Dr. Ronald Mendoza, Dean of the Ateneo School of Government (ASOG), was the guest lecturer at the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) second Governance Forum – Lecture Series for 2017. Mendoza, also a member of the AFP’s multi-sector governance council spoke about governance, institutions, and development.
Dr. Ronald U. Mendoza with the panel of reactors composed of military and civilian personnel.
He highlighted the significant role of long-standing institutions such as the AFP in helping the country correct its failures of government. “Institutions matter for governance, and governance matters for development,” Mendoza said. He stressed that the three concepts were interrelated as both the government and the market need institutions with strong footing in good governance to pursue social and economic development. He also mentioned that while institutional reform is a collective challenge, establishing stronger institutions underpins good policy execution.
There was also time for military and civilian participants to exchange notes with Mendoza. Reacting to Mendoza’s call to collective action, Commander Laurence Calimag of the Philippine Navy shared, “Good governance begins with self-governance.”
LTGEN SALVADOR MELCHOR B MISON JR AFP, Vice Chief of Staff AFP and Dr. Ronald U. Mendoza with the senior officers from the AFP Joint, Personal, and Special Staff.
After the lecture, five offices of the AFP were recognized for their milestones in practicing good governance. These were the AFP Historical Center, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, AFP Doctrine Development Center, and AFP Accounting Center. They were conferred “Initiated” and “Compliant”, the first two stages of the AFP Transformation Roadmap Institutionalization Pathway (AFPTRIP), patterned after ISA’s own governance pathway.
Ms. Steffi Villa delivers her spoken poetry piece, “Pangarap Kong Pilipinas”
To close the forum, AFP Vice Chief of Staff Salvador Mison Jr. delivered formal remarks on behalf of AFP Chief of Staff Eduardo Año, saying, “I enjoin you to embed the mechanisms of good governance in your duties so we can truly become a transformed armed forces, which our people deserve.” Spoken word artist and military researcher Steffi Villa also performed her piece, “Pangarap Kong Pilipinas”, an inspirational take on individual passion for the country as a means for social development.
Sittie Nuska is a researcher of the AFP’s Office for Strategic Studies and Strategy Management (OSSSM), which spearheads the AFP Governance Forum – Lecture Series aimed at promoting leadership excellence and good governance among key leaders. The event features various sectoral leaders known for championing good governance.