Five Master in Public Affairs (MPAf) students represented the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) at the 2025 Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) Simulation Competition, which featured a Pandemic Simulation aimed at addressing pandemic policy issues in real-time using real-world data and challenges. The event took place on March 1, 2025, via Zoom.
Endorsed by their MPAf professors, Paulo Cruz Aquino, Philip James Maluping, Don Ramti Bendana, Juan Carlo Manas, and John Eric Abe joined the competition with over 200 delegates coming from different universities from all over the world.
The entire competition was conducted online, simulating how nations operate during a pandemic crisis. Participants were grouped into clusters, each consisting of four countries, while each country had five decision-making roles such as the Prime Minister, Minister of Health, Minister of Finance, Minister of Communications, and World Health Organization (WHO) representative.
Participants were required to present their decisions made during the simulation using presentation slides.
“This experience reinforced the need to be adaptable and assertive, as effective leadership requires not only expertise but also the ability to navigate interpersonal dynamics and assert ideas with confidence,” said Paulo Cruz Aquino, MPAf student and one of the UPLB representatives.
Aquino added that the 2025 Simulation Competition served as a reminder that even well-researched policies can lead to unfavorable outcomes due to the influence of external factors and unpredictable variables on their effectiveness.
Source: Photo lifted from the official NASPAA Facebook Page
After all the nations completed their presentations, the moderators announced the winning teams from each time zone. These victorious teams from each cluster would then have the opportunity to compete for the title of the best policymaker across all clusters.
The NASPAA serves as the premier global accrediting body for public service education. As a nonprofit membership organization, it includes over 300 member institutions from universities worldwide, providing degree programs in public administration, public policy, public affairs, nonprofit management, and related fields.
The College of Public Affairs and Development has been an associate member of NASPAA since 2016.
Jean Wae Landicho
- Jean Wae Landicho#molongui-disabled-link
