The Philippine Center of Excellence in Defense, Development, and Security (PCEDS) of the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) partnered with the Office of the Deputy of Chief of Staff for Personnel, OJ1, for the latest iteration of the Security Lounge for National Security Administrators on 26 September 2023 at the NDCP Honor Hall, Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo.

Focused on developing a unified and proactive human capital strategy for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the activity follows the conversation from the Syjuco Convention held in May, where participants tackled matters regarding the Philippine military’s defense education and training system.

The Security Lounge also provided a platform for the AFP and the Department of National Defense to discuss issues, challenges, and opportunities surrounding existing human capital strategies, frameworks, systems, policies, and initiatives of the country’s defense establishment.

MGen Rommel P Roldan PAF, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, served as keynote speaker during the activity, while Asst Prof Frederick I Rey, MSC, MA, PhD, a faculty member of the University of Santo Tomas, delved into the concept of human capital in the military context.

Meanwhile, in his closing remarks, LtGen Ferdinand M Cartujano PAF (Ret), President of the NDCP, urged the participants to share the knowledge they learned in the activity to address problems regarding the military and civilian workforce of the AFP and DND. “May we all have a renewed sense of purpose and a shared vision toward a future where human capital is utilized to drive prosperous development for all,” LtGen Cartujano said.