Biliran Province State University (BiPSU) officials completed the Capacity Building Course on Future and Foresight together with the Samar State University (SSU) on January 25–27 in Tacloban City.

The event is the last of a series of virtual classes that key officials have been taking. In the last class, different research proposals were presented with the goal of making the community grow in a sustainable way. This capacity-building course leads participants “to process ‘future thinking and foresight’ to see what the regions can focus on given their strengths, weaknesses, and context.”

The president of Biliran Province State University, Dr. Victor C. Canezo, Jr., praises all the participants, both SSU and BiPSU officials, for understanding how important it is for universities to think about the future and plan for it. Similarly, Dr. Marilyn Cardoso, president of Samar State University, thanked the attendees and introduced Commissioner Aldrin A. Darilag, the keynote speaker and proponent of futures thinking.

“Let us maintain our solidarity with aspirations for a resounding future and a capacity to transform complex situations into a shared welfare for all.” Dr. Darilag said to all the participants.

Moreover, this three-day activity focuses on finishing Capacity Building Course Module 2, which is on Foresight and Futures Thinking Tools and Methodology. In Module 1, the two universities also took part in a series of online workshops and did their own assessments of their external environments (their provinces) to figure out their strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, and the best ways to improve people's lives and protect the environment.

Also in the module were the topics Environmental Scanning by Ma. Christine F. Reyes, Backcasting by Joseph Reylan Viray, Moonshots by Jalaine Malabanan, and Detailing the Research Proposal by Jalaine Malabanan.

Mr. Emmanuel De Guia, who is the PhilFutures Director for Partnership and Networking and the Resident Futurist of the Office of Senator Pia Cayetano, shared his thoughts and insights on how these proposals can be implemented in line with a future-proof and sustainable community.

Senator Pia Cayetano, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development, Innovation, and Futures Thinking, sees state universities as important contributors to regional and national development. And this endeavor by both SSU and BiPSU, the two universities in the Eastern Visayas Region, made a significant contribution to the vision of the great senator.