Locus-of-Hope in Therapeutic Communities for Addiction: Testing the Framework, Feasibility, and Efficacy of a Brief Intervention by Dr. Sixtus Dane A. Ramos | 5th Loretta Makasiar Sicat Prize for the Social Sciences Award
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Dr. Sixtus Dane A. Ramos, a clinical psychologist and postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Psychology of De La Salle University (DLSU), was awarded as the top winner of the 5th Loretta Makasiar Sicat Prize for the Social Sciences during an awarding ceremony on April 8, 2026 at the Pardo Hall, Henry Sy Sr., Building, DLSU campus in Manila.
The ceremony was graced by the Prize’s benefactress, Ms. Michelle Sicat Powell, along with other members of her family: University of the Philippines Professor Emeritus Dr. Gerry Sicat and his wife Cynthia, siblings, Hans, Laura, Keith, and nephews. Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC) Chair Dr. Elena E. Pernia, Executive Director Ms. Carmelita Ericta, and other members of the new PSSC Board of Trustees also attended the ceremony.
Ms. Sicat Powell wanted to establish an award to honor the lifework and legacy of Dr. Loretta Makasiar Sicat, the first PSSC Executive Director and her mother. So, since 2021, she has provided PSSC with a $10,000 annual endowment to administer a Prize that recognizes the most incisive, cutting-edge, and impactful graduate research work in the country.
In its fifth year, Dr. Ramos’s dissertation titled “Locus-of-Hope in Therapeutic Communities for Addiction: Testing the Framework, Feasibility, and Efficacy of a Brief Intervention” bested 36 other candidates and emerged as the best due to the study’s theoretical and methodological rigor and advanced implications on substance use disorder policy.
The winning dissertation argued that “a person’s locus-of-hope can boost the therapeutic community mechanism, and that an intervention based on locus-of-hope can enhance therapeutic community outcomes”. His study found initial evidence for the locus-of-hope approach, originally developed by Dr. Allan Bernardo who is a former Chairperson of the PSSC, which can inform practices of therapeutic communities and positive interventions in treating people with substance use disorders.
Dr. Ramos presented the key arguments, findings, and policy implications of his dissertation in a scientific lecture after receiving his award. Below is a copy of the lecture’s recording:
The Board of Judges for this year is composed of Dr. Melvin Jabar of Xavier University’s Research Institute for Mindanao Culture, Prof. Cecilia Medina of the UP Asian Center, and Prof. Joy Natividad of the UP Population Institute. As presented below, other winners of the 5th LMS Prize were selected by the judges and awarded during the awarding ceremony:
|
PLACE |
NAME OF WINNER |
PROGRAM |
INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION |
THESIS/DISSERTATION TITLE |
|
2nd |
Amiel Jay V. Lopez |
MA in Anthropology |
Ateneo de Davao University |
Localizing Climate Change: Perspectives from the Urban Sama-Bajaus |
|
3rd |
Dennis Destacamento, RSW, MSW |
Master of Social Work |
University of the Philippines Diliman |
Invisible No More: Lived Experiences of Older Person Survivors of Abuse in Residential Care Facilities in Metro Manila |
|
4th |
Dr. Marianne N. Juco |
PhD in Economics |
University of the Philippines Diliman |
Corporate Political Connections in the Philippines: Firms, Politicians, and Non-profit Motives |
|
5th |
Michael BJ S. Abellana |
MA in Community Development |
University of the Philippines Diliman |
Religious Institution as a Community Development Resource: A Case Study of the Role of Religious Institutions in Tri-People Community Peacebuilding in Upi, Maguindanao del Norte |
In recognition of their achievement, Dr. Ramos received a cash prize of $5,500 while Mr. Lopez and Mr. Destacamento received a cash prize of $1,000 and $500 respectively.
During her congratulatory message to the winners, Ms. Sicat Powell thanked the PSSC for the positive outcomes and growth of the Loretta Makasiar Sicat Prize over the last five years. As a result, she declared her commitment to continue funding the Prize for the next three years to encourage more theoretically-grounded and policy-transforming research among graduate researchers in the Philippines.
Within five years, the LMS Prize has received a total of 127 nominations and awarded 25 outstanding research studies that advance social science research and inform public policy. This year, DLSU officials expressed their gratitude to the Council for recognizing the work of their student, Dr. Ramos, and vowed to continue producing studies that echo Dr. Loretta Makasiar Sicat’s reminder to “[r]oot for the underdog. Always think about those who are less fortunate.”
The PSSC, along with the Sicat family, shares this important vision and will definitely continue working for a united social science community that provides hope to the less fortunate and culls research that will greatly contribute to social justice and development.
This article is written by Angelo Vince Marfil, PSSC’s Training Officer.
Dr. Sixtus Dane A. Ramos, a clinical psychologist and postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Psychology of De La Salle University (DLSU), was awarded as the top winner of the 5th Loretta Makasiar Sicat Prize for the Social Sciences during an awarding ceremony on April 8, 2026 at the Pardo Hall, Henry Sy Sr., Building, DLSU campus in Manila.
The ceremony was graced by the Prize’s benefactress, Ms. Michelle Sicat Powell, along with other members of her family: University of the Philippines Professor Emeritus Dr. Gerry Sicat and his wife Cynthia, siblings, Hans, Laura, Keith, and nephews. Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC) Chair Dr. Elena E. Pernia, Executive Director Ms. Carmelita Ericta, and other members of the new PSSC Board of Trustees also attended the ceremony.
Ms. Sicat Powell wanted to establish an award to honor the lifework and legacy of Dr. Loretta Makasiar Sicat, the first PSSC Executive Director and her mother. So, since 2021, she has provided PSSC with a $10,000 annual endowment to administer a Prize that recognizes the most incisive, cutting-edge, and impactful graduate research work in the country.
In its fifth year, Dr. Ramos’s dissertation titled “Locus-of-Hope in Therapeutic Communities for Addiction: Testing the Framework, Feasibility, and Efficacy of a Brief Intervention” bested 36 other candidates and emerged as the best due to the study’s theoretical and methodological rigor and advanced implications on substance use disorder policy.
The winning dissertation argued that “a person’s locus-of-hope can boost the therapeutic community mechanism, and that an intervention based on locus-of-hope can enhance therapeutic community outcomes”. His study found initial evidence for the locus-of-hope approach, originally developed by Dr. Allan Bernardo who is a former Chairperson of the PSSC, which can inform practices of therapeutic communities and positive interventions in treating people with substance use disorders.
Dr. Ramos presented the key arguments, findings, and policy implications of his dissertation in a scientific lecture after receiving his award. Below is a copy of the lecture’s recording:
The Board of Judges for this year is composed of Dr. Melvin Jabar of Xavier University’s Research Institute for Mindanao Culture, Prof. Cecilia Medina of the UP Asian Center, and Prof. Joy Natividad of the UP Population Institute. As presented below, other winners of the 5th LMS Prize were selected by the judges and awarded during the awarding ceremony:
|
PLACE |
NAME OF WINNER |
PROGRAM |
INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION |
THESIS/DISSERTATION TITLE |
|
2nd |
Amiel Jay V. Lopez |
MA in Anthropology |
Ateneo de Davao University |
Localizing Climate Change: Perspectives from the Urban Sama-Bajaus |
|
3rd |
Dennis Destacamento, RSW, MSW |
Master of Social Work |
University of the Philippines Diliman |
Invisible No More: Lived Experiences of Older Person Survivors of Abuse in Residential Care Facilities in Metro Manila |
|
4th |
Dr. Marianne N. Juco |
PhD in Economics |
University of the Philippines Diliman |
Corporate Political Connections in the Philippines: Firms, Politicians, and Non-profit Motives |
|
5th |
Michael BJ S. Abellana |
MA in Community Development |
University of the Philippines Diliman |
Religious Institution as a Community Development Resource: A Case Study of the Role of Religious Institutions in Tri-People Community Peacebuilding in Upi, Maguindanao del Norte |
In recognition of their achievement, Dr. Ramos received a cash prize of $5,500 while Mr. Lopez and Mr. Destacamento received a cash prize of $1,000 and $500 respectively.
During her congratulatory message to the winners, Ms. Sicat Powell thanked the PSSC for the positive outcomes and growth of the Loretta Makasiar Sicat Prize over the last five years. As a result, she declared her commitment to continue funding the Prize for the next three years to encourage more theoretically-grounded and policy-transforming research among graduate researchers in the Philippines.
Within five years, the LMS Prize has received a total of 127 nominations and awarded 25 outstanding research studies that advance social science research and inform public policy. This year, DLSU officials expressed their gratitude to the Council for recognizing the work of their student, Dr. Ramos, and vowed to continue producing studies that echo Dr. Loretta Makasiar Sicat’s reminder to “[r]oot for the underdog. Always think about those who are less fortunate.”
The PSSC, along with the Sicat family, shares this important vision and will definitely continue working for a united social science community that provides hope to the less fortunate and culls research that will greatly contribute to social justice and development.
This article is written by Angelo Vince Marfil, PSSC’s Training Officer.
Dr. Sixtus Dane A. Ramos, a clinical psychologist and postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Psychology of De La Salle University (DLSU), was awarded as the top winner of the 5th Loretta Makasiar Sicat Prize for the Social Sciences during an awarding ceremony on April 8, 2026 at the Pardo Hall, Henry Sy Sr., Building, DLSU campus in Manila.
The ceremony was graced by the Prize’s benefactress, Ms. Michelle Sicat Powell, along with other members of her family: University of the Philippines Professor Emeritus Dr. Gerry Sicat and his wife Cynthia, siblings, Hans, Laura, Keith, and nephews. Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC) Chair Dr. Elena E. Pernia, Executive Director Ms. Carmelita Ericta, and other members of the new PSSC Board of Trustees also attended the ceremony.
Ms. Sicat Powell wanted to establish an award to honor the lifework and legacy of Dr. Loretta Makasiar Sicat, the first PSSC Executive Director and her mother. So, since 2021, she has provided PSSC with a $10,000 annual endowment to administer a Prize that recognizes the most incisive, cutting-edge, and impactful graduate research work in the country.
In its fifth year, Dr. Ramos’s dissertation titled “Locus-of-Hope in Therapeutic Communities for Addiction: Testing the Framework, Feasibility, and Efficacy of a Brief Intervention” bested 36 other candidates and emerged as the best due to the study’s theoretical and methodological rigor and advanced implications on substance use disorder policy.
The winning dissertation argued that “a person’s locus-of-hope can boost the therapeutic community mechanism, and that an intervention based on locus-of-hope can enhance therapeutic community outcomes”. His study found initial evidence for the locus-of-hope approach, originally developed by Dr. Allan Bernardo who is a former Chairperson of the PSSC, which can inform practices of therapeutic communities and positive interventions in treating people with substance use disorders.
Dr. Ramos presented the key arguments, findings, and policy implications of his dissertation in a scientific lecture after receiving his award. Below is a copy of the lecture’s recording:
The Board of Judges for this year is composed of Dr. Melvin Jabar of Xavier University’s Research Institute for Mindanao Culture, Prof. Cecilia Medina of the UP Asian Center, and Prof. Joy Natividad of the UP Population Institute. As presented below, other winners of the 5th LMS Prize were selected by the judges and awarded during the awarding ceremony:
|
PLACE |
NAME OF WINNER |
PROGRAM |
INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION |
THESIS/DISSERTATION TITLE |
|
2nd |
Amiel Jay V. Lopez |
MA in Anthropology |
Ateneo de Davao University |
Localizing Climate Change: Perspectives from the Urban Sama-Bajaus |
|
3rd |
Dennis Destacamento, RSW, MSW |
Master of Social Work |
University of the Philippines Diliman |
Invisible No More: Lived Experiences of Older Person Survivors of Abuse in Residential Care Facilities in Metro Manila |
|
4th |
Dr. Marianne N. Juco |
PhD in Economics |
University of the Philippines Diliman |
Corporate Political Connections in the Philippines: Firms, Politicians, and Non-profit Motives |
|
5th |
Michael BJ S. Abellana |
MA in Community Development |
University of the Philippines Diliman |
Religious Institution as a Community Development Resource: A Case Study of the Role of Religious Institutions in Tri-People Community Peacebuilding in Upi, Maguindanao del Norte |
In recognition of their achievement, Dr. Ramos received a cash prize of $5,500 while Mr. Lopez and Mr. Destacamento received a cash prize of $1,000 and $500 respectively.
During her congratulatory message to the winners, Ms. Sicat Powell thanked the PSSC for the positive outcomes and growth of the Loretta Makasiar Sicat Prize over the last five years. As a result, she declared her commitment to continue funding the Prize for the next three years to encourage more theoretically-grounded and policy-transforming research among graduate researchers in the Philippines.
Within five years, the LMS Prize has received a total of 127 nominations and awarded 25 outstanding research studies that advance social science research and inform public policy. This year, DLSU officials expressed their gratitude to the Council for recognizing the work of their student, Dr. Ramos, and vowed to continue producing studies that echo Dr. Loretta Makasiar Sicat’s reminder to “[r]oot for the underdog. Always think about those who are less fortunate.”
The PSSC, along with the Sicat family, shares this important vision and will definitely continue working for a united social science community that provides hope to the less fortunate and culls research that will greatly contribute to social justice and development.
This article is written by Angelo Vince Marfil, PSSC’s Training Officer.
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