Region: Philippines

Nereus "Neric" Acosta

Nereus "Neric" Acosta is a Philippine politician, previously serving as Presidential Adviser on Environmental Protection and as a three-term member of the Philippine House of Representatives, representing the first district in the Bukidnon province. He also served as Secretary-General of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, which works with leading liberal-democratic parties in Asia for greater democratization and the strengthening of human rights. During his time in the House of Representatives, Neric was the principal author of environmental laws on solid waste management, biodiversity, and pollution in the Philippines. He also served as Chair of the Committee on Ecology and Chair of the Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and…

Beverly Lorraine C. Ho

Beverly “Bev” Lorraine C. Ho is Chief of the Health Research Division of the Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau in the Philippine Department of Health. She works to provide the evidence needed to support health system reforms by designing innovative research grants and building institutional capacity for policy research. These efforts have significantly contributed to the passage of key legislation on sugar-sweetened beverage tax, universal health care (UHC), and the institutionalization of the health technology assessment process in the Philippines. Because of her instrumental role in the UHC Act, she was designated Special Assistant to the Secretary of Health for UHC. Prior to this, she worked with various international…

Vicente Santiago Pérez

Vicente “Vince” Santiago Pérez is an avid environmental advocate and renewable energy investor currently serving as chairman of Alternergy group, a wind, solar and mini-hydro power developer. His philanthropy is dedicated to the environment and conservation. Vince has long been involved with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) starting with arranging debt-for-nature swaps. He was a founding trustee of WWF-Philippines in 1996. Pérez was elected to the International Board of WWF, the governing body of the global WWF network, and currently a member of the boards of WWF-China and WWF-US.  He is also a member of the Advisory Boards of the Bhutan Foundation, New Zealand Trade Enterprise, Geneva-based Pictet Clean…

Bam Aquino

Bam Aquino started in public service as a youth leader, television host and multi-awarded social entrepreneur. In 2013, he was elected Senator of the Republic of the Philippines and was the youngest at that time. When Bam ended his term in 2019, he was the Philippine Senate’s Deputy Minority Leader. He has chaired various Senate committees such as Trade and Commerce, Youth, Science and Technology, and Education. He authored and sponsored several landmark laws including the Philippine Competition Act, the Innovative Start Up Act, and the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which made college in all state universities free for millions of Filipino students. In May 2022, he…

Kala Mulqueeny

Kala Mulqueeny is an Australian environmental and energy lawyer at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) where she leads the law, policy, and development program relating to the environment, energy, climate change, and legal empowerment. She also leads ADB's Asia Pacific Dialogue on Clean Energy Governance and Regulation among energy policy-makers and regulators in Asia and USAID, the International Energy Agency, and World Resources Institute. She has also initiated the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Energy Regulators Network. Kala was a lawyer on the first Integrated Gas and Combined Cycle Project in China (and the developing world) and is responsible for ADB's work on the regulation of…

Good Society Forum: Health on the frontlines in developing countries during COVID-19

Yale Greenberg World Fellows Interview Series: Beverly Lorraine C. Ho