Undersecretary for Industry Development, Trade and Investment Promotions

Department of Trade and Industry

Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo, also known as Usec. Perry, received his Economics Degree from the School of Economics at the University of the Philippines, and his Master of Science in Industrial Economics from the Center for Research and Communication (CRC), now known as the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P). He obtained a full scholarship to study his Master's program from the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany. Usec. Perry also holds a Doctorate in Public Administration from the National College of Public Administration and Governance of the University of the Philippines. He received scholarships to participate in the International Faculty Development Program of the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, and the Strategic Management Program of the Industrial Management Institute in Tehran, Iran, from IESE and the Islamic Development Bank, respectively. He worked for 19 years in the Academe and the Development Assistance field before joining the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as Assistant Secretary in 2013. In 2016, Usec. Perry was appointed as Undersecretary and assumed leadership of the DTI's Industry Development and Trade Policy Group. He was also appointed Managing Head and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Investments (BOI). Under his leadership, the BOI recorded an investment approval of PHP 1.26 trillion in 2023, the highest in its 56-year history. This achievement continues the record-breaking trend of investment approvals in 2018, 2019, and 2020. In the area of trade policy and negotiations, Usec. Perry’s notable accomplishments include:  Acted as the focal official for the Philippines' successful application to the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) Program, and ensuring the country's continued enjoyment of the privilege;  Served as the Chief Negotiator for the Philippines who concluded the following agreements: the Philippines-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (PH-ROK FTA), the Philippines-European Free Trade Association Free Trade Agreement (PH-EFTA FTA), and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Pillars on Supply Chains, Clean Economy, and Fair Economy;  Led the Philippine panel that presented and defended the country's trade policies before the World Trade Organization (WTO) during the most recent Trade Policy Review (March 2018);  Headed the Philippines' Delegation to the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland in June 2022; and,  Expanded the Philippines' network of official bilateral trade and investment cooperation agreements by negotiating and implementing new Joint Economic Commissions (JECs) and high-level dialogue mechanisms with several countries, including Switzerland, Canada, Russia, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Chile, Turkey, Pakistan, Australia, South Korea, Israel, Papua New Guinea, and the United Kingdom. Usec. Perry likewise serves as the Chair of the Socio-Economic Working Group of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS). Furthermore, he has held the position of Chair of the Economics, Development, and Prosperity Working Group of the Philippines-United States Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (PH-US BSD) for a period of seven (7) consecutive years. In January 2024, Usec. Perry was designated the Undersecretary for Industry Development, Trade and Investment Promotions. In addition to overseeing industry development and investment promotion, he now also oversees trade promotion, emphasizing the government's industry- and investment-centric approach to export development.