DOF explores exchange program with Israel

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Finance (DOF) is exploring a possible exchange program between the Philippines and Israel to provide its finance personnel learning opportunities in the fields of agricultural economics and finance.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez raised the proposal during a recent meeting with Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ephraim Ben Matityau. Dominguez said he is open to expanding people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and Israel.

“I want to step up our scholarship program which we pay for to send our students abroad. So far we have sent them to the US, Australia and the UK. We also sent them to Japan and Korea,” Dominguez told Matityau.

“I want to expand. We will explore that with your staff. I want to look at agri-economics, and finance and economics program for DOF personnel who can be sent to Israel,” he said.

Matityau, in turn, welcomed Dominguez’s proposal, saying that Israel would be able to contribute knowledge on its high-technology financial system during the possible exchange.

According to Matityau, such people-to-people exchanges were introduced by Israel to the Philippines’ private sector.

He said about 12 operators of startup firms in the country went to Israel to learn about the country’s fintech system, with some of them returning to the country to become mentors to other startups.

The ambassador said Israel also invites students of agriculture from Mindanao and other parts of the country for on-the-job training programs to learn about Israel’s advanced farming and production technologies.

Upon learning this, Dominguez encouraged Israel to send personnel from their national treasury to the Philippines to train with the Bureau of the Treasury.

The DOF is continuously encouraging its employees to undergo further training to improve their capacity.

Earlier, DOF personnel were invited to apply for the Knowledge Co-Creation Program (KCCP) of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which offers Master’s and Doctorate degree scholarships in seven universities in Japan.

The DOF was also among the beneficiaries of postgraduate studies programs under the Australia Awards Scholarships, and several scholarship grants from the United States and the United Kingdom.