Editorial Preface

We are pleased to announce the release of Volume 28, Issue 1, of the Southeastern Philippines Journal of Research and Development (SPJRD), the official international, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal of the University of Southeastern Philippines.SPJRD Volume 28, Issue 1, features five articles out of 41 papers submitted to the journal by researchers worldwide. This suggests that the SPJRD pays enormous attention to the quality of the papers it accepts for publication. Moreover, the recent inclusion of its issues in the Andrew Gonzales Philippine Citation Index attests to its commitment to publishing research articles on par with the international research community’s standards.In the first article of this issue, Tran Nguyen Phuoc Thong from the Cooperation Center for Lawyer Training on International Trade, Judicial Academy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, evaluates the influence of cross-ownership in Philippine and Vietnamese laws through agency theory and corporate governance models and makes some recommendations for Philippine and Vietnamese laws.In the second article, Daisy T. Besing and Rhinna M. Saan of the University of Southeastern Philippines zero in on the productivity and financial performance of income-generating projects (IGPs) of a Philippine state university in the Davao Region, Philippines. They end their paper with a proposal for strategic decisions to improve the performance of IGPs of a Philippine state university.The next two articles talk about Philippine literature and culture. Takashi Tsuji of Saga University in Japan explores the Philippine society and culture by analyzing the structure and content of Philippine folktales featuring monkeys found among Ilokano, Kalinga, Tinguian, Tagalog, Bicolano, Ilonggo, Meranaw, Bukidnon, Kapampangan, and Bisaya. Tsuji concludes that, contrary to the cunning and selfishness of the monkeys in folktales, the monkey is symbolic of pursuing the virtues of a culture rooted in reciprocal relationships, which Filipinos value the most.The other article on Philippine literature and culture highlights the unsung hero of Tapul Island, Sulu, Philippines. Nelson S. Dino, Mary Joyce Z. Guinto-Sali, Al-Haniff Lee Matolo of the Mindanao State University in Tawi-tawi and their counterparts from Universiti Malaysia Sabah and USeP, examine the character archetypes of Panglima Sayyadi based on kissa, an oral narrative passed down through generations.The article of Dino and his colleagues does not only reveal the characteristics of Panglima Sayyadi as a leader of the Sulu Forces, but more importantly, serves as an inspiration to the young generations of Tau Sug to protect their hula (homeland), bangsa (nation) and agama (religion) against the colonizers.Ending this issue with applied linguistics and religious studies, the article of Raymund T. Palayon of the Muban Chombueng Rajabhat University and David D. Perrodin of the Mahidol University in Thailand investigates the characteristics of Christ claimants by focusing on the language in their discourses from the aboutness and communication style perspectives. The use of corpus-based methodology by Palayon and Perrodin offers a new perspective on identifying the characteristics of Christ claimants, which is underexplored in applied linguistics and religious studies.The articles in this volume deal with issues and perspectives of crucial importance to our country and the ASEAN. Hence, let me end this note with sincere felicitations to our authors, editors, reviewers, and the USeP Publication Board for realizing this scholarly endeavor.