CONVENORS

FOUNDERS

Antonio A. Ver, Convenor of Asia Pacific Basin for Energy Strategies. Strategies, President, 2010-2017, Chairman 2022-present

Lauro Baja, Jr. Lawyer, Career Diplomat, former Philippines Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York, NY, 1st Chairman

Rogelio D. Garcia,  Banker, 1st Treasurer

 Jaime M. Cortes, Chairman in the United States of AmericaFormer Chief Technical Adviser at International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

Benjamin E. Diokno, Chairman Emeritus;  Former Secretary of Finance, former Governor, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; former Secretary of Budget and Management

Carlos L. Esguerra, IT expert and world-renowned Photographer

Emil T. de Guzman†, Lawyer, New York State Bar; Principal, New York

Albemar Dumlao, Retired from the US Postal Service, Santa Barbara, CA

Roberto Rafael V. Lucila†, Lawyer, Co-Managing Partner, Belo Gozon Elma Parel Asuncion & Lucila Law Offices; former General Counsel

 Angelo A. Jimenez,  President, University of the Philippines 2022-present; Lawyer, and former  Career Labor Attaché, Expert on Middle East geopolitics, former Regent, University of the Philippines, President 2017-2022

Nelson A. Navarro†, Writer

Temario C. Rivera†, Professor of Political Science, University of the Philippines, and International Relations at the International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan

Ferdinand R. Silerio, Lawyer involved in Community development

Dante Raul Q. Teodoro, one of Most Outstanding Filipinos Abroad, a Filipino American Hall of Fame Awardee in humanitarian services and recognized as one of the Top USA Entrepreneurs

 Salvador E. Tuy, Jr., Lawyer in New York, NY, USA

 Raul B. Villanueva, Court Administrator, Supreme Court of the Republic of the Philippines

 Bayani S. Aguirre†

Jorge V. Sarmiento

Immediate past Chairman (2017-2022)

Atty. Sarmiento served in top positions in the government as Associate Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration (1989-1991), Postmaster General of the Philippine Postal Corporation (1992-1993), Commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (1999-2002), Deputy Commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (2002-2009), President & Chief Operating Officer of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (2010), and Undersecretary for Management and Operations of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (2016-2017).

Ronald P. Concepcion  He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the College of Law at the University of the Philippines and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, UP. He serves as the Assistant Corporate Secretary and Special Counsel for Legal and Regulatory Affairs at the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

 BOARD

 Benjamin E. Diokno

Chairman Emeritus
Benjamin E. Diokno was the former Secretary of Finance. He was formerly Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Secretary of Budget and Management. He finished his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines (1968), and earned his Master’s Degree in Public Administration (1970) and Economics (1974) from the same University. He also holds a Master of Arts in Political Economy (1976) from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and a Ph.D. in Economics (1981) from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, USA. He was also conferred a Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, by the University of the Philippines (2017).

Jorge V. Sarmiento

Immediate past Chairman (2017-2022)

Atty. Sarmiento served in top positions in the government as Associate Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration (1989-1991), Postmaster General of the Philippine Postal Corporation (1992-1993), Commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (1999-2002), Deputy Commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (2002-2009), President & Chief Operating Officer of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (2010), and Undersecretary for Management and Operations of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (2016-2017).

 Antonio A. Ver

Founder and President (2008-2016), Chairman 2022-present

He was the Convenor of Asia Pacific Basin for Energy Strategies

 Redbert Chris T. Maines, Lawyer, President, 2022-present

Nizer C. RosalesSecretary (2017-present)

Nizer C. Rosales is a Lawyer, and is the COO of Energies Global Data and Energies Rivers Corporation

 Peter M. BantilanTreasurer (2017-present)

Atty. Peter M. Bantilan is a Senior and Managing Partner in a major law firm in the Philippines

Secretariat

The APBest Secretariat is headed by Anthony John B. Santos. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of the Philippines. He is an Electrical Engineer by profession.

Head of Communications is Jose Ma. Lorenzo T. Fernandez, who is currently taking up his Masters in History from the University of the Philippines.

The Technical Working Group is led by Lawyer Red C. Maines, Mark Navata, an IT expert, MBA from Asian Institute of Management, BS, UP; Lawyer John Philippe Chua, Masters in Finance, University of the Philippines, and Em Bagual, Masters in Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines.

For your inquiries on the organization and its advocacies, kindly direct your questions to the Secretariat office. To facilitate the response, you email inquiries through [email protected].