ASoG implements fiscal management training for mid-ranking defense officers

Highlighting the importance of responsible and transparent management of public resources in support of the defense modernization agenda, the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG), through its Executive Education Program, conducted the Executive Training Program on Public Financial Management (PFM) for mid-ranking officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from 04 to 06 November 2025.

Delivered through a series of lectures, interactive discussions, and workshops, the course featured a distinguished panel of resource persons with extensive experience in public finance, defense resource management, and governance reform. Drawing from their backgrounds as former government officials, fiscal policy specialists, defense finance practitioners, and academic leaders, they shared valuable insights on the principles and practices of responsible financial management in the public sector. 

Among the experts who contributed to the course were Dr. Janet S. Cuenca, full-time faculty member of the Ateneo School of Government and former Director at the Department of Trade and Industry; Mr. Kenneth Isaiah H. Abante, President of the WeSolve Foundation and former Chief of Staff of the Strategy, Economics, and Results Group of the Department of Finance; and Ms. Jeshamar A. Villasis, Action Researcher at the WeSolve Foundation. They were joined by Ms. Maxine Tanya M. Hamada, former Assistant Secretary for Monitoring and Evaluation at the Department of Budget and Management; Atty. Pio Lorenzo F. Batino, former Undersecretary of the Department of National Defense; Dean Jennifer S. Oreta, PhD, Dean of the Ateneo School of Government and former Assistant Secretary at the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process; and Dr. Wilfredo M. Torres III, former faculty member of the Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology and former Senior Program Officer at The Asia Foundation. The course was facilitated by Ruel G. Rombaoa, PA (Ret.) who has broad expertise in governance, leadership, and capacity-building initiatives. 

Attended by 190 officers from various major services and units of the AFP, including representatives from the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, and Philippine Air Force, the program provided participants with deeper insights into public finance, the institutional and legal framework of public financial management, fiscal accountability, and results-based budgeting within the context of defense governance. 

Dean Oreta reaffirmed ASoG’s shared vision of strengthening integrity, accountability, and leadership capacity within public institutions as part of broader efforts toward national development. 

The Ateneo School of Government (ASoG) focuses on developing competent and ethical leaders for the Philippines. ASoG also serves as an avenue through which various development sectors in our society can meet, discuss, and work to address the needs of the Filipino people today. What ASoG envisions is for the Philippines to have strong and united communities as the core for sustainable development. Besides this, ASoG also aims to lead in providing graduate education for aspiring public servants.