Last December 20, UA&P’s School of Social Sciences, Law, and Governance (SLG) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Philippine Council for Foreign Relations (PCFR). Both parties undertook to cooperate in activities relating to “foreign policy, diplomacy, law, international relations and national security, all to advance the national interest.”
The signing took place at the ALB Conference Room. SLG Dean Nick Alviar, in the presence of UA&P president Stan Padojinog and other members of the SLG OpCom, signed on behalf of SLG. In his remarks, Dr. Alviar paid tribute to “the late Ambassador Jose ‘Joe’ Romero, former President and a very active prime mover of PCFR, who was also, at the same time, very much part of UA&P as a member of its Board of Trustees, and a strong supporter of the Institute of Political Economy, the forerunner of SLG.”
Dr. Alviar also said that “the world has changed much from the days of Ambassador Romero, and we are now faced with so many challenges both in the domestic and international spheres, yet the same ideals of international unity and cooperation, commitment to justice and the common good, and respect for human dignity remain the true anchor for world peace and progress.
Col. Alejandro Flores signed for PCFR as its president. Accompanied by a select delegation of PCFR officers, Col. Flores reminded everyone that the PCFR is “a 37-year-old think tank established by prominent personalities, among them; then UP President SP Lopez, Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez, and Senators Raul Manglapus and Leticia Shahani.”
Col. Flores also expressed hope that the SLG-PCFR MOA can “help foreign affairs stakeholders and the younger generations develop a healthy appreciation of international relations, and a mature understanding of national interest and its convergence and divergences with that of others. And our senior and research fellows would gladly share their perspectives from the educational and professional experiences that they have acquired through the years.”