Redefining Katol: A Synthesis of Culture, Economy, and Education Toward a Sustainable Culture-based Teaching Model

Abstract

The Philippines is a high-risk zone for dengue cases in Asia. Responding to this context is the use of mosquito repellents produced by insecticide industries. Coiled mosquito repellent called katol has become one of the remedies among Filipinos that has been part of their way of life as a people. An existing gap was found in the cultural aspect of katol. Redefining katol relative to its connection in academia requires analysis of its economic and cultural relevance, identifying usage issues, and designing a culture-based teaching model based on its manufacturing procedures. A grounded theory and Heideggerian interpretive phenomenology designs were employed in the study. Factory visits, observations of the factory demonstration, and interviews with the research participants were conducted. The economic significance of katol in the informal sector is seen among the resilient workers who worked in the factory to earn a living and convenient stores that sold the coiled katol to middle-income Filipinos who wanted to protect their children from mosquito bites because of its affordable price. The use of katol is culturally significant. The belief that Katol provides health protection for the family, the number of years of utilization of this repellent, and its practice of ignition, i.e., safe from fire accidents, prove the cultural significance of katol. These economic and cultural findings in the study of katol outweigh the dispute that it is unsafe for the health conditions of individuals if endemic botanical compounds and solutions are used. With the cultural orientation in the manufacturing process as a reference, a katol culture-based teaching model is designed to remind the next generation of learners regarding its sociocultural orientation.