Who is he?

Ramon Lopez most recently served as the executive director of Go Negosyo, a Philippine entrepreneurship advocacy group, and as vice president and corporate planning head of RFM Corporation, a food and beverage company. He previously worked with the National Economic and Development Authority and the Department of Trade and Industry. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, and his master’s degree in development economics at Williams College.

Why is he in the news?

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte on June 13 designated Lopez as secretary of trade and industry in the new administration taking office on June 30. While critics warned that Lopez’s business affiliations would constitute a conflict of interest, Duterte’s camp said it will not be an issue once Lopez leaves these positions.

What can we expect from him?

A long-time supporter of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, Lopez’s appointment has been well-received by the business community. As executive director of Go Negosyo, his work has helped many Filipinos build their small businesses. He has promised to continue the Department of Trade’s programs and reforms focused on building a business-friendly and innovation-friendly climate and to implement Duterte’s vision of alleviating poverty through entrepreneurship. Lopez has also said he is willing to keep the Aquino administration’s undersecretaries to preserve the continuity of successful Department of Trade programs.

Lopez has also pledged to continue the Philippines’ pursuit of foreign trade agreements, both at the regional and bilateral scale. He supports regulated trade liberalization, and warned that back-tracking on trade agreements would leave the Philippines behind in the global system.

 

Thumbnail image of Philippine pesos. Source: Kelvin Servigon’s flickr photostream, used under a creative commons license.