Salvador 'Badz' M. Buban is a trade policy expert with more than 20 years of experience in trade policy formulation and trade negotiations, particularly with respect to multilateral (WTO) and regional (RCEP, ASEAN, ASEAN Plus 1 FTAs and APEC) in the areas of market access for trade in goods, SPS, TBT, rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, FTA implementation, capacity building and regional integration. As a policy fellow, he provides key policy advice and research support on regional integration matters to ASEAN Member States and ASEAN sectoral bodies. He was involved in the RCEP negotiations and provided policy advice and recommendations to the Chair of the RCEP Trade Negotiating Committee, especially on trade in goods, rules of origin, as well as on other key outstanding issues in the negotiations.

Prior to joining ERIA, Badz served as Trade Facilitation Advisor of the USAID Trade Related Assistance for Development (TRADE) Project and provided technical assistance to government agencies in areas of trade policy, customs procedures and trade facilitation. He was a Senior Officer at the ASEAN Secretariat and provided support to the Committee Chairs and ASEAN Economic Ministers in the areas of trade in goods, customs and trade facilitation and ASEAN Single Window, by drafting policy and discussion papers, as well as recommending options to facilitate decision-making. He facilitated and participated in discussions and negotiations under the ASEAN and ASEAN Plus FTAs.

Badz held senior roles at the Department of Trade and Industry, including leading FTA negotiations and multilateral trade negotiations and engaging with industry and other private sector stakeholders to inform on trade policy. He also chaired various working groups and sub-working groups responsible for formulating the Philippines' position on the various engagements, including FTA negotiations.

Badz earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Master’s in Social Development from the Ateneo de Manila University, and Diploma on Trade Policy from the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.