Ethics Statement
Policies and Publication Ethics
Authorship
All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to the research design, data collection or analysis, manuscript drafting or revision, and must have approved the final version. Authorship must not be awarded on the basis of seniority, funding, or administrative role alone. Gift, guest, and ghost authorship are strictly prohibited. Where community members, co-researchers, or practitioners have contributed intellectually to the work, appropriate recognition — including co-authorship where warranted — should be given.
Research Ethics and Participant Protection
All research involving human participants must have received institutional ethics review board (IRB) clearance prior to data collection. Authors must include a declaration of ethics approval, confirm that informed consent was obtained in a culturally appropriate manner, and describe how participant confidentiality and dignity were protected. Research with children, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, displaced persons, survivors of abuse, and other vulnerable populations requires particular care in describing ethical safeguards.
Originality and Plagiarism
Manuscripts must be original and not previously published or under simultaneous consideration elsewhere. All sources must be properly cited. The journal screens all manuscripts for plagiarism. Confirmed plagiarism, whether detected before or after publication, will result in immediate rejection or retraction, and may be reported to the authors' institutions.
Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation — including funding sources, employment, consultancy roles, or personal relationships with study populations. Reviewers and editors with actual or perceived conflicts of interest must recuse themselves from the relevant decision.
No -Conflict Standard
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest, whether financial, professional, or personal, that could have influenced the design, conduct, or reporting of this research.
Government or NGO-Funded Research
This study was funded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under its Research and Development Program. While the DSWD provided financial support and access to program data, the funder had no role in the study design, data analysis, interpretation of findings, or the decision to submit this manuscript for publication. The authors declare no other competing interests.
Authorship
All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to the research design, data collection or analysis, manuscript drafting or revision, and must have approved the final version. Authorship must not be awarded on the basis of seniority, funding, or administrative role alone. Gift, guest, and ghost authorship are strictly prohibited. Where community members, co-researchers, or practitioners have contributed intellectually to the work, appropriate recognition — including co-authorship where warranted — should be given.
Research Ethics and Participant Protection
All research involving human participants must have received institutional ethics review board (IRB) clearance prior to data collection. Authors must include a declaration of ethics approval, confirm that informed consent was obtained in a culturally appropriate manner, and describe how participant confidentiality and dignity were protected. Research with children, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, displaced persons, survivors of abuse, and other vulnerable populations requires particular care in describing ethical safeguards.
Originality and Plagiarism
Manuscripts must be original and not previously published or under simultaneous consideration elsewhere. All sources must be properly cited. The journal screens all manuscripts for plagiarism. Confirmed plagiarism, whether detected before or after publication, will result in immediate rejection or retraction, and may be reported to the authors' institutions.
Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation — including funding sources, employment, consultancy roles, or personal relationships with study populations. Reviewers and editors with actual or perceived conflicts of interest must recuse themselves from the relevant decision.
No -Conflict Standard
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest, whether financial, professional, or personal, that could have influenced the design, conduct, or reporting of this research.
Government or NGO-Funded Research
This study was funded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under its Research and Development Program. While the DSWD provided financial support and access to program data, the funder had no role in the study design, data analysis, interpretation of findings, or the decision to submit this manuscript for publication. The authors declare no other competing interests.