The National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) has conducted a five-day online training program from October 18 to 22, 2021 for the legislative staff and the officers of the Philippine Congress who are in the middle-level management positions.

The program (Capacity Building on Innovative Leadership for Legislative Staff:

CBILLS) has been conducted annually since 2018 in response to a request from the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), with the aim of providing opportunities for participants to enhance global perspective and understanding on public policy systems, legislation, and public sector leadership. Taking into consideration the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the inbound program has conducted online since last year. Twenty-one legislative staff and officers of the Philippine Congress and five staff members from DAP participated in the program from their homes.

The course was designed for the participants to learn the following main topics; Evidence-based policy making (EBPM), Legislation and Parliamentary Best Practices, Public Sector Leadership Models and Health and Welfare Policy in Japan and its response to COVID-19 pandemic.

Lectures and discussion sessions featured: GRIPS Visiting Scholar Dr. Yoshitsugu Kanemoto; GRIPS Professor Harukata Takenaka; GRIPS Professor Hirofumi Takada; Dr. Ayano Nishihara, Associate Professor, Rikkyo University; Mr. Keiji Yamada, Professor, Kyoto Sangyo University, Former Governor of Kyoto Prefecture and GRIPS Professor Taichi Ono.

The participants also attended the Knowledge Exchange Session featuring legislative staff and officers of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives, Japan. Knowledge on legislative practices of both the Philippines and Japan were exchanged through active discussion.

On the last day of the program, in a wrap-up session with GRIPS Senior Professor Kiyotaka Yokomichi, Director of Executive Development Center for Global Leadership, the participants discussed their insights and takeaways gained from the program.