The Asia Pacific Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences is pleased to publish a special edition of a collection of studies in the Filipino language. The theme is Teaching Filipino and Native Language: Demystifying National Identity and Experience. This special edition is in celebration of the Literature Month 2022 and the National Language Month 2022.The topics include Filipino language and culture, teaching experience, and other identities in using Filipino and native languages as mediums for the promotion, preservation, and appreciation of Filipino culture and identity. By understanding cultural diversity, readers will find new attitudes, lifestyles, ways of thinking, and logic, often different from their own. Through this, they can broaden their knowledge and level of understanding. In addition, studies in language teaching help explain components and structures to the readers so that the latter can gain a better and more in-depth understanding of the Filipino language. These studies stimulate conversations among researchers in the teaching and learning of language arts. This collection of Filipino studies is in cooperation with the Sentro ng Wika at Kultura (SWK) in achieving its mission which is to continue to develop the use of Filipino as the national language while preserving the indigenous languages of the Philippines for the unity and development of the Filipino people.

This is a special journal edition of the Asia Pacific Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences for 2020 highlights the studies conducted by the faculties of Bukidnon State University on the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in the Province of Bukidnon, Philippines. The CHED Discovering – Applied Research and Extension for Trans/Inter-disciplinary Opportunities (DARE-TO) research grant is a two-year research program aimed to develop an integrated framework for the assessment of various adaptive measures of disaster risk reduction and management for the province. The researches in this 2020 volume are on governance, education, health and sciences. They also focused on the basic services of LGUs, DRR management for school-aged children, health and environment risk assessment, and land use policies. These researches respond to issues in flood- and landslide-prone areas in the province and are the bases for policy formulation and extension program of Bukidnon State University or other SUCs willing to take off from these research results. The studies published here are on DRRM mechanisms for school-aged children, community-based risk assessment in flood- and landslide-prone areas, development of DRM and mitigation extension program, health risk assessment of residents in disaster-prone areas of Bukidnon, governance issues on DRR of LGUs, risk assessment of basic social services, psychological risk assessment of residents, hydrologic model for flooding in Manupali Watershed and its implications, and hazard, exposure and vulnerabilities of school-aged children. Bukidnon State University administration and researchers would like to thank the Commission on Higher Education for granting this research project called DARE TO. This program was supported by CHED-OPRKM Research Management Division.

This current edition of Asia Pacific Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences (APJSBS) presents works of academics within Bukidnon State University and excitingly enough those from another university and schools in Asia and the United States. This is an exciting leap from previous editions not only because it is one criterion by which the Commission on Higher Education in the Philippines gauges this journal on but more importantly because we get to read studies conducted by academics elsewhere in the world with different perspectives. The first studies are on gender, where the first one found that equality in education does not guarantee equal access to economic opportunities and participation, and the second delved into the push/ pull of the migration of Cambodian women into Thailand for work. Then there are two studies on the development of indices, one for research index applicable to higher education institutions, and the other on responsiveness index in the development of 21st century competencies applicable to education. The last two are separate studies on the use of pragmatics in determining the discourse used in the rituals of Bukidnon, one of the indigenous tribes of the Philippines, and the other a phenomenological study of preservice teachers in an elementary school.

Bukidnon State University has changed the name of its research journal into the Asia Pacific Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences beginning in this volume. This was formerly called Bukidnon State University Research Journal. Even as far back as 2013, the Editorial Board and researchers have mulled over a new name because they thought anytime soon publications will have to respond to the changing scenario of research publications in the Philippines. It has increased the composition of the editorial board, and taken out the seal of the University so that it can encompass the articles that would be submitted from the different parts of the world.

Volume 10 (2013) of the journal is a collection of research studies that utilizes fractal analysis as a novel approach to explore diverse aspects of education and socio-economic issues. This volume intertwines studies that utilize fractal methodology to investigate the relationship between the performance of tertiary teachers and the academic achievements of their students, alongside a similar fractal examination of the overall academic performance of college students. It also ventures into the realm of economics, with a thought-provoking paper that uses fractal analysis to compare the effectiveness of the Gross National Product and the Multidimensional Poverty Index in explaining poverty incidence. Additionally, there is a study on the fractal patterns in the population distribution of Bukidnon, offering new perspectives on demographic analysis. The volume is rounded off with an insightful exploration of students' experiences in on-the-job training, providing a practical viewpoint on the application of academic learning in real-world settings. As a whole, this volume not only showcases the versatility of fractal analysis in academic research but also highlights its potential to provide deeper insights into educational dynamics and socio-economic challenges.

Volume 9 (2012) of our journal presents a multifaceted exploration of socio-economic and cultural dynamics in Bukidnon, Philippines. This volume integrates diverse research areas—ranging from human capital development and its role in poverty alleviation, the impact of investment in tertiary education, to the nuanced examination of health, water quality, and the socio-economic disparities in Malaybalay City. It further delves into the digital divide in accessing information and communication technology for poverty alleviation across various sectors in Bukidnon. Adding depth to this analysis are insightful studies on political life, cultural richness, economic practices, and the complex poverty indices within the indigenous tribes of the region. Collectively, these papers not only highlight the unique challenges and opportunities in Bukidnon but also offer a comprehensive lens through which to understand the interconnectedness of education, health, economics, and cultural identity in shaping community resilience and development in emerging regions.