The search for an effective policy direction to contribute to the alleviation of rural poverty requires understanding of various socio-economic dynamics affecting the household. The central issue in the economic dimension is inefficiency in production, which may contribute to the widening income gap among rural households. Spatial externalities are introduced into a stochastic frontier model in the analysis of rural households’ efficiency in utilizing various factors of production including development interventions (infrastructure and capability-building activities) and other localized endowments. Output is measured in terms of income and perceptions on various aspects of rural development summarized into an index. Provision of rural roads and other rural infrastructure should be bundled properly with support services and capacity building activities. This can enhance the demand for other infrastructure and services resulting in a dynamic evolution of essential elements in the pursuit of rural development. Bundles of intervention improve production efficiency of rural households at the different stages of production in-farm and/or off-farm. Spatial indicators illustrate the role of geographical dynamics (physical, social and cultural factors) in rural development, justifying a site-specific, participatory approach in development intervention. Although site-specific interventions may be costly at first, they become more efficient in the long-run. Benefits from an intervention in one community are expected to produce ripple effects that reach its spatial neighbors. Stakeholders’ contribution in maintenance is feasible provided that there is a true sense of ownership of the infrastructure/project, usually evolving through a participatory approach. Public investment in infrastructure and user’s fees can complement one another; continuous provision of new infrastructure and maintenance of existing infrastructure can add up to a sustainable track towards rural development. A socialized user’s fee system can be used as a vehicle to prevent the potential widening of income disparity in rural areas. It is important however to carefully choose a suitable and acceptable basis for the socialized user’s fee rates. An incorrect choice can be perceived as a disincentive for access or might stimulate distrust among the affluent segment of the rural society regarding the sincerity of the government in pushing rural development. An unsuitable basis for user’s fee rates could thus eventually lead to more social problems instead of bridging inequality.
Jose Wendell P. Capili. 2007. “Subjectivity.” In At Home in Unhomeliness: The Philippine PEN Anthology of Postcolonial Poetry in English, Pp. 16. Manila: Philippine Center of the International PEN and University of Santo Tomas Publishing House.
The surface and growth conditions for the formation of textured polycrystalline bulk gallium nitride (GaN) crystals under nitrogen (N2) reactive plasma were investigated. Langmuir probe measurements were used to determine the electron density values near the Ga surface at different target locations and ranged from (6–16)×1010/cm2. Optical spectroscopy measurements showed reactive gallium (Ga) and nitrogen species present in the plasma. When the target was bombarded with highly energetic ions, peaks of sputtered Ga at 403 and 417 nm wavelengths were observed in the optical spectroscopy measurements. The top Ga surface showed increased roughening and the resulting crystals were of poor crystalline quality, with fresh Ga leftovers. Smoother crystals were formed when the Ga target was shielded from the direct bombardment of highly energetic N2 plasma, with no sputtered Ga peaks observed during the bombardment. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results revealed well-oriented crystals at the (0002) reflection of GaN. This proved that the shielding of highly energetic ions to decrease roughening of the surface and allowing more neutrals for the reaction were effective in forming well-oriented bulk GaN crystals.
Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of Predictive Emission Monitoring Systems (PEMS) as an alternative to the Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (CEMS) in monitoring emissions from industrial plant operations. PEMS is more cost effective compared to CEMS and has the added feature of diagnostic and trending capabilities. In view of its potential applicability in the country, a study was conducted in on the use of PEMS in a privately owned diesel power plant in the Philippines. A computer-based “first principles” PEMS model was developed to estimate emission concentrations levels for four criteria air pollutants, namely sulfur oxides (as SO2), nitrogen oxides (as NO2), particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO). Using plant operations data as input, the model simulates the diesel engine operations and predicts the resulting emission characteristics using stoichiometric and thermodynamic principles. The model was validated by comparing emission concentrations calculated using the model with actual emissions data measured. The model was calibrated using historical plant operation data to increase the PEMS accuracy. Additional refinements in the computer model, such as emission data recording and storage, were also done to increase the model’s handiness and practicability in operation. The study showed that the PEMS model developed for the diesel power plant could effectively predict PM emissions.
Purposive sampling is described as a random selection of sampling units within the segment of the population with the most information on the characteristic of interest. Nonparametric bootstrap is proposed in estimating location parameters and the corresponding variances. An estimate of bias and a measure of variance of the point estimate are computed using the Monte Carlo method. The bootstrap estimator of the population mean is efficient and consistent in the homogeneous, heterogeneous, and two-segment populations simulated. The design-unbiased approximation of the standard error estimate differs substantially from the bootstrap estimate in severely heterogeneous and positively skewed populations.
In this article, NGOs are seen as discursive fields where different discourses emerge and converge, and competing discourses fight for dominance. NGOs may be caught up in the web of power of discourses on development and democracy, and are therefore constituted by it. However, their praxis can also be a site where the resistance to the constituting processes of these discourses can be found. Understanding NGO discourses become particularly relevant especially in light of persistent questions regarding the role of NGOs in social transformation. By revealing transgressive moments in NGO praxis as illustrated in the institutional history of the Philippine Peasant Institute (PPI), the debate on the role of NGOs in social transformation is reframed away from the dichotomy between progressive versus counterprogressive work into how NGOs could retain its transgressive character and maintain its relevance in the continuing struggle toward social transformation.
How satisfied are Filipino college students with their lives and do their respective fathers and mothers accurately gauge this? In an empirical demonstration of self-other agreement in a family context, we investigated self-reports of global life satisfaction vis-á-vis father - and mother-judgments in a sample of N=68 student-mother-father triads using Diener et al’s (1985) Satisfaction With Life Scale validated using Sycip et al. (2000) measure of Filipino well -being. Results showed moderate convergence for self vs mother-reports, with a general overestimation bias for both fathers and mothers. Multiple regression analysis suggested that mother-reports, compared to father -reports, appeared to be better predictors of adolescent children's self-reported levels of life satisfaction, Students with mothers and fat hers who made less discrepant judgments also tended to have higher self-reported life satisfaction. Results are discussed using the Realistic Accuracy Model (RAM) of personality judgment (Funder, 1995) as well as findings in family psychology.
Using data from the 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey, this report presents baseline findings on Filipino men’s self-reported condom use during gay sex. A nationally representative sample of N = 4,766 Filipino men ages 15 to 54 indicate that 6.8% of sexually active men had had sex with another man at least once, with a higher proportion among the young adult, 15 to 24 year-old subset (15.5%). Despite prevalent beliefs that condoms could protect against disease, the level of actual condom use during first gay sex was very low (10.1%). Descriptive findings are analyzed using a sexual culture perspective, which points to further sexuality research directions including improved assessment of sexual behaviors and more in-depth investigation of social dynamics and contexts of sex between Filipino men.
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a convenient tool used in aggregating the indicators of sustainable development and providing indices where different weights are assigned to the various indicators. There are, however, problems in interpreting of indices, especially if time series data are used. This study explores the feasibility of applying recent developments in PCA of time series using Philippine data. We present the comparative advantages of SPCA (Sparse Principal Component Analysis) relative to averaging of an adequacy/inadequacy index and PCA in index construction from various indicators of sustainable development in the Philippines in terms of usefulness and validity of indices being developed. SPCA can attain sparse and non-overlapping loadings without losing a large amount of explained variance compared to PCA. Because of the non-overlapping contribution of variables in SPCA components, indices can have clear and mutually exclusive meanings, facilitating interpretation. Even with a more complicated algorithm, reduced dimensions and simpler interpretation of indices justify the advantages of SPCA over PCA in index construction. The indices are interpreted in terms of the milestone of sustainability in the Philippines. The resulting indices provide an adequate summary of the sustainable indicators and evidence of the importance of leadership and political will in sustainable development.
