DIRECTOR

Dr. Ador is the Director of the Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance and a Full Professor of the Department of Political Science, both in De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines. He is a development and governance researcher and practitioner with a substantial research portfolio and extensive experience in capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, and public policy research in the Philippines, the ASEAN region, and South Korea.

Dr. Torneo's areas of interest include public sector reform, performance management, international migration, emotional labor, and the use of data in development and governance work. As a development and governance practitioner, he has worked with various government,non-government organizations, and international development organizations in the Philippines, the ASEAN region, and South Korea, including AFoCo, the World Bank, UNDP, USAID, and WHO. His work has been published by the Philippine Political Science Journal, Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, Asian Politics & Policy, International Journal of Technology, Policy, and Management, International Migration, and Public Performance Management Review, and Journal of Public Affairs Education, among others.

Program Manager - PARTICIPATE PROJECT

Randy is the Program Manager for the Political Participation for Greater Electoral Integrity (Participate) Program under the Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance. He is a public policy and program management specialist with extensive experience on developing and managing programs focusing on local governance, agriculture development, public health, youth leadership and development. He is also an associate under the Data for Impact Institute of CIVIKA Asian Development Academy.

Randy earned the degree of Master in Public Administration at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is also a registered chemical engineer and received the degree of BS in Chemical Engineering from the same university.

Program Manager

Benz is the Program Manager for the Institute. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of the Philippines - Los Baños (UPLB) and currently taking up Master of Arts in Sociology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Prior to joining the Institute, he served as a Research Assistant in a national socio-economic research on Corn and Vegetable production funded by the DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) and as a Program Associate under the Stephen Zuellig Graduate School of Development Management at the Asian Institute of Management. His research interests include religion and spirituality, politics and governance.

LEAD POLICY RESEARCH SPECIALIST - PARTICIPATE PROJECT

Ian is currently the Lead Policy Research Specialist of the Institute. In 2006, he joined the Institute and has been responsible for the development and implementation of capacity development projects and research programs of the Institute on local governance, citizen participation, open government, and sustainable development. In 2010, Mr. Hecita was Visiting Research Scholar at the Institute for Energy Systems, Economics, and Sustainability of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. In 2009, he completed a course on Civil Society Strategic Planning at the Theodor-Heuss Academy in Gummersbach, Germany through the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. From 2005-2013, Mr. Hecita was Lecturer at the Department of Political Science of De La Salle University. He taught courses on Citizenship and Governance, Public Policy, Local Governance, and e-Governance. His research interests include collective action theory, local governance, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development.

ADMIN. ASSISTANT

Jessa joined the Institute in 2009 as a research and project assistant. She obtained her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Makati, graduating magna cum laude. As an administrative assistant, she provides project support and coordinates DLSU-JRIG's events. In addition, Ms. Pacheco is the organization's Financial Officer and manages all of the Institute's project grants and financial reporting.

Office Assistant

Ana is the Office Assistant in the Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance. She is a graduate of BS in Office Management with Efficiency Award at Kalinga State University. As an Office Assistant, she performs administrative and office support for the Director and assists in the operational activities of the Institute in areas such as office and events management.

PROGRAM AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Enzo is a Program and Research Associate at the Institute. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. His research interests include electoral campaigns and elections, the politics of urban and rural spaces, local politics and governance, and political rhetoric.

Currently, Enzo also dabbles in political and legislative consulting for the Pasig City Council and serves as the Project and Research Assistant for UP sa Halalan 2023. In his spare time, Enzo enjoys reading books, watching volleyball games, and tinkering with maps, election statistics, and other data.

Program and Research Associate

Karen is a Program and Research Associate at the Institute. She graduated from the University of the Philippines Manila with a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Sciences. She has since then been involved in both quantitative and qualitative research works and policy implementation programs that focus on gender and public health policies. She also has previous and current experiences working with other Non-Governmental Organizations in the field of community health and wellness and on projects about Philippine health system strengthening and interaction. Currently, she is handling quantitative research work concerning policy reviews with a governmental institution.

Program and Research Associate

Arianne is a Program and Research Associate at the Institute. She recently graduated with a degree Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Colegio de San Juan de Letran. She has been involved in providing support to the Government and Non-Governmental Organizations regarding humanitarian and legal matters. Her internship engagements were with the Local Government Unit of Santa Maria Bulacan and the National Prosecution Service (NPS), one of the attached agencies of the Department of Justice (DOJ). She is also a member of the Rotaract Club of Santa Maria, where she was engaged with various charitable projects. Her research interests include fringe forms of political participation, social movements, deliberative democracy, and art studies.

Program and Research Associate

Gabie is a Program and Research Associate in the Institute. She graduated with a degree in BA Political Science from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2021. She has conducted policy research and analysis for electoral campaigns and has experience coordinating with government agencies and civil society organizations. Her research interests include local governance, participatory governance, and democratization.

Program and Research Associate

Arrianne is a Program and Research Associate at the Institute. She graduated from the University of the Philippines Manila in 2023 with a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Sciences. Before joining the institute, she has been involved with university-based and non-government organizations promoting human rights. She has also conducted field research with the Local Government Unit of Barangay UP Campus. Her research interests include dynamics of power, collective action, and community development.

PROGRAM AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Arzil is a Research Assistant, engaged in project PARTICIPATE of the Institute, where he provides administrative, logistical, and research support for its projects and programs. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Political Science, minor in European Studies from De La Salle University. His current interests include Philippine politics, governance, and elections.

PROGRAM AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Ms. Pareja is a Program and Research Associate in the Institute. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of the Philippines Diliman with a degree in Psychology. At the Institute, her tasks are centered around program management, administrative work, and research products. Her research interests fall under political psychology, which include collective action, group behavior, and social dominance theories.

Program and Research Associate

Sarah is a Program and Research Associate at the Institute. In 2023, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Santo Tomas. Her role at the Institute involves assisting with program planning, administration, and online presence. She coordinates with partners and reports to the Director and the Program Managers. Before working at the Institute, she gained valuable experience through an internship at the Office of Hon. Alfred Vargas. Her research interests include public administration, participatory governance, and human rights.

GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT - SDG CITY LAB

Martin is a Lecturer at San Beda University and a Graduate Assistant of the De La Salle SDG City Laboratory. He received his Bachelor of Arts (Honors) and Master of Arts (Honors) in Political Science from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Mr. Vivo maintains academic research interests in Philippine politics and governance, international relations and governance, globalization, and sustainable development. He recently co-authored a journal article in 2023 on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). He is currently teaching globalization at the undergraduate level.

GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT - SDG CITY LAB

Celeen provides support on research methods and partner engagement for the Lab’s projects. She has worked in different roles in research, field work, office administration, and support in government, NGO, and research organizations. Celeen worked previously as a Research Officer at Eau et Vie, Water and Life Philippines, and managed and reported results of baseline surveys in Bacoor, Cavite, and Tanauan, Leyte, which helped in the planning of construction of the needed water services for residents in slums and relocation sites. She has a BS in Applied Economics from De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila, and she is currently pursuing her MS in Statistics also at DLSU.

GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT - SDG CITY LAB

RJ graduated with a Baccalaureate degree in Educational Psychology from De La Salle University-Manila and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Psychology, specializing in Clinical Psychology, at the same university. He is an active member of the Psychology of Hope and Well-being Lab, where his academic interests lie in psychological well-being, behaviour change, decision-making, governance, and sustainable development

SENIOR FELLOW

Dr. Julio Teehankee is Professor of Political Science and International Studies at De La Salle University where he served as Chair of the Political Science Department (1994-2007); Chair of the International Studies Department (2008-2013); and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts (2013-2017). He also served as President of the Philippine Political Science Association (2017-2019) and the Asian Political and International Studies Association (2009-2011). Currently, he is the Philippine representative to the Council of the International Political Science Association. He is also the Regional Manager of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) for Southeast Asia. He is a Senior Fellow and former Director of the La Salle Institute of Governance (LSIG). He appears regularly as a political analyst for local and international media outlets and his YouTube channel – “Talk Politics with Julio Teehankee.”

SENIOR FELLOW

Dr. Francisco Magno is a Professor of Political Science and Development Studies at De La Salle University (DLSU) where he occupied such positions as Director of the La Salle Institute of Governance, Director of the Social Development Research Center, and Chair of the Political Science Department. He is currently coordinating the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Localization Project of DLSU with the City Government of Manila. He has conducted teaching and research in various universities, including Osaka University, Waseda University, Hiroshima University, Florida State University, University of Hawaii, and University of the Philippines. Elected as President of the Philippine Political Science Association from 2015 to 2017, he was selected to head the Commission on Higher Education Technical Panel on Political Science from 2020-2024. In the year 2000, he became the first Political Scientist to receive an Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines. He finished his PhD in Political Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa under an East-West Center scholarship, and his BA and MA in Political Science from the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW

Dr. Reyes is a policy analyst, governance adviser, legislative specialist and women’s rights advocate. She is an international consultant on public policy and governance, social development and gender equality. At present, she is the Regional Gender and Governance Adviser of the Center for Legislative Development.

She was Chief of the Asia-Pacific and Arab States of UN WOMEN, New York for six years (2005-2011) where she directly supervised four sub-regional offices in East and Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Pacific, and Arab States. She was UNDP Senior Gender Adviser to the Government of Pakistan for three years (2001-2004) where she designed the capacity development program for 36,000 women councilors and conceptualized the Women’s Political School. She was also Director of Gender and Governance of the New York-based Women’s Environment and Development Organization (1999-2001) and spearheaded the Global Campaign for “50-50 Get the Balance Right!”. She taught Political Science at De La Salle University for over 20 years (1971-1991) and was the first Chairperson of the Department of Political Science.

Dr. Reyes has written and published numerous articles and monographs on Women’s Political Participation. Her recent publication is on “Gender and the Electoral System: What Works for Women” and “Gender Assessment of the Legislative Structures and Processes of Selected Southeast Asian Countries from a CEDAW Perspective.” She has just completed a study of “Gender Relations in the Extra Judicial Killings (EJK) Household” in the Philippines in collaboration with the Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) of Miriam College. She has also conducted several trainings for WAGI’s Women’s Political Participation Project. At present, she is doing research on “Gender and Governance in BARMM,” funded by the Center for Women, Peace and Security of the London School of Economics.

RESEARCH FELLOW

Dr. Cheryll Soriano is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, De La Salle University Manila. She has a Ph.D in Communications and New Media from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Arts in Development Studies (Politics of Alternative Development) from the Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University, the Hague.

Her research focuses on the intersections of digital cultures, social inequality, and civic engagement and has published over 30 articles in international journals and book volumes on these themes. She was APEC Women in Research Fellow at the Center for Communication, Politics and Culture at RMIT University, Melbourne and worked with the Presidential Management Staff.

RESEARCH FELLOW

Dr. Christianne Collantes is an Associate Professor of Political Science whose research interests include gender politics, reproduction, globalization and global political economy. She recently completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, and obtained her Doctoral Degree in Gender Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London in 2016. Her most recently published works can be found in Critical Asian Studies and South East Asia Research, and her book Reproductive Dilemmas in Metro Manila: Faith, Intimacies, and Globalization was under Palgrave MacMillan UK in the fall of 2018.

AFFILIATED FACULTY

Dr. Ralph Brower is an Associate Professor from Florida State University’s (FSU) Askew School of Public Administration and Policy. He also serves as the Director of FSU’s Center for Civic and Nonprofit Leadership. Dr. Brower was a Visiting Professor at the University of the Philippines – Diliman and has also been honored as a Fulbright Senior Scholar Fellow. He obtained his B.A. from State University of New York – Potsdam and his Master of Public Administration from University of Alaska Anchorage. He completed his Ph.D. in Public Administration from State University of New York – Albany.

Dr. Brower teaches courses such as Public Administration in Contemporary Society, Cultural Analysis and Organizations, and International and Comparative Administration. His research and teaching interests also include organization behavior and theory, qualitative research methods, organizational change and development, nonprofit management, and capacity building in the independent sector.

AFFILIATED FACULTY

Ma. Ella C. Oplas is a faculty member at the Economics Department of DLSU with exposure to working with various international development-oriented organizations, government and private sector. Ms. Oplas has a Master's degree in Applied Economics and is currently completing her Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies at De La Salle University. Ms. Oplas has worked as a Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist and Stocktaking Consultant for the Institute. She has experience working with JRIG's following projects: PAMANA Midterm Review (2016-2017), Disaster Risk Reduction through Local Collaboration (2015-2016), Empowered Participatory Governance Towards Progress in North Cotabato (2014-2015), and Institutionalizing Civil Society Monitoring and Evaluation and Assessment of Public Service Delivery to the Poor (2011-2012).

Affiliated Faculty

Dr. Sherwin Ona is an associate professor of Political Science at De La Salle University (DLSU). His current engagements and interests are in the areas of Open Government, Human security, Cybersecurity policies and Disaster informatics. He is also the current chairperson of the political science department and the former research and advanced studies director of the College of Computer Studies, DLSU.

He also served as a technical consultant to various government agencies like the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (2005), the Department of Science and Technology-ICTO (2012), the Commission on Higher Education (2017), and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (2018). In 2019, he was appointed as a consultant of the UN-Asia Pacific Center for ICT for Development (APCICT) on Data Governance and Interoperability.

Dr. Ona is a fellow of the Philippine Pubic Safety College and a non-resident fellow of the Stratbase-Albert Del Rosario Institute. He is also an auxiliary officer of the Philippine Coast Guard with the rank of commander.

AFFILIATED FACULTY

Dr. Homer Yabut is an Associate Professor of the Psychology Department. He obtained his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from De La Salle University. He teaches Social Psychology, and Statistics and Research in both undergraduate and graduate courses. He is a licensed psychologists and a certified Social Psychologist.

Dr. Yabut's research include topics about Psychology of religion and spirituality, collective actions, religious mass gatherings and adolescents. He also obtained both internationally and locally funded researches which include maternal and neonatal health services, scholarships in the Philippines and indigenous cultures in the Philippines. He is a member of Asian Association of Social Psychology (AASP), Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) and Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (PSSP).

Affiliated Faculty

Dr. Jeremiah Joven Joaquin is a Professor of Philosophy at De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines, where he is also a Research Fellow at the Southeast Asian Research Center and Hub (SEARCH) and a Research Affiliate at the Center for Language Technologies (CeLT) and the Jesse Robredo Institute of Governance (JRIG). He works mostly in logic and metaphysics but occasionally dabbles in epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, moral philosophy, gender studies, experimental philosophy, political philosophy, and recently, in philosophical issues about public health. He has published several papers on these topics in various internationally-reputable academic journals.

Affiliated Faculty

Georgeline Jaca is an Assistant Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Political Science of De La Salle University. She obtained her BA in Political Science and MA in Development Policy from De La Salle University. She is currently a PhD student in Osaka University where she also received a Master’s degree in International Public Policy. She teaches courses in citizenship and governance, fundamentals of political science, and quantitative political analysis. Her areas of work and research include electoral behavior and participation, public performance and management, and the conduct and analysis of quantitative social science research.

Affiliated Faculty

Dr. Grace Roldan is a Full Professor at the Department of Political and Development Studies, College of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University, Philippines where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in the political science and development studies programs. She obtained her Ph.D. in Philippine Studies (specializing in bureaucracy and external relations) at the University of the Philippines Asian Center. She is the Book Review editor of the Philippine Political Science Journal and has published in the European Journal of Sustainable Development, Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, Philippine Political Science Journal, Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, and The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social and Community Studies. Her research interests include governance and development, migrants, and information and communications technology for social inclusion.

AFFILIATED FACULTY

Dr. Cleo Calimbahin is a Full Professor and Chair in the Department of Political Science and Development Studies at the De La Salle University. Her research focuses on election administration, corruption studies, and comparative democratization. She co-edited the book Patronage Democracy: Clans, Clients and Competition in Local Elections with Julio Teehankee (ADMU Press, 2022). Her published work appears in journals such as Contemporary Southeast Asia, Asian Affairs: An American Review, and Philippine Political Science Journal. She completed her PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Fulbright Fellow. She received her MSc in International Politics of Asia and Africa from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Dr. Calimbahin has provided technical assistance and research to the government agencies, international organizations and foundations. She is a Board Member and Fellow of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and a Fellow at the Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation.

AFFILIATED FACULTY

Dr. Anthony Lawrence Borja is a an Assistant Professorial Lecturer at the Department of Political Science and Development Studies at the De La Salle University. He took his BA and MA in Political Science from De La Salle University where he is currently working as an Assistant Professorial Lecturer. His current research projects are on democratic theory, political participation, citizenship, and the theory of popular sovereignty.