Dr. Dennis P. Garrity is a systems agronomist and research leader whose career has been focused on the development of small-scale farming systems in the tropics. He was the Founding Chair of the Board of the Global EverGreening Alliance, with 106 member organizations, implementing large-scale programs on land restoration in the developing world. He is the Board Chair of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition, an organization of about 250 scientists and influencers mobilizing the global community to adopt a new goal to reverse global heating by implementing a more comprehensive plan to cool the planet.  He is Distinguished Senior Research Fellow World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Nairobi and served as Director General of the Centre from 2001 to 2011. He was Drylands Ambassador for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification from 2011 to 2018, emphasizing the role of agroforestry, evergreen agriculture and landcare as critical to sustainable land management. He has published over 200 research papers, books and popular articles on a wide range of topics related to climate change, agriculture, farming systems, agroforestry, natural resources, and the environment. 

Dr. Delia C. Catacutan is a distinguished Filipino environmental scientist, policy expert, and international development professional with more than two decades of research and leadership experience in natural resource management, agroforestry, environmental governance, watershed management, climate action, and landscape restoration across Asia and Africa. She holds a PhD in Natural and Rural Systems Management from the University of Queensland, Australia, and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability Science at the Center for International Development, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Her academic and professional journey reflects a lifelong commitment to advancing science, policy, and practice in support of sustainable development.

Dr. Catacutan formerly served as Principal Scientist, Country Representative for the Philippines and Vietnam, and Regional Coordinator for Southeast Asia at the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry. She is currently Chair of Healthy Planet Action Philippines, Senior Fellow of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry and the Global EverGreening Alliance, and International Consultant to United Nations agencies and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization. She is also associated with Landscape Partnership Asia as a thought leader, contributing to regional collaboration on integrated landscape approaches, restoration, agroforestry, and climate-resilient development. She was also a founding Board member of the International Union of Agroforestry and played a pioneering role in the development and coordination of Global Landcare.

A respected voice in science diplomacy, Dr. Catacutan has worked across governments, research institutions, civil society, and international organizations to translate scientific knowledge into policy action and cross-border cooperation. She has contributed to global and regional policy processes, knowledge exchanges, and capacity-building initiatives that bridge science, diplomacy, and sustainable development priorities. She has authored and co-authored over 100 scientific publications, book chapters, working papers, and policy briefs, and has led major initiatives linking research, policy, and practice. Among her notable contributions is her leadership in advancing the ASEAN Guidelines for Agroforestry Development, which were adopted by ASEAN Member States in 2018. In the same year, she received a distinguished award from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, recognizing her outstanding contributions to sustainable agriculture and rural development. Through her work, Dr. Catacutan has championed inclusive, science-based solutions for climate resilience, ecosystem restoration, and community empowerment. Her career stands as an inspiring example of scholarship, leadership, and science diplomacy in service of people, nature, and future generations.

Dr. Chona R. Echavez is the Director of the Research Institute for Mindanao Culture (RIMCU) at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan and a social scientist specializing in inclusive development, displacement, gender equality, peacebuilding, and climate resilience. She brings over three decades of experience leading and evaluating large-scale, theory-based and participatory research across fragile, conflict-affected, and climate-vulnerable settings. Internationally, she served as Deputy and Interim Director of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) in Kabul, where she led major studies on internally displaced populations, social protection systems, and gender relations. Her global engagements span Afghanistan, Cambodia, Bhutan, and multiple Pacific Island countries, including Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands. She has mentored graduate students under the Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (ACTS) Program in Siem Reap, Cambodia; trained researchers in qualitative methods such as the World Bank–supported Moving Out of Poverty “Ladder of Life” methodology; and designed conflict-sensitive communication and peace education tools across diverse cultural contexts.

She has also held academic and professional roles with the University of London, serving as supervisor for the CeDEP Distance Learning Dissertation Programme, and as Examiner for postgraduate programmes in Climate Change and Development and Sustainable Development. More recently, she served as Gender, Peace, and Conflict Specialist for the World Bank’s Rapid Environmental and Social Overview Assessment (RESOA) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and as lead facilitator in field-testing participatory tools on social equity and climate adaptation for the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

In the Philippines, her work includes nationally significant research on children in conflict settings, long-term cohort studies on Filipino children, education safety, mental health systems, and gender-responsive development—undertaken in close collaboration with government agencies, universities, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, and the World Bank.

Among her latest fellowship awards are: Research Fellow of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the Murdoch Chidren’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia and Summer Course Fellowship on Climate Migration Futures at the Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, Toronto, Canada.

She holds a PhD in Demography from the Australian National University, a Master’s degree in Development Communication from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture major in Development Communication from Xavier University. Her career reflects a sustained commitment to globally informed, locally grounded, and socially just development—bringing international expertise to Mindanao and the Philippines.

Engr. Andres Evangelista Muego is a Civil Engineer and Environmental Planner with a Master’s Degree in Urban Environmental Management from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. He serves as a consultant to provincial and city/municipal government units, notably in the areas of environmental governance, policy & legislation, land use planning and management. He also worked as an Environmental and Social Considerations specialist for several ODA foreign-funded programs and Infrastructure Flagship Projects. As Private Sector Representative in the Central Visayas Regional Development Council, he helped establish the RDC's Environment Committee and served as its first chairman. He is the Past President of Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Waters, an NGO advocating water security for the Cebuanos. He has taught urban and environmental planning and management subjects in various Metro Cebu universities. EnP Muego currently serves as the Advocacy Focal Person of the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners-College of Fellows, Jury.

EnP Emmanuel P. Crucio is a distinguished, results-driven urban planner and public service executive specializing in sustainable, climate-ready, and smart cities. Elevated as a Fellow by the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP) in 2023, his career spans local government, academia, and international development, leading multidisciplinary teams to align urban strategies with global sustainability frameworks. Since 2019, EnP Crucio has served as City Government Assistant Department Head II within the Mandaue City LGU, driving strategic master planning, zoning, disaster risk reduction, and housing policy across vital offices, including CPDO, CDRRMO, and HUDO. Professionally diverse, he formerly chaired the Sustainability and Resiliency Department at the University of Cebu – METC and served as an environmental governance expert for high-impact international initiatives with GIZ and USAID. A graduate of the Development Academy of the Philippines' Public Management Development Program, he received its prestigious Leadership Award in 2024, anchoring his reputation as a visionary leader dedicated to building resilient communities.

Rowena Soriaga, MDM brings over 25 years of expertise in natural resource management, sustainable rural development and community-based environmental governance. As Director for Programs Development at the Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC), contributor to the Philippine Watershed Management Coalition (PWMC) and Asia-Pacific Co-Lead for Assisted Natural Generation Alliance, her work bridges scientific research with grassroots social processes. She has led initiatives and co-authored publications on community forest management, climate resilience, and watershed governance across the Visayas and Southeast Asia. A dedicated advocate for grounding macro-level policies in local action, Ms. Soriaga works alongside civil society and local institutions to mainstream nature-based solutions into barangay development planning and river basin management. She holds a BS in Business Economics from the University of the Philippines and a Master of Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management. 

Atty. Leonardo L. del Carmen Jr., CPA, EnP, MMEP, DBA, CLSSMBB is an urban and environmental planning scholar, consultant, and multidisciplinary professional specializing in land use planning, environmental management, nature-based solutions, quality management systems, policy research, sustainable tourism, and institutional development. He is a Lawyer, Certified Public Accountant, Environmental Planner, ISO 9001 and 14001 Lead Auditor, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Advanced TRIZ Practitioner, Certified Agile Transformation Coach, and Professional Scrum Master. As academic preparations, he holds a degree in Masters in Environmental Planning, Doctors in Business Administration, and a candidate for Ph.D. in Environmental Management.

He currently serves as ISO Certification Director of the Quality and Innovation Institute, Consultant of various Local Government Units and Government Owned or Controlled Corporations. He previously served as Dean of the College of Business and Technology of St. Paul University Surigao, and now the Dean of the Caraga School of Urban Planning at Surigao Education Center.

He also leadership roles in professional organizations, including National President of the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP), National Chair for Policy Research and Public Engagement of PIEP, and Editor-in-Chief of the Environmental and Urban Planning International Journal, the first peer-reviewed journal for urban and environmental planning in the Philippines.

He is finishing his degree in Master of Law,  major in Public Governance, and PhD in Development Administration.

Engr. Wayne N. Banaybanay is a licensed Geodetic Engineer, sustainability researcher, and academic specializing in geospatial technologies, sustainable urban planning, climate resilience, and nature-based solutions. He was a foreign exchange student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore, and served as the sole surveyor at Euro Hydro Power (Asia) Holdings Inc., where he contributed to the construction of multiple hydropower projects across Mindanao. Currently, he is the Research Coordinator for Engineering and Technology at the University of Northwestern Mindanao while pursuing a Master of Science in Sustainable Development (Major in Urban Planning) at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP). His research focuses on green infrastructure, urban heat island mitigation, and the application of GIS and ENVI-met simulation for climate-resilient campus and urban planning.

Arvin C. Diesmos is a wildlife biologist and conservation ecologist, he has co-authored around 190 scientific papers and is the co-discoverer of over 80 new species from the Philippines and Southeast Asia of frogs, lizards, snakes, insect arthropods, and a bird species. He received a B.Sc. in Biology and M.Sc. in Wildlife Studies from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and a Ph.D. in Biology from the National University of Singapore. 

He is a member of Philippine Red List Committee of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources; the Amphibian Specialist Group, Tortoise and Turtles Specialist Group, Crocodile Specialist Group, and the Amphibian Red List Authority of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He also served as an Alternate Member of the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES). 

He is, at present, a Senior Director at the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity; he will be assuming the role of Director for the National Museum of Natural History of the National Museum of the Philippines in September this year. 

Arvin is an Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines.

Rosalinda Gadugdug-Paredes (Linda) is a long-standing champion of environmental protection in Bohol. Her advocacy began in the early 1990s with the founding of Friends of Tarsius, an academe-based initiative that campaigned against the capture and domestication of the Philippine Tarsier. She later led community efforts to prevent the cutting of trees at Garcia Park in 2012, and most recently in 2025, raised public awareness on the risks posed by construction on the fragile

mounds of Banat-I Hill.

A respected trainer and facilitator, Linda has built the capacities of countless local government staff across Bohol and neighboring provinces. Her expertise spans participatory planning and budgeting, results-based monitoring and evaluation, and citizen engagement in local governance—skills she has imparted to strengthen institutions and deepen democratic participation. She played a key role in the formulation of the Bohol Environment Code in 1998 and its revision in 2025. She likewise facilitated the development of the Bohol Incentive and Investment Code of 2014 and its transformation into the Bohol Economic Development and Investment Promotion Code in 2022.

Linda’s professional experience covers more than 30 years of managing and coordinating development projects funded by AusAID, USAID, GIZ, JICA, and other international partners in Bohol Province and Tagbilaran City. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy major in Human Resource Management (2018) and a Master of Arts in Psychology (1987). She currently serves as the Governance and Development Consultant of the City Government of Tagbilaran.

Johnjoan Mende is a Cum Laude Graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Classical Philosophy from the University of Santo Tomas. He studied under the auspices of the Central Seminary at the same university, where he also earned his Licentiate in Philosophy, Magna Cum Laude.

​While working as a development worker with the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, he pursued studies in law. He also taught philosophy and religious education at the then Divine Word College–Tagbilaran. Later, he joined the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), where he has been serving for twenty-seven years. As a departmental scholarship grantee focusing on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, he earned a Graduate Diploma in Environmental Management, with Merit, from the Australian National University.

He has served the department in various capacities, including as City Director of DILG-Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City. He also served as the Provincial Director for the Province of Negros Oriental and is currently the DILG Director of his home province of Bohol. As an accredited trainer in local governance with the Local Government Academy, he joins his colleagues in delivering capacity-building interventions for both DILG officers and elected local officials.

Edeliza Velasco Macalandag is an architect, environmental/urban planning specialist, cultural worker, and development research & communications practitioner. She earned her Master's degree in Urban Management and Development from the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam in October 2017. She works with government, non-government, and grassroots organizations in development planning for transformational and sustainable development. She currently chairs the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage Council and is an active member of the Baji Arts Collective, the Bol-anon creative writing group Kaliwat ni Karyapa, and Bohol Pop Contemporary Art Group. She contributed to the memoir anthology The Bohol We Love, edited by Marjorie Evasco, and Disaster: Creative Non-Fiction by Women, edited by Erlinda Kintanar Alburo. She received an NCCA Salikultura Research Grant in 2018, which supported the completion of her research on Bohol Gabaldon Schools the following year. She volunteers for Plastic Free Bohol, Clean Energy Advocates of Bohol, Bohol Eco Alliance, and other local socio-environmental advocacy groups, and accompanies climate-vulnerable communities as they share their lived experiences of the impacts of climate change. 

Dr. Noelyn "Weng" Dano is a Boholana who has dedicated her career life mainly in the environment field, with over two decades of experience in on-ground implementation, management, and consultancy, involving sustainability-themed environment and development projects in Southeast and South Asia, as well as in Australia. Most of her project engagements were supported by multilateral and bilateral agencies, such as, UN FAO, EU, ACIAR-AusAID, SDC (Swiss), USAID, and Global Affairs Canada. She has worked on issues spanning protected areas (both terrestrial and marine), forestry, agroforestry, land & farming systems, energy-development nexus, urbanization, disasters, and climate change. 

Currently connected with the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP), Weng is the faculty lead in the 'Environment and Climate Solutions' pathway of the Master in Public Sector Innovations Program at the University’s Institute of Governance, Innovation and Sustainability. She is also a licensed Environmental Planner; wearing this hat, she led a multidisciplinary team in the master planning of a science and technology park of the University. 

Weng obtained her Master of Environmental Management and Development (with Merit), from the Australian National University (ANU) and her PhD in Environmental Studies specializing in Environmental Governance from the A.N.U.’s School of Politics and International Relations, in Canberra. She was also a recipient of the 2009 Marie Curie European PhD Winter School fellowship in which she studied ‘Earth System Governance’ at the Institute for Environmental Studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands, with a masterclass on ‘Resilience’ by the Stockholm Resilience Centre. She was trained under the 2017 UN Environment Asia-Pacific Leadership Program on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (The UN SDGs) at Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development, in Shanghai, China. Weng also holds degrees in Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy - magna cum laude) from Holy Name University, Juris Doctor from the University of San Carlos, and MSc. Social Development from the Ateneo de Manila University, with her thesis, "The Politics and Economy of the Value of Chocolate Hills".

Dr. Ma. Laurice Jamero serves as Senior Scientist for Resilience at the Manila Observatory’s Klima Center, championing inclusive evidence-informed adaptation. She also manages the International Support Unit of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Academy, promoting climate science training among early-career researchers especially from the Global South. She is also a Lead Author of Working Group II’s contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – Seventh Assessment Report, and an Expert member of the Santiago Network.

Born and raised in Bohol, Lau studied in Holy Name University (elementary education) and Tagbilaran City Science High School before working on her physics degree at Ateneo de Manila University. She earned her MSc and PhD degrees in Sustainability Science at the University of Tokyo.