The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) hosted a briefing on Philippine foreign policy and Philippines-Indonesia relations for senior Indonesian officials at the Carlos P. Garcia Conference Hall, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on 15 September 2015.

The Indonesian officials were undergoing structural training at the National Resilience Institute of the Republic of Indonesia (LEMHANAS) are were visiting the Philippines from 14 to 18 September 2015 as part of the training to conduct a strategic study on foreign affairs, particularly on bilateral issues with the Philippines.

FSI Deputy Director-General Julio S. Amador III spoke to the delegates about the role of governments in disaster response and crisis management in his opening remarks. Director Jose L. Garcia III of the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Coordination gave an overview of Philippine foreign policy and its pillars. Mr. Ajeet Victor Panemanglor, Principal Assistant at the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs, discussed the strength of Philippines-Indonesia bilateral relations and how agreements such as the Joint Declaration of the Philippines and Indonesia Concerning the Rights of the Migrant Workers are the result of strong bilateral ties between the two countries.

The briefing was moderated by the Institute’s Institutional Linkages Unit Head, Ms. Rowena C. Villanueva.

The group of senior officials were also scheduled to visit other agencies like the Department of National Defense, National Defense College of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, the international port in General Santos City, and Armscor.