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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

The Philippine Foreign Service Officer Qualifying Exam (August 23 25, 2006) The questions were about a paragraph long. The following is obviously a paraphrased version but hopefully itd give you an idea of what the exam was about. World History 1. What were the cultural, social, economic and political factors for Europes ascendancy in the 16th century? 2. Trace the history of the Middle East (from the Mesopotamian civilization to the present) and explain the Middle East problem as the West sees it. 3. How did the world change after the following revolutions: Neolithic, Commercial, Scientific, American, French? 4. Compare and contrast Indian and Chinese civilizations in terms of religions, political systems, social structure, contributions etc. International Affairs 1. Transnational immigration and immigrant communities use a theoretical framework to come up with a policy for the Philippine govt. 2. The collapse of the Doha Round and the implications for developing countries/what were the Philippines demands? 3. Economic and monetary integration of the EU is this possible with ASEAN? 4. Explain the following using contemporary events: The international system breaks down not only because unbalanced and aggressive new powers seek to dominate their neighbors, but also because declining powers, rather than adjusting and accommodating, try to cement their slipping preeminence into an exploitative hegemony. David Calleo, Beyond American Hegemony: The Future of the Western Alliance (1987) Philippine Conditions 1. Philippine culture: Damaged or enriched by its colonial history? 2. How do you explain our recent economic growth despite the negative political climate? 3. Governance key elements and functions 4. How do we fix our dysfunctional democracy (celebrity candidates, elitocracy etc.)? 5. Churchs role in politics population control, impeachment etc. (only had to choose 2 among 4 topics) 6. Tuvalus Head of State is visiting where to take him? Youve got 3 hours and you mu st give him a taste of Philippine culture.

Foreign Language (I chose Spanish): 1. Reading comprehension (multiple choice) 2. Fill in the blanks with the correct word (vocabulary) 3. Fill in the blanks with the correct word (verbs) 4. Match the questions with the right answers 5. Choose the right tense (multiple choice) 6. Write an email introducing yourself and your family (obviously to some random penpal) Filipino 1. There were 5 topic choices. Choose one and explain in 3 5 paragraphs. I chose: Ang katagang Ka sa Diwang Pandaigdig ng Pilipino. But I think most people chose easier topics like Manny Pacquio bilang bayani gaya ni Rizal at Ninoy 2. Two more topics I honestly cant remember the topics now but Ill ask around and post them later. 3. Translation work (from English to Filipino): Arroyos Anti -Money Laundering speech English 1. Trade liberalization vs Safety nets for agriculture and other industries 2. As an FSO, how would you improve our human resources here and abroad (following the examples of Japan and Singapore)? 3. As an FSO, how would you help address the countrys problems (i.e. income inequality etc.)?

Day 1 English 1. MILF v Philippine government your thoughts, insights, etc. 2. Global recession 3. ?? I cant remember International Relations 1. ASEAN Way has it helped or not for the ASEAN 2. US v Iraq war discuss using the IR theory of Realism 3. Something about Global Recession .. I think Day 2 Filipino 1. 10 questions: Tama or Mali (sentence structure) 2. 10 questions: (matching) 3. 10 questions: This one I am not sure but something baybayin (?)

4. 10 questions: fill in the blanks 5. A short paragraph from Ricky Lees (?) short story (?) about Quiapo. There were 10 questions about it and then summarize it using 5 sentences. 6. Essay of 900-1500(?) words choose from 3 topics: significance/importance of Obamas winning the elections in terms of the Phil -US relationship or the global recession or what the government can do / plans for OFW in the future. Philippine Conditions 1. EDSA 1,2 & 3 compare and contrast 2. MOA-AD discuss the collapse of the agreement and its implications 3. Philippines population growth/control policy discuss 4. What is the Philippines national interest 5. King of Spain is visiting explain the life and work of Jose Rizal and should the King apologize for his execution 6. Philippine Independence Day why was it moved from July 4 to June 12 explain it to the US Sec or State. Day 3 World History 1. Classical societies of Persia, India, China, Rome, Greece its elements and contributions to mankind 2. 15th century voyages and later centuries something about global power, communication, trade..etc 3. Imperialism and Colonialism as it relates to WW1 and WW2 Foreign Language Spanish 1. Reading Comprehension 10 questions 2. Correct Tenses 10 Multiple Choice 3. Fill in the blanks -vocabulary- 10 Questions 4. Write a letter to your friend comparing the two houses that you own.

- What is the relevance of the Meiji Restoration in Japan and its history - What is the Columbian Exchange and its relevance to the history of world trade? - Explain the rise of the Roman empire - Give the relevant features of the hague convention - Japan protected its industries from imports enabling it to build its own industries. This is a plausible argument for trade protectionism. Provide a critical analysis on the issue. - Give a critical analysis of the automated elections - something about the partylist system - Give an example of a world heritage si te and explain why its a heritage site - should an FSO be fluent in Filipino?

anaging our Foreign Service by Roberto R. Romulo From 1989 to 1995, I was in government service as Ambassador and Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Having worked in a multinational corporation for 25 years in various management positions, I presumed that management techniques tried and proven effective in business organizations could be equally applicable in the government bureaucracy. I am writing on this topic, using my experience in the DFA, in the spirit of constructive criticism. Carrot and Stick I strongly believe in the principle of the carrot and stick. I let everyone know from the start that those who perform will be rewarded and those who do not wont. Regrettably, I found out that my ability to do so was limited both ways. First off, for the carrot and stick principle to work, everyone should agree on a common standard for evaluating performance. Every year government employees undergo performance evaluation by their supervisors. This turned out to be perfunctory at best. The standards are so loosely defined and quite subjective such that they are susceptible to the biases of the rater. After my first year in office, I dutifully evaluated my staff in consultation with my deputy. He commented that my performance standards were too high. He pointed out that if I appraised people in the same way as in the private sector, my staff would suffer in comparison to others in comparable posts in the DFA. In other words, I would be punishing my staff by rating them strictly while staffs in other posts were being rated rather benignly! I was told the same thing when I became DFA Secretary, but I never agreed with this attitude. Once, when I was on a foreign trip and was scheduled for a bilateral meeting with ministry officials of the host country, the DFA senior official accompanying me failed to appear because he overslept a major gaffe. I thought of disciplining him, but it turned out that the most that the rules would allow me was to remove him from his then current position. The administrative bureaucracy agreed to remove him from his position but suggested that I exile him abroad as a deputy to a European mission. In my naivet, I thought that demoting him from Assistant Secretary in the Department to just a deputy in a foreign post would be considered appropriate punishment as it would have been in the private sector. But in this case my decision became the joke of the Department. Rather than applying the stick I gave him a carrot a coveted foreign assignment.

Applying the carrot to motivate performance is equally ineffective in the DFA. This is mostly because seniority takes precedence over performance. Even if you perform in an outstanding manner, you cannot be promoted ahead of others who are more senior. And woe to you if you break this iron rule! On the other hand, if a career Foreign Service Officer (FSO) does not die prematurely or commit a major crime where he does prison time, as sure as the sun will rise, he will become an ambassador. Coincidence or Design A common complaint of politically appointed ambassadors is that they unwittingly find themselves saddled with Foreign Service Officers and staff who turn out to be deadwood and habitual offenders. I recall two incidents where career officers were either cited for dereliction of duty or insubordination and not for the first time. In both instances, they should have been sent back to the home office. Instead, they were reassigned to other desirable European posts. When I queried the senior bureaucracy about the reassignments, they gave me two explanations. For the one charged with dereliction of duty, I was told: Kawawa naman, he/she was just assigned to Europe. As for the one charged with insubordination, I was told: there are always two sides and perhaps you only heard the side of the head of post. Was it just coincidence that they were originally assigned to posts headed by political ambassadors and were then punished for their transgressions by reassigning them to posts headed by other political ambassadors? Would they have been accepted for posting in places where the head of posts are insiders who know these people personally or by reputation? Old Boys Network It was only in retrospect that I realized what I was up against in applying the carrot and stick principle. The Foreign Service Act and others preceding it were meant to develop and protect a career Foreign Service in the belief that the best people who can do the job are those who have the aptitude for it and are trained on the job. As a result, the Foreign Service today is a separate, self-governing career service. Promotions and discipline in the Department are recommended by a board of peers whose composition changes over time and whose members are themselves subject to such peer review when they come up for promotion or discipline. While theoretically under the direction of the DFA Secretary and his senior staff, the career Foreign Service has in fact become a creation unique in government, an organization which is self-promoting, self- rewarding, and self-disciplining contrary to the principles of good

corporate governance. Therein lies the problem. Instead of being an oversight body, it operates to protect the interests of the Foreign Service. They take care of each other. The old boys network of senior officers who look out for their own reigns. This leads to a situation where for example the most important factor for career success as an FSO is to be on good terms with the senior members of the network. By the same token, any failings among its members are overlooked or just punished with a slap on the wrist even for such grave malfeasance as sexual harassment, ill treatment of subordinates and financial misdeeds. Applying Corporate Governance Principles I strongly believe that the career service is and should always be the cornerstone of the Department of Foreign Affairs. As Secretary, I recommended Raul Rabe, a career ambassador, to Washington, despite a long tradition of its being occupied by politically appointed ambassadors. During my time, I also recommended Domingo Siazon Jr. to Tokyo, and later as my replacement as DFA secretary. He was the first career officer to become Secretary of Foreign Affairs. I can also cite the best and the brightest in DFA such as S.P. Lopez, Jose Ingles, Narciso Reyes, Luis Moreno-Salcedo, Blyke Suarez, Rodolfo Severino and many others who have retired. Clearly, the competence of our career Foreign Service is second to none, but this attitude of defending their own regardless of circumstances is regrettable and indefensible. The main problem with the career Foreign Service system is the lack of effective management or oversight. No matter how well-intentioned, no agency can adequately police itself, particularly when there is a built-in conflict of interest. The Foreign Service should still maintain its own hiring, promotions and compensation scheme different from other branches of government. But I believe that there should be independent directors, as in corporations, in the Board of Foreign Service and its chair should not be from within the ranks but someone from outside. This would at least assure reasonable and consistent supervision of activities such as personnel management, including promotions and discipline, officer-rank and file relations, inspections, and cost control, all of which need outside review. With oversight control, the Board could force some of the tough management decisions like discipline which the DFA has not been able to make because so many of its senior management officials have a vested interest in the system. I flag this issue now not to resurrect old grudges but to underline the need for reform. I believe that what is true in the foreign service is true as well in the entire government bureaucracy. In all bureaucracies everywhere be it in Foggy Bottom or Quai dOrsay

or Whitehall I am sure there is also an old boys network. The networks actions inevitably end up protecting non-performers rather than recognizing and rewarding the deserving. This leads to a culture of self-preservation and a mediocre bureaucracy. I submit that our young foreign service officers deserve better than being sucked into this culture. Their idealism should be fed, not drained.

I recently saw the news that 19 people passed the Foreign Service Officer Examinations of the Department of Foreign Affairs this year. I congratulate them for hurdling over all the obstacles that the punishing examination process put up. Entering the Foreign Service is really going to change the way a person's life goes. I'll be honest here. If you were used to a nice big paycheck, prepare to earn government employee wages. If you were used to having plenty of time off given by your regular day job, learn to accept the possibility of having to work late into the night (and sometimes to the next day) and on weekends and holidays. And if you knew before where you would be 5 and 10 years from now, once you're an FSO, guessing is futile. A little less than 5 years ago, I certainly didn't think I would be in the country where I am now doing what I do. The thought of it would never have come to me. Even though I took up political science in college, I never really gave much thought about how Philippine foreign relations worked. How I ended up a Foreign Service Officer was just an amazing case of serendipity. Let me describe the FSO Exams for those who might stumble into this blog and be interested in taking it. It's an exam that can cover any field or subject, from the most serious to the most mundane, from the most academic to the most jologs. Whoever takes the exam will realize that it's not something he/ she can study for by just learning about a single field or focusing on a certain subject. It's not something you could prepare for in a matter of weeks or months. You will be using the all of your life's knowledge. Maraming titimbangin at maraming lalabas na kulang. There were about 1,250 people who took the qualifying exams on the same year I took it. To fast forward the story, there were only 12 of us that were sworn in that year as FSO IVs. The passing rate can really be less than 1%. There was even a year when only two FSOs made it (3 actually, but the President wouldn't sign her daughter's appointment). I must admit, I never knew about the Philippine Foreign Service until a few months before I took the FSO Exams. Some people have planned their whole lives to become diplomats and have taken the exams so many times but just couldn't get through. This shows, everybody has a fair shot at passing the exam. Walang llamado. I guess it worked in my favor that the subjects being tackled in the exams are those that I have interest in and have studied since I was a kid, and I really had no problem writing my thoughts down. The exams don't really look at what you are but at the culmination of all your studies both in

and out of school. Yes, there are schools that offer review courses, and some of my batchmates took them. But I must add that those batchmates of mine were already very smart to begin with. The review courses can give examinees an idea of what the exams are like and can provide you a good confidence boost, but that's it. Let me put it this way, even if I can get Freddie Roach to train me, I'm still not Manny Pacquiao. Even if I can get Gregg Popovich to coach me, that doesn't make me Tim Duncan. The qualifying exams play more to your minor subjects in college. It will test what you learned in such subjects as English, Math, Social Science, Psychology, and Logic. Be careful when taking this exam. A lot of examinees are already thinking ahead to the written and oral exams and get careless with the qualifying test. Big mistake for them as this is where over 90% of examinees trip up. People are too worried about the bump in the road that they miss the speeding truck heading towards them. I have no tips on how to pass this part of the exams. I just hope you listened well to your professors. Kung puro cutting class ka, heto na ang karma mo.

The written exams are the most dreaded of the three. This is a ridiculously hard test that will really stretch your brain to its limits for three days. The subjects you will to be tested on are: 1. English- 20% 2. Filipino- 5% 3. Philippine Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Conditions - Philippine history, culture, foreign policy, geography, government, development issues and goals- 30% 4. International Affairs - Theory and practice of international economics and trade, international politics, international law and treaties- 20% 5. World History- 20% 6. Foreign Language - Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish- 5% 7. Audience Impact- 0% Questions can range from the history and effects of political and economic theories to the cultural impact of Wowowee and Pinoy Big Brother. There is nothing too high nor too low that it can't be asked here. Anything under the sun can be brought up in the exams. A topic like interfaith dialogue can have as much a chance of showing up in your questionnaire as the videos of Hayden Kho. Remember, the exam is also trying to see how well you can deliver your points on paper, not just what you know in your head. Now aren't you glad you downloaded those videos of Katrina Halili and Maricar Reyes?

My advice for this exam is to read, read, and read. And if possible, read some more. Get a copy of Newsweek and Time magazines every week. Read the Philippine Star and the Philippine Daily Inquirer everyday. Look for your old history books and purchase newer ones as well. Read both fiction and non-fiction books, tumambay ka sa Fully Booked at PowerBooks kung gusto mo, libre basa doon. Heck, read FHM and Maxim if you want, whether for the articles or not. For the foreign language test, you're lucky if you can already speak a foreign language fluently. In my case, I had to take a crash course in Spanish. I was so successful in my crash course that I think I also crashed in my exam. Important reminder: do not be late. The DFA is very strict with this. Not a second of lateness is allowed, even if you just went through the granddaddy of all traffic jams or there is a storm raging outside. Several examinees get disqualified for being late every year. The oral exams will test your speaking skills in a single setting (panel interview), a group setting (group debate), and how fast you think on your feet (impromptu speech). Like the written exam, this test not only tries to see what you know but also how to can say it for the world to hear. Get yourself a nice Filipiniana outfit and learn how to eat in a formal dinner setting. And learn to relax while in a stressful situation. Talk about what you know, don't make a fool of yourself by trying hard to talk about things you don't. If what you know about is the Dingdong-Marian love team, go ahead and talk about it. Don't talk about the Israel-Palestine conflict if you only have a thin grasp of it. Did I say there were 3 exams you had to take to be an FSO? Well, there's a bit of a twist in the end. You also have to take the psychological exam. Just don't act crazy and you'll do fine. The DFA isn't just trying to see if you're loco, it's also checking whether you have the mental toughness for the job. The job can be so stressful that there are some officers who are already one lab accident away from becoming supervillains. I guess the exams will also tell whether you have the tendency to become Lex Luthor, the Joker, or Darth Vader. After the tests show that you're not coocoo for cocoa puffs, then congratulations! You're in. One important piece of advice I can offer interested examinees is this: don't quit your day job. As I wrote, the passing rate can be less that 1%. Don't be foolish enough to leave a stable job just so you can take the exam and wait for the results. Stay with your current work and just work the examinations and preparations into your regular schedule. If you quit and then fail, that's lost revenue for you. Even if you flunk but still have a job, you go back to the normal flow of things immediately. Anyway, you can take the exams as many time as you want, provided you're not 36 years old yet.

Now if you just read through everything I wrote and you're still willing to know more about the Foreign Service, then I seriously doubt you'll pass the psych exam. Kidding. I was going to say here's what happens next. For all your troubles, the President will then sign your appointment papers and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs will swear you in, together with your batchmates, as the newest FSOs in the land. The new diplomats on the block. What does an FSO do? According to the DFA website, this is what FSOs do. If you pass the exams, you will go through a cadetship program at the Foreign Service Institute for 6 months. Cadets will be trained in the art of diplomacy. Among the subjects to be taught include political diplomacy, economic diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, Philippine culture and arts, administration, negotiation, conference management, public relations, and bilateral and multilateral relations. You will be taught how to speak, write, dress, eat, dance, and breathe like a diplomat. It's like Extreme Makeover: Diplomatic Edition. You will travel around the Philippines to see what's so great about the country and to understand more about the people you will be speaking for (enjoy the trips, btw). The cadetship program will also provide you an opportunity to learn from the best and the brightest that the government and the academe has to offer. During our cadetship, my batch already got a chance to work on our conference management skills as we were assigned work during the Philippines' hosting of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting. Imagine letting loose the Chikiting Patrol in the United Nations. After your cadetship, you will be assigned to either a geographic office, an administrative office, or other offices that handle things like international economic relations and migrant workers' affairs. I was assigned to a geographic office, the Office of Middle East and African Affairs. I was given the task of handling RP's bilateral relations with Middle East countries. Geographic offices also provide opportunities for travel to the countries you are handling. (uyyy, nagiisip na 'yan) Then after about 3 years of being in the home office, you will be assigned to either an embassy, a consulate, or a mission. You're designation will now be third secretary (your diplomatic rank) and vice consul (your consular rank). You're actual duties will depend on the size of the embassy you get assigned to and its staffing pattern. Your tour of duty in a foreign post will be for 6 years, with an option of getting cross-

posted to another post after 3 years (depending on the opening in other posts and the needs of your current one). You will then go back to the home office for 2 years and then be posted again for another 6 years, and this will go on and on until you retire from the service. The goal, in terms of your career advancement, is to become an ambassador someday, as this is the foreign service after all. There's much more to tell about life in the Philippine Foreign Service, but first, you have to get through the FSO Exams, For more information on the FSO Exams and FSO life, I suggest you check this website out. It has well written pieces providing info about the exams. Be polite and respectful if you want to leave the blogger a message. She's a very nice lady. And a lawyer, too, so beware. And for the pros and cons of diplomatic life, see this post and this post. They're written by an FSO from the U.S. State Department, but you'll get a good idea of diplomatic life nonetheless. For those interested, go ahead, take the plunge like you're in a Nestea commercial. Take the FSO Exams and experience one hell of a wild, wooly, wacky, and weird ride of a lifetime.

Define realpolitik and describe how this principle is evident in the strategies of Otto Von Bismarck and Camillo di Cavour.

ASEAN, PH-China relations (e.g., PHs claim on the West PH Sea), and current programs of the government. Sure points!

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