I am an early-career researcher and social science practitioner. My research interests include community systems, indigenous psychology, material culture, and sustainable development. Address: Buenavista, Marinduque 4904
The neighbor concept and relations vary across spatial and temporal milieux. My fieldwork in a ru... more The neighbor concept and relations vary across spatial and temporal milieux. My fieldwork in a rural residential barangay in Marinduque province revalidates the Filipino concept of kapitbahay through the locals’ social interaction and sense of community. Using the pagtatanong-tanong (asking questions) cross-indigenous interview involving ten permanent residents reveals the kapitbahay as a threefold category involving dimensions of space, social relations, and time. The kapitbahay pertains to social responsibility (the “I” or Ako as the kapitbahay), a support system (“They” or Sila as the kapitbahay), and a recognition of kapwa or shared identity (“We” or Kami as magkapitbahay). I propose a “Kapit” at “Bahay” model of Filipino neighboring that views the concept as primarily relational, denoted by kapit (to hold on), and spatial on account of the physical extended neighborhood context rooted in the term bahay (house), with an underlying temporal dimension called panahon.
A commentary on the “Panata at Kababaihan: Women’s Role in the Preservation of Moryonan and Lente... more A commentary on the “Panata at Kababaihan: Women’s Role in the Preservation of Moryonan and Lenten Rites in Marinduque” April 12, 2022 webinar by the National Museum of the Philippines Marinduque-Romblon. I touched on cultural appropriation and commoditization issues surrounding the Moryonan, a Lenten rite and festival held during the Holy Week season in the island-province of Marinduque. I argue that such events are tied to the manifest and latent functions of the tradition. Some classic anthropological views of tourism are also mentioned both as a critique and a way forward.
In this paper, I explored one of the most commonly held beliefs related to food consumption among... more In this paper, I explored one of the most commonly held beliefs related to food consumption among Southern Luzon families including mine—the abstinence from anything buwigan during the period of wake and burial of a deceased kin member. Through the more social scientific lens on traditional beliefs, I described the practice from an emic standpoint drawing away from the pejorative notion of “superstition” towards explaining the sociocultural and adaptive functions they play within the wider Filipino social structure. I have established that customary beliefs, such as the buwigan food and eating taboo in Marindukanon culture, serve an important role in the solidarity and adaptation of Filipino individuals to the experience of loss and grief.
This paper aims (1) to trace back the Marcopper mining disasters in Marinduque, culminating in th... more This paper aims (1) to trace back the Marcopper mining disasters in Marinduque, culminating in the 1996 Boac river spill, and point out the negligence of mine companies to take obligations for the damages they have wrought on the island and the inaction of government bodies to secure the rights and welfare of the distressed population at the time. (2) Revisit the affected communities still suffering from the disasters’ aftermath, given that the abandoned mines continue to threaten the inhabitants and degrade Marinduque's land and aquatic resources. Through the lens of engaged anthropology, the Marcopper mining disasters will be presented through the narratives of mine administration and government bureaus, and counter-narratives of the affected residents. This paper also reverberates the decade-long pleas of Marinduque residents for Placer Dome, now a franchise of Barrick Gold Corporation, to take Marcopper’s corporate obligations of compensating all their victims, rehabilitating the still contaminated river and marine ecosystems, and remove the abandoned Marcopper dams. Most importantly, it calls upon the country’s environmental and legislative bodies to officially declare mining disaster and disaster-prone areas, such as Marinduque province, as ‘mining-free’ zones.
Using Berger and Luckmann's concept of institutionalization, I present the extensive drug war cam... more Using Berger and Luckmann's concept of institutionalization, I present the extensive drug war campaign of the Philippine government and the reasons behind its popular support despite claims of human rights violations. I also shed light on the political, socioeconomic, and legal situations in the Philippine society that may have significantly led or contributed to the Duterte phenomenon, following Jonathan Turner’s ideas of forces and selection pressures. A human rights-based approach, the harm reduction model for solving drug addiction and crimes, is proposed as an alternative measure.
The neighbor concept and relations vary across spatial and temporal milieux. My fieldwork in a ru... more The neighbor concept and relations vary across spatial and temporal milieux. My fieldwork in a rural residential barangay in Marinduque province revalidates the Filipino concept of kapitbahay through the locals’ social interaction and sense of community. Using the pagtatanong-tanong (asking questions) cross-indigenous interview involving ten permanent residents reveals the kapitbahay as a threefold category involving dimensions of space, social relations, and time. The kapitbahay pertains to social responsibility (the “I” or Ako as the kapitbahay), a support system (“They” or Sila as the kapitbahay), and a recognition of kapwa or shared identity (“We” or Kami as magkapitbahay). I propose a “Kapit” at “Bahay” model of Filipino neighboring that views the concept as primarily relational, denoted by kapit (to hold on), and spatial on account of the physical extended neighborhood context rooted in the term bahay (house), with an underlying temporal dimension called panahon.
A commentary on the “Panata at Kababaihan: Women’s Role in the Preservation of Moryonan and Lente... more A commentary on the “Panata at Kababaihan: Women’s Role in the Preservation of Moryonan and Lenten Rites in Marinduque” April 12, 2022 webinar by the National Museum of the Philippines Marinduque-Romblon. I touched on cultural appropriation and commoditization issues surrounding the Moryonan, a Lenten rite and festival held during the Holy Week season in the island-province of Marinduque. I argue that such events are tied to the manifest and latent functions of the tradition. Some classic anthropological views of tourism are also mentioned both as a critique and a way forward.
In this paper, I explored one of the most commonly held beliefs related to food consumption among... more In this paper, I explored one of the most commonly held beliefs related to food consumption among Southern Luzon families including mine—the abstinence from anything buwigan during the period of wake and burial of a deceased kin member. Through the more social scientific lens on traditional beliefs, I described the practice from an emic standpoint drawing away from the pejorative notion of “superstition” towards explaining the sociocultural and adaptive functions they play within the wider Filipino social structure. I have established that customary beliefs, such as the buwigan food and eating taboo in Marindukanon culture, serve an important role in the solidarity and adaptation of Filipino individuals to the experience of loss and grief.
This paper aims (1) to trace back the Marcopper mining disasters in Marinduque, culminating in th... more This paper aims (1) to trace back the Marcopper mining disasters in Marinduque, culminating in the 1996 Boac river spill, and point out the negligence of mine companies to take obligations for the damages they have wrought on the island and the inaction of government bodies to secure the rights and welfare of the distressed population at the time. (2) Revisit the affected communities still suffering from the disasters’ aftermath, given that the abandoned mines continue to threaten the inhabitants and degrade Marinduque's land and aquatic resources. Through the lens of engaged anthropology, the Marcopper mining disasters will be presented through the narratives of mine administration and government bureaus, and counter-narratives of the affected residents. This paper also reverberates the decade-long pleas of Marinduque residents for Placer Dome, now a franchise of Barrick Gold Corporation, to take Marcopper’s corporate obligations of compensating all their victims, rehabilitating the still contaminated river and marine ecosystems, and remove the abandoned Marcopper dams. Most importantly, it calls upon the country’s environmental and legislative bodies to officially declare mining disaster and disaster-prone areas, such as Marinduque province, as ‘mining-free’ zones.
Using Berger and Luckmann's concept of institutionalization, I present the extensive drug war cam... more Using Berger and Luckmann's concept of institutionalization, I present the extensive drug war campaign of the Philippine government and the reasons behind its popular support despite claims of human rights violations. I also shed light on the political, socioeconomic, and legal situations in the Philippine society that may have significantly led or contributed to the Duterte phenomenon, following Jonathan Turner’s ideas of forces and selection pressures. A human rights-based approach, the harm reduction model for solving drug addiction and crimes, is proposed as an alternative measure.
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