PROFILE: Juan Romeo Nereus “NERIC” Olaivar ACOSTA Jr.

Date of Birth: May 14, 1966
Place of Birth: Phillips, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon
Provincial Address: Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon
Metro Manila Address:  Batasan Hills, Quezon City
 
Civil Status: Married to Carina Chotirawe, a professor at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
Child:  Inigo Juan

Liberal Party (LP)

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Educational Attainment

• Acosta took his basic education at the Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School in Phillips, Bukidnon in 1979. He graduated valedictorian of his class.

• He took his secondary education at the Xavier University High School in Cagayan de Oro in 1981 and graduated first honor.

• Acosta took BS Political Science at the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1986. He also took Bachelor of Laws in the same university but remained an undergraduate.

• Acosta took up Masters in International Relations and Political Studies at the Indiana University in Pennsylvania in 1987. In 1994, He earned his doctorate in Political Science from the University of Hawaii.

• He attended Special Programs on Leaders in Development Program (1999) and Environmental Economics (2002) at the Kennedy School of Government at the Harvard University.  

Career Timeline

1989: Acosta started out as a staff researcher of the Committee on International Economic Policy Office of Manila 3rd district representative Ramon Bagatsing.
 
1992-present: He is currently a Professor and academic consultant at the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and Xavier University.
 
1995: He became project director of the Bukidnon Integrated Network of Home Industries (BINHI) and implemented a project on Grameen Banking or Microcredit and livelihood assistance programs for poor women in the Bukidnon countryside.

He called the project the Barangay Unified Livelihood Investments through Grameen Banking or BULIG, a word which means help in the local dialect.

From 1995 to1998, the BULIG project grew to serve over 7,000 women in 150 barangays or village in Bukidnon. With a capital loan fund of 72 Million pesos, it is currently one of the 2 largest microcredit program in Mindanao.

1995-1998: Acosta became provincial board member in Bukidnon.
 
1998-2001: Acosta became party chairman of the Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas, the youth arm of the Liberal Party.
 
1998-2007: He served for three terms as representative of the 1st district of Bukidnon. He sponsored environmental legislations such as the Clean Water Act and the Solid Waste Management and Biodiversity Protection Act. He is the principal author of the Clean Air Act.
 
1998-2007: He represented the Philippines in various international forums including the United Nations Special Assembly on HIV/AIDS and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, where he served as Deputy Secretary General in 3 consecutive terms.
 
2009: Acosta is currently running for Senator under the Liberal Party banner. He is the vice president for Mindanao of the party. 

Legislative Background

• In his three terms as representative, Acosta filed 353 of bills, majority of which cover environment concerns, pollution control and natural resources conservation policies. Eighty-six were authored by Acosta.
• In the 11th and 12th CONGRESS 9 of his bills were enacted into Law. The most notable are: Republic Act No. 8749 or the Clean Air Act of 1999, Republic Act No. 9275 or the Clean Water Act of 2004, and Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Act of 2001. 

Affiliations

• Former Secretary General of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats
• Former Secretary General of the Liberal Party
• Associate Professor at the Asian Institute of Management and the Ateneo de Manila University.
• Former project director, Bukidnon Integrated Network of Home Industries Inc.
• Founding member, Kabatanonan, Kapanginabuhian, Kinaiyahan Foundation Inc 

Awards, Medals, Citations

• First Filipino World Fellow of Yale University in 2004
• Launched as one of the “champions of good governance” by the Kaya Natin Movement.
• One of Kaya Natin Movement’s “KN Champions”
• Included in BizNews Asia Magazine’ 100 Most Influential Filipinos in 2002.
• Cited by Asiaweek in lieu of the "youthful, hopeful change for the country" in July 14, 2001.
• One of The Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP)-Asia Pacific by the Osaka, Japan Junior Chamber in year 1995

Business Affiliations

• Juan C. Acosta Inc. 

Sources: http://nericacosta2010.com, www.123people.com, www.lpforchange.com, and
www.i-site.ph, http://www.congress.gov.ph