Positioned among elite academic innovators pioneering premier, future-proofed education, Naga College Foundation, Inc. (NCF) showcased its flagship educational technology solutions at the Higher Education Partnerships Conference (HEPCON) 2026, held from October 1 to 2, 2026, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Cebu City.
As one of the select institutions chosen by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to represent Philippine digital innovation on the HEPCON 2026 global stage, NCF featured its premier TechXEd Roadshow exhibition pavilion.
The NCF pavilion showcased homegrown technological breakthroughs—including the Tiger Humanoid Robots, Tiger Digital Notebook, MiMouse, Virtual Reality (VR) learning environments, and MarCo—cementing the institution’s progressive drive to establish immersive, AI-driven, and accessible educational tools.
Stepping onto the premier international stage of HEPCON 2026, NCF joined higher education leaders, policy experts, and industry stakeholders convened by CHED alongside international delegates from the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Russia to fortify the role of higher education in addressing global challenges.
The two-day, partnership-centered international convention featured an extensive education exhibition, high-level panel discussions, keynote presentations, and business-to-business (B2B) networking sessions designed to drive campus internationalization, foster educational innovation, and accelerate global student mobility.
Deliberations throughout the conference revolved around key strategic regional imperatives, including Reimagining ASEAN Higher Education: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation, and Robotics; The Next Decade of ASEAN–Global Higher Education Collaboration; Selecting Strategic International Partners: Strategy, Cultural Fit, and Value Alignment; Industry-University-International Research Partnerships: Aligning Objectives in the Age of AI; and Global Cooperation and the Future of the ASEAN Higher Education Area.
Meanwhile, a defining milestone of the exhibition was the visit of Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis, CHED Chairperson, who personally interacted with NCF’s Tiger Humanoid Robots and lauded the institution’s proactive stance in integrating applied robotics and interactive technology into higher education pedagogy.
Chairperson Agrupis’ hands-on interaction underscored the immense potential of NCF’s TechXEd innovations to serve as a scalable benchmark for Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) striving toward AI readiness and international competitiveness.
Driving NCF’s active participation in the global gathering was an executive delegation composed of Dr. Dennis Franco M. Layug, NCF Trustee and President of East West International Educational Specialists, Inc. (EWIES); Dr. Sheila E. Balid-Bordado, Vice President for Digital Transformation; Ms. Teenarose O. Castroverde, Vice President for Institutional Affairs; Dr. Agapito Rubio, Director for the Center for Research, Learning, and Development (CRLD); Mr. Proceso P. Capagas, Director of the Technology Resource Center (TRC); and Mx. Ma. Daryl Vernise Martinez, Head of Technology in Education.
By actively steering the dialogue at HEPCON 2026, NCF reaffirms its institutional dedication to leading digital transformation, expanding cross-border research collaborations, and solidifying its standing as a forward-looking innovation hub for technological excellence in the ASEAN region.