Five warrior diplomats of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have finished the Strategic Civil-Military Operations Non-Commissioned Officers Course (SCMONCO) at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Civil-Military Operations School (CMOS) on 29 October 2021.

CG Seaman Second Class (SN2) Daniel B Domingo, CG SN2 Benjohn Nehru P Deniña, and CG SN2 William B Manabat of the Coast Guard Public Affairs (CGPA), as well as CG SN2 Jhon Mark Rogacion and CG SN2 Sanlie Amor F Cruz of the Coast Guard Education, Training, and Doctrine Command (CGETDC) composed the first batch of PCG non-commissioned officers who graduated from the said course.

They were joined by 42 other non-commissioned officers from the AFP, Philippine National Police (PNP), and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) under the SCMONCO Class 23 - 2021.

Of the 47 graduates, CG SN2 Manabat finished in the Top 11 with an average of 90.71%, while CG SN2 Domingo was recognized as the Top 14 student for garnering an average of 90.46%.

As the pioneer behind the sending of Civil Relations Service (CRS), Public Affairs (PA), and CG-7 personnel to the CMOS to learn civil affairs and information operations, CG Commodore Armando A Balilo expressed how proud he was of the excellent performance of the graduates towards becoming effective and responsible warrior diplomats.

“Congratulations to the graduates! I urge all of you to apply what you learned to better serve the general public. Make time to inculcate your learning experiences to your fellow Coast Guard personnel and become role models in pursuit of public service,” CG Commodore Balilo said.

As of today, 30 October 2021, 16 PCG commissioned officers have graduated from the CMOS.

The SCMONCO is a four-month course that provides students with relevant knowledge and skills on strategic CMO, communication, and current trends, as well as strategic CMO issues and best practices that are vital in working with government agencies to achieve organizational objectives.

During the graduation ceremony, Civil Relations Service (CRS) Commander, Major General Manuel V Sequitin PA emphasized the importance of civil-military operations in the uniformed services.

He encouraged the graduates to serve as advocates of strategic CMO as a tool in organizational development in their respective unit assignments.