Dr. Ramon
K. Katigbak, Jr.
Former Undersecretary, Department of Finance
The first is that you are much better
prepared than I was when I started my government
career. You have learned the academic theory
of economics and development planning,
as I did in graduate school. But you have
also learned, in the words of your Public
Policy Development and Analysis course, "an
understanding of the policy environment
-- the context, challenges and
constraints of official decision-making
especially in local government – so
that those who design, give advice on and
implement public policy may know how to
navigate policy reform through the risks
and opportunities of this environment." So
you have learned not only academic theory
but real-life practice, and you have picked
up quickly and painlessly in the classroom
what took me many years of hard experience
to understand.
Second and more important, you have a
much better chance than I did of initiating
and implementing important and substantive
reforms, and this is my main message to
you this afternoon. Local governments can
be the leaders in the national reforms
that this country so badly needs, and you
can be the leaders in this movement. For
your job is much more important than you
might think . . .
(Download file here.)
Dr. Antonio G.M. La Viña
Dean, Ateneo School of Government
On
behalf of the Ateneo de Manila University,
in particular our President, Fr. Bienvenido
Nebres of the Society of Jesus, I congratulate
the 2007 graduates of the Masters in Public
Management program implemented here in
Calapan, Mindoro Oriental. You have worked
hard to get to this point. Having taught
you myself, and having seen all your Governance
Innovation Reports, I know that getting
this degree was not easy. I congratulate
you for that. I can tell you as a teacher
of more that 20 years – in the Philippines
and other parts of the world: you are as
good as my students from Ateneo in Loyola
and Rockwell, from UP Law in Diliman, from
Yale University and John Hopkins University
in the United States of America . . .
This graduation is also a historic event
for the University. As far as I know this
is our first graduation ceremony held outside
of Manila. For the Ateneo School of Government,
you are the first graduates, the pilot
class, of what is now our signature program.
You will be followed by Iloilo City next
year and then by Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga
and many others after that. But you are
the first as we move forward to our 2020
vision of working with leaders of 1000
local governments to build a prosperous
and just Philippines . . .
(Download file here.)
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