Dr. Ceferino Rodolfo
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.