Manila — President Benigno Aquino III and Ambassador Philip
Goldberg led the commencement exercises on March 29 for the 148 scholars
supported by the U.S. Embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International
Development at Malacañang Palace. Also
present were Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, Department of Interior and Local
Government, representatives from the Development Academy of the Philippines,
headed by President Antonio Kalaw, and Senior Vice President Gloria Mercado.
The ceremony marked the end
of the 14-month academic program given by the Development Academy of the
Philippines. This multifaceted course allows students to progress between
vocational training and academic lessons, and focuses on public management,
local governance, development planning, and disaster risk reduction and
management.
The program is part of the
U.S. government’s assistance to build the planning and disaster preparedness
capacity of local governments in Typhoon Yolanda-affected areas. The scholars,
most of whom are employed as municipal and provincial planners, earned the
title Master in Public Management, Major in Local Governance and
Development.
In his commencement address,
President Aquino said, “You can make a difference in the lives of
Filipinos. Armed with your new
knowledge, we must continue to build back better, so we can avoid similar
tragedies down the line.”
Ambassador Goldberg
acknowledged the hard work of the graduates in taking steps to improve the
social development planning and effective disaster management in their
communities. “Collectively, you are building resilience throughout the region,
and this resilience contributes to a more stable Philippines,” the Ambassador
said.
To date, the U.S. government
has provided approximately $143 million to help the Philippines respond to, and
recover from, the devastating effects of Typhoon Yolanda.(US Embassy news)
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