The National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) led by the NDCP President, LtGen Ferdinand M Cartujano PAF (Ret), conducted the National Security and Development Study (NSDS) last 2-7 July 2023.

This year’s NSDS focused on the local perspectives on the Enhanced Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). The scholars of the Master of the National Security Administration for Senior Executives (MNSA-SE), divided into two subgroups, visited select institutions and communities in Northern Luzon and Palawan, including the provincial capitols of Cagayan, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, and Palawan, as well as the Western Command (WESCOM) and the Coast Guard District of Palawan.

Moreover, aboard the PCG vessel BRP Malabrigo (MRRV-4402), some of the MNSA-SE students visited the Balabac Municipal Office and one of the proposed EDCA sites. NDCP officials, faculty, and staff joined the MNSA-SE students during the entire NSDS.

The two NSDS groups received briefings and engaged in substantive conversations and opportunities for meaningful interactions with various stakeholders in Northern Luzon and Palawan. The students were challenged to draw profound insights from their engagements with their counterparts about local and regional affairs. They were also given the opportunity to interact with different communities and grassroots leaders and gain first-hand information on the country’s national security challenges as experienced on the ground.

The MNSA-SE is NDCP’s academic program offering for senior executive-level officials from the different branches of the Philippine government, the private sector, and the voluntary sector with Salary Grade 28 and above or their equivalents in the case of non-government sectors.