The Public Management Development Program, the National Government’s Career Executive Service Development Program, being implemented by the Development Academy of the Philippines, launched on July 31, 2018 the pilot Training Module on Phronetic Leadership for high-level officials of the Philippine government at the DAP Conference Center in  Tagaytay.

A collaboration among the Development Academy of the Philippines, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Japan’s National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), the project aims to contribute to building the capacity of both leaders and organizations by operationalizing the concept of phronetic leadership, providing participants with opportunities for quality direct experiences to nurture phronetic abilities. It also aims to facilitate the co-creation of innovative solutions to challenging issues in priority areas.

Twenty-one high-level officials of the Philippine bureaucracy consisting of undersecretaries and assistant secretaries belonging to the national government’s Planning Subcommittee on Infrastructure, comprise the pioneer participants of the training module.

Dr. Hideki Kawada, the international expert deputized by JICA, is the main resource person.  DAP SVP Magdalena Mendoza, counterpart of the JICA-supported LEADING in Asia consortium in its various research activities and GRIPS International Liaison Officer Akira Inagawa, support Dr. Kawada.

The five-day residential training in DAP Tagaytay which ends on August 4 is the introductory first leg of the module.  The second leg, a study visit in Japan will be conducted on September 10 to 14, 2018 to benchmark knowledge-creating organizations and directly interact with phronetic leaders. Participants are expected to present a co-creation project proposal after the course.

DAP President Atty. Engelbert Caronan, Jr. welcomed the distinguished participants during the simple opening ceremony while Undersecretary Jose Miguel Dela Rosa delivered the message of Secretary & NGCESDP Steering Committee Chairperson Ernesto Pernia.

In his message, Secretary Pernia said the training is very timely in the light of the administration’s most ambitious infrastructure program to date, the Build, Build, Build Program  where phronesis or practical wisdom  ‘guided by values and morals’ is  highly valuable.  “I would like to emphasize that it is not enough to attain the right goals but attaining the goals in the right manner,” he concluded. – Nanette C. Caparros