Dizon receives her medal from Defense Chief Voltaire Gazmin as NDCP President Fermin de Leon and her parents look on (PHOTO BY: ROLLY MOLANO, NDCP)
MANILA, Philippines—A newspaper journalist topped the latest batch of graduates of the National Defense College of the Philippines’ Master in National Security Administration program.
Nicolette Kristine Nonna Dizon, a reporter for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, led the 36 new graduates of Class No. 47 of the MNSA program in a graduation ceremony Thursday at the NDCP Auditorium in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Participants of the one-year program were military and police officers, civilians as well as foreign students from the Armed Forces of Malaysia and India.
The new civilian graduates will be commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel or Commander in the Reserve Officer Corps.
“By their willful personal indulgence and sacrifices, they have proudly earned for themselves the MNSA degree. Ingrained now in their intellects are the rare gems of knowledge from this course. Most of all they are now academically ready to assume and exercise higher leadership positions in our security and defense outfits and establishments,” said guest of honor and speaker Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in his speech.
He also said that academic excellence is the ultimate goal of the course in order to produce outstanding national security leaders and administrators, stressing that the MNSA has produced “illustrious” graduates who have occupied top defense and security positions “worthy of emulation.”
Gazmin said that this was the very reason why he recently declared that military officers seeking promotion to one-star general must take the MNSA course.
Graudates of MNSA include former president Fidel Ramos and incumbent Vice President Jejomar Binay.