About me
I am currently teaching Political Science at the Ateneo de Manila University and writing a book chapter on Philippine foreign policy with the Asian Center, University of the Philippines. I teach Japanese at the UP ITTC on the side. To keep things spinning, I do consultancy work with the Peace and Economic Development in Mindanao, Inc where I serve as Secretary General. Some of my consultancies involve mapping work with the World Bank which looks at development in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.

I did my MA in International Cooperation Policy with an emphasis on Environmental Management and Administration at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Oita Prefecture, Japan. I wrote my thesis on Community-based Forest Management Program in Lanao del Sur. I also wrote a paper on improving the integrated water resource management of Lake Lanao in my hometown, Marawi City, through the use of contingency valuation method via the willingness to pay of water users for the water quantity and quality control of the said water resource.

I completed an internship with the United Nations University Press in Tokyo. I had been working on projects such as the feasibility study on creating an institutional repository for UNU, and other subjects relevant to my field such as eco-friendly paper technologies used by the press.

Prior to grad school, I went to Kyoto University to study International Relations, and American History. Those four years spent in beautiful Kyoto was worth every moment of it and I would live in that amazing city again in a heartbeat.

For my other qualifications, I had been selected as a Goldman Sachs Global Leader in 2002. I had the opportunity to meet young leaders who have been active in civic engagement and we all met in New York City for one of the most rewarding things that has happened in my life.

Also, I was fortunate to participate in the Century Institue Summer Program held at Williams College, Massachusetts where intensive and in-depth lectures and workshops on American Progressivism were offered to many young Americans and a few international students including myself.

Earlier I had supervised a project on the mitigation of arsenic contaminated water units in the village of Faridpur, Bangladesh. I was one of the recipients of the Goldman Sachs Social Entrepreneurship Fund. I was working with a local NGO in Faridpur, with the help of Dr. Jamal Anwar, a German geologist whose expertise is in the same environmental issue.

In 2004, I went to India to participate in the World Social Forum in Mumbai which turned out to be a successful event and for me, it was the biggest event I ever attended where a congregation of activists voiced out their dissatisfaction over corporate misdeeds happening particularly in the developing world. In contrast, I went to the Global Development Conference in New Delhi where the attendees were mainly from big, rich organizations such as the World Bank, IMF, the UN and what-have-ya. What a contrast it was, but I learned a lot and met interesting people.

For my extra-curriculars, I once played the guitar and sang for a Cuban salsa band. We played a number of benefit concerts for Afghan and Iraqi refugees. When I'm free, I like to draw(charcoal and watercolor), write poetry and short stories, practice Aikido martial art, read literary works, talk politics, dance salsa, walk before sunrise, and sleep all day (yes, I am nocturnal).

Drop me a line if you want to discuss about any social issue. I am currently teaching Political Science at the Ateneo de Manila University and writing a book chapter on Philippine foreign policy with the Asian Center, University of the Philippines. I teach Japanese at the UP ITTC on the side. To keep things... (more)