A study on the effects of risk reduction procedures in the tourism industry of Baler (original) (raw)

THE VIEWS OF YOUTH ON LGBT-THEMED TELENOVELAS IN PHILIPPINE TELEVISION

The Philippines has been considered as one of the countries that have a strong bound on religious acts and beliefs. Despite it, the advent of the LGBT-themed telenovelas namely: My Husband’s Lover, Beki Boxer, The Rich Man’s Daughter, and Destiny Rose, have created phenomenal breakthrough in primetime television viewing habits of Filipinos. These shows did not only deviate from the usual formula of telenovelas in the country, but also help in sensitizing the dominant heterosexual society towards the LGBT community. As a powerful tool for mass communication, television can create images of certain people, affecting the audience’s evaluation of a specific group or situation. This study uses qualitative research approach to expose the views, perceptions, and opinions of the youth segment that have been considered as the most fluid but malleable segment of the society, together with the key informants who have essential knowledge of the phenomena. An in-depth interview was conducted to document the statements of the participants in a free-flowing course. The result of the study revealed that the youth participants have been satisfied with the portrayals of actors and actresses in their fictional LGBT characters. They also stated that they have realized the other personalities of LGBT people and learned to respect them after watching the LGBT-themed telenovelas. However, results also exposed that they lack knowledge on the real meaning of the term gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. The researchers suggests that the next generation of LGBT-themed telenovelas be more educative on the lives and struggles of LGBT people, their sexual orientations, portrayal, achievements and contributions in the society.

The Digital Cupid: The Impact of FilipinoCupid.com on the Attitudes of Filipino Women towards Online Dating

This study investigated the world of niche online dating in Barangay Arnedo, Bolinao, Pangasinan, Philippines. It explored the impact of FilipinoCupid.com on the attitudes of the female online daters towards online dating. The researchers interviewed Filipino women who have been using FilipinoCupid.com for at least one year. Fifteen (15) women aged 18 to 45 were interviewed about their online dating experiences. Data gathering was divided into two phases. The first phase began with the search for respondents through snowball sampling. To locate participants whose credibility could be verified and who we can contact again for verification and follow-up interviews, we started off by interviewing a key informant who is a user of FilipinoCupid.com and knows other women that date online. Questionnaires were also employed to collect respondents’ demographic data and to know their online dating habits and activity. The second phase of data gathering involved one-on-one interviews with the respondents. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively. Data from the interviews, on the other hand, were analyzed qualitatively. The researchers used Marshall McLuhan’s theory of Media Ecology to explain the results of the study. This study proved that the online dating site FilipinoCupid.com has a significant impact on the attitudes of Filipino women towards online dating. Moreover, the study discovered the reasons and motivations of these women for engaging in online dating.

HIV/AIDS Situation in the Philippines

This situational analysis study gathered all existing information from both large scale and small scale studies on HIV/AIDS from 1984-2005. Generally, this research would like to validate that the “low and slow” character of the HIV prevalence in the past years has transited to “hidden and growing” by virtue of high levels of risk not only among the identified Most at Risk Populations (MARPS) but also among the general population. Specifically, it also aimed to 1) verify the current HIV prevalence rate estimates vis-à-vis behavioral data among MARPs, 2) analyze the vulnerability and risk factors including the social, political , and cultural norms that could influence the pace of the spread, 3) identify gaps in the data collection to improve the reliability and validity of HIV prevalence estimates, 4) to model the likely path of the epidemic in the future, and 5) assess the local policy responses to HIV/AIDS. A total of 12 focus group discussions, 52 key informant interviews of local policy and program officials in public and private institutions, 8 key informant interviews of national policy experts were conducted to gather the data in this report. An evaluation of all existing HIV/AIDS data from the Surveillance and HIV/AID Registry was also done to identify areas of improvement for data collection. Asian Epidemic Model (AEM) was also utilized in projecting future infections as well as estimating how many infections can be averted utilizing a specific type of intervention among identified MARPs. In summarizing the major points among the four individual papers in this study, it was proven that there is a transition of the HIV/AIDS epidemic from low and slow to “hidden and growing”. Seven (7) recommendations were arrived at.: 1) The conduct of surveillance system should be continued and further enhanced, 2) Focusing on the risky behaviors of the general population is significant in uncovering hidden scenarios of the epidemic, 3) The presence of “bridge populations” between MARPs and general population poses a grave threat in speeding up the prevalence of the epidemic, 4) A more specific and customized new set of indicators for each type of population should be developed to provide better information which will make UN HIV/AIDS softwares applicable in the Philippine setting, 5) The role of local governments in integrating HIV/AIDS in their development plans is indispensable, 6) Policy responses like VCT in both local and national levels should be scaled up, and finally, 7) Modeling future trends of epidemic should be encourage to determine the most effective responses.

The Role of Women in Public Service as Politicians, Bureaucrats, and Community Volunteers

The purposes of this study were to explore the contributions made by women in public service as politicians, bureaucrats, and community volunteers, to determine the challenges experienced by women public servants in the fulfillment of their respective roles; and to identify the avenues of convergence among the three roles in the lenses of female qualities possessed by women. Using Cultural Feminism as the framework of the study, the study intended to analyze if female qualities equate to women’s performance of their roles as public servants. The study used Basic Qualitative Research (BQR) as its research design. Participants included women politicians serving in the region of Cavite, bureaucrats from different government agencies, and community volunteers that preside their respective organizations. The study found out that female qualities reflect the contributions of women to the society in all three roles. These female qualities also determined the avenues of convergence among the three. Lastly, challenges were mostly imposed upon the politicians and bureaucrats while community volunteers experience none with regards to their femininity. The researchers concluded that instead of copying the traditional style of leadership demonstrated by men, women successfully carried out their female attributes, which is coherent with the the theory of cultural feminism. Furthermore, the researchers concluded that there is a huge potential for volunteerism to become a ground to further women’s participation in public service because of its easier access to women compared to politics and bureaucracy.

CHANGE OF HEART: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY ON HOW GUYS BECOME GAYS

This research analyzes and elaborates the reason why men turn into gays. This study aspires to help men pinpoint the reason behind why they become gay. The study uses a qualitative research design and is scrutinized through the use of phenomenological analysis. Shared experiences of gays enable the researchers to come up with reasons revealed by those gays. The researchers interviewed college gay students of Pamantasan ng Cabuyao to acquire the testaments from each gay in which themes are shown. Specifically speaking, 6 gay college students were further probed to answer all the inquiries the researchers had. To sum it up, the researchers found out that society's influence is the reason behind why guys become gays. On the other hand, the society itself is the cause of each gay's hardships.