Romulo Neri (born 1 February 1950) is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

educator and public servant. He held several high-ranking government positions such as Secretary of Socio-Economic Planning and concurrently Director-General of the

National Economic and Development Authority The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA; fil, Pambansang Pangasiwaan sa Kabuhayan at Pagpapaunlad) is an independent cabinet-level agency of the Philippine government responsible for economic development and planning. It is headed ...

(NEDA), acting Secretary of Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education and President of

Social Security System Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

under former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Gloria Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

. He is also involved in the controversial NBN–ZTE scandal involving corruption in the Philippine National Broadband Network project.

Background

Neri was born on February 1, 1950, currently residing at #28 Palali, Sta. Mesa Heights in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was fou ...

. He finished his B.S. in business administration (magna cum laude and class valedictorian), major in marketing, from the

University of the Philippines Diliman , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

in 1970. Neri pursued his

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

(MBA) degree from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

(UCLA), majoring in finance and international management from 1977 to 1979. He attended secondary school at

Ateneo de Manila High School , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_af ...

from 1962 to 1966.

Academic career

Neri is an associate professor, teaching corporate financial management, at the

Asian Institute of Management The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) is an international management school and research institution. It is one of the few business schools in Asia to be internationally accredited with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Busines ...

and previously had held an instructor position from 1970 to 1971 at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 20 ...

College of Business Administration, teaching basic management and marketing.

Government service

The former NEDA chief joined the government as a planning coordinator at the Philippine National Oil Company. He then rose through the ranks and eventually became Director of the Congressional Budget and Planning Office under the

Philippine House of Representatives The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas, italic=unset, ''Kamara'' or ''Kamara de Representantes'' from the Spanish word ''cámara'', meaning "chamber") is the lower house of Congress, the ...

where he provided advice to the leadership of the House on socio-economic issues, particularly on fiscal and monetary policies, development financing, and the budget of the national government. On 12 November 2021, the Supreme Court of the Philippines convicted him guilty of grave misconduct for his handling of the

ZTE scandal ZTE Corporation is a Chinese partially state-owned technology company that specializes in telecommunication. Founded in 1985, ZTE is listed on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. ZTE's core business is wireless, exchange, opt ...

by perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

References

Resume of Romulo Neri at NEDA Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neri, Romulo 1950 births Living people Filipino educators People from Quezon City Chairpersons of the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines Directors-General of the National Economic and Development Authority of the Philippines Secretaries of Budget and Management of the Philippines Place of birth missing (living people) Arroyo administration cabinet members University of the Philippines alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Asian Institute of Management faculty University of the Philippines faculty