Short Bio
I am a medical doctor by training, presently working as Professor in the School of Medicine of Xavier University, where I teach Epidemiology and Research Methods. Concurrently, I am also the Director of the Center for Global Health. I work with the Northern Mindanao Medical Center, the regional hospital of Region 10, as the Chairman of its Research Ethics Board. I have been involved in water and sanitation research and advocacy since 2008. As a public health expert, I am currently involved in research projects on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH), child nutrition, disaster management, public health policy, biosafety and biosecurity. Since the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020, I have been helping the local government of Cagayan de Oro City with analysis of epidemiologic data and the vaccine roll-out program.
Motivation/Commitment to the GSC
I am motivated to represent my region, East Asia and the Pacific, hopefully, as a member of the Global Steering Committee. This commitment stems from the fact that despite progress and the achievement of some goals of the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals related to water and sanitation, water- and sanitation related diseases remain as significant causes of morbidity and mortality in Low- and Middle-Income countries, including the Philippines. I would like to be able to help my region address this problem.
