95th CAP Anniversary Guest Preacher

Prof. Leonor Magtolis Briones is presently Co-Convenor of Social Watch (SW) Philippines.  Co-Coordinator of SW Asia, and member of the SW International Coordinating Committee.  SW monitors the commitments of governments to the 1995 Copenhagen Summit's Millennium Development Goals.  Its reports are included in the United Nation's Commission on Social Development sessions.  Prof. Briones was herself a resource person at a Roundtable meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Devoting her life to research, teaching and advocacy on development issues such as debt, structural adjustment programs and their impact, social development and globalization, she is often invited to national, regional, and international meetings and fora.  She has addressed UN General Assembly Millennium Plus Five Summit on Sept 14-16 2005 in New York (where she challenged the wealthy nations to fulfill their decades-old promises to alleviate poverty); the 2006 Annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland; the 2007 Social Watch International Coordinating Committee Meeting and Forum on Civil Society Perspectives on Financing the MDG's.  She is now one of eight OXFAM Ambassadors to the G8 group of countries (US, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, UK, Japan and Russia) as part of its campaign to increase development assistance for education and health.

Prof. Briones was former President of Freedom From Debt Coalition, Secretary to the Philippine Commission on Audit, Vice President for Finance and Administration of the University of the Philippines and Former Treasurer of the Philippines and Presidential Adviser for Social Development.  She is also the former Chair of the Silliman University Board of Trustees.

For her work, she has received the following awards; Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award for 2000 by the Civil Service Commission; June 2002 the Outstanding Professional Award in Public Administration by the UP Alumni Association and the Alumni Achievement Award for Government Service from the National College for Public Administration and Governance; 2007 Outstanding Negrense Award from Provincial Government of Negros Oriental.

Prof. Briones earned her Business Administration degree (magna cum laude) from Silliman University and master's degree in Public Administration (a consistent dean's lister) from UP.  She also took advanced studies in Public Enterprises from Leeds University in England and enrolled in special programs at Harvard University.

At present, she teaches public fiscal administration courses in the graduate level of the National College of Public Administration and Governance, UP Diliman.  She writes a weekly column, the Business of Governance, for ABS-CBN interactive news Monday edition for Business Mirror, Opinion section (every other Mondays).