𝘍𝘙𝘈𝘔𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘍𝘜𝘛𝘜𝘙𝘌𝘚 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥? | 𝑨 𝒕𝒘𝒐-𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈-𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑨𝑴𝑺𝑪 𝑨𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍

Ditsaan-Ramain, Lanao del Sur - Across the Philippines, the State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) are actively engaging in "Futures Thinking" seminar-workshops, equipping their faculty, researchers, and administrators with the tools to anticipate and prepare for future challenges. These workshops emphasize strategic foresight, scenario planning, and innovative approaches to address complex issues like climate change and technological advancements. It's clear that "Futures Thinking" workshops are gaining traction across various institutions, particularly in academic settings.

On February 25 to 26, 2025, the Philippine Futures Society held a seminar-workshop at Adiong Memorial State College (AMSC), Ditsaan- Ramain, Lanao del Sur that aimed to frame the futures of AMSC among administrative and academic personnel and to produce capstone projects on each institution's research niche anchored in the Sustainable Development Goals. This two-day event was spearheaded by the Director for Strategic Network and Partnership, Philippine Futures Thinking Society (PhilFutures), Mr. Emmanuel R. de Guia in cooperation with Dr. Sherifa Rohannie K. Adiong, the SUC 1 President of AMSC and her constituents.

Among the invited speaker tasked with the discussion on “What Futures Thinking is not/Trends Mapping” was Associate Professor Jalaine Joyce Malabanan, who is an active fellow of Philippine Futures Thinking Society (PhilFutures). Moreover, she is a Course Specialist of the Institute of Open and Distance Education as well as a tutor of the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP).

One of the key highlights from the recent event focused on Strategic Foresight, as defined as “it is not about knowing all the answers; it’s about asking the right questions and being prepared to adapt what the future holds”. This concept gives a long-term strategic advantage because it helps you focus on what’s coming next, not what has happened in the past. However, this may be differentiated from the ordinary foresight on the other hand, which has been defined as “a systematic, participatory, future-intelligence gathering and medium-to-long term vision building process aimed at enabling present-day decisions and mobilizing joint action.”

Accordingly, in the so-called, “intergenerational fairness”, there are four sustainable development goals namely, S-A-F-E or Sustainability, Accountability, Futures Orientation and Equity. Employing the sustainability concept are environmental, resource and economic sustainability. Under accountability concept are stewardship and legacy while for futures orientation concept, there are generational and VUCA which stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. Lastly, is equity which comprised opportunities and quality of life.

Immediately right thereafter, AMSC was divided into groups from their respective units such as administration, academe, research and extension for the workshop proper. It must be noted that the workshop aimed to introduce participants to the process of systematically and strategically thinking about the future.

During the presentation of outputs, emphasis is placed on developing "future-proof" approaches to tackle current and emerging challenges. They also addressed other key challenges and pressing issues such as emerging technologies, local governance and administration, and sustainable development.

On the second day, February 26, 2025, Prof. Malabanan had a lecture about “Compassionate-Anticipatory Paradigm” in connection with the event’s focus on developing the ability to create scenarios, and create innovative plans towards sustainable development thru role-playing. Furthermore, participants are trained in various tools and methodologies, including analysis, key factor forecast tables, and scenario narratives.

In the afternoon, another invited guest, Dr. Ruperto S. Sangalang, a professor from the Graduate School of three universities namely Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Don Honorio Ventura State University and Bulacan State University was able to underscore his highlights also as a fellow of the Philippine Futures Thinking Society (PhilFutures).

In sum, these initiatives demonstrated a growing recognition of the importance of proactive planning and strategic foresight in navigating an increasingly complex and uncertain world. State Universities and Colleges are taking the lead in fostering a "Futures Thinking Culture" to ensure their relevance and contribute to a sustainable and resilient future.

The two-day programme concluded with the distribution of tokens among invited guests or lecturers followed by certificates of completion among participants and lastly, photo opportunities among AMSC key officials. The aforementioned training-workshop was hosted by Information Officer II, Sir Abdul Rafie Masbud.

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