Dr J Prospero De Vera III
Chair of Commission on HE, Philippines
Dr J Prospero “Popoy” E de Vera III is the Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). He is also the Adviser of the Philippine Negotiating Panel with the National Democratic Front/Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army (NDF/CPP/NPA), and Commissioner of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Prior to his appointment as Minister of Higher Education, Dr De Vera was a Professor of Public Administration at the University of the Philippines and served as its Vice President for Public Affairs from 2011-2016. His areas of policy expertise cover higher education, agriculture, indigenous communities, environment and climate change, good governance, and local governments. Dr de Vera was a Fulbright-Hays Visiting Scholar at the University of Southern California and the California State University-Sacramento and a Senior Fulbright Visiting Professor/Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University. He served at the Committee on Revenue and Taxation of the California State Legislature and was the first Filipino recipient of a California State Assembly Resolution [Res. No. 7 given by Speaker Willie Brown] commending his work at the California Legislature in 1992. Dr de Vera finished his BA History and Doctor of Public Administration degrees from the University of the Philippines and an MA Social Science degree from De La Salle University.