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- Category: 2009
The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) and SEARCA, with the Ateneo de Manila University School of Government (ASoG), University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) School of Management, and University of the Philippines Diliman UPEcon Foundation, Inc. (UPEcon) inked an agreement to implement an "Umbrella Capacity Development Program on Strategic Management and Policy for Agriculture Professionals and Executives."
The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing took place at the DA Office of the Secretary on 10 July 2009. Signatories include Hon. Arthur C. Yap, DA Secretary; Dr. Arsenio M. Balisacan, SEARCA Director; Dr. Antonio G.M. La Viña, ASoG Dean; Dr. Rolando Dy, UA&P School of Management Dean; and Dr. Emmanuel S. de Dios, UPEcon Foundation, Inc. Chairman and Dean of the UP School of Economics.
This five-year initiative (2009-2014) recognizes that excellence and relevance in government service, particularly at DA, requires a strong work force equipped by proactive professional development program. Continuing education at DA becomes even more imperative where turnover at the senior and mid-level managerial levels tends to be high. Towards excellence in leadership and management at DA, the Department needs to deliberately strengthen its pool of professionals who can competently backstop on a sustained basis whoever steers the Philippine agriculture program.
The program aims to provide DA executives and professionals with a global, 21st century perspective attuned to contemporary challenges in food security and rural poverty alleviation. It focuses on equipping and reinforcing participants with proactive leadership frameworks and mindsets informed by contemporary worldviews and theories, substantiated by real cases and science-based evidence.
A total of 51 (48 MS and 3 PhD) scholarships will be given to junior and mid-level professional staff of the DA. They can enroll in degree program offerings and certificate executive courses of the three participating higher education institutions (HEIs). Program thrusts and corresponding academic institutions include:
- Strategic leadership and public management (ASoG);
- Agricultural business, trade and investment (UA&P School of Management);
- Development economics and agricultural policy (UPEcon through the UP School of Economics)
Aside from graduate scholarships, another program modality is an executive program comprising of 20 two-hour lecture fora, eight three-day learning forums, and certificate executive courses or visits to institutions, industries, or private sector initiatives. These learning events will focus on policy issues, agricultural development challenges, and science-based solutions aimed to equip DA participants to stay on top of new developments and issues for planning and decision-making.
By the end of the program, it is hoped that a cadre of homegrown, world-class career bureaucrats will steer the government’s agriculture program in synergy with local governments, the private sector and external markets, civil society, small producers and their communities, and other national and international partners through the years.
SEARCA will administer the proposed umbrella program and provide a virtual program base for the collaborative undertakings with the participating HEIs. SEARCA will further take lead in providing Southeast Asian regional perspectives and linkages.
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- Category: 2009
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has announced the availability of DAAD Scholarships for Postgraduate Courses with Special Relevance to Developing Countries for Academic Year 2010-2011. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Scholarship Program will support selected postgraduate programs with a variety of full or partial scholarships.
The grantees will pursue an internationally recognized master’s degree program in Germany for a duration of 12-24 months, depending on the course and host university.
The Scholarship Program is designed to give junior executives from developing countries an opportunity to attend such degree courses. Therefore, applicants must come from a public authority or state or private company in a developing country and they must be engaged in planning and execution of directives and projects with emphasis on development policy that have bearing on technological, economic, or social areas.
In addition to the abovementioned condition for eligibility to apply, applicants must meet the following minimum criteria: hold a bachelor’s degree (4 years) in related subject; had completed an academic degree far beyond average and at least two years of related professional experience; and is not older than 36 (although age limit for some courses is 32).
To participate in the competition, applicants must submit a duly accomplished official DAAD application form available at the German embassies or DAAD office in the applicant’s country or the university to which admission is being sought; duly accomplished application form for the postgraduate course to be pursued available at the university offering the course; hand-signed curriculum vitae following europass format; hand-signed letter of motivation with reference to current occupation; recommendations from the applicant’s university and employer; TOEFL or IELTS score; certified copies of academic transcripts and awarded academic degrees.
The concerned university decides on admission to the postgraduate course and simultaneously submits a proposal for the allocation of scholarships. The final decision on the allocation of scholarships is made by the DAAD.
Applications for Academic Year 2010-2011 may be submitted to any of the following: 1) the German Embassy no later than 31 August 2009, 2) the DAAD Head office no later than 30 September 2009, or 3) directly to the university no later than 15 October 2009. It must be noted that some courses have an earlier deadline.
More information may be obtained at http://www.daad.de/development. (Source: Press and Cultural Section, German Embassy, Manila)
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- Category: 2009
Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr. succeeds the headship of the regional center from Dr. Arsenio M. Balisacan who completed his second term on 13 July 2009.
Dr. Saguiguit carries with him three decades of experience and institutional memory on SEARCA operations and programs. He began his career at SEARCA as a student assistant of the SEARCA-Harvard 928-B Corn Commodity Systems project in 1974. He rose through the ranks, occupying various technical and administrative positions in the Center. Most of his career in the Center has been spent developing and implementing collaborations in research and development with foreign and international partners and donors. He was appointed Head of the Environment and Rural Development Unit in 1991, Manager of the Research and Development Office in 1995, and Deputy Director for Administration in 2002, a position he held until his recent selection as SEARCA Director. As researcher and research manager, Dr. Saguiguit worked mostly on community-based natural resource management, north-south collaborative research, and agricultural and rural development.
Dr. Saguiguit has numerous published works and has presented papers in national and international fora and scientific conferences on the mentioned subjects. He has also received recognition and awards for his management and leadership of agricultural development projects. Currently, he is also member of the National Technical Panel on Agricultural Education of the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines and has served on numerous advisory, management, and implementation bodies of development programs in the Philippines and other multi-country programs in Southeast Asia.
As Deputy Director for Administration of SEARCA, Dr. Saguiguit was at the forefront of efforts to improve the Center’s operations, including the computerization of its financial management system as well as maintenance and renovation of SEARCA’s physical structures. It was also during his watch as deputy that University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) renewed its agreement with SEARCA to host the Center for another 25 years. Dr Saguiguit has been serving as the Center’s Treasurer the past six years and has contributed to SEARCA’s financial stability.
Dr. Saguiguit holds a doctorate in Rural Economics from the University of Montpellier in France, obtained through a French Government scholarship, and MS and BS degrees in agricultural economics and agriculture, respectively, from UPLB. He obtained his Masters degree under a scholarship provided by the Fellowship in the Region Program of the Netherlands Government. He has participated and attended many special trainings to hone his development skills and expertise including an Agribusiness Training from a Harvard program and the prestigious Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) in the University of California-Berkeley, to name a few.
Dr. Saguiguit is the only son and namesake of the late Dr. Gil F. Saguiguit, Sr., renowned professor of agricultural education, institution builder, and one of the founding fathers of SEARCA.
Related News: Dr. Balisacan completes SEARCA Directorship
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- Category: 2009
Dr. Arsenio M. Balisacan completed his directorship of SEARCA on 13 July 2009 after being at the helm of the Center for two three-year terms. He is succeeded by Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., the Center’s Deputy Director for Administration prior to his new appointment as SEARCA Director.
At a simple farewell program tendered by the Center last 13 July, Dr. Balisacan delivered his exit report to the SEARCA staff. The report highlighted the progress made by SEARCA toward the direction of mainstreaming agriculture in the development agenda.
Starting with the challenges of making reforms -- some innocuous, others radical -- in the Center back in July 2003 following the results of a comprehensive program and financial review conducted by the SEARCA Governing Board, Dr. Balisacan presented the accomplishments of the Center’s core programs, namely: Graduate Scholarship, Research and Development, and Knowledge Management.
His report tracked the Center’s progress from fiscal year 2001/2002 to fiscal year 2008/2009 using standardized key performance indicators. It showed an increasing performance trend across the core programs and activities of the Center. Dr. Balisacan said that he hoped what would be appreciated is that “during our term, we managed to etch SEARCA's place in the global community of influential development institutions. Our international conferences and meetings, including publications, albeit not many, have helped cement SEARCA's place in this community,” he added. Dr. Balisacan leaves the Center in a healthy financial state also.
Noting the achievements notched by SEARCA in the past six years, Mr. K Kesavapany, Director of Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, complimented Dr. Balisacan on “the outstanding leadership you have provided to SEARCA. Under your charge, the institution has gained stature in the academic world.” Likewise, Dr. Kejiro Otsuka, former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and currently the President, International Association of Agricultural Economists, lauded Dr. Balisacan’s efforts in leading SEARCA, saying “You did a superb job. I really respect your great leadership.” Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, former Director General of IRRI, said Dr. Balisacan can “look back with pride and satisfaction on your monumental contributions to the development of SEARCA.”
Having led the crafting of two five-year plans of the Center (i.e., Eighth Five-Year Plan covering FYs 2004/2005-2008/2009 and Ninth Five-Year Plan covering FYs 2009/2010-2013/2014), Dr. Balisacan urged SEARCA to gear up as it faces additional challenges brought about by the slow recovery of the global economy; the problems posed by climate change particularly to the vulnerable sectors, among them the agriculture and rural sector; and the economic transformation of Southeast Asian countries; and the trend toward integration internationally and intra-nationally. He said SEARCA should continue to ensure that its programs and activities are value-adding and address social objectives, particularly poverty reduction and food security and that the Center should deepen its “presence and relevance in addressing agricultural and rural development issues of regional significance."
A leading development economist in Asia, with particularly research interests on poverty, inequality, agricultural and regional development, sustainable development, and political economy of policy reforms, Dr. Balisacan is a professor at the School of Economics of the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is also currently serving in various technical and policy advisory councils, including those of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Philippine Congress Commission on Science & Technology and Engineering. He is also a Member of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) of the Philippines, and chair of the NAST Task Force on Climate Change. Moreover, he is the President-elect of the Asian Society of Agricultural Economists.
Prior to his SEARCA directorship, Dr. Balisacan served as Agriculture Undersecretary in the Philippine Government, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Agribusiness Corporation, and Member of the Board of Directors of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation. He has also served as adviser and expert in poverty and rural development issues to government chief executives and legislators and to bilateral and multilateral development institutions, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and various United Nations agencies.
Dr. Balisacan is well-published, with at least seven books and more than 100 journal articles and book chapters to his name. His more recent book titles include The Dynamics of Regional Development: The Philippines in East Asia (Edward Elgar, UK, with H. Hill), Reasserting the Rural Development Agenda: Lessons Learned and Emerging Challenges in Asia (ISEAS, Singapore, and SEARCA, with N. Fuwa), and The Philippine Economy: Development, Policies, and Challenges (Oxford University Press, with H. Hill). He is the founding Editor of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development, SEARCA’s international refereed journal.
Dr. Balisacan holds a PhD (Economics) from the University of Hawaii, a Master’s degree (Agricultural Economics) from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (obtained through a full graduate scholarship from SEARCA), and a Bachelor’s degree (Agriculture, magna cum laude) from the Mariano Marcos State University, Philippines.
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- Category: 2009
Prof. Dr. Ir. Edhi Martono, M.Sc. has been appointed as Dean of Graduate School, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) by Prof. Ir. Sudjarwadi, M. Eng., Ph.D., Rector of UGM on 2 November 2009.
Prof. Martono replaced Prof. Dr. Irwan Abdullah, M.A. who has retired.
During the inauguration ceremony, Prof. Sudjarwadi asked the new officials to work well and improve all the weaknesses in the organization.
"We must maintain the health of the organization. UGM has developed much, but there is still room for improvement with sustainable principles," he said.
The Rector also expressed gratitude to Prof. Irwan who had done his job well. Prof. Sudjarwadi said under the leadership of Prof. Irwan, much progress had been achieved by the Graduate Program, both for multidisciplinary and monodisciplinary sciences.
"Steps to improve the Graduate School are not constraint-free and they would become an experience for the next officials," he said.(Source: UGM website)
