Keynote Speakers

Loren Legarda

Senator, Republic of the Philippines

A public servant of more than two decades, Senator Loren Legarda is currently the Senate President Pro Tempore and a four-term senator of the Republic of the Philippines. A renowned champion for the environment, Legarda has authored numerous landmark laws for the conservation and protection of our natural resources: the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the Clean Air Act, the Climate Change Act, the People’s Survival Fund Act, the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, Green Jobs Act, the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, among many others.

Her inspiring advocacy for environmental protection has earned her global recognition. She has been recognized as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum, UNEP Laureate, and ASEAN Biodiversity Hero. She is also currently the UNDRR Global Champion for Resilience, the UNFCCC National Adaptation Plan Champion, a Commissioner of the Global Commission on Adaptation, the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) Ambassador for Parliaments, the Women Political Leaders Global Ambassador for Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change and Environment, and a member of the UNITE Global Parliamentarians Network to End Infectious Diseases.

Lionel Dabbadie

FAO Representative in the Philippines

Dr Lionel Dabbadie is a doctoral graduate of the University of Paris-Jussieu and an Agronomist Engineer of Montpellier SupAgro. Lionel served for over 25 years as a scientist for the French Agricultural Research Center (Cirad), working in partnership with local institutions in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Before he assumed his role as the FAO representative in the Philippines, Lionel served as Senior Fisheries and Aquaculture Officer of FAO based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. In this role, he was responsible for providing support to Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen. Prior to this, he has been working at FAO headquarters in Rome where he was responsible for a programme aimed at developing guidelines for sustainable aquaculture. 

He is also a recipient of several recognitions and awards. Among others, in 2015, the president of the Asian Institute of Technology bestowed upon him the title of Distinguished Adjunct Faculty. He also received a Special Distinction from the Philippines’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, as well as the Silver Medal of the French Academia of Agriculture. Lionel has published over 50 scientific and technical publications, translated two aquaculture books into English, and produced an e-learning course on aquaculture. 

Demosthenes Escoto

National Director
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
Philippines

Atty. Demosthenes Escoto is a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Magna Cum Laude, graduate from Mater Salutis Seminary in the municipality of Daraga in the province of Albay, Philippines. He further earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the East and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2001. 

Atty. Escoto joined the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) as a member of the Legal Team. He has accomplished more than a decade of service in the fisheries sector, making him one of the most knowledgeable officials in terms of the DA-BFAR’s functions and operations. In 2015, Atty. Escoto was appointed as the Officer-in-Charge of the Legal Division and was also called to serve as the Assistant Director for Administrative Services in 2017 and as the Officer-in-Charge of BFAR in 2022.

In 2023, he was duly appointed as BFAR National Director where he has been leading the bureau’s initiatives in ensuring a flourishing livelihood for the Filipino fisherfolk, as well as the sustainable management of the rich marine and aquatic biodiversity of the Philippines