Pasig City, 27 September 2025—The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), through its Graduate School of Public and Development Management (GSPDM), has successfully concluded the pilot run of the Certificate Course on Maritime Security (CCMS), with 30 co-learners from both the public and private sectors completing the five-week program. The course coincided with the celebration of the Maritime Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month, underscoring DAP’s commitment to strengthening national awareness and advancing discourse on maritime security.
During the closing ceremony, selected co-learners shared their insights and takeaways. Lieutenant Jose Romulo S Federico of the Philippine Navy highlighted how the program deepened his understanding of the complex challenges in maritime security, while contributing to both his professional and personal growth. Lieutenant Colonel Jannette C Arceo of the Philippine Army (Reserve) praised the program’s rigor, noting how the lectures and discussions enabled the co-learners to craft substantive policy briefs that can contribute to defense and maritime governance. Meanwhile, Colonel Charlie A Domingo Jr. of the Philippine Navy (Marines) expressed gratitude for the course’s comprehensive lectures and the dynamic exchange of ideas among faculty and co-learners.
One of the ceremony’s highlights was the awarding of the Best Policy Brief, which recognized two outstanding groups for their work. The winning entries were: “From Space to Sea: Philippine Maritime Alert Hub for Foreign Space Debris: Strengthening National Preparedness, Maritime Security, and Global Space Governance” and “One Message, Many Voices: Establishing Unified Messaging in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).”
In her closing message, DAP-GSPDM Dean Dr. Lizan E. Perante-Calina commended the co-learners’ dedication and urged them to remain critical and proactive defenders of the nation’s maritime domain. She emphasized the program’s success was not merely an academic milestone, but also a shared commitment to safeguarding Philippine sovereignty. She also expressed optimism that the policy briefs developed during the course would inspire actionable solutions to pressing maritime security issues.
The CCMS was spearheaded by the GSPDM’s Security Governance and Diplomacy Cluster and made possible through the expertise and commitment of its esteemed faculty and resource persons. DAP-GSPDM extends its gratitude to Prof. Julio S. Amador III, Faculty-In-Charge and to its distinguished resource speakers: Hon. Justice Antonio T. Carpio (Ret.), Atty. Neil Simon S. Silva, Atty. Fretti G. Ganchoon, and Dir. Jesse N. Pascasio, whose insights enriched the program.
