Research

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

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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21 Jan 2026

Researchers design a potential mRNA vaccine against African swine fever using advanced computer-based methods

African swine fever (ASF) is a deadly disease that has severely impacted pig farming worldwide. In the Philippines, ASFV outbreaks...

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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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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