Speakers

Danielle R. del Rosario is a senior executive and education advocate whose work spans corporate leadership, institutional governance, and social development. She is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Union Insulated Panel Corporation and PHINMA Solar Energy Corporation, where she leads initiatives focused on sustainability, infrastructure development, and long-term value creation. She also serves as Program Director of PHINMA Foundation, overseeing large-scale scholarship and education programs that emphasize access, accountability, and measurable student outcomes. Her work at the intersection of education and industry highlights how educational reform can be strengthened through mentorship, governance, and outcome-driven frameworks. Ms. del Rosario has held strategic leadership roles across the energy, construction materials, and hospitality sectors, bringing a systems-oriented approach to reform and accountability. She serves on the boards of several corporate and educational institutions and is a Trustee of De La Salle University. Central to her leadership philosophy is a people-centered understanding of power, one that prioritizes ethical governance, inclusive growth, and sustainable impact. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Accountancy from the University of the Philippines Diliman and an MBA from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

Marites M. Tiongco, PhD, is a Full Professor at De La Salle University's Carlos L. Tiu School of Economics and concurrently serves as Director of the Angelo King Institute for Economics and Business Studies (AKI) and the Center for Business Research and Development (CBRD). A former SOE dean, she leads research programs that link evidence to policy across food systems, health financing, climate resilience, and inclusive labor markets. Her policy leadership includes serving as President of the Philippine Economic Society (2025) and Treasurer of the Philippine Academic Society for Climate and Disaster Resilience, while also editing the Scopus-indexed DLSU Business & Economics Review. She previously worked at IFPRI in Washington, DC, and earned her BS and MS in Agricultural Economics and PhD from the University of the Philippines, Los Baños. With more than 40 publications and two National Academy of Science and Technology Outstanding Scientific Paper Awards (2018, 2025), Dr. Tiongco's work blends rigorous econometrics with value-chain and impact-evaluation methods to inform government reforms, industry practice, and community programs across the Philippines and ASEAN.

Neil Del Gallego received his MS and PhD degrees at De La Salle University. He is the first recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award at DLSU – College of Computer Studies. He also received a 2024 Special Citation from the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) for the Talent Search for Young Scientists. He also earned the Gold Medal for Outstanding Thesis during his MS. He is currently an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Software Technology, College of Computer Studies, at De La Salle University. He is also the lab head of the Graphics, Animation, Multimedia, and Entertainment (GAME) lab at DLSU CCS. Before working at DLSU, Neil spent five years in the Philippine gaming industry at Anino Games Inc. and Playlab Inc. He recently pioneered the game engine construction course and published a peer-reviewed article in the Elsevier Entertainment Computing journal. In connection to this, he is currently the project leader of two DOST-PCIEERD-funded projects: The first project aims to develop a framework for supporting Filipino game studios in embracing in-house game engine development. The second project aims to combine game development techniques with computer vision to create virtual worlds. Aside from his professional experience in game development, his research interests include image processing, computer vision, and augmented reality. He also recently published research articles about super-resolution, image correction, image dehazing, and shadow removal in high-impact SCOPUS journals.

Christine Joy A. Ballada is the current Dean of the Br. Andrew Gonzalez, FSC College of Education. She is a seasoned academic leader and Lasallian educator with over two decades of experience in higher education. She served as Dean of Student Affairs at De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila, where she led the transformation of student services during the pandemic and spearheaded the creation of the Student Success Center. She is a graduate of the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies, a three-year intensive Lasallian education and formation program that studies the life, work, and spirituality of St. John Baptist De La Salle. She also leads the team that organizes and facilitates the PARC Lasallian Studies, a Lasallian formation program for Brothers and lay partners of the Asia-Pacific region. She is an Associate Professor of the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, major in Quantitative Methods, and an MS in Educational Measurement and Evaluation from DLSU. She is the President of the Philippine Educational Measurement and Evaluation Association (PEMEA), a professional organization of educators, researchers, and assessment practitioners, which promotes the practice of quality assessment and evaluation in education.

Julius C. Martinez is an associate professor at Niigata University of International and Information Studies. He edited The Routledge Handbook of English Language Education in the Philippines (Routledge, 2025) and authored Philippine Englishes-in-Motion: The Case of Filipino Migrants in Japan (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming). His research has focused on communities of teachers and students in low-resource schools, as well as Filipino migrant communities in Japan.

Stella Marie M. Urbiztondo is an Assistant Professor at the University of Asia and the Pacific. She also served as a member of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Technical Committee in Physical Education, Sports, and Wellness Management. Her research focuses on self-efficacy among students, curricular development in PE and wellness programs, and how individuals cope with occupational stress within social environments.

Jay-R L. Beterbo is a physical education educator and sports coach, currently serving as the Head of the Physical Education and Health Unit at De La Salle Santiago Zobel School. He is the Head Coach of the Zobel IBK floorball teams, a SEA Games National Team coaching staff member, and the founder of 1PhysEd. He is also a collaborator in the National Academy of Sports Vision, contributing to program and sports development initiatives. A graduate of Philippine Normal University, his academic work focuses on machine learning in physical education, sports, and recreation, particularly on opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations. His scholarly works include "Machine Learning in Physical Education, Sports, and Recreation: Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethical Considerations" and "Today's Challenges: The Opportunity for Enhancing Sports Activities Resurgence and Tenacity."