#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

 MESSAGE
Greetings from the oldest and largest communication organization in the Philippines!

I’m humbled to present to all of you the compendium of abstracts for the 2021
edition of the Communication and Media Studies Conference (CMSC).

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we know the importance of pushing for events like
this one mainly because we know how effective communication and accurate information
can potentially save lives.

By pursuing CMSC, we are clearly sending a strong message that our work should
continue because our discipline plays a vital role in finding solutions to this worldwide
problem. While we communicators and media educators are not in the frontlines of curbing
the spread of COVID-19, we contribute in the area of conveying effective messages that will
keep the public informed, secured and safe.

I’m grateful to everyone who submitted their research papers and presented it here
in our virtual conference. Aside from obtaining a great yield of academic papers this year, we
are also delighted to include paper presenters from Thailand—a great sign that PACE is now
ready to hold our first international conference.

We in PACE commit to work harder for the greater growth and development of the
field of communication and its allied disciplines. Keep safe and PACE be with you!

DR. ROWENA CAPULONG-REYES

PACE President

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media
 PACE CMSC 2021
PAPER PRESENTATIONS
Parallel Sessions

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Day 01
Communication and Media Landscape in Southeast Asia in the New Normal

Parallel Session A: Framing Analysis of News Media and Government Institutions’

COVID-19 Pandemic Reports
Moderator: Dr. Janet S. Tibaldo

• 06 | Content Analysis of the Facebook Pages of LGUs during the Initial Stages of the
COVID-19 Pandemic

• 07 | Content Analysis of Social Media Messages from DOH and CNN Philippines During
the COVID-19 Pandemic

• 08 | News Framing of COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines and in China: An Analysis

of Select Online News Media

Parallel Session B: Learning during the Pandemic

Moderator: Prof. Mark Lester Chico

• 09 | Adjusting to the New Normal: Exploring Alternative Learning Strategies for

DevCom Students

• 10 | Student Satisfaction on Remote Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

Parallel Session C: Science Communication and Narratives of Struggles
Moderator: Dr. Ma. Theresa Rivera

• 11 | Dominant Voices in the Era of Disaster: Representation of Science in Online News

Reportage of COVID-19 Pandemic

• 12 | Framing Science in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Critique of CNN’s “Glocal”

• 13 | Life as a Drama: A Textual Analysis of the Philippine Press Coverage of the 04 to 18

August Filipina and Filipino Medical Workers’ Timeout

• 14 | Quarantine Films on Public Health Crisis in the Philippines: A Thematic Analysis of

the Pandemic Narratives in the Virtual Public Sphere

Parallel Session D: Culture Industry in Social Media and Over-the-Top Platforms

Moderator: Prof. Ulderico Alviola

• 15 | The Rise of Targeted and Programmatic Advertising on Over-the-Top (OTT)

Platforms

• 16 | Online Giveaways: A Spectacle of Culture Industry on Instagram and YouTube

• 17 | Big Data to Big Impact: A Correlational Analysis of Customer Analytics and Brand
Performance

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

Day 02
The What, Why, and How of Well-Being during the New Normal: A Positive
Psychology Perspective

Parallel Session A: Trajectories of Work Climate and MIL

Moderator: Dr. Brian Bantugan

• 18 | Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Communications Climate in Organization of the

Industry Section in Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

• 19 | Webinars and Professional Development of Faculty during the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The SPAMAST Experience

• 20 | Expectations and Realities: A Descriptive Study on the Media and Information

Literacy Levels of Metro Manila Senior High School Millennials

Parallel Session B: Surviving and Thriving in the Crisis

Moderator: Prof. Jed Asaph Cortes

• 21 | Analysis of the Cognitive Effects of IATF-EID’s COVID-19 Guidelines through the

Utilized Mediums of Select Respondents of Cabuyao, Laguna

• 22 | Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Personality Traits, and Stress Levels of Senior

High School Students at De La Salle Medical and Health Science Institute

• 23 | Socially Distant(?): How COVID-19 Survivors’ Interaction Change After Recovery

Parallel Session C: Quarantine Queering and Gaming

Moderator: Dr. Gwenetha Pusta

• 24 | Good Game, Well Played: Development of Interpersonal Relationship between

Games through Communication and Social Interaction in the Online Community
during Quarantine

• 25 | “Oy, Pare! I love you!”: Representation of Gay Characters in Filipino BL Series

• 26 | Queerying Mediated Intimate Romance in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

 PACE CMSC 2021
PAPER PRESENTATIONS
Parallel Sessions

DAY 01
“Communication and Media Landscape in Southeast Asia in the New Normal”

Parallel Session A: Framing Analysis of News Media and Government Institutions’

COVID-19 Pandemic Reports
Moderator: Dr. Janet S. Tibaldo

Content Analysis of the Facebook Pages of LGUs during the Initial Stages of the
COVID-19 Pandemic
J. Ynares, J. De Vera, C. Giray, M. Cube, K. G. Maligaya
De La Salle – College of St. Benilde Antipolo

The study was conducted to determine which type of information by which

the three mayors from Rizal posted most about in their personal Facebook pages.
Content analysis was used to examine the (number) posts from all of their Facebook
pages starting from the months of March to May, the first three months of the
COVID-19 Pandemic. The researchers used a quantitative approach that described
the means of collecting, analyzing and presenting the data. This was coded into five
categories: COVID/non-COVID, medium of posts, frequency of posts, engagement
and type of information. Significantly, the criteria considered in selecting a post if it is
COVID-19 or non-COVID-19 are about updates of active cases, relief operations,
testing, COVID-19 programs, isolation facilities and information about COVID-19.
Results showed that the content of the Facebook pages during the initial stages of the
COVID-19 pandemic focused on posting about COVID-19 programs, relief operations,
and updates about the number of cases in their communities. The Facebook page of
Jun-Andeng Ynares put up 249 posts throughout the initial stages of the pandemic,
second is Joric Gacula with 214 posts and 187 posts for Jerimae Calderon. This led to
an assumption that the Facebook page of Mayor Ynares is the most active among the
two Facebook pages. Consequently, all of the Facebook pages gathered reactions of
more than 80,000 across reactions, comments and shares. The personal Facebook
pages of the mayors of Angono, Antipolo, and Taytay were all used as a platform to
inform their constituents about what are the programs they have put in place to
combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Fundamentally, the findings showed that the
utilization of Facebook to further a political agenda serves as a medium of
communication to the community about COVID-19.

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Content Analysis of Social Media Messages from DOH and CNN Philippines
During the COVID-19 Pandemic
M. K. Kambale
Far Eastern University Manila

The advent of the Internet has brought several mutations in the contemporary
lifestyle and has influenced the communication process in all levels of the society.
Finding information about situations which surround individuals has been made easy
with the development of social networking sites. This study was based on a content
analysis method, conducted in the Philippines, and was focused on the exploration of
social media to analyze their content during the Enhanced Community Quarantine
(ECQ). The researcher examined how Facebook has been used to disseminate
information on COVID-19 during the ECQ, described the nature of frames in the posts
on the Department of Health (DOH) and Cable News Network (CNN) Philippines
Facebook pages which were related to COVID-19, determined their difference in the
framing of messages on COVID-19, and measured the occurrence of frames used by
the selected Facebook pages. The researcher analyzed 96 posts as 48 from the DOH
Facebook page and 48 for the CNN Philippines Facebook page. The selected pages
used videos, pictures or posters, and texts to disseminate information on COVID-19.
Using the Framing Theory and the Social Amplification Theory, both applied to new
media and in the context of the online communication in order to interpret the data.
The researcher found that the development of the disease predominated the framing
in the two selected pages. However, having different ownerships and different
ownerships, the other frames helped to balance their framing in a view of attenuation
and amplification of risks.

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media 07

 News Framing of COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines and in China: An
Analysis of Select Online News Media
M. T. De Guzman, A. Yang
University of the Philippines Diliman

This paper is a quantitative content analysis which aims to identify and compare the
frames and affective tones utilized by select online media platforms in China and in
the Philippines in their news articles on the COVID-19 pandemic. Two major online
media were selected from each country. A total of 228 articles were collected from the
four media platforms covering the three periods of the COVID-19 pandemic:
pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post lockdown; half of the total number of articles
collected were utilized as the sample. Results show similarities and differences in the
frame distribution, in either density or predominance, as well as in the affective tones.
The results also reflect differences in the journalistic practices in the two countries as
presented in the frames and affective tones; hence, facilitates the understanding of
the journalistic practices of the two countries in so far as framing is concerned.

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Parallel Session B: Learning during the Pandemic
Moderator: Prof. Mark Lester Chico

Adjusting to the New Normal: Exploring Alternative Learning Strategies for

DevCom Students
A. M. C. Malonzo, C. A. N. Vallejo
Central Luzon State University

The Department of Development Communication (DevCom) implemented a

Blended Learning (BL) approach for selected major DevCom subjects for the 2nd
Semester of A.Y. 2019-2020. With the blended learning strategy, different modalities
such as Google Classroom LMS, lecture videos, games, as well as the traditional F2F,
were utilized to deliver the subjects. Moreover, asynchronous learning was placed to
allow students to learn at their own pace and choose what activities/assessments they
want to do first. This initiative was first conceptualized as action research that could
serve as a baseline to help the department transition its major subjects to blended.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the objectives of the study were modified to
determine an alternative teaching and learning strategy for students. The study
evaluated the blended learning approach used by the DevCom department, determined
the capability and resources of its students to engage in different distance learning
platforms, identified students’ learning preferences, and suggested appropriate
alternative learning strategies for DevCom students given the new normal. Results of the
evaluation of the BL strategy revealed that blended learning does not directly contribute
to academic performance, however, it helps students in managing their studies.
Responses from students were generally positive and appreciative of the learning
strategy as it helped them cope easily in transitioning to an online platform. Moreover,
75.4% of the students prefer the use of blended learning, which combines online and
face-to-face, more than other learning approaches such as online, traditional, and offline
learning. With 66.2% of the students solely relying on mobile data for internet access,
the majority of the students, 55.4%, are not in favor of having pure online classes. The
blended learning strategy helped students to adjust to distance learning. Their
unfavorable behavior towards online learning is not due to their lack of skills to shift to
online but the unavailability of resources such as personal computers and stable
internet connection. The results of the study were utilized to formulate a Flexible
Learning Guide which categorized DevCom students based on their resources and
capabilities for different learning modes. The learning guide was presented to the
Central Luzon State University during the Council of Deans meeting and to CHED
Region III during their survey visit to assess the readiness of universities for the new
normal.

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media 09

 Student Satisfaction on Remote Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic
M. dG. Dizon, DComm
University of the Philippines Los Baños

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, universities rapidly introduced remote

learning in 2020 to limit virus transmission. This unprecedented move was also
considered to preserve the potential to deliver quality University education. However,
given the rapid and emergency nature of such initiative, it is possible that this newly
implemented education ecosystem is less than ideal. The study aimed at determining
the perceived satisfaction of 27 University of the Philippines Los Banos students
enrolled in a general education course (COMM 10) using purely remote learning
modality during the first semester of academic year 2020-2021. The study used the
survey method (Google) to collect students’ demography and their perceived
satisfaction using the Likert-scale (1 for Strongly Disagree – 5 for Strongly Agree). Cross
tabulation method was used to quantitatively analyze the relationship between multiple
demographic characteristics, namely: age, number of units enrolled, sex, regional origin,
classification, connectivity status, and nature of gadgets used versus their perceived
satisfaction on the following variables: the remote (blended) learning environment,
use of Zoom for synchronous interaction, use of Google for asynchronous interaction,
teacher’s feedback on requirements, and their general satisfaction on the effectivity
of the online learning environment.

Results of the study indicated that specific demographic characteristics earlier

identified have little effect on the variance of their perceived satisfaction on the course
(std dev ranging from 0.934 to 1.122). Based on the mean value of cross tabulations
done on the students’ selected demographic characteristics, they “Agree” that they are
generally satisfied with the course’s remote blended learning set-up (x̄ =3.78); use of
Zoom for synchronous interaction (x̄ =3.845); use of Google for asynchronous
interaction (x̄ =4.1225); and the promptness and nature of feedback provided by the
professor (x̄ =4.39). However, when asked about the general effectivity of the remote
learning modality for them, the students ”neither agree or disagree” (x̄ =2.52). Such
indecisiveness may be because, while they prefer the regular face-to-face classroom
interaction, they know that the COVID-19 pandemic prohibits them to be in that
situation. Results of the study can be used as a springboard to further improve
remote learning in the coming semesters.

10 #CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

Parallel Session C: Science Communication and Narratives of Struggles
Moderator: Dr. Ma. Theresa Rivera

Dominant Voices in the Era of Disaster: Representation of Science in Online

News Reportage of COVID-19 Pandemic
R. G. Agustin, J. Z. C. Agustin
Cavite State University, De La Salle University – Dasmariñas

In cases of health crises, such as the one brought by the COVID-19 pandemic,
when relying on scientific information is crucial, it would be interesting to investigate
how much voice is given to scientists and the information that they give in science news
stories, which is the people’s main access to information about the matter. Anchored on
Nisbet’s (2009) news framing theory, Goldemberg’s (1998) roles of science, and
Druckman and Parkin’s (2005) measurement of space, this paper aimed to analyze the
coverage of two online news portals – CNN Philippines and CNN International – to
uncover the news frames, roles of science, and dominant voices in the science articles
they published from January to May 2020. The paper analyzed a total of 40 science
news articles and identified their overarching messages, implied roles of science and
spaces provided for attributions. They differ in their framing and portrayed roles of
science. CNN Philippines’s science news were generally framed as precaution with
being involved in the government as the portrayed role while CNN International’s
articles were generally conveying scientific uncertainty with the purpose to inform and
educate. However, both news portals give the majority of their science news article
spaces to the voice of scientists and experts.

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media 11

 Framing Science in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Critique of CNN’s “Glocal”
E. Collo, Jr.
University of the Philippines Los Baños

This century has necessitated scholars to probe the credence of science in the
news reportage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this paper aims to establish the
place of science as treated by CNN against the backdrop of this global health crisis.
Using Nisbet’s (2009) typology as the new paradigm in public engagement and through
the rigors of content analysis, this paper argues that CNN Philippines’ news articles are
mostly framed under scientific/technical uncertainty which holds science with the
highest esteem in decision-making, but it also disregards its authority for political
reasons. Meanwhile, CNN International frames science under social progress by
introducing preventative and non-pharmaceutical interventions in the coronavirus
mitigation. Further, as guided by Yanovitzky and Weber (2019), this paper articulates
that, in this time of pandemic, mobilization and awareness are the predominant
functions of CNN in the reportage of science. These functions have initially provoked
action among policy actors through relevant information. Essentially, this paper offers
a perceptive look into an emerging dimension for science communication scholars:
the gulf between science and politics as prompted by the politicization of key pandemic
decisions.

12 #CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

Life as a Drama: A Textual Analysis of the Philippine Press Coverage of the 04
to 18 August Filipina and Filipino Medical Workers’ Timeout
M. O. Dasig, Jr., PhD, CST
Colegio de San Juan De Letran Manila

The "Covid-19" pandemic drastically changed people's way of life as well as their
perceptions of normalcy. It also manifested the vulnerabilities of people from various
cultures and professions, thus creating a "power struggle" between those who are
privileged, proactive, resilient, influential, and fragile. The Philippines is not exempt
from this scenario given the previous natural disasters that befell the nation and its
impact on their culture. Using Gramson's and Modigliani's (1989) framing techniques
as applied in journalism, the study seeks to examine the depiction and portrayal of
Filipino and Filipina medical workers as "heroes and heroines" of the pandemic in the
Philippine press coverage of the 04 to 18 August medical workers "timeout". The
researcher will investigate how this imaging and representation amplified the existence
of a "counter-narrative" to the dominant story (the government's conflicted response
to the pandemic). Broadcast and online news reports about the "timeout" during the
aforementioned period (specifically its textual, visual, and thematic content) will be
scrutinized.

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media 13

 Quarantine Films on Public Health Crisis in the Philippines: A Thematic Analysis
of the Pandemic Narratives in the Virtual Public Sphere
H. Cabasal
Far Eastern University Manila

During the period of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), Modified

Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), and General Community Quarantine (GCQ)
implemented by the national government as precautionary measures to quell the
spread of the COVID-19 in the Philippines, the "alternative cinema" (e.g. short feature,
documentary, experimental, and animated films) as a mode of production distinct from
mainstream and independent filmmaking played a crucial role during the time of public
health crisis by its critical and creative presentation of the ongoing pandemic narratives
in the country. This paper textually and contextually analyzed the themes of
audio-visual works produced by the participants of "Visual Expressions of Quarantine"
(Likhang Mulat of FEU Department of Communication); "Quarantimes: Short Films
from the Region" (North Luzon Cinema Guild, Inc.); "#QuarantineStories" (Makata Indie
Film Festival); "Quarantined Lives" (Project Space Pilipinas); and "Buhay-Quarantine"
(Video Home Festival) that were screened in social media platforms such as Facebook
and YouTube. The objective is to understand and articulate how the dominant themes
presented in the "quarantine films" as media texts interpret the lived experiences of
the Filipinos during the first six months and so (March-September, 2020) of the
pandemic. As a result, the "quarantine films" explored and substantiated the themes
of struggles that lead to mental health issues; unemployment surge that leads to
financial stress; hunger that leads to a desperate need for relief goods; inaccessibility
of online classes in the remote areas; abuse and violation of human rights of the
marginalized; safety and welfare of the frontliners; and productivity, faith, and hope
amidst the pandemic. These data are used as a basis in theorizing the said films that
advance a developing concept of "virtual public sphere" as a new normal of
communication and media anchored in Jürgen Habermas’ (1962) notion of public
sphere which is "a realm of social life in which public opinion can be formed." This
paper concludes that "quarantine films" as critical media texts not only chronicle the
phenomenological experiences of the Filipinos in the period of uncertainty but most
importantly expose a plethora of problems and social ills highlighted by a public health
crisis based on reflexive and reflective observations of the filmmaker-artists and their
virtual audiences.

14 #CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

Parallel Session D: Culture Industry in Social Media and Over-the-Top Platforms
Moderator: Prof. Ulderico Alviola

The Rise of Targeted and Programmatic Advertising on Over-the-Top (OTT)

Platforms
N. Kaewrot, P. Bunleas, U. Srisuwan
University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce

For half a decade, consumers have been shifting away from traditional satellite or cable
TVs to online streaming services like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Video, HBO Go, or LINE
TV. These platforms are also known as OTT (Over-the-Top) which refers to the device
installed over the top of TVs offering streaming content. The ongoing Covid-19
pandemic has propelled the expansion of the users base of OTT (Over-The-Top) services
as many countries have been forced to lockdown their cities. It is well proven that VDOs
are more effective to grab consumers attention than any other content forms,
streaming devices are, therefore, increasingly dominating the digital consumer space.
Placing advertisement on OTT platforms allows brands to get messages delivered with
competitive advantages comparing to traditional platforms. Apparently, online audiences
command viewing flexibility across multiple devices they own from smart TVs to mobile
devices. According to a research, ad-supported streaming has gained popularity among
advertisers in Thailand, where around 70% of the viewers can be reached. Advertisers
and brands turn to utilize more targeted ads due to their effectiveness in reaching the
right audiences at the right time through programmatic ads buying. This article uses the
document analysis method to analyze the relevant information from research and news
articles to explain the emerging uses of targeted advertising to personalize commercial
messages to individual customers as well as featuring some Artificial Intelligence
technology concept involved including Machine learning (ML), Natural Language
Processing (NLP), and Recommender Systems (RS).

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media 15

 Online Giveaways: A Spectacle of Culture Industry on Instagram and YouTube
D. A. S. Dancel
University of the Philippines Diliman

My study "Online Giveaways: A Spectacle of Culture Industry on Instagram and

YouTube" presents the trend that occurred in the Philippines during the COVID-19
pandemic (March 16, 2020, onwards), the existence of online giveaways on YouTube
and Instagram. This spectacle was created by digital media influencers such as content
creators, YouTubers, and online business owners who became popular in social media
because of the impact they cause to their audience's consumption of their contents.

I will also focus on the culture that this industry has created, the culture of
creating, participating, and earning from these giveaways. From the unexpected
manifestation of these social media strategies, how were these contents consumed by
online users? how did these promos created a culture of participation? will these online
giveaways end as the Coronavirus ends?

16 #CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

Big Data to Big Impact: A Correlational Analysis of Customer Analytics and Brand
Performance
D. M. Lacap
University of Santo Tomas

Mining and analyzing valuable knowledge hidden behind data is becoming a

fundamental prerequisite for any effective and successful strategic marketing campaign.
Big data analysis helps describe customer's behavior, understand their habits, and
develop appropriate marketing plans. However, customer analytics' relationship on
brand performance has lacked focus in the literature to date. The study aims to
understand the relationship between customer analytics and brand performance, which
could improve marketing campaigns. There's also a need to fill the knowledge gap since
data generation is exploding, and the function of marketing is becoming more
sophisticated and personalized. The researcher developed a theoretical framework by
reviewing previous literature works to see how customer analytics is related to brand
performance. Triangulation method will be used to test, identify, and determine the
relationship between the variables.

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media 17

 PACE CMSC 2021
PAPER PRESENTATIONS
Parallel Sessions

DAY 02
“The What, Why, and How of Well-Being during the New Normal: A Positive
Psychology Perspective”

Parallel Session A: Trajectories of Work Climate and MIL

Moderator: Dr. Brian Bantugan

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Communications Climate in Organization of the

Industry Section in Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic
N. Jitprapai, J. Kheokao
University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce

The communication can be realistically viewed as the most fundamental of all

managerial activities and as the core process of organizational behavior, but in the
incident situation that the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is the big crisis of the
world which continue from 2019 to present. The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
has affected to all part of social, especial in the industry which has many employees who
is a human capital in economics system. This study aimed at analyzing a confirmatory
factor and verifying convergence of factors related to communications climate in
organization of the industry section in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The
study was conducted by quantitative method from 500 samples which is proceeded
probability random sampling. Data collection was gathered by questionnaire is
composed of the five-point scale that Cronbach alpha reliability for all items indicated a
high value of 0.814 at the overall reliability. It used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to
detect the underlying latent variables that significantly determine the communications
climate in organization. The result founded that six components correlated to
communications climate in organization of the industry section in the second wave of
the COVID-19 pandemic consisted; trust, leadership, message, supporting, co-making
decision, media by using AMOS version 24. Moreover, the components had convergence
with empirical evidence along with indexes consisted 2 = 49.944, df = 39, P-value =
0.113, CMIN/df = 1.281, GFI = 0.984, RMSEA = 0.024, GFI = 0.984. The standardized factor
loading of every indicator shows high criterion with statistical significance at 0.001 and
can be utilized to communications climate in organization of the industry section in the
second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Webinars and Professional Development of Faculty during the COVID-19 Pandemic:
The SPAMAST Experience
E. J. Quijano
Southern Philippines Agribusiness and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of college instructors
in joining webinars and professional development-related activities during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Southern Philippines Agribusiness and Marine and Aquatic School
of Technology (SPAMAST) is a level 3 state college in the province of Davao Occidental,
Philippines. In its thirty-eight years, the state college is one of the Higher Educational
Institutions in the country. Research design employed in this study was phenomenology
as it explained well the experiences and perspectives of the college instructors. Ten
college instructors from SPAMAST were selected through purposive sampling. Through
in-depth interviews and focus group discussion it was revealed that poor to no internet
connection, self-motivation and interest, engagement and professional development,
and informative and convenient were the issues which escalated as regards to the
college instructors’ experiences on webinars and professional development during the
new normal. As to their coping mechanisms: personal expenses on internet connection,
patience and perseverance, efficiency and creativity, and interest and necessity of
webinar. The insights that the college instructor can share to the academe and general:
new knowledge and learning, necessity of good internet connection, convenience and
finding for solutions, engagement and cost-effective. This study has significance in the
field of education in facing the challenges brought by the new normal.

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media 19

 Expectations and Realities: A Descriptive Study on the Media and Information
Literacy Levels of Metro Manila Senior High School Millenials
I. J. Talusan
Far Eastern University Manila

The study describes the media literacy levels of senior high school learners in the
Philippines through their exposure, knowledge, and usage by using the concepts of
Potter’s Cognitive Theory of Media Literacy and Alagaran’s Explore, Engage, and
Empower Model. A mixed-method was deployed through conducting surveys to 197
respondents and focus group discussions to 17 participants from a subset sample of
Grade 11 and 12 students of Rizal High School. Results and findings showed that senior
high school millennials in the study are highly social media-based, highly motivated than
knowledgeable, experience-based than factual-based, and suggestive than reflective.
They also prioritize in being critical media users than competent producers. The study
concludes that to maximize the 80-hour Media and Information Literacy subject,
curriculum developers should decide whether to promote or focus - promote traditional
media, developmental orientation, and quality production or focus on learner-preferred
social media, individual orientation, and critical thinking.

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Parallel Session B: Surviving and Thriving in the Crisis

Analysis of the Cognitive Effects of IATF-EID’s COVID-19 Guidelines through the

Utilized Mediums of Select Respondents of Cabuyao, Laguna
I. P. Chu, M. J. Opiña, A. T. Tagamolila
Malayan Colleges Laguna

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced media institutions into a
heightened information dissemination campaign. With the Inter-Agency Task Force for
the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) tapped as the central unit
for handling the pandemic, media institutions rely on this agency to disseminate timely
and relevant information to the masses. Previous international research probed into
audience dependency in times of crisis, human cognition, and medium separately; thus,
has been unable to comprehensively examine the relationship between cognition,
medium, and audience dependency to media as a whole. With this, the importance of
analyzing the cognition, medium, and audience dependency in a local context will enable
us to find out how the information from IATF-EID are being processed cognitively
specifically the ability to acquire (awareness), remember (recall), and share (language)
information by the select residents of Cabuyao, Laguna. By doing a qualitative research
that focuses on data gathered through a survey method and focus group discussions,
the researchers want to determine whether the IATF-EID guidelines and the platforms
of the City Public Information Office (CIO) were able to affect the cognitive processes of
the residents of Cabuyao primarily those that utilizes television and social media in
obtaining information.

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media 21

 Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Personality Traits, and Stress Levels of Senior
High School Students at De La Salle Medical and Health Science Institute
L. J. C. Conwi
De La Salle Health Sciences Institute

Students involved with medical school are perceived as being stressful because of
the difficulties in the field. The study was conducted to determine the relationship of
personality traits and stress level as basis for the development of counseling intervention
for senior high school students. This study utilized descriptive correlational method. The
study involved 1,003 senior high school students, with ages ranging from 15-20 years old.
Research instrument used were the personal data sheet, individual personality inventory
scale, student stress inventory. Frequencies, percentages, standard deviation, Eta
coefficient, Spearman rank correlation coefficient and P-value were the statistical
measures employed in the analysis of data. Majority of the senior high school students
are 16-17 years old. Females outnumbered male students in the population. The
average monthly family income was ₱50,001 to ₱100,000. Most students were living with
two biological parents and one sibling. Senior high school student’s dominant
personality types are extraversion and agreeableness. Also, the result revealed that the
leading stressors centered on academic workload, anxiety, high expectation of parents
and environmental concern. In general, there was no significant relationship between
personality traits and stress level in the study. However, it was found that there is
significant positive correlation between personality trait of neuroticism and the stress
level of the students. In addition, there is significant negative correlation between
personality trait of extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness and stress level of
the students. Meanwhile, there is no significant and negative relationship between the
personality trait of agreeableness and stress level of the students.

22 #CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

Socially Distant(?): How COVID-19 Survivors’ Interaction Change After Recovery
J. N. Dellosa, D. Dequino, E. Arceta, B. Gaton
De La Salle – College of St. Benilde Antipolo

In the year 2020, the world has been struck by an unprecedented health crisis--
Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19 for brevity). The survival rate of the disease is
relatively high; given this information, the study’s main goal is to narrate the experiences
of COVID-19 survivors and to determine COVID-19 survivors’ changes in interaction in
verbal and non-verbal cues. This research is a qualitative study and used a judgment
sampling. The study interviewed 10 different COVID-19 survivors from different places
and of different ages to provide a variety of informants. The Results of this study is
categorized into 3 main categories: The Informant’s Emotion During COVID-19 and After
Recovery, Interaction After Recovery, and Factors in The Informants’ Community that
have affected their interaction. The general results which were scraped from the
informants in this study cannot support the stigma against COVID-19 exist because only
one of the informants have claimed that they have been actively stigmatized; however,
there are significant changes that the informants have disclosed that is worth noting for
e.g., the parents of the informant tends to become overprotective after recovery, one of
the informant claimed that his friends have lessen COVID-19 jokes around him, and one
of the informant said that his boss’ jokes had a negative impact on him. Moreover, the
informants have also believed that there are certain factors that highly affected the
different ways people interacted with them: Education of the Community, Type of
Residency (if the informants live in a set-up where houses are closer to one another),
Profession of the Community, Local Government Action, and Spirituality of the
community. Lastly, the researchers have noticed a trend that the informants manifested
internalized oppression because they have accepted that people would stigmatize them,
hence, they would keep their COVID-19 infection a secret and/or hamper their
interaction with other people. The researchers observed a great need to educate the
community and a stronger local government action to reduce stigma and to re-integrate
COVID-19 survivors back to the community. Proper aftercare towards COVID-19 survivors
should also be prioritized (both mental and physical health). Understanding how to
effectively integrate COVID-19 survivors back to society is important especially as we try
to return to normalcy.

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media 23

 Parallel Session C: Quarantine Queering and Gaming
Moderator: Dr. Gwenetha Pusta

Good Game, Well Played: Development of Interpersonal Relationship between

Games through Communication and Social Interaction in the Online Community
during Quarantine
C. Dela Cruz, J. Gajudo, C. J. Balangue, P. Miranda
De La Salle – College of St. Benilde Antipolo

At the time of the pandemic, it is inevitable for the rise of online communication and
online gaming to happen, the lockdown has caused people to stay at home and prevent
physical social interaction. This study, therefore, covers the development of interpersonal
relationships between gamers through in-game communication during the quarantine. Using
online focus interviews, the study focused on the built relationships inside the gaming
community of four specific multiplayer games: Call of Duty Warzone, Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare, Call of Duty Mobile, and Mobile Legends. The Social Information Processing Theory
anchored the study. The following respondents of the research are 16-23 years old and all
eight of the respondents are male gamers. The majority of these games are centered around
the multiplayer type of gaming wherein gamers also use voice channels as communication
tools to their teammates. The influences of their desire to participate in gaming came from
their friends, siblings, and social media advertisements. These gamers present themselves in
an online gaming community based on their comfortability. Some of them prefer to show
their real personality despite communicating with random players and others are hesitant to
share information about themselves for security purposes of their identity. While the other
gamers are just simply going with the flow and have respect for every gamer he plays with.
The respondents are also fully motivated to extend the friendship and relationship they built
inside the online gaming community by wanting to meet each other personally outside the
platform and create a different journey. It is a form of commitment that they wanted to
improve outside the gaming because that’s where the deep connection begins between
them. Their desire to see each other is also a reason for wanting to talk about personally
their gaming experiences and how they could improve their strategies into gaming. When
the quarantine started, everyone was not allowed to go outside and hang out with some
friends and because of this experience, the gamers started to crave some social interaction
in online gaming. It became a way for each of them to have someone to talk to get out from
being bored and sad in the quarantine season. The study recommends that researchers
should also use other research instruments like Face-to-face Focus Interview so that apart
from their vocal responses their body language could also be a factor, Also for the study to
have female respondents for a wider perspective, and to tackle other multiplayer games too
like Player’s Unknown BattleGround, Rules of Survival and Destiny.

24 #CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

“Oy, Pare! I love you!”: Representation of Gay Characters in Filipino BL Series
S. Acero, C. Dela Cruz, D. A. Flores, D. A. Nano
De La Salle – College of St. Benilde Antipolo

In the Philippines, LGBTQIA+ representation is more abundant in the cinema than

in TV shows. There are very few TV shows that center on the members of the LGBTQIA+,
thus underrepresentation is still visible. However, the arrival of this particular genre in
the country seems to be finally changing this course - the Boys’ Love (BL) genre which
centers male to male romantic or sexual relationships in the narrative.

BL series has taken the Philippines by storm during the first months of the
community quarantine following the popularity of the Thai BL series and has interestingly
showcased representations of the gays, thus it has come to the researchers interest to
study how the gay characters in Filipino BL series are represented. The researchers
conducted textual analysis of four successful Filipino BL series namely Gameboys, Hello,
Stranger, Sakristan, and In Between.

The study shows that gay representation in Filipino BL series favors masculine gays
who are always at the center of the narrative while feminine gays are always either on the
sidelines or are not visible at all. Both masculine and feminine gays desire the masculine
gay man. All of them displayed same-sex sexuality but some showed sexual fluidity and
this, as well as coming out, are well-represented. And the gay characters have positive
family dynamics.

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media 25

 Queerying Mediated Intimate Romance in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic
J. SJ. Labor, PhD
University of the Philippines Diliman

Gay romantic couples who have been displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic had to
work with technological platforms so that they could process and proceed with their
relationships. Using the tenets of Moss and Schwebel’s Romantic Intimacy Model (1993)
and Joseph Walther’s Social Information Processing Theory (2015), textual symbols were
analyzed in order to describe the nature of responses that couples interactively
communicate in order to approximate interpersonal romantic intimacy through
mediated platforms. Using the case study design in a time-and-space bound
phenomenon, twelve gay couples were tapped to participate in the study. Purposive
sampling was used to scout for the interviewees. The researcher used the “teller of tales''
as a way to thematically analyze the narratives. Results have shown that gay couples
communicate affective, cognitive, and non-physical intimacy to establish commitment
and mutuality. Affective intimacies include posting daily updates about the daily routine
of the partner, using words of affirmation through texts and app messages, and
uploading short video clips. Cognitive intimacy is shown through discussions of health,
social, and relationship issues. Non-physical intimacy includes viewing each other’s daily
activities, dining together and engaging in online sex. In conclusion, consistent with the
claims of the SIP Theory, technological platforms have continued to enable mediated
relational intimacies not only to augment relationship sustenance but also to reinforce a
nuanced yet global form of mobile affection.

26 #CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media
 The Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE)
SEC-registered as Philippine Advocates of Communication Education Association, Inc.
c/o Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication,
2244 España Boulevard, Sampaloc, Manila, 1008 Metro Manila
SEC Registration No.: CN201815303.
TIN No. 286-941-847-000.

#CMSC2021: The New Normal of Communication & Media