The Philippine Center for Economic Development (PCED) Board of Trustees (BOT), chaired by Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, convened on April 16, 2026 at the DEPDev Office in Mandaluyong City to align organizational priorities and policy direction in support of PCED’s mandate to provide financial and moral assistance for the research, teaching, training, and other programs of the UP School of Economics (UPSE).

Key agenda items included the UPSE Faculty Development Program, the Information Systems Strategic Plan (ISSP 2027–2029), and the Program Convergence Budgeting on Sustainable Development Goals (PCB-SDG).

The UPSE Faculty Development Program aims to ensure the continuity and quality of academic offerings across undergraduate and graduate programs while strengthening faculty research capacity. The ISSP 2027–2029 outlines proposed academic systems, including a student information system, training and seminar learning management system, and quality management system.

The Board also discussed the Child Nutrition Diversity Program and its impact evaluation under the PCB-SDG. The program seeks to improve child nutrition through diversified diet interventions using rigorous evaluation methods, including the provision of diverse food in Child Development Centers (CDCs) and strengthening nutrition awareness among CDC personnel, mothers, and caregivers.

Present during the meeting were Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) Undersecretary Erwin D. Sta. Ana, PCED Executive Director Ma. Joy V. Abrenica, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Director Bianca Pearl R. Sykimte, and University of the Philippines Office of the President Director Tristan Nathaniel C. Ramos, along with officials from the Department of Finance, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and members of the PCED Secretariat.

Source: DEPDevgovph