Recent advancements in spatial computing, 5G connectivity, real-time rendering technologies, and the affordability of extended reality (XR) hardware have driven the rise of XR applications across different industries. These advancements have unlocked the potential for immersive, interactive experiences that blend the physical and digital worlds. While the global arcade industry has begun incorporating XR to provide enhanced entertainment experiences, the Philippine arcade industry has been slow to adopt, with only a few companies experimenting with these innovations.

This study delves into the potential introduction of educational applications within the Philippine arcade industry through XR technology. The concept can potentially open doors to diversify entertainment center products, offerings, and services by exploring different applications these emerging technologies can offer and potentially disrupt. As the country improves its digital infrastructure, regulations, and access to advanced technologies, now is the opportune moment to conduct a foresight study that explores the possible futures of this technology integration in the Philippines.

This technology foresight study employed a scenario-building methodology to gather data, identify uncertainties, and systematically create alternative futures. Three potential future scenarios were developed: a scenario where XR technology reshapes arcade centers into more holistic hubs that offer learning experiences through XR and other emerging technologies; a scenario where market adoption and financial barriers prevent XR from gaining traction; and a scenario where XR is adopted gradually, with mixed success. Key factors influencing the success of XR technology in arcades include technological advancements, market demand, government policy, and financial viability.

The Philippines holds the highest global risk for disasters, as reported in the World Risk Index (WRI) Report 2022. Its unique geographical location makes it highly susceptible to various natural hazards. As the country's risk for disasters increases, the damage to critical infrastructure and utilities has similarly grown. Affected areas often experience loss of power, communications, and widespread network interruptions in the aftermath of a disaster.

In these situations, satellite communications become crucial in providing alternate communication and essential connectivity when all commercial and terrestrial telecommunications infrastructures are non-operational due to the impacts of disasters. The Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the implementing arm of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) is mandated to establish standard operating procedures on the communication system among various levels of DRRM Offices for purposes of warning and alerting them and for gathering information on disaster areas before, during, and after disasters.

The agency has been utilizing satellite communications technology for disaster management operations and has been tested and proven to provide robust, reliable, and redundant communication systems for disaster situations. By having an emergency communication system, OCD aims to fulfill its mandate and mission in providing effective and efficient disaster management operations and ensuring continuity of the agency's mission essential functions.

The emergence of a new generation of low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, offering global internet connectivity with higher bandwidth, reduced latency, mobility, and lower operational cost is considered a game-changer in emergency communications during disaster response operations and management. The entry of new satellite internet service providers and operators in the Philippines provides the government an opportunity to further enhance its existing emergency communications capability, redundancy, and resiliency through the adoption of LEO satellite broadband technology.

This paper aims to conduct a technology foresight study using the ten-stage scenario-building methodology to determine the potential benefits, challenges, risks, and opportunities, and explore the impacts of adopting LEO Satellite technology for disaster management in the Philippines, specifically for the OCD’s Emergency Communications System.

The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) is a government agency at the national level, with a mandate from the Philippine Constitution to support the expansion and sustainability of cooperatives as facilitators of equity, social justice, and economic development that is environmentally sustainable. The CDA leveraged digital technologies by implementing technology-enabled services to streamline its regulatory and developmental services. CDA developed information systems and upgraded its ICT assets and infrastructure to ensure their availability to the public anytime. Cooperatives, clients, and the general public use the CDA's online services to carry out various processes, including registration, report submission, and accreditation for cooperatives. With the onset of e-commerce as viable means of marketing and selling products, the CDA implemented an online marketplace to showcase the cooperative products locally and internationally. CDA is accelerating its digitalization, and cybersecurity is now a significant concern. Maintaining high security is vital to guarantee safe and reliable data operation between the CDA and its stakeholders. The establishment of the Security Operations Center (SOC) will help CDA to be proactive in addressing cybersecurity concerns. Upon conducting a literature review, the standard framework and defined precise scope for establishing SOC need to be clarified. In this regard, analyzing the critical success factors that will drive the successful establishment of SOC for CDA will be the focus of this study.

Moreover, the study will further develop a model for establishing successful SOC for the CDA. The result of the study enables us to evaluate that out of many success factors, people, processes, and technology relate to the successful implementation of SOC. According to the analysis, the key ingredient for successfully setting up and implementing a SOC is the support of top management. The study implies that the support of senior executives is critical in ensuring that the SOC is established effectively and runs successfully. The essential role of technologies, including but not limited to intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS), security information and event management (SIEM) systems, firewalls, antivirus and anti-malware software, and vulnerability scanners, is evident in the successful operation of a SOC. These technologies are paramount in ensuring effective cyber threat detection and response, therefore, deemed essential components of a reliable SOC. Further, the proposed model for the establishment of SOC, including the process, use of technologies, skills enhancement, and policies, can be used by other government agencies.

This paper will assess the DND Proper office and its civilian bureaus on its capabilities, risks, and current cybersecurity level, using Cybersecurity assessment. This will be a wake-up call in the defense sector as we will see what we lack and what needs to be implemented. Before securing the whole nation against threats to national peace and security (DBM NEP, 2016), the DND needs to be a cyber-secured department as a whole. The internal defense must be prioritized first as there are a lot of sensitive documents that are stored digitally inside the organization’s network, storage, and infrastructure. Imagine if the enemy had stolen a credential of a DND email, where official transactions are stored and taking place, or a hacker accessed or stolen a secret document detailing plans and tactics, and sold it to the black market or adversaries. It will be detrimental to the credibility of the Department, endanger security, and possibly tarnish public trust in the DND and government.

To know if the defense sector is ready to defend against cyber attacks, and to implement necessary adjustments or projects, it is good to determine the current cybersecurity level of the DND Proper office and its civilian bureaus. A Cyber Risk Assessment (CRA) tool will be used to determine the cybersecurity capabilities, security controls implemented, policies and systems in place, and the security risks of each office.

The result of the CRA will give us an understanding of the current level of cybersecurity of DND and its civilian bureaus and will give us information on their current setup, priorities, and issues. The strengths and weaknesses of each office will be revealed, and we will see what we lack, and how to remediate or make solutions out of the problems that will be exposed or arise in the paper.

The output of the paper will yield the recommended policies, circulars, projects, and programs in the future that will be used as the standard and serve as a guide for the DND Proper and its civilian bureaus to follow, to have a secure organization, protect its data, and serve the public safely. It will also increase the overall cybersecurity of DND and its civilian bureaus.
It will also involve research on the cybersecurity policies of the Philippines and attacks that are affecting the defense sector. The paper will also look for recommendations and technical solutions and best practices by each bureau to be used to harden their cybersecurity based on what they are lacking.

This paper will show that DND Proper office and its bureaus have different levels of cybersecurity mainly due to differences in implemented critical cybersecurity controls. There are similar implementations, especially on the basic security but when it comes to more advanced security controls, that is where the difference is, and it will be shown that some bureaus are high risk due to weak implementation of critical cybersecurity controls.

Recommendations such as needed policies and circulars to be crafted, cybersecurity solutions to achieve implementations of controls, best practices, personnel development, and engagement with partners are discussed in this paper.

Marketing practices have improved due to the advancements in computing power and emerging technology, creating benefits for increased efficiency and streamlined workflow. This study examines the evolving role of data analytics in marketing departments within a global shared services company, which supports diverse business units across multiple regions. Through a mixed-method approach involving qualitative interviews and surveys with marketing professionals, the study explored variations in analytics platform usage across different departments. It explored the adoption of key performance metrics, leadership influence, technical tools, and know-how and their contribution to more targeted and efficient marketing strategies. A gap analysis evaluation using the McKinsey 7S framework was employed to check on the themes of Strategy, Structure, Systems, Style, Staff, Skills, and Shared Values. The results highlighted differences in how advanced teams leverage data analytics compared to lagging departments, identifying best practices and existing challenges. The findings show the critical role of unified analytics platforms and the utilization of emerging technology in driving efficiency and effectiveness within marketing operations. By bridging the gap between traditional and data-driven marketing approaches, the study offers practical recommendations for improving the adoption of data analytics across departments, ultimately enhancing business outcomes and organizational productivity.