Launch of the Philippines Growth and Jobs Report

Zafer Mustafaoğlu is the Division Director for the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. In this capacity, he oversees the World Bank's program of support in the three countries, advancing the institution's policy dialogues with government officials, civil society, academia, the private sector, and other key stakeholders.

Mr. Mustafaoğlu, a Turkish National, joined the World Bank in 2005. His latest assignment was the Practice Manager for Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation in the East Asia and Pacific Region, covering China, Mongolia, Korea, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Previously, he held the positions of Practice Manager for Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region and Lead Economist and Program Leader for Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Zafer worked on various operations and research projects at the World Bank, spanning both macroeconomic and microeconomic policies. 

Prior to joining the Bank, Zafer worked twelve years for the Turkish Government, and he held the Head of Modeling and Economic Policy Analysis Department position at the Prime Ministry State Planning Organization of Turkey.

Zafer received his Ph.D. in International Economics from the Middle East Technical University, Türkiye, and completed his Master’s degree and research studies in Economics at the University of Essex and Cambridge University in England. 

Secretary Kiko served as Representative of the Third District of Negros Occidental in 2019-2024 and was a member of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II). In the House, he held several key roles, leading policy discussions on a wide range of issues, from education reform to digital transformation, from circular economy to supply chain resilience, from housing finance and sustainable urbanization to creative industries and blue economy. 

He is a principal author of landmark laws, including Republic Act No. 11648, which increases the age to determine statutory rape; RA No. 11899, which created EDCOM II; RA No. 11904, which aims to strengthen creative industries; RA No. 11995, which institutionalizes environmental-economic accounting in the country, and RA No. 12000, which created the Negros Island Region. 

Secretary Benitez has been a strong voice calling for paradigm shifts in education governance and development planning, stressing the need for systems thinking, design solutions, and innovation to ensure equity and sustainability, and address the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

A literary scholar and educator by profession, Secretary Benitez was President of the Philippine Women’s University in 2010-2019. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in comparative literature (minor in Southeast Asian studies) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his B.A. in comparative literature (summa cum laude) and English (cum laude) from Cornell University.

Gonzalo is the Lead Economist and Program Leader for the Prosperity Unit covering the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. He specializes in growth, trade, and open macro, with more than fifteen years of experience in policy advisory, policymaking, operations, and research. His professional focus is on partnering with governments, development institutions, academia, and the private sector to combine global and local knowledge with adequate financing instruments to provide solutions to key development challenges that client countries face. He has worked in a vast number of countries, across all regions, and income levels mainly on issues related to economic performance, trade and investment policy and macro-trade linkages, and impact evaluations of public policies. He combines professional experience with the public and private sector as well as international organizations. His work has been published as reports, books, and articles in peer-reviewed economic journals. 

Gonzalo has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay and a Master’s in International Economics from University of Sussex, as well as a PhD in Economics from the University of Sussex. 

He posts on X @gonwei.

Professor Jamil Paolo S. Francisco, PhD is an Associate Professor of economics at the Asian Institute of Management.

He is the Executive Director of the AIM Rizalino S. Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness. 

From 2018 to 2021, he served as Associate Dean of AIM. He has also served as Interim Head of the AIM Stephen Zuellig School of Development Management and as Director of Research and Publications.

As an associate professor of economics, he teaches business economics, environmental scanning and analysis, and Asian business systems for the MBA, Master in Development Management, Master of Entrepreneurship and executive education programs. 

The scope of his current research includes entrepreneurship and micro-, small- and medium-sized business competitiveness. He has published on topics including entrepreneurial bricolage, crisis response and recovery, cost of regulatory compliance, fiscal decentralization, future of work, ASEAN Economic integration, non-market goods valuation.

Prior to joining AIM, Prof. Francisco was a faculty member of the Economics Department at the Ateneo de Manila University. He has led several research projects funded by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Social Economic Policies Asia (KAS SOPAS), Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APFC), Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), and the International Development Research Centre’s (IDRC) Economy and Environment Program for South East Asia (EEPSEA).

He obtained both his PhD (2012) and Master’s degree (2006) in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University. He also earned his Bachelor of Science in Management (2002) from the Ateneo de Manila.

In 2014, he completed the GloColl executive education program on Participant-Centered Learning in Harvard Business School.

She is the Executive Director of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), the only sub-national entity under the Philippine government structure clothed with the unique mandate of integrating the development of Mindanao and coordinating the Philippine participation to the Subregional Economic Bloc, the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth AREA or BIMP EAGA.

As Executive Director, she plays a key role in steering an organization that provides strategic leadership in pursuing broad initiatives that seek to address both challenges and opportunities in terms of harnessing Mindanao’s inherently rich socio-economic potentials while pursuing ecological integration.

On top of her role as Executive Director of MinDA, she also carries various other tasks on a concurrent capacity as Board Secretary to the MinDA Board of Directors, Head of the Philippine National Coordinating Office for BIMP EAGA, Head of the Secretariat to the Mindanao LawMakers Association and Secretariat to Confederation of Mindanao Governors and Mayors (CONFED).

Her areas of expertise span various aspects of management and development honed from her various experiences and trainings. Her academic preparation areas follows: a College Degree in Economics, a Masteral Degree in Business Administration with units in Masters in Economics, a Doctorate Degree in Organizational Development Administration and Strategic Business Economics from University of Asia and the Pacific. She has also been a recipient of various scholarships in the area of Accountability in Business and Government sponsored by the US State Department, Education & Strategic Manpower Development Program at the Peking University, a Certificate Course in Strategic Management Program for ASEAN Young Leaders at the Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand Government, among many others.

She oversees an organization of more than a hundred career professionals, composed of economists, engineers, development planners, organizational experts, as well as international relations and communications outreach specialists collectively tasked to help carry out the mandates of the organization.

Appointed by the President with the rank of an Undersecretary, she is a holder of Career Executive Service Officer (CESO) Rank I, the highest level of executive eligibility conferred to career officials in the Philippine government having demonstrated distinct qualities of leadership and competence.

Area of work covers: Development Planning, Policy Research and Advocacy, Investment Promotions, International Relations, Programs development and Management, Organizational Management.

Governor Dakila Carlo E. Cua, or Gov. Dax for short, is the governor of the Province of Quirino, the national chairman of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), the national president of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) and the President of the United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific (UCLG ASPAC). 

Gov Dax began his public service at 23 as the country’s youngest vice governor. He has since served as governor, congressman for nine years, and is now in his third gubernatorial term. Throughout his career, he has championed health, education, infrastructure, agriculture, and inclusive development through investments and public-private partnerships. 

As ULAP National President, Gov Dax leads efforts to strengthen local economy and governance, representing LGUs in national and international platforms. Under his leadership, ULAP has expanded its programs and partnerships to build the capacity of local governments across the country. 

Beyond his government roles, Gov Dax is member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine Red Cross; the Spokesperson and Ambassador of TAO - Trabaho at Oportunidad, and the Country Representative of the Philippines for the Center of Asia Leadership.

Roberto Fabella Batungbacal is a highly respected figure in the Philippine chemical and manufacturing industries, with a career spanning over 30 years. He is a third-generation chemical professional, born into a family of chemists, chemical engineers, and manufacturing entrepreneurs. Currently, he serves as Vice President for Industry Development at SteelAsia Manufacturing Corporation, the leading steel manufacturer in the Philippines. Bobby previously held top leadership roles in major multinational firms, including serving as the Philippine Country Manager for Dow Chemical, Union Carbide, Dow Agroscience, and Rohm & Haas, as well as occupying regional positions such as Asia-Pacific Commercial Excellence Leader and Regional Sales Director for multiple countries. A graduate of the University of the Philippines Diliman with a degree in Chemical Engineering, he also holds an Executive MBA from the Asian Institute of Management. Beyond his corporate career, Bobby is deeply committed to advancing Philippine manufacturing and sustainable industry. He has held influential positions in various organizations such as Executive Director of the Makati Business Club, Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, President of the Chemical Industry Association (SPIK) and Director of the Federation of Philippine Industries. He also serves in advisory and trustee roles in academic and research institutions, including UPERDFI and PIPAC, and is active in sustainability and climate change initiatives. As founder and convenor of the Philippine Bio-Based Economy Roundtable and the Philippine Manufacturing Team, he champions innovation and sustainability. He also authors the advocacy platform Philippine Manufacturing Revisited, promoting awareness on the strategic role of manufacturing in national development.

In various capacities, Mr. Ricky Carandang has successfully formulated strategies and managed execution of campaigns to create favorable outcomes for corporates, non-government organizations, political parties, and individual politicians.

Mr. Ricky Carandang is currently the Head of External Affairs of the First Philippine Industrial Park, Vice President for Corporate Communications of the First Philippine Holdings Corporation, and Country Head for the Philippines of the Asia Group Advisors. 

From 2010-2013, he held the position of Secretary for the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, where he was the chief communications strategist for Philippine President Benigno Aquino III in the first half of his term. As a member of the cabinet level clusters on economic policy and national security, he participated in economic and national security policy making.

Prior to this, Mr. Carandang was a news anchor, reporter and program host for ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation. In the 2000s, he broke some of the biggest stories which had significant impacts on public opinion, politics, and policy. 

Dr. Adoracion M. Navarro is a Senior Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, an MA-Economics from the same university, and an MPA-Economic Policy Management from Columbia University-New York. Her research areas are energy and other infrastructure sectors, public-private partnerships, and regional development. She also served as Undersecretary for Regional Development at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA, now Department of Economy, Planning, and Development) in 2016-2020. While at NEDA, she also functioned as the Philippines’ Country Director at the Asian Productivity Organization and served as chairperson of various inter-agency bodies in the Philippine government. Prior to her work as PIDS Fellow and NEDA Undersecretary, she worked as an independent consultant for various projects funded by international aid agencies and private firms. She also worked as a summer scholar at the International Monetary Fund’s Statistics Department-Government Finance Division in Washington D.C., USA. Before that, she worked at the Philippines’ Build-Operate-Transfer Center (now Public-Private Partnerships Center) and the NEDA-Infrastructure Staff.

Lalita Moorty is the Regional Director for East Asia and Pacific, Prosperity Unit of the World Bank. Prior to this, she was the Regional Director for EFI in Europe and Central Asia. In her previous roles, she has been the Practice Manager for the European Union/Turkey and Manager in-charge for raising Funds for IDA. Ms. Moorty joined the World Bank in the year 2000 and has worked in several regions – including East Asia and Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, South Asia and Southern Africa. She holds a Doctorate in Economics, with a thesis on Risks and Costs associated with Real-time and Net Payments Systems in the United States.