SEVERAL research papers of professors from the University of the Philippines Mindanao were featured in a recent international conference.

Instructor Ena Marie O. Dizon of UP Mindanao’s Department of Humanities received a Best Presenter award for a research paper on Blaan communities during the second International Conference on Multidisciplinary Industry and Academic Research.

It was presented alongside three other UP Mindanao research papers during the event themed, “The world in different perspectives: Re-building lessons after a crisis.”

Dizon’s paper, “Transforming Blaan Communities via Communication: The Case of UP Manila Community Health Development Program,” focused on finding normative changes in Barangay Kalkam, Tupi, South Cotabato.

One of the plenary speakers, Associate Professor Karen Joyce G. Cayamanda, presented her research titled “Transcending the Pandemic: Flood-Risk Communication for Risk Reduction in Davao City, Southern Philippines,” that highlighted the coordination difficulties of government agencies in flood-risk reduction, management, and response during the Covid19 pandemic.

Humanities faculty Instructor Juven Nino Villacastin and School of Management University Researcher Marilou O. Montiflor also presented their papers — “Distinguishing Rhetorics of Fear: Conceptual and Practical Implications in Distinguishing Fear Appeals from Medical vs. Militaristic COVID-19 Rhetorics in the Philippines” and “Sowing Seeds of Hope: Building Resilience of Women in Agriculture during Pandemic Times” — during the Humanities and Social Sciences session.

The ICMIAR 2021 is an international research conference that focuses on multidisciplinary approach revolving around concerns during the pandemic — health, economics, mental health, business and workplace, environment and delivery systems.