DOF Launches the DOF Institute

Continuity eyed as DOF strengthens institutional knowledge

The Department of Finance (DOF) launched the DOF Institute Training Program on May 17-20, 2016. As part of the DOF’s larger Professional Development Program, this 4-day program, “Fundamentals of Public Finance and Staffing for Finance Executives”, aims to fill the skills gaps identified by senior management in DOF junior staff with special concentration in the fields of public economics, public finance, building reform programs, staffing and completed staff work, basic legal frameworks, and ethics for public officials.

The DOF Institute aims to create in the Department a culture of learning, cross-training, and knowledge management. Current and former senior executives of the Department of Finance presented the lectures during the 4-day program.

Some of the classes offered are Fundamentals of Public Finance presented by Undersecretary Gil S. Beltran, DOF Chief Economist, Servant Leadership taught by former Undersecretary Dr. Milwida Guevara, and A Framework for Ethical Decision-Making taught by Dr. Antonette Palma-Angeles, Vice President for the Ateneo Professional Schools. A detailed curriculum is attached for more information.

All the lectures presented during the 4-day program will be documented into the Department of Finance Manual of Institutional Knowledge–a manual of best practices, reforms, operations, and processes–that will be handed over to succeeding generations of staff.

This pilot program is the first of three levels of training that the DOF Institute envisions to organize as part of the larger professional development agenda. The second is a series of specialization courses on domestic finance and taxation, international finance, corporate finance, project finance, administration, and economics. The third level is an executive training program for middle and senior management.

Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said “The DOF Institute and its programs are essential in improving the culture of learning in the Department. We have identified skills gaps in our organization and the DOF Institute will work with training partners and institutions to fill those needs.

I am a firm believer in building learning organizations. Harnessing our staff’s full potential redounds to much larger returns to the people we serve. As we pass the baton to the next leader, I am confident that we are leaving behind a better institution that every Filipino can be proud of.”

The other major pillars of the DOF’s Professional Development Program are the DOF’s partnership with the Asian Institute of Management for Masters in Development Management, Friday Learning Sessions for staff enrichment, the DOF’s partnership with consultants from the Asian Development Bank on the identification of skills gap and building a competency model for the DOF, secondment programs, and scholarships.