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OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
ATTY. ANGELO A. JIMENEZ​
President, University of the Philippines
Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez is a distinguished labor lawyer and expert in global worker migration whose contributions have shaped labor migration frameworks across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. He played a key role in the establishment of the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers and served as Labor Attaché in Japan, Kuwait, and Iraq, where he earned recognition for safeguarding Filipino workers during the Israel-Lebanon conflict and for leading a successful hostage rescue operation in Iraq.
His extensive public service includes key positions at the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Office of the President. He has lectured on gender-responsive migration and ethical recruitment at the UP International Training Center for Authorities and Leaders, and authored policy papers for the International Organization for Migration and the Blas Ople Policy Center.
Atty. Jimenez holds a Bachelor of Laws and a BA in Sociology from UP Diliman. He is a graduate of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore and was a Lee Kuan Yew Fellow at Harvard University. As a student leader, he served as UP Student Regent and Chairperson of the University Student Council.
As President of the University of the Philippines, Jimenez envisions UP as a catalyst for transformational change—engaging communities to confront real-world challenges, fostering global perspectives, and anchoring global insight in local action.
DR. ANTHONY C. SALES, PFT, CESO III
Regional Director, Department of Science and Technology XI
Dr. Anthony C. Sales is a Food Technologist by profession, a researcher, and a public servant. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Food Technology and Food Science from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He also earned his Ph.D. degree in Mycotoxicology from Ehime University, Japan and Master’s degree in Management from University of the Philippines Mindanao as an Academic Excellence Awardee.
He leads the DOST XI in implementing high-impact community- based and innovative programs, technology transfer and commercialization, laboratory consultancy, scholarships, and other forms of Science and Technology interventions. He has also initiated various mechanisms and links with international organizations such as UNESCO, UNDP, UNESCAP, ICHARM and many others for the capability enhancement of researchers and DOST personnel in the region and across Mindanao.
In 2021, he was appointed by former Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte as the pioneering Chair of the Professional Regulatory Board of Food Technology. Dr. Sales also spearheaded efforts to gain Level 1 and Level 2 recognition for DOST XI under the Philippine Quality Award, a national award for Total Quality Management equivalent to the Malcolm Baldridge Award in the United States.
Dr. Sales continues to implement programs and projects for the development of food safety, halal science, water resource management, sustainability science, and grassroots innovation. He also leads the implementation of the DOST S&T Halal Program and the Grassroots Innovation for Inclusive Development (GRIND) Program.
OUR PLENARY SPEAKERS
DR. ALICE JOAN G. FERRER
Executive Director, National Consortium for Small-Scale Fisheries Research and Development
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University of the Philippines Visayas
SESSION THEME
Anchoring Sustainability: Gender, Culture, Livelihoods and Socio-economic dimensions of Fisheries for Food Security
Transforming Commitments into Action:
The SSF Guidelines as Pathways to Sustainable Coastal Futures
Dr. Alice Joan G. Ferrer is a full professor and scientist at the University of the Philippines Visayas. Her research and advocacy interests include small-scale fisheries, coastal livelihoods, gender in aquaculture and fisheries, among others. She is presently the Executive Director of the National Consortium for Small-Scale Fisheries Research and Development in the Philippines (also known as Too Big to Ignore (TBTI) Philippines), which has 47 higher education institutions as members.
She is an economist by training and has led a number of national and international research projects to improve the social and economic well-being of fishing communities. Her additional research interests include aquaculture social science, health social science, policy analysis, climate-smart agriculture, and fisheries governance. She has led research initiatives supported by FAO, World Bank, IRRI, IDRC, GIZ, USAID, WorldFish, Stockholm Resilience Center, RIHN, DOST, BFAR, DSWD, DOH, and others. She has collaborated with researchers from Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Sweden, Canada, the USA, and others. She holds international, national, and local leadership positions in professional societies and R&D organizations. Dr. Ferrer works to promote inclusive governance, equitable policies, and the recognition of small-scale fishers’ roles in achieving sustainable and resilient coastal development in the Philippines and beyond. Dr. Ferrer is the current Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of UPV.
DR. KEI KURUSHIMA
Chief Policy Researcher / Lens Facilitator
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan
SESSION THEME
Fisheries and Aquatic Governance in Action: Interdisciplinary Solutions for Sustainability and Food Security
Interlinkages of Food, Climate, and Security: A Comparative Study of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Japan and the Philippines
Dr. Kei Kurushima is a chief policy researcher at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) since 2022. She received her Ph.D. in international studies at the University of Tokyo. With over a decade of experience in rural development in Southeast Asia, she is currently working on climate change adaptation and food security in the Asia-Pacific region.
DR. MICHAEL P. ATRIGENIO
Faculty Member, Marine Science Institute
University of the Philippines Diliman
SESSION THEME
Capture Fisheries: Balancing Food and Ecosystems
Securing Seafood Sustainability
in the Philippines
Mike holds a PhD in the marine sciences and serves as an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute. Simultaneously, he holds the position of President of the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation and heads the Professional Masters in Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Program of the university. He leads the Philippine 30x30 Target Partnership Project with Rare, WWF, CI, Oceana and MERF under the auspices of Oceans5. He is also an opinion writer of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and a member of the PNP Maritime Group Advisory Council.
DR. VICTOR MARCO EMMANUEL N. FERRIOLS
Director, Institute of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, UP Visayas
Assistant to the Executive Director for the Visayas. Philippine Genome Center
SESSION THEME
Responsible Aquaculture to Sustain Food Security
Omics-driven Approaches Towards Responsible and Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture
Dr. Victor Marco Emmanuel N. Ferriols obtained his Ph.D. in Aquatic Biosciences at the University of Tokyo in 2016. He is currently a Professor at the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences of the University of the Philippines Visayas where he trains students and researchers in formulating science-based solutions for the needs of the fisheries industry. He has spearheaded several projects, funded by the Department of Science and Technology, related to microalgal production systems as well as aquaculture mechanization. He also led the establishment of the Philippine Genome Center Visayas Satellite Facility with the aim of utilizing omics technologies to aid research in the fields of health, agriculture, fisheries and aquatic sciences in the Visayas. His main research interest focuses on functional genetics and biochemistry, with other studies ranging from aquaculture engineering to algal molecular biology, biochemistry, and biotechnology.
DIRECTOR OMAR LECHUGA
RD&A Southeast Asia, Kerry
Singapore
SESSION THEME
Food, Fishers, and Futures: Empowering and Engaging Communities for Food Security and Sustainable Fisheries
Elevating the value of fish products...
how to make a winner product
As RD&A director for Kerry Southeast Asia, Omar now leads the region’s development and applications team. Omar brings more than 25 years of deep experience in the food industry. Prior to his present role, he was the RD&A director for Kerry in Latin America and Middle East, general manager for Kerry Mexico, and a Taste R&D lead in Kerry Europe. Earlier in his career, Omar was leading teams across R&D, quality, product development and packaging for brands such as Gatorade®, Pepsico and Mars chocolate in Latin America. A biochemical engineer by training, Omar specialized in food processing, graduating from Mexico’s ITESM Campus Querétaro. A believer in lifelong learning, he recently completed a postgraduate program in artificial intelligence and machine learning from the University of Texas, Austin and a Technology Innovation leadership Program by NUS