MANILA, Philippines – With a global network of over 16,000 alumni, maintaining relationships and encouraging their growth are vital elements of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies mission. It was fitting that a team from the Center, led by Lori Forman, Senior Professor for Enabling Partnerships, departed Honolulu on Valentine’s Day for a week of engagements with alumni and leadership from one of the United States’ closest allies – the Philippines.

The nearly 600-member Philippine Alumni Association is one of DKI APCSS’ most active fellowships. Its membership spans all government agencies and defense force branches, with several distinguished alumni in top leadership positions. They frequently interact with each other and the center, holding collaborative workshops and bringing individual Fellow Projects to completion.

These alumni develop projects in coordination with their agencies, utilizing the resources and expertise of the center’s faculty. The programs are intended to solve issues arising from the dynamic security environment of the Philippines and the greater Indo-Pacific region.

While in Manila, a mentors roundtable was held, led by DKI APCSS professor Andrea Malji, who heads the Fellow Projects program. She sought to pair distinguished alumni with the next generation of leadership to complete their projects, capitalizing on a deep well of experience and enthusiasm.

“A project should align with the roles and responsibilities that a Fellow has, so that once they attend a DKI APCSS course and finalize their concept, they can go home and carry out this project,” Malji said. “It should be feasible yet different for each alumnus.”

“The Fellow Project is about having an impact,” she added. “It can help with their own career advancement, but it’s really about addressing and solving problems they have identified within their agency, or even nationally.”

To provide the mentors with a concrete example of a project’s potential, senior alumnus Sherwin Ona gave a presentation. Ona is an associate professor at De La Salle University, a senior academic fellow at the Philippines Public Safety College, and an alumnus of the DKI APCSS Comprehensive Security Course 25-1. His project, The Cyber-Leadership Executive Course, was designed for non-IT executives in government.

“For the past four years, the Philippines has experienced many cyberattacks, and we believe this course can prepare our leadership to respond to them fully and, at the same time, use our resources more efficiently,” Ona said.

The five weeks he spent at the center were not only for executive-level education but also for acute, personal examination.

“It was an empowering experience. When I was part of the program, I was really observing the design of the course,” he said. “I copied much of the style, such as breakout sessions and tabletop exercises, which we adopted into the Cyber-Leadership Course.”

“We also created The Reentry Action Proposal, which, in itself, is very similar to the DKI APCSS Fellow Projects initiative.”

After his presentation, Ona was awarded a DKI APCSS Certificate of Appreciation and the prized Laulima Lanyard for his project accomplishment and ongoing work. The roundtable discussion resulted in solid commitments from all 23 in attendance. Several other senior alumni also reached out to Malji later in the week to lend their expertise.

“There is so much enthusiasm for DKI APCSS throughout Southeast Asia, and particularly in the Philippines,” said Malji. “People who are alumni of our courses want to know how they can help. They want to be part of this network, provide guidance, and see future Fellows succeed.”