The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) renewed its partnership with the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) Japan through a ceremonial signing conducted via the Zoom platform in June. This is the second memorandum of understanding between the DAP and GRIPS Japan, further extending their eight-year partnership.

DAP President and CEO, Atty. Engelbert Caronan Jr., and GRIPS Japan Acting President, Dr. Masako Kurosawa, served as the signatories for their respective institutions. Caronan was joined by Senior Vice President Magdalena Mendoza, Vice President Alan Cajes, Public Management Development Program Managing Director Nanette Caparros, Center for Governance Managing Director Imelda Caluen, and Productivity Development Center Director Monica Saliendres.

Meanwhile, Kurosawa was joined by Vice President Dr. Yoko Kijima and Professor Hirofumi Takada, Director Fumiko Sekine and Ms. Atsuko Chigiri.

Caronan formally opened the event, stating the significance of the continuing partnership in achieving shared goals and providing a better service to both institutions respective constituents. He also shared how the DAP continuously pioneered development in both the public and social sectors despite the challenging times and the unfamiliarity of the new normal. “The DAP, as the National Productivity Organization, promotes and implements productivity principles and improvements through its programs. At the Academy, we give emphasis on the importance of keeping close cooperation with the Asian Productivity Organization member countries… and productivity enhancement in the region is achieved through the exchange of knowledge and best practices,” he emphasized.

Further, he added that the renewed partnership between the two institutions is an attestation to the shared commitment in creating a pool of global policymakers who can tackle emerging global challenges for a sustainable society.

Kurosawa acknowledged that the extension of the partnership will provide both institutions opportunities for various collaborations on capability-building and leadership projects.

During the meeting, DAP and GRIPS officers brought forth their expectations from the partnership and possible areas of collaboration. Kurosawa started the exchange by welcoming ideas for projects focused on capability-building, similar to the Leadership Enhancement and Administrative Development for Innovative Governance (LEADING) Asia Project.

Takada added that one of LEADING’s outcomes is the network that they were able to build through the project which both institutions must maintain as it will prove useful in other future projects.

Meanwhile, Mendoza expressed DAP’s intent to continue the capability-building projects, which include the PMDP’s Phronetic Leadership Class (PLC) and CFG’s Capability Building on Innovative Leadership for Legislative Staff (CBILLS) program.

Caronan added agriculture and local governance as possible areas of focus because these are priority areas of the country’s new administration. Further, Mendoza mentioned the proposal from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on a possible project which will focus on the capability-building of the legislative staff in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Mendoza, in addition to Caronan’s suggestions, asked to explore on the possibility of a collaborative research for public policies. While Caluen and Caparros provided brief updates on the CBILLS and PLC.  They also shared the participants’ interest in going to Japan for their foreign study mission.

Meanwhile, Cajes and Saliendres offered their messages of support and expectations that the partnership will give way to the development of innovative policy for the advancement of productivity in critical sectors.

Mendoza, in her closing message, expressed confidence that the renewal will provide greater opportunities for collaboration. She also shared how the participants of the learning courses have adopted their learnings in their work and how the partnership deepened the understanding between the Philippines and Japan.