The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) held the closing ceremony of the Foreign Service Officers’ Cadetship Course (FSOCC) Batch XXII on 22 July 2016 at the FSI Carlos P. Romulo Library, DFA Building. Guest of honor Undersecretary for Administration, Linglingay Lancanlale, congratulated the twenty-one (21) FSOCC participants and impressed upon them the importance of the qualitative values that would define their work as full-pledged foreign service officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs – Service, Teamwork, Results, Integrity, Dignity, Encouragement, and Spirituality (STRIDES) which she referred from the company values of Qualfon, a global provider of contact center, back-office, and business process outsourcing (BPO) services.
The FSO Cadetship Course is an intensive six-month training program that is designed to help the participants develop their capabilities in promoting the Philippines’ foreign policy pillars, in advancing economic security, assistance-to-nationals, cultural diplomacy and national security interests. Likewise, it orients them on basic consular and diplomatic duties and responsibilities. The course is a mix of classroom lectures, seminars, web conferences and workshops. Participants are also required to present and defend their policy papers on various foreign policy issues faced by the Department, and to participate in local study tours and exposure trips.
One of the highlights of FSOCC Batch XXII was the implementation of the Basic Apprenticeship Program on Diplomatic and Consular Practice in Foreign Service, the first foreign immersion trip conducted by FSI in partnership with the DFA-Human Resource Management Office. The participants were divided into four groups and randomly assigned to Philippine Embassies in Jakarta, Manama, New Delhi, and Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai. The Apprenticeship Program was a comprehensive learning experience and an invaluable glimpse at what junior officers are to expect when they will be assigned abroad.
The closing ceremony was capped by Undersecretary Lacanlale’s official announcement of the designated office of assignment of FSOCC Batch XXII participants in the DFA Home Office.
(R – L) Usec. Linglingay Lacanlale, FSI Director-General Claro S. Cristobal, FSI Deputy Director-General Julio S. Amador, III and Ms. Marichu Liwanag, Head of FSI Carlos P. Romulo School of Diplomacy.
