Polytechnic University of the Philippines

COC faculty wins Best Paper in 10th National Social Science Congress

Emy Ruth Gianan, News, Communication Management Office

George Vincent Gamayo, Assistant Professor from the Department of Broadcast Communication, won third Best Paper in the 10th National Social Science Congress held on July 27-29 at Silliman University, Dumaguete City. His winning paper is titled: “S-T-I-G-M-A through the Eyes of PLHIV: Deconstructing HIV/AIDS Depiction in Batang Poz.”

Gamayo presented his paper under Parallel Session 34: Addressing Barriers and Promoting Inclusivity for Sexual Health in the Philippines. HIV/AIDS is a serious public health problem, made more prevalent with stigma on people suffering from this life-threatening condition. The study uses the digital miniseries Batang Poz to understand how people living with HIV who engage in men having sex with men (PLHIVMSM) construct meanings regarding the program and how “the show mirrors the traditional depiction of PLHIV that may suggest that HIV/AIDS are spread by the queer community.”

Aside from Gamayo, other faculty members also presented their papers during the three-day national conference. They are as follows:

“Best Practices of the First Filipino Community to Fight against Covid-19: The West Crame Experience” – Dr. Hemmady Mora (College of Communication)
“Fighting an Unseen Enemy: Examining Agenda Setting and Framing of GMA News Online Coverage on Government’s Response to Covid-19” – Kim Bernard G. Fajardo, Kyla Estelle D. Bobier, Jalyn Mae S. Canino, John Rafael N. Dela Paz, Ma. Joselie C. Garcia, Juliet S. Seva, and Sean Jomari B. Zuniga (Department of Broadcast Communication)
“Venereal Disease, Vulnerabilidad, at Tugon ng Patakarang Kolonyal, 1899-1917” – Ace Carlo S. Oronia, Dr. Raul Roland Sebastian, and Geneva G. Curato (Department of History)
“Of Digital Gigs and Side Hustles: Making Sense of Happiness, Economic Satisfaction, and the Future of Work in the Philippine Freelance Industry” – Emy Ruth Gianan (Department of Economics)
“Twitter’s Alter Community as Venue for Deviant Economic Coping Strategies during the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Philippines” – Mark Anthony M. Quintos (Department of Sociology)
“An Exploratory Study of Sugar Relationships in the Philippines” – Marianne Galvez and Mark Anthony M. Quintos (Department of Sociology)

The conference featured more than 120 research studies from across the country and some foreign participants as well. Plenary sessions featured talks from Health Futures Foundation President, Dr. Jaime Z. Galvez-Tan; Converge ICT Chief Executive Office and Co-founder, Dennis Anthony Uy; Seisa University – Japan Professor, Dr. Miwako Hosoda; Dr. Ramir Anthony T. Blanco, also from Health Futures Foundation; and Silliman University Professor, Dr. Jorge Augustin Emmanuel.

Some 300 participants joined the activity aimed at the theme: “Centering Social Sciences in Future-Proof Health and Well-Being.” To prevent and control future pandemics, the Congress believes that “an understanding of the evolving role of politics, international relations, global health, economics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and ethics merits urgent consideration by expert researchers.” Governments are then expected to back their policy decisions with robust scientific and medical evidence, equally grounded on the value of the social sciences.