Knowledge Sharing. The 25 scholars of Senior Executives Class Batch 3-Sinagtala of the Public Management Development Program pose with NIPA officials PM Marpaung, Dr. Anwar San Jose and Dr. Makhdumm Priyatno after the latter lecture presentation.

A breakthrough in the implementation of the Senior Executives Class (SEC) of the Public Management Development Program (PMDP), the 25 scholars of Batch 3 Sinagtala met their counterparts in Indonesia as part of their five-day Foreign Study Mission.

“The Foreign Study Mission is a methodology of the Program’s course on International Governance and Policy Innovation. This is a 5-day regional institutional engagement that aims to expand the scholars’ appreciation of the government systems, processes and programs of other countries in the region,” described by Director Nanette Cordial-Caparros, PMDP Program Manager and Session Director of the batch.

“[The Mission also] allowed the scholars to establish network and linkages with other governments in preparation for the ASEAN integration and to share information and recent innovations addressing local and regional development concerns,” she added.

During their stay in Indonesia, the scholars visited the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) where they met their counterparts. The Jakarta-based institute is an independent body responsible for the professional development of the public service and training of local authorities.

“The visit was very timely as an exhibit of the counterparts’ vision of Re-entry Projects was ongoing. NIPA’s Chairman of the School of Public Administration Dr. Makhdum Priyatno took the opportunity to introduce the Philippine mission members to the Indonesian officials.”

The jam-packed schedule in the institute also included a presentation by high ranking NIPA officials to the scholars on structure and functions of the Indonesian government and their economic development strategy which focuses on promoting productivity and policy innovation in the bureaucracy.

“I believe this was the first time the Philippine government funded such mission. This just proves that we are gearing up to face the challenges of December 2015. We are also showing that we are world-class,” said Victor B. Ubaldo, president of the class and Chief Economic Development Specialist from National Economic and Development Authority in Region III.