FSI Launches 31st FSO Cadetship Course
Assistant Secretary Montero turns over the 13 cadets of Batch Mabini to FSI.
MANILA 02 May 2025 — The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) officially commenced the 31st Foreign Service Officers’ Cadetship Course (FSOCC) with an Opening Ceremony on 21 April 2025 at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Headquarters in Pasay.
Thirteen newly inducted Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) will undergo six months of intensive training aimed at strengthening their competencies under the three pillars of Philippine foreign policy, namely: national security, economic diplomacy, and the protection and promotion of the welfare of overseas Filipinos.
Assistant Secretary Christopher B. Montero of the DFA’s Human Resources Management Office (HRMO) formally entrusted the cadets to FSI, calling on them “to embrace the lessons of the program, to learn, listen, unlearn, grow, and challenge” themselves not only to acquire and nurture their technical skills, but also to build on their interpersonal skills.
FSI Director General Francisco Noel R. Fernandez III welcomed the cadets to the course, inspiring them to continuously strive for excellence and self-improvement. He urged them to maximize the opportunities provided by FSOCC, learning from distinguished industry experts and seasoned officials of the Philippine foreign service who will serve as resource persons of the course.
Joining Director General Fernandez and Assistant Secretary Montero at the Opening Ceremony were officials from DFA, including Ms. Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez, Chief Coordinator of the Office of the Secretary and Ms. Sharmaine Tiffany L. Garcia, Acting Director of Performance and Records Management Division (PRMD) of HRMO. FSI officials in attendance included the Director of the Carlos P. Romulo School of Diplomacy (CPRSD), Prof. Evelyn Katigbak; CPRSD Assistant Director Amarie Zaldivar; and Section Heads of units involved in the FSOCC.
The FSOCC is a mandatory course for newly appointed FSOs, Class IV, required by Republic Act No. 7157 or the Philippine Service Act of 1991.
FSI is the training and research agency attached to the DFA, established under Presidential Decree No. 1060. Its mandate was later expanded by R.A. No. 7157. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs chairs the FSI Board, with 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 DAP as members. END
Director General Fernandez delivers his opening remarks to launch the 31st FSOCC.
(Seated, L-R) PRMD Acting Director Sharmaine Tiffany L. Garcia, FSI Deputy Director General Dr. Marichu C. Liwanag, FSI Director General Francisco Noel R. Fernandez III, Chief Coordinator Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez, HRMO Assistant Secretary Christopher B. Montero, and CPRSD Director Prof. Evelyn O. Katigbak with the FSOCC participants.