SEM-CDA: Public Diplomacy

A word to describe the seminar is: Powerful. Honestly, it was one of the best seminars that I have ever attended. I learned a lot of things. All of them were very interesting. I had my top three realizations and learnings:

First, I have the same belief with Mr. Domingo Ramon, I believe that experience is the best teacher. It is also the reason why I believe that the greatest knowledge that I can learn in school isn’t inside the classroom but about the real life experiences that I have with friends, faculty and fellow officers in the organization. If I were to add on that it would be that we should always remember to go back to our past and not just walk our path towards the future because it had a part into what we now are.

Second, I agree that we should be positive citizens. I really liked what he said on being positive Filipinos. “You can write a page or two about the negative things in your country but you can write a book about your country full of positive things,” He said. For me, it’s just a matter of state of mind. When we think positively, everything will flow the way we think of it.

And the third realization pertains in marketing the country. It is not new to me that the Department of Tourism is one of the areas of the government that receives low budget. Thus, the remedy is the word of mouth marketing. It is truly the cheapest and most effective. It’s really true base on experience. In a symposium that I attended in Malaysia, there were different youth leaders from different countries. After the event, we bid goodbyes and invited each other to visit one in his/her own country. I also invited them to go to the Philippines. Many of them want to see the beaches of the Philippines and they were glad that they knew someone from the Philippines that would tour them around. I was really glad to market my own country. The feeling is truly unique and overwhelming.