MS. CHERYL MARIE NATIVIDAD-CABALLERO, popularly/fondly known as “Usec Ching”, completed her undergraduate degree, Bachelor of Arts in Philippine Studies, major in Sociology and Psychology from the University of the Philippines Diliman. She earned her Master’s degree in Technology Management from the Technology Management Center, UP, Diliman and also, units leading to the degree in Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of the Philippines also.

Prior to her employment at the Department of Agriculture, she had collaborative projects with several DA offices in the areas of agribusiness, sustainable agriculture, information and communications technology, value chain, business modelling, farm tourism, among others. As such, she was not a neophyte in the Department.

Her first position at the Department was Head Executive Assistant and was designated as Undersecretary and Chief of Staff or COS. She became a full-fledged Undersecretary on March 3, 2020 through the appointment of His Excellency, President Rodrigo R. Duterte and holds the office of the Undersecretary for Agri-Industrialization and Fisheries.

She is an advocate of “Agribussinizing Agriculture” having assisted cooperatives, wounded soldiers and indigenous peoples, specifically the Aeta communities with the aim of attaining high productivity and increase income. This is perhaps the basis of her new and challenging designation, Undersecretary for Agri-Industrialization and for Fisheries.

USec Ching is a well-rounded person and this makes her an asset to the organization.

With her work experience, passion, leadership and wide perspective in agriculture, she was hand- picked by the Servant Leader, Secretary William D. Dar to be a member of his management team towards the attainment of the Department’s goal to double the farmers’ income and contribute to the legacy of His Excellency The President.

Joanna Capones is currently the Vice President for Investment Promotions and Marketing of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), a Philippine government-owned corporation mandated to convert and develop former military base lands into economic and investment hubs. A lawyer by training, she previously worked as the Chief Policy Officer of then Philippine Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and as an Associate at SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan. She received her Master of Laws degree from the Columbia University in the City of New York, where she also served as a researcher for the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment.

Licensed agriculturist and deputized plant quarantine officer with advanced training on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, risk management and experienced in both local and international phytosanitary standards formulation and enforcement. Established professional network of academics, bureaucrats, private sector and public sector managers and government leaders.

Experience in agriculture and background in management developed an innovative perspective toward sustainable agriculture development. Managed and participated in numerous local/international cooperation and capacity-building activities for plant health under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture, United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Research interests on Good Governance (e.g. Bureaucratic quality, Anti-corruption, Regulatory quality), E-government, Globalization, Regional Development, Performance Management, Local governance, and Collaborative Networks.

Dr. Mary Ann P. Sayoc is the Public Affairs Lead of East West Seed International. She has 19 years of professional experience in the seed industry. She was former General Manager of East-West Seed Philippines, a Dutch company engaged in research, development, production and distribution of vegetable seeds. East-West Seed is market leader for tropical vegetable seeds in Asia and developing markets in Africa and Latin-America.

Dr. Sayoc is active in the local and international agri-food scene. She is currently the President of the Philippine Seed Industry Association. She is the Chair of the Committee on Fruits and Vegetables of the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Food. She is the Co-Chair of the Agriculture Committee of ECCP.