Students, alumni, and faculty members of the Bachelor of Library and Information Science (BLIS) program under the College of Information and Communications Technology (CICT) of West Visayas State University (WVSU) flew to Singapore to present their research through oral and poster presentations at a regional gathering of researchers and heritage professionals, held at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), from June 24 to 26, 2026.

The WVSU delegation joined researchers and heritage professionals from across the region for a three-day program combining scholarly presentations with hands-on tutorials on emerging AI technologies.

The full program was designed to build regional research capacity in AI-assisted heritage work through the workshop covering hands-on tutorials on knowledge graphs, graph databases, and graph visualization, API development using Python/Flask to integrate databases, the web, and AI services such as GPT-5, including converting natural language queries into database query languages and summarizing search results, video analysis (using dance videos as a case study) and applications of generative AI and embedding vectors in information extraction and Retrieval-Augmented Generation.

Two WVSU-CICT papers were selected for oral presentation. They presented a full slate of 14 research and project presentations from researchers and heritage professionals across the ASEAN region. The first, “Digitizing and Visualizing the Traditional Ilonggo Komposo,” explored efforts to digitize and map the Komposo, a traditional narrative song form of Western Visayas. It was presented by Prof. Stephen Alayon, co-authored by Joshua Kyle M. Lachica, James Francis Jereh E. Llabore, Tomme Wellart A. Marcelo, Joseph M. Yap, and Manuela R. Losanes. The second, “Zarzuela, Comedia, Teatro, Drama, Opera, Film and Cinema in the Makinaugalingon Newspaper (1913-1941): A Knowledge Graph Approach,” examined how the Hiligaynon newspaper Makinaugalingon documented the region’s performing arts scene in the early 20th century from zarzuela and comedia to the earliest film screenings using knowledge graph methods to trace connections across decades of coverage. This was presented by Earl Scarlet G. Chavez, and Shane Abigail C. Abido, under the guidance of Manuela R. Losañes, and Stephen B. Alayon.

The group also presented poster presentations at the conference, applying knowledge graph construction and AI-enhanced Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) analysis to various facets of Panay’s history and heritage. In the context of WVSU’s research, this means that historical newspaper archives, thesis records, and heritage documentation can be queried in plain language, with the AI grounding its answers in the digitized sources rather than relying on guesswork. This makes decades of Ilonggo history significantly more searchable for both scholars and the general public. The poster presentations were:

• “Knowledge Graph and Propaganda Analysis of Panay Shu-ho (1943) and Panay Times (1943- 1944) Multilingual Newspapers during the Japanese Occupation in Panay Island, Philippines”, by Shennah Faith G. Berbaña, Arabella Fatima L. Tejwani, Manuela R. Losañes, Stephen B. Alayon
• “AI-Enhanced Bibliometric Profiling of Graduate Theses and Dissertations: A Knowledge Graph and RAG-Based Analysis of a State University in the Philippines” by Winnie Boy Sina-on, Manuela R. Losañes, Stephen B. Alayon, Elra Di M. Madalogdog, Ma. Beth S. Concepcion, Regin A. Cabacas, Shem Durst Elijah B. Sandig
• “Mapping and Visualizing X-Linked Dystonia Parkinsonism (‘Lubag‘), a Rare Disorder Endemic to Panay Island, Philippines” by Juliana Marie A. Jabagat, Francis Ken L. Payunan, Julius V. Suganob, Paolo G. Hilado, Manuela R. Losañes, Stephen B. Alayon
• “Tracing the Legacy: An Exploration of Magdalena Jalandoni’s Works Across Libraries, Archives, and Museums” by Abby Gail C. Alarcon, April Aireen Y. Saenz, Elra Di M. Madalogdog, Manuela R. Losañes, Stephen B. Alayon
• “A Knowledge Graph on Women as Published in Hiligaynon Newspaper Makinaugalingon (1913-1941, 1946, 1953)” by Stephen B. Alayon, Manuela R. Losañes, Melgie G. Pacardo, Catleya S. Ferro, Ma. Beth S. Concepcion, Regin A. Cabacas, Paolo G. Hilado, Mark Joseph J. Solidarios, Pilar M. Martinez

Taken together, the six posters and two oral papers reflect a sustained research program at WVSU applying knowledge graphs and AI to Ilonggo newspapers, literature, performing arts, medical heritage, and institutional records. The Singapore trip underscores the growing recognition of WVSU’s BLIS program and its faculty-led research initiatives under Stephen B. Alayon, as a hub for applying artificial intelligence to the preservation and study of Western Visayas’ cultural and historical record. From long-forgotten zarzuela reviews to the songs of the Komposo, from wartime propaganda in occupation-era newspapers to the medical heritage of a rare regional disorder, the researches presented reflects a university deeply invested in ensuring that Panay’s history remains a part and parcel of the Philippines as a nation, making them accessible for generations to come.