Secretary Fortunato de la Peña of the Department of Science and Technology recognized the importance of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao’s Niche Center for the Region (NICER) in Research & Development for being one of the few dedicated to health, in remarks made during his visit to DOST-supported projects in UP Mindanao on June 28, 2022. 

 “We have approved 43 of these NICER centers all over the country but not many of them are in health and this is one of those. It is the niche center that is focused on modeling to help in making decision support systems related to health. It is one of those that are considered important,” he said. 

The secretary was referring to UP Mindanao’s Center for Applied Modeling, Data Analytics, and Bioinformatics for Decision Support Systems in Health (AMDABiDSS-Health), a research program focusing on assessing the risk and vulnerability of communities to infectious diseases using mathematical and biological tools, which was awarded as an “Outstanding NICER for Research & Development” in May for its disease surveillance in the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The University of the Philippines Mindanao together with its co-implementing agency, Malayan Colleges Mindanao, A Mapúa School, and collaborators of the Center for Applied Modeling, Data Analytics, and Bioinformatics for Decision Support Systems in Health (AMDABiDSS-Health) were awarded as an Outstanding Niche Center in the Region (NICER) for Research & Development in the Science for Change Program Summit-Mindanao Cluster organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on 27 May 2022 in Davao City.

 AMDABiDSS-Health was awarded for its “enhanced disease surveillance via phylogenomics, epidemiology, and data analytics, successfully demonstrated during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its partnership with the Department of Health-Davao Center for Health Development to produce data-driven response in mitigating the transmission of COVID-19,” said the DOST statement.

 UP Mindanao chancellor Prof. Lyre Anni Murao, AMDABiDSS program leader Prof. May Anne Mata, and project leader Von Carlo dela Torre received the awards for UP Mindanao and Malayan Colleges Mindanao, A Mapúa School, during the event.

Determinants of climate change adaptation strategies of Cavendish banana and mango farmers in Davao del Norte, Philippines

Mellisa P. Loquias, Eloisa Lynne P. Banguis, Jon Marx P. Sarmiento, Glory Dee A. Romo, and Larry N. Digal

School of Management, University of the Philippines Mindanao

Abstract

Climate change remains to be a global issue and it has affected agricultural sectors including the production of export crops like Cavendish bananas and mangoes. The impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector have made adaptation unavoidable. Thus, this study aimed to examine the climate change adaptation strategies of farmers involved in the production of tropical fruit exports such as Cavendish bananas and mangoes. Two focus group discussions were conducted before the actual data gathering in the field to obtain information that would guide the design of succeeding data collection activities. A total of 185 Cavendish banana farmers and 160 mango farmers were interviewed using a survey questionnaire. The respondents were determined through Stratified Random Sampling. The main econometric tool used for the study was Multivariate Probit Regression (MVP) and the data collected were analyzed through Stata software. For the Cavendish banana adaptation model, the top five farm strategies are establishment or improvement of the drainage canal, frequent watering, increase use of fertilizer, transition to organic/sustainable farming, and improved harvesting technique. The factors that significantly affect the decision to adopt these adaptation strategies include annual income, farm size, the incidence of drought and excessive rain, and hazards.  For the mango adaptation model, the top five farm strategies are frequent watering, land holiday, farm diversification, transition to organic/sustainable farming, and conservation horticulture techniques. The significant factors affecting the adaptation strategies of the farmers include years of farming experience, household size, access to training, access to extension, annual income, mango farming as the main source of income, presence of drought, and level of climate change awareness. Intervention in agriculture should be strategic and focused on addressing possible impacts of drought, excessive rain, and other hazards. Moreover, increasing the level of awareness through a community-based information system is one of the recommended interventions. A more targeted intervention based on the key factors must also be considered by the government, non-government organisations, and the private sector to help increase the farmers’ adaptive capacity.

Organizational resilience and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Philippine businesses

by Glory Dee A. Romo, Jon Marx P. Sarmiento, Francis Levi A. Durano, Imee Marie A. Acopiado, Thaddeus R. Acuña, Adonis M. Traje, and Geraliza D. Wahing

School of Management, University of the Philippines Mindanao, Davao City, Philippines

The COVID-19 pandemic has had global repercussions as many countries embarked on measures such as mobility restrictions to avoid the further spread of the virus. This has led to reduced economic activities worldwide across all industries. The pandemic has negatively impacted enterprises such as in the form of increasing costs, reducing sales, and labor-related challenges including remuneration or retrenchment. Through a mixed-method analysis using fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), we analyzed the asymmetric relationship between organizational resilience attributes and costs, sales, and the number of employees among Filipino enterprises.  This paper used the Benchmark Resiliency Tool (BRT) developed by Resilient Organisations which includes 13 organizational resilience indicators. Data from key officers of the 293 enterprises all over the Philippines participated in the survey through Google Forms. The resilience indicators were grouped according to their three main attributes, namely, leadership and culture, networks, and readiness to change. The results revealed that high practice of change-ready attributes such as the enactment of planning strategies is a key factor that resulted in the reduction of the employee count among enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conjoining this attribute with either low leadership or with low network makes an enterprise more likely to reduce employees. Thus, being ready for changes, especially during times of unexpected and unpredictable situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic is a critical component of adaptation.  Overall, our results showed that enterprises that practice a single organizational resilience attribute (at a high level) are associated with encountering either higher costs or sales decreases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Owing to their similar results, both increased costs and reduced sales of the enterprises show that in totality, the practice of organizational resilience attributes is crucial during external shocks, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a challenging environment for enterprises to operate.  Reducing the number of employees may be used by crisis-stricken enterprises as a short-term strategy for recovery and how remuneration can instead be implemented to avoid the cascading negative effects of retrenchment on an employee’s household. Financial performance is used as a basis of enterprises’ strategies, and in extreme cases, retrenchment might be among the only viable solutions for the survival of a business during crises.  There is a need for regular employee-employer consultation for more labor-friendly actions that are also more likely to be implemented in addition to empowering employees with the current situation of the enterprises. Moreover, the rise of online methods of purchasing may indicate an opportunity for businesses to invest in online sales infrastructure. Combining conventional modes of selling with online methods may increase the sales potential of enterprises.