close government–business relationships helped deliver major infrastructure projects in Iloilo City

This article examines Iloilo City as an alternative model of government–business relations, built on a stable local political system and...

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15 Jan 2026

Researchers develop a novel non-flooded time-series approach for improved global near-real-time flood mapping

Mapping flood events with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data is becoming increasingly important due to its spatiotemporal coverage and independence...

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14 Jan 2026

Ultramafic forests can help mitigate greenhouse gas accumulation by acting as “carbon sinks” that absorb and store atmospheric carbon

Plants that naturally thrive in ultramafic forests are known as “metallophytes” due to their ability to adapt to soils rich...

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13 Jan 2026

Thirteen species of the microscopic algae Pinnularia are recorded for the first time in the Philippines

This study explored the tiny algae called Pinnularia—a group of microscopic organisms known as diatoms—in the Marikina River, which flows through...

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12 Jan 2026

Farmers are willing to stop straw burning if given financial incentives

Producing rice generates straw, which is often conveniently burned, causing substantial atmospheric pollution. Increasing straw utilization efficiency and reducing straw...

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09 Jan 2026

A venomous box jellyfish previously known from Japan is now documented in Philippine waters and may represent a new species

Box jellyfish stings pose a significant threat to public safety, particularly since some species are known to cause severe injuries...

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08 Jan 2026

Study finds previously unreported height use and increased social behavior in Philippine tarsiers, suggesting behavioral flexibility in fragmented habitats

Sleep and sleep-related behaviors are integral components of primate behavior and ecology, linked to various habitat-specific factors and often modified...

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07 Jan 2026

Senior high school students demonstrate low levels of environmental awareness, particularly in their knowledge of environmental topics

The Philippines, like other countries, is facing environmental challenges. One perpetuating problem is deforestation, which has a severe impact on...

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06 Jan 2026

Low-intensity physical activity through Sheng Zhen Gong supports physical and mental well-being during pregnancy

Maintaining some level of physical activity during normal pregnancy is widely recommended by healthcare providers. However, in many Asian cultures,...

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05 Jan 2026

A functional ingredient using pomace, a byproduct of pineapple processing, was developed as a sustainable approach to waste management

The study aimed to develop a functional ingredient using pomace, a byproduct of pineapple juice processing from selected varieties in...

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Research

Historical architectural drawings are important records of our cultural heritage, but many have been damaged or degraded over time. For architects and engineers, digitizing these documents and converting them into vector format is crucial. However, severe stains—sometimes as dark as the original lines—often obscure intricate details, making the process challenging. The 1938 architectural drawings of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce Building in Manila (now the National Museum of Natural History), for example, have severe stains that make them difficult to appreciate and restore. Traditional methods of cleaning these images often fail because the stains are too dark, making it hard to separate the original lines from the stains.

To address this, we developed a specialized artificial intelligence (AI) model that can digitally clean these drawings. Our approach uses a type of AI called a shallow convolutional autoencoder, which learns to identify and remove stains while keeping the original lines intact. Unlike other AI models that require expensive, high-powered computers, our method is simple yet effective, making it accessible for museums, researchers, and conservators with limited technical resources but who need reliable tools for document restoration.

We tested our model on 26 historical drawings and found that it successfully restored the images. Our model successfully separated the stains from the drawn lines, enabling the digital restoration of these heavily degraded documents and significantly enhancing their readability. Even better, our method worked on another collection of architectural drawings of a different material, size, and level of damage. This means that our approach can be adapted to restore many types of historical documents worldwide. By making digital restoration easier and more affordable, we provided a replicable workflow that helps preserve important cultural artifacts for future generations while providing a practical tool for historians, architects, and conservationists.

Authors: Mark Jeremy G. Narag (National Institute of Physics, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman), Gerard Rey Lico (College of Architecture, University of the Philippines Diliman) and Maricor Soriano (National Institute of Physics, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman)

Read the full paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engappai.2025.110400