University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumnus Arsenio M. Balisacan has been appointed by President Noynoy Aquino of the Philippines as his administration’s socioeconomic planning secretary and director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority. Balisacan earned his PhD in economics from UH Mānoa in 1985.
At the time of appointment, he was serving as dean of the University of the Philippines School of Economics in Quezon City. He was previously honored as Academician of the Philippines’ National Academy of Science and Technology.
Balisacan is acknowledged as both a leading expert on poverty in Asia and developing economies in Southeast Asia. He has authored or co-edited 7 books and published about 100 academic papers and book chapters.
As director-chief executive of the Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, he spearheaded a memorandum of understanding with UH Mānoa, which lead to a book on sustainability science.
“Dr. Balisacan is a true leader and scholar, both in moving the research frontier forward and putting his expertise on rural poverty into practice for the betterment of the people of the Philippines,” said Denise Konan, UH Mānoa College of Social Sciences dean and professor of economics.
—Adapted from a UH Mānoa news release.
