Isabel Sofia Santiago is the Operations Officer for the Disaster Risk Reduction Enhancement at the Local Level (DRREALL) Program at Expertise France. She is also currently working on an independent research with her colleagues on the role of metalworking using the technique repoussé (pukpuk) in the Philippines.

She was previously with Asia Society Philippines as a Project Assistant for a project that focused on assessing Chinese investments in the Philippines. She is also affiliated with the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies as a Grant Writing Team Member.

Her research focus is on Philippine culture, Philippine fashion and textiles, geoeconomics, regional security and maritime issues.

Isabel graduated with a degree in Diplomacy and International Relations with a specialization in East and Southeast Asian Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. She also completed J.F. Oberlin University’s Reconnaissance Japan program in Tokyo, Japan.

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Mr Erick Nielson C Javier is a Defense Research Officer of the National Defense College of the Philippines, specializing in defense industrial development, small state deterrence and the future of warfare. Previously, he served as a Defense Analyst in the Office of Strategic Studies and Strategy Management, Armed Forces of the Philippines from 2015-2021.

Mr Javier completed his Master of Arts in Political Science, Major in Global Politics at the Ateneo de Manila University in 2017. He also completed the 30th Executive Course on National Security from NDCP on December 2024. He was a member of the Young Leaders Program of Pacific Forum International, and is part of the Young Strategists’ Forum 2023 cohort of the United States German Marshall Fund.

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Dr. Jeremy Gatdula is a lawyer specializing in international law, constitutional law, and the philosophy of law. He is the Dean of UA&P Law School, as well as Legal Counsel of the University of Asia and the Pacific. He is an opinions columnist for BusinessWorld and Of Counsel at Belgica Aranas Baldueza Dela Cruz and Associates.

On scholarship from the Cambridge Overseas Trust, Jemy read international law at the University of Cambridge. Upon the invitation of the US State Department, he attended the Study of US Institutes (SUSI) program, focusing on constitutional law and political thought. He received his Doctor of Juridical Science degree from San Beda College, where his dissertation work focused on the natural law, the Philippine Constitution, and the limits of judicial power.

He lectures on international law, international trade law, philosophy of law, and constitutional law for various governmental and academic institutions, including the Philippine Judicial Academy, the National Defense College, Congress, and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. He has authored, co-authored, or edited books and articles on public international law, international economic law, and natural law.

He continues to work on various issues relating to international law, international trade, national security and the law on armed conflict, and the Constitution.

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Ervine Jules Beltran Sape is the Founding Executive Director of the Philippine International Law of the Sea Academy Inc. (PHILSEA). He leads a team of young Filipino ocean professionals in developing law of the sea capacity-building training programmes for Philippine law schools, universities, and colleges to address gaps in interpreting, applying, and enforcing the modern rule of international law of the sea. He trains Filipino law deans, law professors, law lecturers, law students, court attorneys, solicitors, and law enforcement officers to correctly interpret, properly domesticate, and effectively enforce the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), with areas of interest in islands, rocks, maritime boundary delimitation, and Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

Granted full scholarships from National University of Singapore Centre for International Law (NUS CIL), Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), and Chinese National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS), he holds a Diploma in International Law of the Sea awarded by the Korea Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) and is an alumnus of the Singapore Academy of International Law (SAIL) and International Ocean Institute (IOI) China. In 2023 he was competitively selected by the United States Embassy in the Philippines as an Academic Fellow on Sustainability and Environment under the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Programme hosted by the East-West Center (EWC) in the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (UH Mānoa). Since 2021, he has been a Member of the Teaching and Researching International Law in Asia (TRILA) Programme managed by the NUS CIL.

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Brin Isaac is the Executive Secretary of the Philippine International Law of the Sea Academy (PHILSEA). She leads a team in performing secretariat functions and liaising with natural and juridical persons in relevant organizational matters across domestic and international platforms to foster partnerships, enhance visibility, and further engage in industry discussions. She implements and maintains a robust compliance framework to ensure that the organization adheres to its standards and regulations.

Aside from her PHILSEA role, she is a dedicated scholar, currently pursuing a Master of Arts (MA) in Philippine Studies at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, specializing in Foreign Relations. Her academic pursuit is complemented by practice experience, including her role as a Project Associate for the Gas Policy Development Project and previous work at the Embassy of India Manila.

Brin’s passion for maritime affairs is evident in her contributions to PHILSEA and her recognition as “Best Delegate” at the 2022 ASEAN-China Young Leaders Summit. She proactively engages in global policy discussions as a Young Leader of the Pacific Forum’s Young Leaders Program. She was also competitively selected by the United States Embassy in the Philippines as a Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellow on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Empowerment at the University of Connecticut (UConn) for Fall 2025.

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Mikaela Ordas is a student of International Development at De La Salle University – Dasmariñas. She is currently gaining practical experience as a Programs Intern at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Philippines from September to December 2025.

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Edcel Ibarra is an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, and the managing editor of the Philippine Political Science Journal. He is also Young Leader and US-Philippines Alliance Next Generation Leader at the Pacific Forum. In 2025, he was an exchange scholar at the Study of the US Institutes for Scholars on US Foreign Policy at the University of Delaware sponsored by the US Department of State. Edcel was previously the officer-in-charge of the Strategic, Territorial, and Maritime Issues Section of the Foreign Service Institute, the in-house think tank of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. In 2024, he was awarded the Aileen San Pablo Baviera Prize by the Graduate Research and Development Network on Asian Security at the Australian National University. Edcel obtained his master’s in international studies and bachelor’s in political science, magna cum laude, from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

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Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo Cojuangco Teodoro Jr. is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and business executive who has served as the 23rd Secretary of National Defense under President Bongbong Marcos since 2023. He served in the same post from 2007 to 2009 under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

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Atty. Teodoro Jose S. Matta, MNSA is the Executive Director of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff. A member of the Philippine Bar, he holds a Philosophy degree from the University of the Philippines, a Juris Doctor from San Sebastian College of Law, and a Master in National Security Administration degree from the National Defense College of the Philippines. Formerly the Provincial Legal Officer of Palawan, he brings extensive expertise in law, security, and policy-making to the implementation of the province’s Strategic Environmental Plan. Beyond his professional work, he is a passionate photographer of Palawan’s flora and fauna.

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Linar Orbista is the Program and Research Manager for Defense and Security of the Stratbase Institute, where she specializes in monitoring and engaging in high-level discussions on geopolitical and geo-economic developments in the Philippines and the broader Indo-Pacific. Her work focuses on delivering strategic insights and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration to address critical issues shaping the nation’s policy landscape. Linar earned her bachelor’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations with a Specialization in East and Southeast Asian Studies from the Ateneo de Manila University, where she graduated summa cum laude. Her academic research centered on China’s domestic and foreign policies, which continues to guide her analysis of regional security and international affairs.

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