PDG Roberto “Obet” M. Pagdanganan

Guest Speaker’s Profile

PDG ROBERTO “OBET” M. PAGDANGANAN was born in Calumpit, Bulacan on July 19, 1946. His parents are former Municipal Councilor Juan T. Pagdanganan, Jr. and Mrs. Rosalina Mamangon-Pagdanganan, a market vendor, who both inspired him to pursue higher education, despite their humble station in life.

Obet was a consistent academic scholar. He graduated as valedictorian from both Calumpit Elementary School in 1959, and at Calumpit Institute in 1963. He finished Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, summa cum laude, at the Manuel L. Quezon University, in 1968, the first and so far the only one to graduate with such honors at the MLQU School of Engineering. He also completed Masters in Business Administration at De La Salle University in 1977, and Bachelor of Laws in 1990 at MLQU. In 1995, Obet was awarded a Doctorate in Education, honoris causa, by the Bulacan State University. He had also been awarded as Most Outstanding Alumnus in all the four schools he attended.

Obet worked at Union Chemicals (Aji-no-Moto) in his senior year as chemical engineering student. Upon graduation, he was hired as a management trainee at Philippine Refining Corporation, now Unilever, Philippines, where he eventually held senior management positions in technical and marketing divisions. While with Unilever, Obet completed an Industrial Marketing course at Ashridge Management College in England and International Management Seminar at Unilever Training Center also in England.

Obet's successful career at Unilever was abruptly ended when he was appointed OIC Governor of the Province of Bulacan after the EDSA Revolution in 1986. In January, 1988, he was elected unopposed as Provincial Governor and reelected twice with overwhelming mandates, serving until February, 1998. He was also elected by his peers as National President for three consecutive terms of the League of Provinces, and as the founding Chairman of the League of Leagues, later renamed as Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines.

An active scouter since his primary school days, Obet was a delegate to the Tenth World Jamboree held at Makiling National Park in July, 1959. He was a two-term National President and presently the Senior Vice President of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. He is Chairman of Medicines Transparency Alliance, (MeTA) Philippines, and Advisory Board Member at HealthCore International, Inc, which both advocate access to quality affordable medicines and healthcare for all Filipinos.

He has authored three books on Cooperatives and has taught engineering and MBA, MPA subjects at MLQU, PLM, DLSU and PUP. He still teaches at the PUP Open University and hosts a weekly public service radio program at DWIZ. He is presently Chairman of Medicines Transparency Alliance, (Philippines), Inc., which advocates access to affordable, quality medicines and universal healthcare for all Filipinos.

Obet served in 2015-2016 as District Governor of Rotary International District 3810, which covers the cities of Manila and Pasay, and the provinces of Cavite and Mindoro Occidental. He is a past President of the Rotary Club of Manila and a major donor (first level) to The Rotary Foundation.

Obet is married to the former Susana Oblefias of Sariaya, Quezon, also a chemical engineer and former professor at MLQU School of Engineering. They have been blessed with two children, Eya and Raymond, and three grandchildren, Roxanne, Mika and Enzo. Eya, an ex-pat Marketing Executive now based in Singapore, is married to businessman Michael Allan E. Sicat, a civil engineer. Raymond, on the other hand, perished in an accident on January 20, 2007, while saving the lives of two young men riding in an unlit tricycle at the fast lane of MacArthur Highway in Malolos, Bulacan.

Obet eventually served in four Cabinet level positions under former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo: as Presidential Adviser on Cooperatives and Chairman of Cooperative Development Authority, Secretary of Agrarian Reforms, Secretary of Tourism, and later, as concurrent Chairman/ President of Philippine International Trading Corporation and PITC Pharmaceutical Inc., where he launched the "Botica ng Bayan" program to promote generics and lower the cost of medicines.