Dr. Arsenio M. Balisacan is Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and Director- General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Prior to his appointment in NEDA, he was Dean and Professor of the University of the
Philippines (UP) School of Economics and Executive Director of the Philippine Center for Economic Development. He has taught Development Economics, Agricultural and Resource Economics, and Economics of Poverty and Inequality.

An Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology and Adjunct Professor of the Australian National University, Secretary Balisacan is now on secondment from UP. He also served as Director-Chief Executive of the Southeast
Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), an intergovernmental organization, for six years (2003-2009) wherein he led SEARCA gain stature in the academic world and become a regional center of
excellence for agriculture and rural development in Southeast Asia.

In 2000-2001 and 2003, he was Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and Research of the Department of Agriculture (DA). As Undersecretary of DA, he was the country’s chief negotiator in the Agriculture Negotiations of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) and in various bilateral agriculture negotiations. Before joining the UP faculty in 1987, he was a Research Fellow at the East West Center in Honolulu and Economist at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

A recognized expert in Asia on poverty, food security, agricultural and rural development, human development, impact assessment, and governance issues, he served as adviser to public chief executives and legislators, non-government
organizations, and multilateral development institutions such as the World bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), various United Nations (UN) agencies and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

He has led leadership positions in professional associations. He served as President of the Philippine Economic Society in 2006, President of the Human Development Network in 2003-2009, Founding Secretary-General of the Asia-
Pacific Agricultural Policy Forum in 2003-2006, and Executive Secretary of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources in 2003-2009. Currently, he is President of the Asian Society of
Agricultural Economics.

Dr. Balisacan holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Hawaii, an MS degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of the Philippines Los Baños and a BS degree in Agriculture (magna cum laude) from Mariano Marcos State University.