Dr. Bernard Alan B. Racoma, Director for Education of the UP Resilience Institute, served as an external judge for the poster session of the 2nd Philippine Human-Animal Bond Conference 2026, held on May 30, 2026 at Leong Hall, Ateneo de Manila University.
With the theme “Healing Connections Between Humans and Animals,” PHABCon 2026 brought together professionals, students, advocates, practitioners, and animal welfare champions to discuss the role of human-animal relationships in health, therapy, education, workplaces, and society.
Dr. Racoma was invited as an external judge from the perspective of environmental science and disaster risk resilience. In addition to serving as Assistant Professor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Dr. Racoma is also Director for Education of the UP Resilience Institute.
The conference featured sessions on healing connections in communities and workplaces, animal-assisted services in practice, and caring for the animals who care for humans. The poster session included both student and professional presenters whose work focused on the human–animal bond, animal-assisted services, wellbeing, animal welfare, and related areas of research and practice.
Poster entries were evaluated based on their relevance to the conference theme, clarity, contribution to knowledge or practice, ethical considerations, and visual presentation.
The conference also highlighted the value of a One Welfare perspective, which recognizes the interconnected wellbeing of people, animals, and the environments they share. From a resilience standpoint, this serves as a reminder that holistic disaster risk reduction includes planning not only for human safety, but also for the welfare of animal companions and other animals that form part of households and communities.