This study argues that Home Economics education should begin at the kindergarten level, a foundational period in child development, to help enable students to improve their quality of life in the long term as individuals and members of families and communities. It sought to identify and validate Home Economics concepts, values, and learning competencies for Filipino kindergarten children, and to test selected competencies. A total of 23 experts in Home Economics Education, Family Life and Child Development, and Teaching Early Grades responded to an online survey to get their consensus on developmentally appropriate Home Economics content for Filipino kindergarten children; which yielded concepts that include clothing, food, and home management; values such as cleanliness, orderliness, and responsibility; and competencies like eating nutritious foods and practicing proper hygiene habits. Learning activity plans on four randomly selected Home Economics competencies were designed for the pilot testing participated in by 77 kindergarten children, which showed what they know, what they want to know, and what was learned. It appears that some of the competencies are already being targeted in the national kindergarten curriculum under different learning areas, and suggestions were made on how to emphasize a Home Economics perspective in classroom instruction. The need to validate more content to cover all the child development areas and curricular themes was also underscored. Further research may be conducted to support the creation of a developmentally appropriate national kindergarten curriculum framework that recognizes Home Economics as an integral learning area.

Foodborne disease outbreaks (FBDOs) remain a major public health concern, especially in developing countries like the Philippines, where school-based food establishments frequently report such incidents. While regulatory frameworks exist, gaps persist between food safety knowledge and actual practice. This study explores these gaps by 1) providing a comprehensive overview of the existing food safety standards, rules, and regulations governing cafeterias in UP Diliman (UPD), 2) assessing worker compliance to food safety standards, and 3) identifying the challenges that UPD cafeteria employees encounter in observing food safety practices. Employing a qualitative approach, this study utilized a written correspondence supplemented by an interview from a key informant from the UPD Food Service Regulatory Committee (FSRC), and a semi-structured interview with cafeteria employees. Findings revealed a notable disconnect between institutional food safety policies and their implementation at the operational and personal level. Particularly, while the university—with the FSRC serving as administrators—has established inspection routines, sanitation protocols, and orientation sessions, these mechanisms are inconsistently applied or poorly communicated. For one, at the operational level, employees reported limited access to formal guidelines such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), variation in food safety and sanitation inspections, and absence of a formally designated food safety officer. Additionally, inadequate infrastructure, resource limitations, and environmental hazards further compromise compliance. On a personal level, cafeteria employees reported having knowledge and skill gaps, inconsistent hygiene practices, and human errors or oversights. In sum, these challenges reflect a fragmented administration of the university-wide regulations which further compound the operational and personal challenges encountered by cafeteria employees. In light of these findings, the study recommends the institutionalization of a university-wide food safety manual, the establishment of monitoring systems with designated food safety officers, and the implementation of regular needs assessments to inform targeted capacity-building programs for cafeteria operators and employees.

In order to address the dwindling number of Blaan weavers, this study aimed to analyze the behaviors of Blaan youth in Barangay Assumption, Koronadal City, towards participating in the weaving industry. This descriptive case study used semi-structured interviews to gather data in situ. Interviews were conducted with four elder weavers selected purposively, and five younger weavers recruited through snowball sampling. The Theory of Planned Behavior was used to analyse the data. Behavior referred to weaving participation determined by attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control (PBC). It was found that weaving was revived in the community as a cottage industry through the efforts of elder weavers who taught it to young Blaans through the Indigenous People’s Education Program (IPEd) in their elementary school. The younger weavers’ positive attitude was due to their appreciation of their textiles’ cultural significance; enjoyment from weaving; and pride for having a unique skill. While there is little social pressure (subjective norms), their family and friends’ favourable view on weaving motivates them. The extent of performing weaving (PBC) is enabled by the available resources for learning and practicing the craft provided in IPEd, at no cost. Additional funds for IPEd would increase the number of students in the weaving classes. Moreover, Blaan weavers who have learned the craft from their childhood through family members would participate more in the weaving industry, and would continue to do so if it turned into a sustainable income. The research concludes that weaving’s continuity is possible; however, more young Blaans would be motivated to participate in the weaving industry if they are given the infrastructural support they so need. For future studies, it is recommended that young non-weavers should be included as well.

With the increase in adoptive families in the Philippines, it is crucial to learn more about their experiences, especially with the dearth of local adoption studies. This study aimed to look into adoptive parents’ experiences before and after adoption. Participants of this study were 11 Filipino adoptive parents from the National Capital Region (NCR) who legally adopted their child at least 6 months before joining the study. Upon adoption, the ages of their children ranged from less than 1 month to 1 year and 10 months old. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a thematic analysis. The family systems theory was also used to further understand the findings of the study. The following themes emerged from the study. Adoptive parents had positive perspectives towards adoption even before adopting their child. This led them to have attitudes open to the possibility of adoption. Preparation involved preparing their respective families, workplaces, and selves. It also involved a time-consuming legal process. Responsibilities involved typical parental responsibilities, and also responsibilities with their child’s adoption socialization, emotional wellbeing, and dealing with unsupportive relatives. Parents of children who adopted a child at 10 months and older also had additional responsibilities in getting to know their child’s pre-adoption lives. The findings of this study suggest that early exposure to the concept of adoption leads to positive perspectives towards adoption. It also highlights the importance of openly discussing the child’s adoptive status in an age-appropriate manner, and making an effort to learn about the child’s life even before they were adopted.

This study was conducted to characterize and quantify the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic fruit juice properties, namely heating temperature (T), pH, and natamycin concentration (NAT) on the thermal reduction times (D T values) of a resistant yeast strain. In the first phase of the study, a two-stage screening was conducted: 17 yeast strains were first treated at 55°C for 5 minutes in Yeast Extract Peptone Glucose Broth, then the 6 most resistant were tested in orange juice at 50–60°C to determine their D T and z-values and identify the most heat-resistant strain. In the second phase, Central Composite Rotatable Design of Experiment (CCRD) was employed to identify simulated fruit juice (SFJ) formulations with specific T, pH, and NAT combinations that served as a suspending medium for the target microorganism. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to establish a model that characterized and quantified the effects of the key variables on the DT values, which were determined using the model-fitting method. Lastly, application of the developed predictive model was done in Philippine native lemon juice drink (PLD) as a real fruit juice system. Results showed that Pichia fermentans BFE38 exhibited the greatest (p < 0.05) DT values at 50–55°C. However, the test isolate with the greatest z-value (p < 0.05) was found to be Pichia anomala (BIOTECH 2205), which was identified as the target microorganism for the predictive model building. RSM results showed that the individual linear of all variables (T, pH, and NAT), individual quadratic (T²), and factor interactions (pH × T) were found to significantly influence thermal inactivation (p < 0.05). Predictive performance indices (Af and Bf) were within the acceptable values. Both predicted and actual pasteurization treatments using the full model achieved microbial reductions compliant with safety standards while maintaining stable physicochemical and color attributes.