Ms. Sophiya Navarro is the Program Manager for Security and Innovation at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Philippines.

She is the editor of several KAS publications and has authored articles for KAS, Rappler, the Ateneo de Manila University – School of Government (ASOG), and 9DashLine, covering various topics on security and governance.

Sophiya holds a Bachelor’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations with a specialization in East and Southeast Asian Studies, as well as a Minor in Literature (English) from the Ateneo de Manila University, where she graduated with honors in 2018 under a full scholarship.

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Mr. Phil Alegre is a 2026 Visiting Fellow at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a recipient of the 2025-2026 Fulbright US-ASEAN Visiting Scholars Initiative Award. He was a 2025-2026 Non-Resident Vasey Fellow at the Hawaii-based think tank Pacific Forum. Mr. Alegre is a graduate of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in the United States and the Yeosu Academy on the Law of the Sea by the Korea Maritime Institute. He has also completed the Security Sector Governance and Reform Program of the Folke Bernadotte Academy of Sweden. Mr. Alegre’s research interests lie at the intersection of geopolitics, foreign and defense policy, great power competition, and maritime security — particularly the Philippines’ role in upholding sovereignty, defending its maritime entitlements, and navigating strategic alliances.

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Marie Antoinette P. de Jesus is a researcher, writer, and program manager specializing in governance, economics, and foreign affairs. As Senior Governance and Economics Specialist at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Philippines, she develops programs and writes on governance, economics, and international relations, among other topics. Her work delves into policy research and public discourse, with essays and analyses published in Rappler, 9DashLine, and the KAS Solutions Review series. Her experience spans the World Bank Office in Manila, the Asian Development Bank Knowledge Hub at the Asian Institute of Management, and the International Rice Research Institute.

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Assoc. Prof. Jacqueline Espenilla is a Senior Fellow at the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs. She is also the Chaiperson of the Environmental Law Department of the Philippine Judicial Academy.

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Since he founded The Stratbase Group in 2004, Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit has provided top-level strategic analysis and thought leadership on global issues in the Philippines.

He is the President of Stratbase Institute, an independent, international think tank based in the Philippines. In the age of geopolitical uncertainties and technological advancements, Stratbase ADR Institute gives equal importance to the interdependent nature of states, sectors, and stakeholders for its strategic analyses and policy initiatives in a multi-polar world.

As a public policy analyst and geo-strategist, he thinks beyond politics for his political risk assessment that is also data-driven. With his extensive experience in legislation and policy making including serving as Undersecretary of the Department of Education, Deputy Secretary of the Philippine Senate and being Chief of Staff of a Senate President, he continues to help Stratbase’s clients and partners understand the interplay between business and government and the impact of legislative, regulatory, and geo-politics on their strategic initiatives.

Professor Manhit obtained his Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Bachelor’s Degree in Philippine Studies (Major in Political Science and History) from the University of the Philippines. A member of Phi Gamma Mu International Honors Society Beta Chapter.

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Renato Cruz De Castro is a distinguished professor at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University, Manila, and holds the Dr. Aurelio Calderon Chair in Philippines-American Relations. He is an adjunct faculty at the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), where he handles the module International Security Studies. (ISS). He was a visiting fellow at the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) of the Japanese Ministry of Defense in the summer of 2018. He was a visiting researcher at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) from June to August 2017. From September to December 2016, he was based in the East-West Center in Washington D.C. as the U.S.-ASEAN Fulbright Initiative Researcher from the Philippines. He is an alumnus of the Daniel Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DIAPCSS) in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. In 2009, he became the U.S. State Department ASEAN Research Fellow from the Philippines and was based in the Political Science Department of Arizona State University.

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RADM. Jay Tristan Tarriela is currently serving as the Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Human Resource Management (CG-1) and is also the Adviser to the Commandant on Maritime Security Affairs, as well as the Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea. He successfully completed his Ph.D. at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) under the GRIPS Global Governance (G-cube) Program in Tokyo as a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) ASEAN Public Policy Leadership scholar. He has participated in various military and coast guard training programs both in his home country and internationally. Dr. Tarriela holds a graduate degree from the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy Graduate School and a Master of Policy Studies from GRIPS and the Japan Coast Guard Academy. He was among the first batch of participants in the Maritime Safety and Security Program jointly launched by both institutions in 2016.

Furthermore, Dr. Tarriela was selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the 2021 Pacific Forum US-Philippines’ Next Generation Leaders’ Initiative. Additionally, he has been chosen as a fellow for the 2021 East-West Center US-Philippines Alliance Fellowship in Washington, DC, USA. Dr. Tarriela has authored opinion-editorial articles for renowned publications such as The Diplomat, The National Interest, and Analyzing War. He also serves as a visiting lecturer at the National Defense College of the Philippines, the Philippine Public Safety College, Ateneo De Manila University School of Government, and the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy Graduate School.

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Jay L Batongbacal is a lawyer with degrees in Political Science and Law from the University of the Philippines, as well as Master of Marine Management and Doctor in the Science of Law, both from Dalhousie University (Canada). At present, he is a full Professor and chairs the Graduate Studies Program at the University of the Philippines College of Law, while also serving as Director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea of the U.P. Law Center and Chair of the LLM Program Committee. He has worked extensively on maritime affairs since 1997, carrying out research, consultancy work, and teaching, with numerous national and international publications to his credit. Dr. Batongbacal was legal advisor to the Philippines before the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf and the International Maritime Organization. He has been included among the UNESCO/IOC List of Experts for UNCLOS Annex VIII Special Arbitration on Marine Scientific Research. In 2022, Dr. Batongbacal completed a Taiwan Fellowship Program at the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan and a Fulbright Advanced Research and Lecturing Fellowship at the US Naval War College in Rhode Island, USA. His current research interests include the Law of the Sea, Aerospace Law, and the Law of Naval Warfare.

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Justice Antonio T. Carpio was sworn in as member of the Supreme Court of the Philippines on October 26, 2001. He served in the Supreme Court for 18 years, retiring on October 25, 2019 upon reaching the compulsory retirement age of 70. Justice Carpio retired with a zero backlog of cases. Justice Carpio obtained his law degree from the College of Law of the University of the Philippines where he graduated valedictorian and cum laude in 1975. He was conferred a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by the Ateneo de Davao University in 2009, by the University of the Philippines in 2020, and by the Ateneo de Manila University in 2021. On October 29, 2011, as Guest Speaker at the 50th Founding Anniversary of the Ateneo de Davao College of Law, Justice Carpio launched his advocacy to challenge the validity of China’s nine-dashed line before a tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Ever since, he has been giving lectures all over the country on the invalidity of China’s nine-dashed line. In 2015, the Department of Foreign Affairs sponsored Justice Carpio on a world lecture tour on the West Philippine Sea dispute. Justice Carpio presented the Philippines’ perspective on the dispute before think-tanks and universities in 30 cities covering 17 countries. In May 2017, Justice Carpio published the book titled The South China Sea Dispute: Philippine Sovereign Rights and Jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.

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