“The CBILLS program of the DAP made me realize that we need to strategize more, continually benchmark other government practices, and stay passionate about what we do. Needless to say, this year’s program curriculum surpassed my expectations with the learning we gained. The facilitator indeed manifested mastery of the topic with surgical precision delivering to us only what is essential and critical knowledge for our learning. Lastly, may we all ponder this question as we go on, “Are we doing what is best for our legislators and for the people, or are we just doing what is convenient to us? Thank you.”

“On behalf of the Senate of the Philippines, I would like to thank the Hertie School for what has been a truly illuminating experience throughout the past few days. This overview of German governance—from finance and budgeting to federal politics, communications and engagement to risk management and resilience strategies—has given us invaluable insight, and a solid comparative model for us to analyze and adapt approaches from, in our ongoing efforts to improve and streamline our systems of government in the Philippines.”

“We are grateful for the opportunity to learn from Korea’s experience and to adapt these lessons to our own development. Korea has shown remarkable innovation and leadership in various sectors, such as information and communication technologies, semiconductors, rechargeable batteries and displays, as well as emerging areas such as artificial intelligence and space exploration . Korea’s development strategies are based on the concept of 4S: smart, safe, sustainable and strong, which are worth emulating. We believe that these insights are very relevant and useful for our own country as we strive to achieve inclusive growth and development. We hope that we can apply these insights in our own work as part of the technical arm of Committee on Finance of the Philippine Senate, and that we can strengthen our partnership with South Korea through mutual learning and cooperation.”

“What I found particularly rewarding about the course were the workshops and group discussions. These sessions enabled us to share insights, learn from each other, and practically apply the theories we learned during lectures. The sensing session with the LGUs in Tagaytay was the highlight of the course as it allowed us to witness firsthand how national policies are implemented at the local level and how they shape local communities.” – Atty. Aldrin Dale Ferrer, Emerging Leaders Track 2024 (Senate)

“The course allowed me to look back on my leadership journey and see how much more I can grow. It gave me time to engage in introspection, something that I rarely find time for because of the busy life and the many hats I wear. The course also provided us valuable tips and practical guidelines on how to better navigate difficult conversations, which we can certainly use in our respective workplaces.” – Maria Christina Pardalis, Middle Managers Track 2024 (Senate)

“All lectures and the facilitation of the whole four-day course were very rewarding. Given that all of us have different personalities, we all understood the lectures in a very relatable way. I learned deeply from the concepts, and these will be very useful for our delivery of basic services and policy making mechanisms to become more efficient and sustainable.” – Czarina Khamille Baltao, Senior Leaders Track 2024 (House of Representatives)

“I learned [the] principles and concepts that gave me a better understanding of the importance of legislative oversight. The course made me realize that the oversight function of Congress can be used to optimize the effectiveness and efficiency of Executive departments and agencies.” – Warlo Loque, Appropriations and Finance Emerging Leaders Track 2024 (House of Representatives)

“The topics will be very useful in line with our work in the analysis, assessment and evaluation of the budget submitted by the agencies/departments. It will be very helpful to give or suggest a sound recommendation to our principals. The presentation of Mr. Beltran gave us an overview of the [Philippine] public financial management situation and the comparative matrix with our neighboring countries is very helpful. [A]ctually the whole course [is a] great help for us in learning how to analyze risk and how to mitigate it. I also learned a lot about taxation in the Philippines as compared to our neighboring countries. The resource speakers are experts in their respective fields and assigned topics, they were very accommodating, kind and helpful.” – Scholar from the Appropriations and Finance Managers Track 2024 (House of Representatives)

“I enjoyed the lectures and how it was presented [from] two different points of view: one from NEDA and another from political science academia. Participatory governance is an indispensable part of any working democracy, and it is illuminating [to know] how this concept is being [realized] in actual settings and in government programs.” – Atty. Abelardo Maglanque, Senior Leaders Track 2024 (Senate)

“The lecture covers a relevant [and timely] topic [in discussing] opportunities for citizen participation in public accountability. Indeed, [citizens] can participate in public governance not only through election but also through budget preparation, authorization, execution, and accountability.” – Atty. Romel Patacsil, Appropriations and Finance Managers Track 2024 (Senate)