Nereus Acosta - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Juan Romeo Nereus Olaivar Acosta, popularly known as Neric Acosta, is a politician, academician, and political scientist in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. He is a former member of the Philippine House of Representatives, representing the first district of the province of Bukidnon

Bukidnon

Bukidnon is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Malaybalay City. The province borders, clockwise starting from the north, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, and Lanao del Norte.Bukidnon is...

from 1998 to 2007.

Early life

Acosta was born on May 14, 1966 in Phillips, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon

Bukidnon

.

Acosta studied at Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School in Phillips, Bukidnon, graduating valedictorian

Valedictorian

Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...

in 1979. He studied in Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan during high school, graduating first honors in 1981.

Acosta earned a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

in Political Science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

from the University of the Philippines

University of the Philippines

The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...

in 1986, and attended the UP College of Law

University of the Philippines College of Law

University of the Philippines College of Law or UP Law is the law school of the University of the Philippines. Since 1948, it has been located at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, the flagship campus of UP's seven constituent universities. Until the 1970s, night classes of...

but did not graduate.

Acosta obtained a Master of Arts

Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

in Public Affairs With Distinction (International Relations and Political Studies concentration) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA. The university is northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the largest university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is the commonwealth's fifth largest university...

in 1987. He was conferred a Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

in Political Science

Political science

from the University of Hawaii

University of Hawaii

The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...

, as a scholar of the East West Center, in 1994. He similarly attended the special programs on Leaders in Development Program (1999) and Environmental Economics (2002) at the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

.

In 2004, Acosta was recognized as the first Filipino World Fellow

Yale World Fellows Program

The Yale World Fellows Program is a program run by Yale University that seeks to build a network of emerging global leaders and broaden international understanding at Yale...

of Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

Academic life, research, consultancy, and advocacy

Acosta started as a staff researcher in the Committee on International Economic Policy of Representative Ramon Bagatsing

Ramon Bagatsing

Dr. Ramon D. Bagatsing was the Mayor of Manila during Martial Law from 1971 to 1986. He was the first Indian Filipino to serve in this position.-Early Life and Military Career:...

in 1989. He was project director of the Bukidnon Integrated Network of Home Industries, Inc. (BINHI), a non-governmental organization involved in Grameen banking, in 1995.

A staunch believer in education as a great equalizer, Acosta co-founded the Northern Bukidnon Community College, which caters primarily to Lumad (indigenous) students and scholars. He is also a member of the Board of the Cagayan de Oro College.

Acosta taught as professor and academic consultant in Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, University of the Philippines Diliman and the Bukidnon State College from 1992 to 1998. He was also a professorial lecturer at the School of Government of Ateneo de Manila University

Ateneo de Manila University

The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...

and at the Department of Political Science of De La Salle University

De La Salle University

De La Salle University is a private Lasallian university in Malate, Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1911 by De La Salle Brothers as the De La Salle College in Paco, Manila with Blimond Pierre serving as its first director...

, teaching graduate students on public policy and the Philippine development experience. Currently, Acosta is a core professor of the Executive Education and Lifelong Learning Center (EXCELL) of the Asian Institute of Management

Asian Institute of Management

The Asian Institute of Management, or simply AIM, is a graduate school of business and a center of business and management research. It is one of the few business schools in Asia to be internationally accredited with the AACSB. It was established in partnership with Harvard Business School and uses...

. Well respected by his students, his teaching style is facilitative, insightful, and thought-provoking.

Meanwhile, he continues to live his environmental advocacy through his memberships in the Boards of the Earth Council of the Philippines, and the Population, Health and the Environment (PATH) Foundation. He is also an active member of the Partnership for clean Air, Philippines, and the Founding Director of E-LEAD (Center for Ecological Governance, Leadership and Development). Acosta recently served as Lead Convenor of The Philippine Climate Change Imperative, an initiative that aims to engage the private sector in drawing up a proposal that will address the issues of climate change.

Political life

Acosta first ran and won as a provincial board member of Bukidnon

Bukidnon

from 1995 to 1998. He ran and won a seat as Representative of the First District of Bukidnon

Bukidnon

province in Northern Mindanao for three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2007. He served as Chairman of the Committee on Ecology and Vice Chairman of the Committees on Science and Technology, Human Rights, and Foreign Relations of the House of Representatives.

He is the principal author of many environmental laws in the Philippines, including the groundbreaking Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Management Act, and the Biodiversity Protection Act. The Clean Air Act of 1999 received various awards and citations, including the Oscar Escobar Environmental Award and the Citizens' Movement Against Pollution Award, both in 2002.

He has represented the Philippines in numerous international forums, including the United Nations Special Assembly on HIV/AIDS and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development

Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development

The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development is a coordinating body of National Committees of Parliamentarians on Population and Development and Parliamentary Committees dealing with population and development issues working to generate support and perpetuate cooperation among...

, where he served as the Deputy Secretary General.

From 1998 to 2001, he served as the national chairperson of the Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas, the youth arm of the Liberal Party (Philippines)

Liberal Party (Philippines)

The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the...

, where he is now Secretary General. He is also at present the Secretary General of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats

Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats

The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats is a regional organization of liberal and democratic political parties in Asia. The Council was created on October 15, 1993, in a meeting in Taipei...

.

In 2009 he was selected to run under Noynoy Aquino for the senate in the 2010 elections along with Sonia Roco, General Danny Lim, Martin Bautista, Alex Lacson, fellow Bukidnon Congressman TG Guingona, Muslim peace advocate Yasmin Lao, former senator Serge Osmena, Muntilupa Congressman Ruffy Biazon, former senator Ralph Recto, Akbayan congresswoman Risa Hontiveros and former senator Frank Drilon. He eventually lost.

In May 2011 -- in which the one-year ban on losing political candidates ended, there have been reports that he will be appointed to head the DENR.

Authorship

Acosta has authored various articles on politics, leadership and governance, development, education, and the environment, and has published widely in various magazines and national dailies. He co-authored a book entitled "The Philippine Political Culture (View from Inside the Halls of Power)" in 2001. He has also published "Population, Poverty, and Politics" (2001), and "Alternative Political Campaign Strategies" for the Friedrich Nauman Stiftung-Philippines in 2005. Meanwhile, his essay on "Internationalization and the Search for Global Identities" won the plum prize during a competition for the magazine Intersect-Japan and the PHP Institute of America in Japan in 1995.

His articles on political and public life regularly appear in the Perspectives section of the website www.thelobbyist.biz.

Awards

In recognition of his contributions to policy-making, education, and advocacy work, Acosta was included in NewsBizAsia's 100 Most Influential Filipinos (2002), and was cited by Asiaweek as representing the "youthful, hopeful change for the country." Adding to his numerous accomplishments, he was also selected as one of The Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) - Asia Pacific by the Osaka, Japan Junior Chamber (1995).

Private life

Acosta is married to Carina Chotirawe, a full-time professor at Chulalongkorn University

Chulalongkorn University

Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and is the country's highest ranked university. It now has nineteen faculties and institutes. Regarded as the best and most selective university in Thailand, it consistently attracts top students from around the country...

in Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

. They have a son, Inigo Juan, born on February 11, 1996. Acosta is also featured in the recently released book Profiles encourage: Ordinary Filipinos making an extraordinary difference (Anvil Publishing) along with others who have made significant contributions in Philippine society.

External links

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