Performing politics : dissent of the mass movement against neoliberal policies in the Philippines / Jeconiah Louis Dreisbach

Nationalist and democratic mass movements consistently resist the implementation of neoliberal policies by the Philippine government. The government’s affirmation to the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), inclusion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), and the hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in 2015 and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in 2017, among others, have all been dealt with protests by tens of thousands of militant activists. In these demonstrations, activists convert major roads into public spaces wherein not only dissent against imperialist globalization, privatization, and issues alike are expressed, but also it made an opportunity for them to further educate the people about how the said issues affect their personal and everyday lives. This paper combined Habermas' concept of a public sphere, Lefebvre's concept of public space, and Foucault's concept of micropolitics as a form of resistance in setting a basis to establish that political participation at resistance is a form of performance. A performative look on political participation will not only give a better meaning on political works but also deepens the understanding of one on discourses and resistances

Prospects for the expansion of language policies in the Bangsamoro education code

In 2019, the Bangsamoro Parliament passed a legislation concerning the establishment of an education system that specifically caters to the learners of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. It defines where the Arabic language will be used for in ‘Madaris’ (Islamic educational institutions), who are qualified Arabic teachers, the general curriculum structure of the Bangsamoro public school system, and a mention of the nonMuslim Indigenous Peoples’ language and culture in their education system. Considering the Islamic orientation of the Bangsamoro education system within the overall Philippine education framework, the Bangsamoro Education Code primarily focuses on the Arabic, English, and Filipino languages as the primary linguistic requirements for educators, administrators, and mediums of instruction in the schools. The mother tongue of the learners is also an option as a medium of instruction in their educational linguistic landscape. However, existing studies found that Bangsamoro students struggle with the Arabic and English languages. Moreover, non-Muslim Indigenous Peoples are severely marginalized as there are no existing studies that could include them in the discourses. Grounded in applied linguistic and policy studies, this review article mentioned legislation in triangulation with existing linguistic studies on the region and developed prospective ways improve and expand the Bangsamoro Education Code

Female breast cancer as taboo: cultural factors and awareness amongst patients and their families in the Philippines

Statistical information from cancer studies show that the Philippines has the highest incidence rate of breast cancer in Asia. Efforts on creating awareness are being spearheaded by the country’s health department, local governments, and cancer-interest organizations. Despite these, discussions on the issue remain a forbidden topic among many Filipinos, particularly the patients and their families themselves. This study aims to know the central discourses behind the prevailing treatment of Filipinos on female breast cancer as taboo and the correlation to the slow development of awareness on the illness. A quality circle was conducted on three middle-aged women from General Santos City, southern Philippines. All of the respondents were breast cancer survivors. A discourse analysis on the data figured that there are two central and interconnected discourses hindering the awareness and acceptance of breast cancer: (i) fear and denial due to financial instability, and (ii) folk belief. The researchers suggest that instead of coursing breast cancer treatment budget through the Philippine government’s health insurance provider, it should be directly allocated to the country’s health services program. They concluded that beyond creating awareness, it is with the accessibility of treatment that the Filipino people will be liberated from the prevailing central discourses on breast and any type of cancer

Language use and preference in the multilingual context of Davao City, Philippines

This paper is a pioneering study on the language use and preference of the Davaoeños from generations X (born in the years 1965 to 1979) and Z (born in the years 1995 to 2015) towards the Cebuano, Filipino, and English languages. Being a linguistically diverse area, Davao is home to the emerging contact language Davao Filipino which is currently spoken by the various ethnolinguistic groups currently inhabiting the city. This study utilized mixed methods research, particularly a survey questionnaire and focus group discussions, to explore the perspectives of the respondents on the said languages. Two generations were investigated in this study, particularly those belonging to Generations X and Z. Data presented show that both generations consider themselves fluent in the languages of interest in this study. They primarily use Cebuano for everyday communication and both generations primarily use English in formal communication. However, a language shift was seen from the common use of Cebuano by the older generation to the use of Filipino by the younger generation. This shift was also reflected in the language preferences of the respondents on everyday communication. Lastly, both generations would like to maintain Filipino as the Philippine national language as it is the language that they usually use when talking to Filipinos from other provinces who also speak different Philippine languages

INTERGENERATIONAL LANGUAGE PREFERENCE SHIFT AMONG CEBUANOS ON THE CEBUANO, FILIPINO, AND ENGLISH LANGUAGES

The historical linguistic conflict of the Cebuano people against the Tagalog-based Philippine national language has been evident in the literature written by Cebuano academics. However, there is no published empirical evidence that presents the on-ground language attitudes of the Cebuanos on the Cebuano, Filipino, and English languages. Employing mixed methods research, the researchers found that both generations predominantly use the Cebuano language for everyday communication. A significant difference was observed in the use of Filipino and English languages as the younger generation spoke it more than the elder counterparts. A language shift was also seen from Cebuano to English on the language used formal communication between the generations. Attitudes on everyday communication revealed that Cebuanos prefer to maintain their mother tongue as the language to be used in speaking with family, friends, relatives, and close people seeing that the younger generation has limited vocabulary on the Cebuano language. Respondents mostly favored English to be the language used for formal communication due to its stature as an international language and its association to high socioeconomic standing. A collective majority from both generations would also like to maintain Tagalog-based Filipino to be the Philippine national language

Vietnamese Public Health Practices in the Advent of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Developing Countries

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents a great challenge to developing countries with limited access to public health measures in grassroots communities. The World Health Organization lauded the Vietnamese government for its proactive and steady investment in health facilities that mitigate the risk of the infectious disease in Vietnam. This short communication presents cases that could benchmark public health policies in developing countries