12 October 2016 — The members of Class 61 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Command and General Staff College (CGSC) under the leadership of Major General Rodolfo D. Santiago (54th Commandant of the AFP-CGSC) were invited by the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces Command and General Staff College) for a one-week study tour on German military, socio-economic, political and cultural environment from September 25 to October 01. Their schedule included meetings in Hamburg, Berlin, Bremen and Nordholz.
As part of their study tour, they received a briefing at the Philippine Embassy on September 27 on Philippine foreign policy priorities and Philippine-German bilateral relations. The military delegation in turn gave a presentation on military training cooperation between the Philippines and Germany, as well as the role and status of women in the military. The meeting was followed by a dinner hosted by Philippine Ambassador to Germany Melita S. Sta. Maria Thomeczek at the Philippine Embassy.
Major General Santiago emphasized the importance of deepening and enhancing the education program now existing between Germany and the Philippines. This will be the subject of discussions in the near future. END