The 19th batch of new Foreign Service Officers, class IV, undergoing the Foreign Service Officers Cadetship Course (FSOCC) since 14 March 2012 had a graduation ceremony held on Friday, 21 September 2012, at the 14th Floor Bulwagang Elpidio R. Quirino of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The batch, adopting the name “Batch Balangay,” was composed of eleven cadets. In his remarks read by Undersecretary Brilliantes, DFA Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario congratulated Batch Balangay and officially welcomed the new officers into the ranks of the Foreign Service Corps.

The FSOCC is a mandated training program by Republic Act 7157 for new FSO IV which consists of 6 months intensive classroom instructions on all aspects of consular and diplomatic duties and responsibilities. The current program consists of 17 modules, namely: The Philippine Foreign Service, Esprit de Corps, Leadership and Management, Protocol, Social Graces and Etiquette, Conference Diplomacy, Environmental Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, Diplomatic Correspondence, Speechwriting and Reporting, Philippine Studies and Cultural Diplomacy, National Security, Conflict Resolution and Negotiation, Consular Services, Assistance-to-Nationals, Crisis Management, Economic Diplomacy, Public Diplomacy and Crisis Communication and Personnel and Financial Administration.