Cultural appropriation has been a topic of great debate in recent years as the term enters into the lexicon of many. The increasing presence of indigenous textile and design incorporated into commercial fashion products has aroused uncertainty among members of the majority culture in the Philippines in light of cases of cultural appropriation found in popular culture. Limited research has been done on cultural appropriation in the Philippine local context and more so, on the recontextualization of T’boli textile and design in commercial fashion products. Hence, this paper seeks to propose a research with the general objective of developing a concept of cultural appropriation for T’boli textile and design. To do so, the paper proposes a participatory research approach. The presentation of findings related to the cultural appropriation of T’boli cultural textile and design to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples is the first step followed by further consultations and involvement of research partners from the community. Researchers of the study will employ indigenous research methods of pakapa-kapa and pagtatanong-tanong to develop a research methodology and instrumentation for ginabayang-talakayan with community stakeholders. In light of restrictions in conducting field research and in consideration of high ethical standards for research surrounding indigenous peoples, this paper is limited to a participatory research approach to allow for further development.

Breastfeeding imposes unique demands on a mother's daily routine, physical body, and social behavior, making clothing a key factor in supporting comfort, confidence, and mobility. Globally, breastfeeding-friendly systems and environments are already gaining traction, but clothing remains a neglected aspect in maternal care. In the Philippines, cultural expectations around modesty and limited access to affordable nursing wear intensify mothers' challenges. With this trend, clothing is becoming a functional concern as well as a social and emotional one. Using a qualitative research design, this study explored the clothing needs of Filipino mothers across five key areas: daily activities, clothing-related challenges, functional and aesthetic preferences, decision-making factors, and perceptions of cost and accessibility as influenced by their postpartum and breastfeeding experiences. In-depth interviews with fifteen (15) participants revealed that breastfeeding shaped mothers' daily activities centered around their baby's feeding and sleeping patterns, requiring clothing that supports multitasking, quick feeding access, and modesty in public. Clothing needs and preferences also leaned toward soft fabrics, discreet openings, and layered designs that promote comfort, ease, and mobility. Participants' dissatisfaction with their appearance stemming from weight gain and unwanted body changes often led them to avoid wearing ill-fitting, revealing, or tight-fitting clothes they used to wear before pregnancy. In contrast, functional and flattering garments helped improve their confidence and encouraged greater social engagement. However, these types of clothing are relatively inaccessible due to limited local availability, poor size diversity, and outdated designs. These findings emphasize the importance of inclusive clothing design that supports breastfeeding mothers physically, socially, and emotionally.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, prompting urgent measures to curb its spread and mitigate its impacts worldwide. In the Philippines, lockdown policies were soon implemented restricting operations of non-essential including the garments manufacturing sector. Responding to the shortage in protective wear supply, the garments industry transitioned to manufacturing alternative isolation suits. To examine the repurposing of the garments sector, this study investigated the various factors influencing the manufacturing of alternative protective isolation suits in Metro Manila using a qualitative multiple-case study approach. Data collection involved a combination of remote and in-person interviews with representatives from the four (4) purposively sampled garment manufacturers, using a 5-structured questionnaire to gain insights on their product offerings and clientele, sourcing and procurement, production and quality control, distribution, and support activities. Analysis of findings highlights internal strengths such as resilient sourcing networks and adaptive production systems, juxtaposed with vulnerabilities in quality control and supply chain disruptions. External opportunities identified include bolstering sourcing resilience and leveraging technological advancements, while threats encompass volatile raw material supplies and logistical bottlenecks. The study concludes that navigating these complexities necessitates strategic alignment of strengths with emerging opportunities, advocating for diversified supply chains and technological investments to enhance resilience and sustainability in the production of PPE isolation suits. To comprehensively map out the protective wear manufacturing in the Philippines, further studies can explore the production challenges encountered in the medical grade PPE sector.

Fast food restaurants have had a lot of changes in innovation that allows for a smoother customer experience. One of these newest innovations was the self-ordering kiosk—a touch screen menu where customers can input their orders instead of the traditional ordering method of speaking to the cashier. In this study, the researchers looked into the customer experience between the traditional counter service and self-ordering kiosks, focused on queueing, order placement, and order acquisition. A Qualtrics-based survey was administered to respondents aged 18-59, who had experience with both traditional counter service and self-ordering kiosks in fast food restaurants within Metro Manila. The findings showed differences in customers' experience between the two ordering methods. For counter service, simplicity of the ordering process was the major contributor to customer satisfaction and waiting time was the least. For self-ordering kiosks, the lowered total time spent was the main factor that led to customer satisfaction, while customers had a problem with order accuracy. In addition, the study found that customer satisfaction had a significant relationship on the behavioral intention, influencing customers’ reuse intention.