Foreign Service Institute Concludes Negotiation Training

FSI Director General Francisco Noel R. Fernandez III with the course participants.

MANILA 06 December 2024 — The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) successfully conducted the Basic Course on Negotiation (BCN) from 25 to 28 November 2024, drawing participants from FSI, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

The course featured an engaging curriculum combining lectures, case studies, and simulation exercises. It opened with an introduction to negotiation principles based on the renowned “Getting to Yes” framework by Roger Fisher and William Ury. Participants then explored multilateral, regional, and bilateral negotiations, as well as the treaty-making process in the Philippines, guided by Executive Order No. 459, s. 1997, titled “Providing for the Guidelines in the Negotiation of International Agreements and its Ratification.” Case studies tackled issues such as trade, conflict resolution, and air services.

Distinguished resource persons led the discussions, including Assistant Secretary and Chief of Protocol Ariel R. Peñaranda, Director Jeffrey P. Salik from the Office of ASEAN Affairs, Director Anthony S. Aguirre from the Office of International Economic Relations, Officer-in-Charge Paulo V. Saret of the Office of Treaties and Legal Affairs, and Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla from the Civil Aeronautics Board.

FSI Director General Francisco Noel R. Fernandez III facilitated the course’s culminating activity, a series of case studies that applied the topics covered. He highlighted the importance of identifying the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (B.A.T.N.A.) and distinguishing between a party’s interests and positions during negotiations.

Offered annually, BCN remains a cornerstone of FSI’s training programs for DFA and its partner agencies.

Established under Presidential Decree No. 1060 and expanded under Republic Act No. 7157, FSI serves as the DFA’s training and research arm. Its Board, chaired by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, includes the Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Director General of FSI, the President of the University of the Philippines (UP), and the President of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP). END

Experts from the DFA shared their knowledge and experience in multilateral, regional, and trade negotiations. (Clockwise from bottom left) Assistant Secretary Ariel Peñaranda who served in the United Nations in New York;  Director Jeffrey P. Salik of the Office of ASEAN Affairs handling the ASEAN Economic Community;  Director Anthony S. Aguirre, an expert in the World Trade Organization now at the Office of  International Economic Relations; and  Officer-in-Charge Paulo Saret of the Office of Treaties and Legal Affairs

An expert on air services agreements, Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla of the Civil Aeronautics Board generously shared his knowledge and experience to the participants.