The late YB Mangunwijaya, the author of the novels The Weaverbirds and The Migratory Birds, which were studied by Siswadi, is an important figure in Indonesian letters. He problematized in his writings the issue of Indonesian nationalism, and its intricacies, in the age of globalization. Despite his novel, The Weaverbirds, being translated into English, Mangunwijaya’s fame in the world literary space is overshadowed by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, the representative author from Indonesia decreed by the world literary space. 

Although Pramoedya’s Buru Quartet also problematizes nationhood and nationalism by providing an alternative history of Indonesia against the official history of Dutch colonialism and Suharto’s New Order, it is Mangunwijaya who continues to provide readers with an alternative discourse through the post-Independence and New Order Indonesia when Indonesia nationhood and nationalism are faced with the onset of globalization. Though the concept of “nation” is powerful in that it can unify, it also has the tendency to exclude others which do not fit the ideology that runs the concept.  Mangunwijaya offers insight to this exclusionary tendency of the nation by arguing that the “nation” should not be above the human values of justice, democracy, and humanitarianism. 

This monograph is in pursuit of the UNITAS journal’s aim, not only to publish international authors, but also to give platform to studies on important figureheads who deserve to be read and made available to a wider audience through the open access platform of UNITAS.

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College of Science faculty member Dr. Richard Thomas B. Pavia, Jr., delivered a plenary lecture on “The Nepenthes trade in the Philippines.” Pavia, a marine biologist by training, is a self-confessed “Nepenthaholic.” 

Nepenthes khasiana, according to the website, is a protected species, classified as endangered. The threats include habitat destruction, acid mine drainage associated with coal mining, and collection for medicinal and ornamental uses. The genus Nepenthes is mostly found within the Malay Archipelago, with the greatest biodiversity found on Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines, especially in the Borneo montane rain forests.

The other plenary lectures were delivered by Dr. Junichi Fujinuma of the University of the Ryukyus, Japan (“Beta diversity of vascular plants in east Asian tropics and temperate insular biotas: conservation perspectives of highly endemic Philippine flora”); UST bio alumnus Dr. Nikki Dagamac of the University of Greifswald, Germany (“Mapping Potential Species Distribution Using Ecological Niche Modeling: The Hows and So Whats?”); Dr. Rosario Rubite of the University of the Philippines-Manila (“Philippine flora too many but Filipino taxonomists too few?”); and Dr. Ming-Jou Wu of the National Dong Hwa Univeristy, Taiwan (“Fighting for a revision of Malesian Phyllantas: Victories, Challenges and Future Directions”).

The keynote lecture was delivered by Dr. Filiberto Pollisco, Jr. on behalf of Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity.

UST Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cecilia Banag-Moran is the Vice President of PNPCSI. She served as chair of the local organizing committee.

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In her paper, Domingo discussed the use of data mining to predict the stage of cancer using a hybrid of fuzzy logic and decision tree. Her research aims to help experts make decisions, instead of replacing them. The research provides recommendations, but the final decision still remains with the expert, according to Domingo, who once served as Secretary of IICS. 

Data mining is defined as the process of discovering patterns in large data sets involving methods at the intersection of machine learning, statistics, and database systems.

Decision tree is a classification algorithm that uses tree-like model of decisions. It handles both continuous and categorical attribute. Decision Tree algorithms uses IF-THEN expressions where the conditions are logically connected. 

Domingo explains that fuzzy logic has the capability to deal with problems with uncertainty similar to reasoning of experts. It is a logic system that deals with values between 0 and 1, which should be measured as degrees of truth while the decision tree that only deals with values as either 0 or 1.

For this research, Domingo used feature selection to determine the best attribute in the dataset from Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER). Although the data set consists of incidence from 1975 to 2016, the study limited its analysis from the year 2010 to 2016. Different cleaning and preprocessing of data were conducted. After thorough preprocessing of data, one target class and six attributes were selected. 

Performance comparison showed that the fuzzy decision tree achieved a higher accuracy of 99.96%, sensitivity of 99.26% and specificity of 99.98% than the decision tree classification technique. The simulation result showed a correctly classified instance of 165,124, which is equivalent to 99.97% and only 351 incorrect classified instances or 0.21%. Her research showed that a fuzzy decision tree is more robust than the traditional decision tree classifier for predicting the stage of breast cancer.  

Paper presenters were from China, Norway, Korea, Singapore, Turkey, India, Thailand, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Ukraine, among others.

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The newly-elected officers are: Dr. Tina Aragon (Technological Institute of the Philippines–Q.C.), President, Dr. Norman Lee (De La Salle–College of St. Benilde), Vice President, Asst. Prof. Jerralyn Padua (University of Santo Tomas), Secretary, Dr. Tess Pancho (Arellano University), Treasurer, Ms. Teresa Borebor (University of the East, Manila), Auditor, Dr. Shane Ambat-Magnaye (FEU-Tech), Representative for South Cluster, Mr. Rodrigo Calapan (Lyceum of Alabang), Representative for CAMANAVA Cluster, Mr. Joferson Bombasi, Representative for Manila Cluster, Ms. Raychelou Valencia (AU Plaridel), Representative for QC Cluster. The new set of officers will have a term from 2019 to 2021.

The Council of Deans for Information Technology Education–NCR, Inc. was established on August 31, 2016 through the help and support of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).  After two years of completing documentary requirements as part of its establishment, it was then launched at the University of the East, Caloocan in October 2018 during the First CODITE–NCR Conference, which was attended by deans, program heads of universities, institutions, schools offering computing courses such as:  BS Computer Science, BS Information Technology, BS Information Systems, and BS Entertainment and Multimedia Computing. At present, CODITE–NCR, Inc. has 40 member schools. 

CODITE–NCR, Inc. aims to create a network of universities/colleges/institutes/schools that offer IT education to be able to share good practices, provide quality assurance, assist its members to attain accreditation status, closely coordinate with local and international accreditation bodies to promote a culture of excellence amongst its member institutions.

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Among the resource speakers was Interior Designer Antonio “Budji” Layug who studied at the UST College of Architecture, and is recognized as one of the brains behind the Movement 8 and is credited for pushing the possibilities for Philippine products, placing Philippine design among the premier design houses of the world, through design and indigenous material exploration. 

Layug, together with Royal Christopher Lopez Pineda, forms a formidable tandem in the field of design. Pineda, a well-rounded architect, trained under the firm of National Artist for Architecture Leandro V. Locsin. Pineda presented the concept of Total Design, the advocacy of the BUDJI + ROYAL+ Design + Architecture that embraces nature and progressive Philippine design through their projects that are also featured in the recent publication ‘Budji: Design Journey.’ 

Royal Pineda discussed how practical luxury could be achieved for every Filipino through creative ingenuity. Design culture shapes identities and contributes to the advancement of nationalism and cultural pride. Sustainable design that re-invented the Philippine folk architecture are authentic and cosmopolitan. The resource speakers were joined by Arch. Norma Alarcon of the United Architects of the Philippines and IDr. Mike Pizarro of the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers during the round table discussion. 

University of the Philippines-Diliman Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development IDr. Raquel Baltazar-Florendo, Ph.D., an interior designer and associate professor of interior design at the College of ������Ƶ Economics, UP- Diliman, was another resource speaker. Design culture, according to her, is commonly shared value that is learned formally and informally, and creates its own language and fosters inclusivity and authenticity.  “Design as a way of life,” the main theme of her presentation tackled the need for reflexivity among baby boomers, generation X, the millennials, and the generation Z and the role of design in enriching the design practice and design education. The resource speakers were joined by IDr. Trisha Ann Padernal of the interior design at the College of ������Ƶ Economics, UP, Diliman, IDr. Kat Correa of the interior design program of the DLS-College of Saint Benilde, and Dean Ma. Lourdes Samson of the College of the Holy Spirit, during the round table discussion. 

As part of the dissemination activities of “Diskarte: Understanding Design Culture Through the Filipino Chair,” a SALIKHA Project of CHED—NCCA for the K—12 transition program, the forum was organized by RCCAH Research Fellows Diskarte Team and SALIKHA Creative Grant Recipients Asst. Prof. Guillerma Mendoza, MBA-project team lead, Assoc. Prof. Lilia de Jesus, PhD, Asst. Prof. Mary Grace Hernandez, and Assoc. Prof. Nady Nacario. Dr. Salvacion Villavicencio of the CHED NCCA Salikha program and Asst. Prof. Mary Christie Que graced the activities. 

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With the theme “Literacies, Gender Equality, and Active Citizenship as Pathways to Empowerment and Social Transformation,” the conference aimed to engage participants in exploring how literacies, gender equality, and global citizenship can play key roles in the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The UST Faculty of Arts and Letters and the Research Center for Social Sciences and Education spearheaded the program, while UST Graduate School Assistant Dean Prof. Camilla J. Vizconde, Ph.D., served as Conference Chair.                   

UNESCO Chairholder for Adult Literacy and Learning for Social Transformation and UEA School of Education and Lifelong Learning Professor Anna Robinson-Pant, D. Phil, was the first keynote speaker. She concurrently serves as the British Association for International & Comparative Education President. Her talk focused on the complex relationship among Adult Literacy, Learning, and Social Transformation. Using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations as her expected outcomes, she investigated alternative theoretical and methodological approaches that may bring about lifelong education beyond the confines of structures and institutions for formal education.

Conference plenary speakers include Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Deputy Director General for Policies and Planning Rosanna Urdaneta, UEA School of International Development Senior Research Associate Dr. Sheila Aikman, and Philippine Investment Management (PHINMA) Education President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Chito Salazar.

As part of the Conference, “Transformare: A Network of Gender and Adult Literacy Advocates” was launched. Transformare is an interdisciplinary network of committed academics, practitioners, advocates and policy makers who engage in promoting adult literacy, lifelong learning, and active citizenship in the Philippines. Asst. Prof. Gina Lontoc, Ph.D., faculty member and researcher at the UST RCSSED, serves as its president.

Guest speaker for the launch was Associate Academic of the UNESCO Chair for Adult Literacy and Learning for Social Transformation Dr. Ulrike Hanemann. She discussed the different pedagogies of autonomy, hope, diversity, tenderness of the heart, democracy, indignation, and the unfinished.

On the third day of the conference, Vice President of the Philippines Her Excellency Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo served as keynote speaker. A human rights lawyer, she has previously lawyered for battered wives in the grassroots and championed the Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Bill (House Bill 3432) in the 16th Congress, which aimed to prohibit discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion, sex, gender, language, disability, and other factors.

    Sharing her rich experiences of working to empower rural women, the Vice President explained four principles underlying the ongoing efforts of her Office for empowering women entrepreneurs. 

“To close the gender gap, at least four things should happen: make it safe and fair for women to do trade related businesses, second, bring more women in to the work force and achieve gender parity in the workplace, third make space for women-led enterprises, and fourth, facilitate equal access to technology,” said VP Robredo, adding that “Real empowerment comes not only from economic empowerment but also the confidence and self- esteem developed through this.”

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The Guest Speaker was Prof. Rodney C. Jubilado, Ph.D. of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hawaii, where he is the chair of its Humanities Division.  

Jubilado, whose research interest is on heritage education, migration, and Southeast Asian cultural studies, is currently writing a new book about heritage education of the Filipinos in Hawaii. Having lived and taught in Hawaii for some years now, Jubilado has been observing and studying the language of the Filipinos who have migrated to Hawaii. He explained that “When people migrate, they bring with them their language and culture. For Filipinos, it means bringing various languages and indigenous or amalgamated cultures.”   

In his lecture, Jubilado spoke about the early migration of the Filipinos to America explaining that it was primarily caused by the colonization of the Philippines by Spain and by the USA, with the earliest recorded history taking place in the 17th century. As of 2017, Jubilado shared that based on the statistics by the US Census Bureau of 2017, there are approximately 4,037,564 Filipinos in the USA, making them the second largest Asian group next to the Chinese. 

Generations later, Jubilado’s research reveals that the Filipino-Americans now are (1) English monolinguals or bilinguals and heritage speakers of any of Philippine languages, and (2) strong Filipino identities or totally mainstream Americans. 

The research further shares that three Philippine languages are spoken widely in America in this  order: Tagalog/Filipino, Ilocano, and Cebuano/Visayan, which is similar to the case in Hawaii. Since the focus of this study is Hawaii, Jubilado’s research  attempts to provide a picture of what and who are the Filipinos from the perspective of language, culture and identity, using the lenses provided by the fields of heritage education, identity, and migration. 

The lecture was made more interesting with the video presentations that highlighted points in the lecturer’s discussion of the Filipino-Americans’ culture, identity and language.  

The audience was composed of faculty members of the English Department, undergraduate students from the Faculty of Arts and Letters under the English Language Studies (ELS) program, students of the UST Graduate School under the ELS program both in the Master’s and Doctorate levels, and guests from other universities such as the De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, Philippine Normal University, Philippine Women’s University, and National University.

According to UST Department of English Chair Prof. Rachelle B. Lintao, Ph.D., the invitation for Dr. Rodney Jubilado to speak in UST was made possible through the collaboration with the Linguistic Society of the Philippines, the president of which is the UST Graduate School Faculty Secretary Assoc. Prof. Alejandro Bernardo, Ph.D. The lecture was held in collaboration with the Faculty of Arts and Letters, whose Dean, Dr. Madrunio, was once president of LSP.  

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The project was led by the Manila Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau (MTCAB), with UST’s participation coordinated through the Office of Public Affairs and College of Fine Arts and Design.

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Speaking before a group of UKI English language majors, Tablizo and Dadia delivered lectures that centered on “Emergent Critical Approaches to Philippine Texts.”  Their key objective was to introduce Philippine literature to Indonesian students. The lectures were about Philippine literature through the critical lenses of feminism and ecocriticism.  Tablizo’s lecture was titled “A Body and Self Not her Own: The Filipino woman in Philippine literature’s canonical fictional works” and Dadia’s lecture was titled “Super Typhoon and the Literary Imagination: Ecopoetics and Ecological Themes in Yolanda Relief Anthology Poems.” 

During the Question and Answer (Q&A) session, the students of UKI showed enthusiasm in learning more about Philippine culture, society, and history as represented in Philippine literature. The speakers gave historically grounded answers to student queries in their attempt to explain Filipino culture. The questions posed were comparative in nature as the students were curious to know about their southeast Asian neighbour, the Philippines, which is geographically near yet would seem culturally distant. In her talk on feminism, Tablizo gave five examples of canonical fiction writing in the Philippines read under the theoretical lens of feminism. The students expressed interest with regards to feminism and gender studies in the Philippines.

Literature gleaned through ecocriticism was another relevant topic discussed by  Dadia where she mentioned the 2004 earthquake and tsunami that affected the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java, and Bali, and Typhoon Haiyan, which had its landfall in Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines, as prime examples of how timely discussions are on the global state of the environment.

In their lecture, Dadai and Tablizo urged the students to read Philippine literature in comparison with Indonesian literature. Both the Philippines and Indonesia suffered through centuries of colonialism, a fact the speakers were wont to highlight as it would be a good starting point in bolstering an engaging discussion on the two Southeast Asian neighbors. The exchange proved to be valuable as it gave the audience an insight into both Philippine and Indonesian culture and society. 

Tablizo and Dadia met with the editorial staff members of DIALEKTIKA for a roundtable discussion. DIALEKTIKA is a journal in Bahasa Indonesia, published by the Fakultas Sastra. Their counterpart from UKI discussed journal publication concerns and strengthening of research interest and publication of the faculty members of UKI’s Department of English. The discussions centered on how to consistently publish a journal, procure articles for issues, and publicize the journal.  

The UNITAS editorial staff members shared their best practices in the research journal, the usual challenges they experience and how the editorial team manages to solve them. UNITAS editorial team members also encouraged their Indonesian counterparts to begin publishing DIALEKTIKA as an open-access journal for the easier tracking and accessibility of scholarship to not only Indonesian students, professors, and scholars, but also to foreigners. Open-access journals help promote the mobility of scholarship. It was also suggested that UKI give research load instead of teaching load to its faculty to encourage their research publication. 

As an expected outcome of this activity, the academic exchanges would become a regular occasion in the future and would produce meaningful collaborations between the two universities.

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These student-qualifiers will represent UST and the Philippines in the Thailand International Math Olympiad Finals Heat to be held in Chiang-Mai, Thailand in April 2020. 

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