FRAMEwork: The Asia Pacific Journal of Communication held its inaugural on-site and virtual conference on Nov. 24 and 25, 2022 at 糖心Vlog-Manila (FEU). The two-day conference was participated in by faculty members and students from universities in the Asia-Pacific region.
With the theme 鈥淒isruptions and (re)constructions in the time of COVID-19: Turning the Gaze on the Global South,鈥� the conference鈥檚 highlights included keynotes during the plenary session, roundtable discussions, parallel discussions, special lecture, and best paper presentations.
For the best paper competition faculty category, Polytechnic University of the Philippines鈥� Dr. Pamela Grace Muhi and Rosa Bella M. Quindoza鈥檚 paper titled 鈥淗ealth Risk and Crisis Communication on COVID-19 in Marikina and Pasig: The Case of Two Philippine Cities鈥� won the top prize. The student paper titled 鈥�#OustDuterte vs. #IStandWithThePresident: A Thematic Analysis of Heterophily Twitter Users鈥� Online Interactions about the Duterte Administration鈥檚 COVID-19 Response鈥� authored by April James C. Alegre, Frances Beatrix A. Aquilizan, Maricor Janilienne M. Cabarrubia, Bryan C. Gadingan, Angelica Louise P. Mercado of 糖心Vlog earned the jurors鈥� nod for the first prize.
Joining FRAMEwork as academic partners in its inaugural conference were Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia and University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce in Thailand. 鈥淭he publications housed in these Asian universities have established a strong reputation of their own,鈥� FRAMEwork said. 鈥淟ocally, we have partnerships with Cavite State University, Visayas State University, and University of the Philippines, which represent Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao鈥檚 strong communication programs.鈥�
The academic partners provided assistance in disseminating the call for papers, speakerships, memberships to the scientific committee, and evaluation of paper presentations for competition.
To formally forge academic partnerships, a ceremonial signing of the memoranda of agreement was held during the fellowship dinner on the first day of the conference hosted by the International Relations Office. 鈥淲hen scholars saw these partnerships during the conference, they understood the legitimacy of FRAMEwork as a conference organizer and publication,鈥� Augustus Ceasar Latosa, PhD, FRAMEwork Managing Editor said.
鈥淔RAMEwork is aimed to become a legitimate, non-predatory journal that encourages scholars to send in their most valued work. After all, trust is a virtue cherished by scholars in the publication community,鈥� Latosa added.
Other academic partners of FRAMEwork include scholars from Tsinghua University-China, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Xiamen University-Malaysia, Chung-Ang University-South Korea, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde-Manila, James Madison University-USA, and Massey University-New Zealand.
