“The biggest lesson I received from the Senior Executives Class (SEC) of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) was the reminder that as senior executives, it is inherent in our role to be leaders, catalysts, and agents of change,” says RITM Laboratory Research Division (LRD) Chief Dr. Amado Tandoc III who is currently taking part in the course alongside 17 other candidates and is set to graduate this December 2018.
“We are not in our positions in government to maintain the status quo. We just cannot accept things the way they are, when all around us other agencies are getting better and taking bold steps to improve,” he added.
“Shaping transformative leaders”
Fronting competence, integrity, and commitment as their core values, the SEC covers three learning areas: Governance and Development, which equips scholars with a deeper understanding of different development perspectives and the roles that government plays in its fulfillment; Strategic Public Management, which capacitates leaders to maximize their institution’s contribution to development and society; and Personal Efficacy and Leadership, which aims to empower them to serve the public to greater heights.
Running for six months, the first four months of the course include residential sessions, a Sensing Journey in a rural community, and a Foreign Study Mission on international governance and policy innovations in an ASEAN member country. Meanwhile, the remaining two months is dedicated to writing a capstone paper, which serves as the final requirement to complete the course.
Moving RITM forward
Dr. Tandoc III is the first from RITM to participate in the SEC. When asked about how the course has affected the way he works now, Dr. Tandoc III said that the course validated the directions and initiatives that he has been working on from back when he was still the head of the Department of Virology.
“The concepts of inclusive development, growth mindset, leadership and management perspective, strategic negotiation, and strategic communication are all elements of good governance that are very much applicable to what our Institute needs—beyond budget, equipment, and infrastructure–to achieve its mandated function,” Dr. Tandoc III reflected.
Dr. Tandoc III is resolute in recommending that the Institute continue sending their senior executives to enroll in the course. “We need contemporary servant leaders with a solid background in governance and public administration, with vision and initiative, not only to improve the performance of our leaders, but also as part of our succession planning to propel RITM to its future. The Public Management Development Program (PMDP) is a wise investment on the part of RITM management,” he stressed.
The program is intended for senior officials who have “outstanding intellectual and creative abilities, deep commitment to public service, and demonstrated potential for shaping policy and management at higher levels of government.”
Candidates qualified for the scholarship shall be: 1) from the pool of incumbents or OICs of permanent executive positions with salary grade of at least SG 25; 2) not yet a Career Executive Service Officer (CESO); 3) not more than 55 years old; and 4) in good health.
Upon completion of all the modules, SEC scholars are awarded a Certificate of Completion of Residential Training as well as a Diploma in Development Management once their capstone paper has been approved.
Being the National Government’s Career Executive Service Development Program, the PMDP aims to produce a linkage of “peak-performing, development-oriented, ethical, and committed Filipino government executives and middle managers” in an effort to promote “people-centered, clean, efficient, and effective governance.”
The PMDP is currently searching for candidates for the first ever SEC Shuttle Course, which is set to launch January next year. The alternative program will be delivered in a series of live-out sessions that will each run from two to five days at a time.
If interested, you may contact the PMDP via (+632) 63-0921 loc. 125 or email them at pmdpsecretariat@dap.edu.ph.
by Eunice Brito, Project Matyag [RITM Web team]