The Public Management Development Program (PMDP) opened the fifth batch of the Phronetic Leadership Class (PLC) on August 7, 2023 at the DAP Conference Center in Tagaytay City. The batch consists of 12 undersecretary, assistant secretaries, and senior regional directors from the national government’s food security and nutrition sector.
Center for CES Development Vice President Nanette C. Caparros welcomed the participants and briefly explained the history of PLC as well as introduced the PMDP team and batch members. Meanwhile, DAP Senior Vice President for Programs Magdalena L. Mendoza gave an overview of the training and introduced the co-creation project, the ultimate requirement of the class.
The participants went through a five-day residential training mentored by Faculty-in Charge Professor Hideki Kawada from Japan. The class visited a site of Taal fish cage operation in Laurel Batangas, and Barangay San Jose, which has a widely acclaimed nutrition program in Tagaytay City, as part of their socialization activity. This program component allowed the participants to share and create explicit knowledge through direct experience. The class’ culminating activity was the observational study visit in Tokyo, Japan last September 4-8, arranged in partnership with the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS).
Ambassador Mylene J. Garcia-Albano, GRIPS President Hiroko Ota, and GRIPS Vice President Hirofumi Takada welcomed the participants to kick off the visit. Filipino scholars at GRIPS joined the ceremony to extend the fellowship. The class had a series of lectures and site visits at the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Saitama City’s Smart Home Community, and JR East TESSEI Co., Ltd.– the company behind Japan’s Seven-Minute Miracle.
The site visits featured innovative solutions and smart technologies particularly at the NARO’s Genebank, Saitama City’s Smart Home Community’s implementation of Society 5.0, and the Shinkansen (Japan’s Bullet train) Cleaning Service.
The study visit also allowed the participants to interact with reputable “phronetic” leaders and resource persons like NARO President, Dr. Kazuo Kyuma, Saitama City Mayor Hayato Shimizu, JR East TESSEI Co., Ltd. President Ryosuke Mimura, Director General for Policy Coordination of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mr. Atsushi Suginaka, and Professor Kiyotaka Yokomichi. These leaders foregrounded the importance of change in mindset and perspective among employees to achieve common goals. Mayor Shimizu highlighted that cooperation of everyone, including employees and citizens, played the most important role in achieving the city’s goals.
This component of the program provided the batch with insights on Japan’s pioneering efforts in the field of food security and nutrition, and smart innovations in the public sector, which will be applied in their Co-Creation Project set to be presented during the Closing Activity on 13 October 2023.
