In preparation with the implementation of K to 12 Program and with the ASEAN Integration, five ASCOT Officials headed by the College President, Dr. Doracie B. Zoleta-Nantes, together with Dr. Amelia A. Picart, Prof. Antonio D. Bolivar III, Engr. Mayreen V. Amazona and Mrs. Aracelie A. Bitancor, attended the 2015 Annual National Conference of the Philippine Schools, Universities, and Colleges Computer Education and Systems Society held last
July 15-17, 2015 at the Philippine Normal University, Taft Avenue, Manila.

The event was graced with the presence of Hon. Gil S. Beltran, Undersecretary and Chief Economist, Department of Finance, and Hon. Roman T. Romulo, Congressman, Committee on Higher and Technical Education who both served as the Keynote Speakers for the occasion. Their talks centered on the theme, “ICT Initiatives and the Philippine Educational Reforms towards ASEAN Integration: Issues, Concerns and Challenges”.

The three-day conference main objective is to update the participants on the latest development on the K to 12 Program of the government and to acquaint them on how convergence of creative minds in ICT can promote global competitiveness especially in the ASEAN region.

Several topics on Strengthening K-12 implementation and ASEAN Integration were discussed and supplemented with open forum in plenary sessions. The Manila Times College President, Dr. Isagani R. Cruz presented an informative discussion on K to 12 Updates and Latest Developments. Moreover,sessions on the Present Trends and Challenges of eLearning and Mobility of Skills in the ASEAN Region was addressed by Dr. Pierangelo B. Angelo from the Resource for Educators and Academic Professionals and Mr. Jonathan D. De Luzuriaga, Philippine Software Industry Association President respectively. In addition, Dr. Raymundo P. Arcega, Executive Vice President of the University of Makati talked on the Outcomes-Based Education in the Context of the ASEAN Integration and Mr. Marlo Q. Carag of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines talked over the Intellectual Property Rights in the Context of ASEAN Integration. Meanwhile, Dr. Adela J. Ruiz, President, Nutrition-Dietitians’ Association of the Philippines and Mr. Arbe E. Olandres, Founder and Editor in Chief of Yugatech.com also delivered their respective talks on Health and Wellness in the Information Age and Influence of Blogging in the ASEAN Region.

The activity also featured a Panel Discussion on Strengthening the K-12 implementation with Dr. Isagani R. Cruz, CHED Consultant, Deputy Director Irene M. Isaac, TESDA and Assec. Elvin P. Uy, DepEd as the members of the panel. A Technical Session on Plagiarism Detection Tools was also conducted by Ms. Angelet A. San Pedro of the iGroup Asia Pacific Ltd. /Libtech Source Philippines.

The Oath Taking of new members and the Membership Meeting for Senior and Junior PSUCESS members were also held in the event.