January 8, 2025 | 12:00am
I am engaged in an academic research on how Filipinos can promote our country in the local and international markets. The Philippines has a colorful history, rich cultural heritage, and magnificent tourist destinations that are at par with the best in the world.
Aside from being postcard-perfect and Instagram-worthy, our local attractions were stunning settings of famous Filipino movies. These include Vigan, Ilocos Sur (“Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay”), Sagada (“That Thing Called Tadhana”), Albay (“Kailangan Kita”), Boracay (“When Love Begins”), Siargao (“Siargao”), Negros Occidental (“Oro Plata Mata”), Palawan (“Mr. and Mrs. Cruz”), Baler (“Baler”), Bacolod (“Everyday I Love You”), Intramuros (“Unofficially Yours”), and Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (“Quezon’s Game”).
Tourism helps the economy, but irresponsible practices may also harm the environment. Moving towards sustainability can be a good solution to protect the environment and support the local community that depends on tourism for its livelihood. Properly observing sustainable tourism can address relevant issues concerning the industry.
This insight gave my partner, Bong Quintana, an idea for the research topic he and his co-authors submitted to the third International Conference on Multidisciplinary Approach for Sustainable Society (ICMASS-2024), which was recently held in Singapore.
The two-day event brought together researchers, academicians, professionals, keynote speakers, and students. They discussed sustainability challenges from various disciplinary perspectives and developed comprehensive solutions, to have a better and more sustainable future.
There were 67 participants from more than 15 countries, including Turkey, Indonesia, Japan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Australia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
The meticulous peer-review process before the conference selected 63 research papers from 100 submissions. The studies delved into interesting themes like climate action, sustainable agriculture, the circular economy, education for sustainable development, health and well-being, and emerging technologies.
Bong received the Best Paper Presenter award with research titled “Exploring Trends and Challenges in the Philippine Tourism Industry through Visualization Analytics.” He was one of the three awardees for the category.
Joining the recognition were co-authors Jefferson Costales, Perlita Mallari, and Maria Rhoda Dinaga, who all represented Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST) with Bong.
He shared, “As a first-timer in the research arena, I was initially nervous, but the warm, welcoming atmosphere, especially from the organizers, made it incredibly memorable! When my name was called for Best Paper Presenter, I couldn’t stop smiling that my cheeks hurt.”
Bong encountered some challenges while doing the research paper but was grateful for overcoming them. “I worked with a very good mentor, Dr. Jefferson Costales, who taught me a lot of things.”
The third ICMASS-2024 was organized by Academia Researchlab Pvt. Ltd. with the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) as a leading partner. Dr. Sheryl Morales of PUP was the conference chair. Attendees left the forum with new learnings as they continue to work committedly towards global sustainability in their respective fields. The conference is set to have a more extensive scope and impact in its next edition which will be held at the Walchand Institute of Technology Solapur, India.
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