ADVANCING FUTURE-READY LEGISLATION: DAP CONDUCTS LEGISLATIVE TRAINING COURSE ON STRATEGIC FORESIGHT IN PUBLIC POLICY FOR SENIOR LEADERS UNDER THE CBILLS PROGRAM
Senior Leaders from the 2026 CBILLS Program pose for a class picture with Director Reverie Pure Sapaen from the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (center)
Pasig City, Philippines – The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), through its 2026 Capability Building on Innovative Leadership for Legislative Staff (CBILLS) Program, conducted the Legislative Training Course (LTC) for the Senior Leaders Track, Strategic Foresight in Public Policy, on 15-19 June 2026 at the Wynwood Hotel Manila.
The five-day course equipped senior executives and technical staff of the Philippine Congress with the knowledge and skills to systematically assess long-term implications, anticipate emerging trends, and navigate uncertainty through strategic foresight. As governments increasingly confront complex and rapidly evolving policy challenges, the course emphasized the importance of anticipatory governance in crafting resilient, evidence-informed legislation.
The training featured experts from the DAP and partner government agencies who introduced foundational concepts, practical tools, and real-world applications of strategic foresight in public policymaking.
From the DAP-Center for Governance, Project Officer Diana Isabel Rosapapan discussed introductory principles of strategic foresight, while Director Peter Dan Baon facilitated a deeper discussion on scenario planning. He quoted that “developing scenario stories is more of an art form than a science,” as he underscored its value in helping legislators prepare for uncertainty and strengthening proactive policymaking. Through interactive workshops, participants applied various scenario planning tools to legislative issues, demonstrating how foresight can enhance resilience and long-term planning.
Engineer and academician, and former Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña provides a background of PAGTANAW 2050
The course also featured sessions on Foresight in Action, showcasing how strategic foresight has been institutionalized across the government to support long-term planning and policymaking.
Engineer and academician, and former Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña presented PAGTANAW 2050, the country’s pioneering Science, Technology, and Innovation (ST&I) foresight initiative that maps plausible development pathways toward 2050. Dr. Dexter Galban, Assistant Secretary for Strategic Management of the Department of Education (DepEd), shared the department’s initiatives in futures thinking and anticipatory governance into education planning to build a more resilient and learner-centered education system.
Participants also heard from Director Reverie Pure Sapaen who discussed how the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) integrates strategic foresight into national development planning by using long-term scenarios, emerging trends, and future risks to guide policy formulation and ensure that development strategies remain responsive to evolving national and global challenges.
CBILLS Scholars from the House of Representatives discuss their final scenario presentation.
Together, these presentations illustrated how strategic foresight is emerging as a vital governance capability that enables institutions to anticipate change, manage uncertainty, and develop robust policies across multiple possible futures.
Applying these concepts and tools introduced through the course, scholars worked collaboratively to develop scenario frameworks and presented future-oriented legislative scenarios, translating strategic foresight concepts into practical policy and legislative applications.
Through learning interventions such as this Legislative Training Course, the CBILLS Program continues to empower the Philippine Congress by fostering innovative leadership, enhancing technical capabilities, and cultivating a culture of anticipatory governance that supports future-ready legislation and proactive governance.
– Ziona Gilia S. Castro
This article is originally posted on the DAP website.