The Appointment of Clarita Carlos as Philippine President’s National Security Adviser: A Sentiment Analysis

This study delved into the sentiments expressed by the public Facebook users regarding the appointment of Clarita Carlos as the Philippine president's national security adviser. Utilizing a qualitative approach with text mining, the research focused on a dataset comprising 100 selected Facebook comments from users in response to an online news article posted by GMA News. To identify commonly used words and assess user sentiments, the study harnessed the capabilities of Orange software. The study revealed that the most frequently used words as generated by Word Cloud in Orange software are carlo, prof, clarita, security, professor, congratulation, god, good, national, and bless. Employing thematic analysis, the research unveiled the prevalent sentiments in the Facebook user comments, which revolved around four emerging themes: (1) eloquence and female leadership in politics, (2) gender and leadership in the Philippine government, (3) corruption concerns in professor Carlos’s potential appointment, and (4) security concerns regarding professor Carlos’s appointment. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrated that the sentiments encompassed both positive and negative polarities, with some users adopting a neutral stance. The study underscores the value of employing sentiment analysis as a means to gain fresh insights into pressing issues, particularly within the context of ongoing national concerns. For educators, insights may be used to inform students about women in leadership and public perceptions, enriching discussions on gender dynamics and leadership with real-world sentiment analysis examples.