ISST - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chairman and President / Former Minister, Department of Tourism
- Founder and President, International School of Sustainable Tourism / Former Secretary, Philippine Department of Tourism
Chairman and President of the International School of Sustainable Tourism in the Philippines, Dr. Mina T. Gabor is not a stranger in the global tourism arena. National Geographic cites that it is "the first and only sustainable tourism school in Asia and the Pacific Region, educating a new generation of leaders" which is a huge contribution in the tourism industry. She previously served for 18 years in Philippine government, including serving under Four Philippine Presidents; President Ferdinand Marcos, President Cory Aquino , President Fidel Ramos and President Joseph Estrada either as Secretary of Tourism and Undersecretary of Trade. She is also remembered for establishing the Center for International Trade Expositions and Mission (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and she strongly pursued domestic tourism while in the Department of Tourism with the now famous slogan "Huwag maging Dayuhan sa Sariling Bayan" (Don't be a stranger in Your Own Country), and started several tourism products like the pilgrimage tours, farm tourism, and others. In recent years she has worked primarily in the business sector and as Honorary Consul to the Republic of Maldives. She is regarded as one of the important international experts and resource person for trade and tourism.
Some of her international recognition includes being one of the Top 35 Most Powerful Women in Travel, a recognition by the New York based "Travel Agent" Newsweekly Magazine; Best instructional TV Program for "Export…Made in the Philippines" by the Catholic Mass Media Awards Body; a 1987 Agora Awardee for Outstanding Achievement in marketing; 1988 International Award for Outstanding Performance in Export Promotion, the first in Asia by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO); among several others. She is the second woman, after President Corazon Aquino, to be honored by the Philippine Military Academy for her exemplary performance in government.
She also received a distinction award in Sustainable Tourism category for her contribution to the advancement of Philippine Tourism given by the Rotary Club of Manila, the oldest Rotary Club in Asia and the Tourism Award by SKAL International. Her advocacy for community-based rural tourism especially farm tourism has paid off with the enactment of RA 10816; an Act to Develop Farm Tourism. Her long list of achievements and awards both in Tourism and Trade made her a sought-after speaker in these areas of expertise.
Last November 2019, she was one and the only Filipina to be part of the Wall of Honour for Conservation Fellows given by the Sukau Rainforest Lodge, one of the few recognized as "Unique Lodges of the World" by National Geographic, turned over the Villa named after her, an honor extended to persons recognized as a Conservation Fellow.
Job Titles:
- Independent Management Consultant
- Senior Vice President for Programs and Plans
- Vice President for Programs and Plans
Mr. Joselito C. Bernardo is currently an independent Management Consultant based in Manila. He has done extensive work in the agriculture sector in the Philippines and in the Asia Pacific Region focused on agriculture development planning and capacity building. He worked at the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) based in Tokyo, Japan for 13 years (2004-2017) as Program Officer, Director of the Agriculture Department and Director of Research & Planning Department. He developed and implemented various capacity building programs and projects to enhance productivity in different Asian countries. He initiated the Community Based Rural Tourism Program in the APO since 2006 which continued to run projects on Agritourism and Ecotourism to this date. He also initiated the Women Entrepreneurship Program which helped women in the region develop their capacities to initiate and managed their own business. He led APO study missions to the USA, Germany, France and UK on topics related to agri export promotion, food innovation and knowledge-based business. He implemented research projects on agribusiness management under the Five-Year APO-Cornell University Cooperation Project. He recently co-edited the book on Agribusiness Management with Professor Ralph Christy of Cornell University.
Before APO, he served in various capacities at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Philippines from 1980-2004; from Economic Researcher Economic Development Specialist, to Chief Economic Development Specialist before moving up as Director. He also served as the Deputy Head of the Philippine Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) in concurrent capacity. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City; and Master of Management major in Agribusiness Management from the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna. He attended a postgraduate program in Development Studies at the Institute of Social Studies, in The Hague, The Netherlands. He also completed the executive course on Strategic Foresight at the University of Houston in Texas, USA.
Recently, he was engaged by the Development Academy of the Philippines as a resource person on the topic "Ecotourism and Geo tourism Trends in Asia"; and "Agritourism Business Models in Asia" in a National Workshop held in Tagaytay on in May 2018. He was also invited by the Mayor of Batu City in Indonesia to deliver a presentation to local government officials on the topic Agritourism Business Models in Asia in March 2018. In June 2018, he was also invited by the Ministry of Agriculture in the State of Punjab Pakistan to deliver a presentation on Agribusiness Value Chain Management Models during the National Conference Development of Agriculture Value Chains held in Lahore.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President for Domestic Relations / Former Minister, Department of Social Welfare and Development
- Vice President for Domestic Relations, International School of Sustainable Tourism / Former Secretary, Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development
Sec. de Leon is currently member of the Board of Regents of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and Vice Chair of the Ethics Committee of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute. She serves as Chair of the Search Committee for Private Sector Representative to State Universities and Colleges for the Commission on Higher Education. She is also Vice Chairman of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center and Vice President of the International School of Sustainable Tourism. She is an advocate of Gawin ang Tama Movement as Board Member of the Character Building Foundation. She was the former Chair of the Civil Service Commission and the former Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. She joined government in April 1967 and left it February 2001. She is a staunch advocate of volunteerism and served as the Secretary General of the Philippine National Red Cross, a leading international humanitarian organization. She was elected member of the Board of Governors and serves as Secretary to the Board of Red Cross.
Sec. de Leon obtained her Master's degree in Social Work and Master's degree in Public Health, both from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States. She also earned academic units for her Doctoral Program in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines.