Kiona Moria Aguana, a graduate student member of the Complex Systems Group (CSG), presented her research work titled Correlation Road Network Metrics and the Distribution of Amenities: A Case Study of Manila, Philippines during the fourth parallel session of the DLSU Research Congresss (ResCon) 2026 on July 27, 2026. 

The work shows exponential trends between the betweenness centrality of road intersections and segments and the distance of the restaurant amenity closest to it. The exponential trend indicates strong localization, such that restaurants tend to cluster close to important road sections, with characteristic distances between 25 and 41 m for the City of Manila. Because high-betweenness centrality road sections are also traffic hotspots, the result has important implications regarding mobility, accessibility, and overall social justice in a highly-urbanized environment. 

The DLSU Research Congress is an annual international conference hosted by the De La Salle University to showcase the research activities of the university and its partners across various disciplines. The theme of this year's ResCon is “Evidence to Action: Bridging Research, Innovation, and Governance for Inclusive National Development.” 

Kiona A. Aguana is an MS Data Science student from the DLSU. She has been a member of the CSG since her undergraduate studies. For this work, her co-authors are Dr. Briane Paul V. Samson, the Executive Director of the DLSU Dr. Andrew L. Tan Data Science Institute (ALTDSI), and Dr. Rene C. Batac from the CSG.