Dr. Leonila T. Baluyut is currently the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Competitiveness and Innovation Group (CIG) of the Republic of the Philippines. Asec Baluyut has a strong background in service operations management and in business development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). She has made significant contributions to the growth and development of MSMEs across the country.

A distinguished Career Executive Service Officer (CESO), Dr. Baluyut has risen through the ranks of public service. Prior to her current role, she served as Provincial Director and eventually, the Regional Director of DTI Region 3 (Central Luzon).

Assistant Secretary Baluyut holds a Doctor of Business Administration degree (Magna Cum Laude). She finished her Master in Business Management at the University of the Philippines. Asec. Baluyut has been a consistent academic scholar from high school through her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree at the Angeles University Foundation. She has gained her certification on Innovation from the National University of Singapore, and completed her Executive Leadership Programs (ELP) at the Asian Institute of Digital Transformation, the Civil Service College of Singapore, and the Nanyang Technological University. Such ELPs have equipped her with the global perspective and leadership skills necessary for driving development and innovation in the Philippines.

As an Assistant Secretary, she supports the DTI Secretary in identifying and executing strategies to boost trade and industry, to ensure that innovation drives sustainable economic growth.

Bureau of Market Development, Promotions, and OTOP (BMDPO)
Mandated to promote the efficient marketing of local products and services through the conduct of marketing events, such as trade fairs, in-store displays, exhibits, and local trade missions; expand and strengthen linkages among MSMEs through information exchange and business matching activities; and create awareness of domestic marketing opportunities for new projects, technologies, and investments. The Bureau also maintains a domestic market database of local raw materials suppliers, local semi-processed products suppliers, local finished products suppliers, and buyers (institutional and big buyers)

Director Marievic M. Bonoan heads the Bureau of Market Development, Promotions, and OTOP (BMDPO), formerly the Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion. A Career Executive Service Officer, she has extensive experience in strategy formulation, project management, and national trade fair promotions. She has worked on programs and projects in various DTI functional groups (Consumer Welfare, Trade Promotions, Regional Operations, MSME Development, and Competitiveness and innovation), championing initiatives that support the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as the consumers.
She was instrumental in transitioning trade fairs to digital platforms during the pandemic, launching the Virtual National Trade Fair, Hybrid National Food Fair, and Online Bagsakan to ensure continuous market access for MSMEs. At the same time, she played a pivotal role in accelerating the digitalization of MSMEs by onboarding over a thousand MSMEs in various e-commerce platforms in 2022.

Her role in trade promotion and MSME development continues to drive sustainable economic growth and expand market opportunities for Filipino MSMEs. To date, the products of 725 MSMEs have been mainstreamed in various malls, supermarkets, department stores, hotels, duty free shops, e-commerce platforms, airports, theme park, in-flight e-magazine, and tourist spots as a result of the trade shows that the BMDPO conducts and through partnerships with retailers who provide free retail space to MSMEs since 2016.

Director Bonoan holds a Master in Business Administration from the Ateneo de Manila University Graduate School of Business and a degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines Diliman. She serves as the alternate representative of the DTI Secretary to the Board of Directors of the Tourism Promotions Board and Duty-Free Philippines Corporation.

Jerico D. Namoro is the Assistant Director of the Bureau of Market Development, Promotions, and OTOP. An urban planner by profession, he has over nine years of experience in land use planning, housing and community development, disaster risk reduction planning, and economic development planning.

At 26, AD Jec became the youngest Director for Policy, Plans, and Programs at the Subic- Clark Alliance for Development Council. This office, under the Office of the President of the Philippines, is tasked with optimizing resources and coordinating strategies to develop the Subic-Clark Corridor into a premier logistics hub and a key global gateway to the Asia-Pacific region.

During his tenure, he spearheaded the establishment of an interlocal cooperation framework among 17 local government units (LGUs) in Central Luzon. This framework aimed to harness the economic spillover from the Subic and Clark Freeport Zones. This initiative sought to extend economic opportunities to adjacent LGUs, fostering a more inclusive regional growth strategy and maximizing the corridor’s potential as a driver of economic expansion.

Before becoming Director, AD Jec served as technical staff at the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), where he played a key role in major national programs. He was involved in the Resettlement Governance Program, which facilitated the relocation of informal settler families (ISFs) from high-risk waterways in the National Capital Region to safer, more sustainable communities while also capacitating LGUs to develop a holistic resettlement program.

As part of the Transition to Federalism Program, he played a key role in establishing the Center for Federalism and Constitutional Reform – Program Management Office (CFCR-PMO) within the DILG. He also worked with the Consultative Committee to Review the 1987 Constitution and other key figures, providing technical support in policy development, stakeholder coordination, and program implementation to advance the country’s shift toward a federal system.

Before joining the government, AD Jec was a media practitioner who covered various socio- political issues through documentaries, shedding light on key societal challenges and fostering public awareness through in-depth storytelling and investigative reporting. His work in media provided him with a strong foundation in policy advocacy and strategic messaging, which later proved invaluable in his government service.

AD Jec holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Planning and a Graduate Diploma in Land Use Planning. He has also completed the academic requirements for his Master of Public Administration and is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Policy and Management.