The overconsumption of single-use plastic (SUP) in the Philippines has resulted in a plastic pollution crisis leading to frequent flooding, risks to human health, and threats to marine biodiversity. In response, Filipinos adapted single-use plastic avoidance behavior (SPAB), such as the use of ecobags, to minimize their SUP consumption.

This study examines how attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control shape SPAB of Filipinos residing in Metro Manila. Anchored on Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior, the study conducted in-depth interviews with Filipinos practicing SPAB to surface how these factors shape their behavior.

The findings reveal that while there is growing awareness and concern about plastic pollution, SPAB remains influenced by competing priorities, socio-economic limitations, and structural barriers. Positive attitudes toward the environment are not always enough to translate into action, especially when sustainable alternatives are inaccessible or inconvenient. Social influences from peers and family, as well as policies such as the ban on plastic, play critical roles in promoting SPAB, although their effectiveness varies. Furthermore, the study highlights that ingrained habits and time constraints significantly impact individuals’ ability to adopt consistent SPAB.

The Philippines had long relied on labor migration, with Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) celebrated as bagong bayani or modern-day heroes. While the sacrifices of domestic workers had been widely studied, those of Filipino factory workers remained largely overlooked. This study explored how Filipino factory workers in Taiwan used TikTok to narrate their sacrifices in a transnational and mediated sense. Drawing on need sacrifice (Holding et al., 2019) and multimodal digital coherence (Meier, 2022), the research examined how migrants expressed sacrifice through TikTok’s affordances, focusing on maintenance routines, psychological struggles, and lost leisure, shaped by their social and personal contexts. Using a qualitative approach, the study analyzed 45 TikTok posts and conducted 15 in-depth interviews with migrant workers based in Taiwan. Findings showed that TikTok served not only as a space for entertainment, but also as a digital diary of their sacrifice and endurance. Through captions, visuals, sounds, and trends, migrant workers portrayed sacrifice as material, emotional, and temporal, embedded in their daily transnational life. For them, TikTok functioned as a space to assert agency, foster solidarity, and resist stereotypes. This work contributes to migration and media studies by illustrating how digital storytelling enabled marginalized workers to humanize their labor and own their narrative at the face of global precarity.

Guided by Johan Galtung’s peace and war journalism framework, this study examines the frames employed by Chinese and Philippine state news media about the West Philippine Dispute from 2019 to 2024 and investigates how they are constructed through the use of framing and reasoning devices. Using a combination of content and textual analysis of articles published by leading Philippine and Chinese state media outlets, findings show that both Philippine and Chinese state media predominantly employed war-oriented indicators in their reporting, with a notable increase following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s renewed alignment with the United States. Both governments also relied on strategic reasoning and framing devices to legitimize their maritime claims, justify diplomatic and military actions, and cast the opposing side as the aggressor. Despite the differing narratives, both countries’ coverage lacked grassroots perspectives and critical context needed that could have enriched the public’s understanding of the dispute. Ultimately, the study’s findings highlight the pressing need for state media to shift away from conflict-driven narratives and toward more peace-oriented reporting that serves the broader public interest.

How often do you come across an influencer conducting academic research that bridges media studies and their lived experience in the influencer industry? While studies on influencer culture are growing, the voices of influencers themselves remain rare. In this qualitative study, I use autofiction to narrate a fictional conversation between my 2025 self and my past selves from 2021 to 2024.
Grounded in Gilles Deleuze’s concepts of Virtuality and Actuality, the work views identity as a continuous process shaped by memory, media, and algorithmic culture. As “Beyapot,” I reflect on five years of being an influencer, where different virtuals of my identity emerged: the academic achiever, the lover girl, the beauty creator, the big sister, and the food vlogger. These are not contradictions, but expressions of different virtual selves shaped by desire, trends, and digital structures.
What emerges is a rethinking of authenticity: not as fixed coherence, but as a moment-to-moment negotiation between who I was, who I am, and who I could become. Trends, platforms, and brand collaborations do not simply mirror identity—they help shape it. Ultimately, this thesis reframes influencer identity as an assemblage, a site of ongoing transformation within the flows of media life.

gusto kong maging fishball is a comedy short film that explores child-like problem-solving and creativity and showcases the effects of capitalism on children. Engaging with Bliss Cua Lim’s discussion in The Commodification of the Human Experience, the film narrates a story about children dealing with “5-6 moneylenders.” To stay true to its commitment to using a child’s lens, it also embraces Kidlat Tahimik’s idea of sariling duwende and the Bathala Na! mentality. The film experiments with different storytelling media, such as narrative, animation, and music, to create laughter, reflection, and sing-alongs. gusto kong maging fishball follows the story three kids as they find ways to save Potpot’s house from a 5-6 moneylender. Their mission: to sell one million fishballs to earn one million pesos. In the end, their wish is granted.