The Communication Program of the University of the Philippines Cebu successfully held the 6th DukiTuki: Communication Program Research Forum on May 6–7, 2026, convening scholars, students, media practitioners, government officials, frontliners, researchers, and community stakeholders in a hybrid forum on disaster and risk communication.
Anchored on the theme “Communicating Risk, Living with Disaster: Voices, Vulnerabilities, and Futures in Cebu,” this year’s forum examined disaster not merely as an event, but as a continuing social condition shaped through communication across science, governance, communities, media, culture, and the psyche. The forum traced how risk is understood and communicated across different spaces, from scientific analysis and governance systems to community experiences, journalism, cultural narratives, and psychological responses to uncertainty.
The first day of the forum focused on the science of disaster, governance, and community-level responses through keynote sessions from Dr. Jonifer Sinogaya, Professor of Physics at the UP Cebu Department of Biology and Environmental Science (DBES); Ret. Col. Dennis Pastor, Head of the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO); and Hon. Alfredo Arquillano Jr., Municipal Mayor of San Francisco, Camotes, Cebu.
Parallel sessions on the first day featured research paper presentations from students, faculty members, and researchers from various universities, covering topics on disaster communication, media, governance, environmental risks, digital communication, and community vulnerabilities. A film screening concluded the day’s activities.
The second day shifted toward journalism, cultural narratives, ecological storytelling, and the psychological dimensions of disasters and crises through keynote sessions from Asst. Prof. Annie Perez-Gallardo, ABS-CBN News Regional Anchor and Correspondent; Ms. Sarah Queblatin, Founder of Living Story Landscapes Project – Philippines; and Dr. Johnrev Gilaran, Professor of Psychology at UP Visayas.
The second day also continued with parallel research presentations from different universities and institutions, and the launch of Jamico Boys by Asst. Prof. Ton, the awarding of certificates, and the closing rituals.
Derived from the Cebuano words duki (to investigate) and tuki (to discuss), DukiTuki serves as the annual research forum of the UP Cebu Communication Program. Through DukiTuki 2026, the program reaffirmed its commitment to fostering critical, interdisciplinary, and community-engaged communication scholarship that responds to contemporary social and environmental challenges while contributing to more informed and resilient futures.
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