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Salvador Buban

Senior Policy Fellow

Profile

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.

Expertise
  • Government policy
  • International trade (policy formulation and trade relations)
  • Trade negotiations (market access/trade facilitation, including tariffs, SPS and TBT, rules of origin and customs procedures)
  • Free Trade Agreement implementation and capacity building
  • Regional economic integration (primarily focused on ASEAN and ASEAN dialogue partners)
Education
Jan - Mar 2004

Diploma, WTO Trade Policy Course
World Trade Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

2000

Master of Science in Social Development
Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines

1990

Bachelor of Arts in Communication (major in Broadcast Communication)
University of the Philippines - Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

Experience
Jan 2018 - to present Policy Fellow, Policy Design Department
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

2014 - 2017

Trade Facilitation Advisor
USAID – Trade Related Assistance for Development (TRADE) Project

2010 - 2014

Senior Officer (Trade Facilitation),
Trade Facilitation Division, Market Integration Directorate
The ASEAN Secretariat

2006 - 2010

Senior Officer (Trade in Goods and Rules of Origin)
External Economic Relations Division, Market Integration Directorate, 
The ASEAN Secretariat

2005 - 2006

Associate Officer, FTA Cluster
Bureau for Economic Integration and Finance
The ASEAN Secretariat 

1996 - 2005

Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist
Bureau of International Trade Relations (BITR), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)

1994 - 1996

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer
Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA)

1990 - 1992

Junior Programme Officer for the Popularization Programme
Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA)

ERIA Publications
ERIA Chapters
Others

Reports, book reviews, and book chapters 

Narjoko, D., S. Buban, R. Shrestha, D.T.T. Ha, and E. Setyadi (eds.) (2021). Towards Seamless Trade Facilitation in ASEAN Baseline Study. Jakarta: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia. /publications/towards-seamless-trade-facilitation-in-asean-baseline-study/

S. Buban, R. Shrestha, and R. Chlissma (eds.) (2021), Impact of the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreements (ATIGA) on Intra-ASEAN Trade. Jakarta: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia. /publications/impact-of-the-asean-trade-in-goods-agreements-atiga-on-intra-asean-trade/

S. Buban and J. Nagallo, (2021), 'Trade Facilitation in the Philippines and the Results of the ASTFI Baseline Study', in ERIA (eds.), Towards Seamless Trade Facilitation in ASEAN. Jakarta: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia. /uploads/media/Research-Project-Report/2021-08-Towards-Seamless-Trade-Facilitation-ASEAN/13_Ch.8-Philippines-Report.pdf

Buban, J. Jangsawang, and P. Chamnankij (2021), 'Trade Facilitation in Thailand and the Results of the ASTFI Baseline Study', in ERIA (eds.), Towards Seamless Trade Facilitation in ASEAN. Jakarta: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia. /uploads/media/Research-Project-Report/2021-08-Towards-Seamless-Trade-Facilitation-ASEAN/15_Ch.10-Thailand-Report.pdf

Ambashi, M., S. Buban, H. Phoumin and R. Shrestha (2020), ‘Infrastructure Development, Trade Facilitation, and Industrialisation in the Mekong Region’, in Kimura, Fukunari (ed.), Subregional Development Strategy in ASEAN after COVID-19: Inclusiveness and Sustainability in the Mekong Subregion (Mekong 2030). Jakarta: ERIA, pp.BP24–BP41. /uploads/media/Books/2020-Subregional-Development-ASEAN-after-COVID19-Mekong/08_Infrastructure-Development-Trade-Facilitation-Industrialisation.pdf

Ha, D.T.T., S. Rosenow and Salvador Buban (2019), 'Non-tariff Measures and Regional Integration in ASEAN', in Ha, D.T.T. and S. Rosenow (eds.), Non-tariff Measures in ASEAN-An Update. Jakarta: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, pp.1-31. /uploads/media/7.ERIA_Book_2019_NTM_Update_Chapter_Integrative.pdf

Ha, D.T.T. and S. Buban (2019), 'Managing Non-tariff Measures in ASEAN', in Intal, P. and M. Pangestu (eds.), Integrated and Connected Seamless ASEAN Economic Community. Jakarta: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, pp. 21–33. https://www.eria.org/uploads/media/6.AV2040_VOL4_Managing_NTM_in_ASEAN.pdf

Chapter on RCEP on history, negotiations, structure, and future directions - Co-author (tbc 2022)