Ray, a civil engineer with extensive expertise in transportation, infrastructure development, and land use, particularly in addressing the unique challenges faced by lower-middle-income countries, has nearly a decade of diverse experience in government service. He initially served as a planning engineer at the Department of Public Works and Highways’ regional office and currently holds the position of a senior economic development specialist in policy formulation and planning at the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (formerly NEDA). This experience has profoundly shaped his approach to these fields.

As a fervent advocate for road safety, Ray is committed to ensuring that interventions are tailored to the specific context of lower-middle-income countries. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of San Agustin and a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering from the Western Institute of Technology, both located in the Philippines. Currently, he is pursuing a Master of Transport at The University of Sydney in Australia.

Beyond his technical expertise, Ray’s background as a former editor-in-chief of the University of San Agustin Publications has honed his communication skills. He currently consults as a trainer in publication design and visual communication for local government units and other government institutions.

Work Experience

Department of Economy, Planning, and Development

(Formerly National Economic and Development Authority / NEDA)

September 2025 – Representing the DEPDev, Ray shared his initiative in Western Visayas localizing global road safety for the first time in the Philippines through a unique subnational governance mechanism aiming to reduce the consistently rising crash fatalities in the regions of the Philippines.

Senior Economic Development Specialist, Western Visayas Office (Policy Formulation and Planning Division)

Ray specializes in infrastructure development policies and plans. He works on transportation, water supply, sanitation, and energy in the Policy Formulation and Planning Division. He also supports the Regional (Subnational) Land Use Committee. Notable contributions include digitizing physical plan review procedures. He also established an inter-agency group for road safety data collection in Western Visayas. These achievements earned him the title of Outstanding Technical Employee (National) of NEDA. This accolade is challenging for rookies in the said government institution to earn. Throughout his career, Ray has honed his graphic design skills, designing report layouts and producing data visualization materials.

visit Depdev website

visit depdev regional office vi website

Department of Public Works and Highways

July 2017 – My colleagues and I strike a pose with the Visual Road Condition Assessment vehicle which scans the roadway for defects.

Engineer II, Regional Office VI (Planning and Design Division)

Ray began his career in civil engineering in the DPWH Regional Office VI Planning and Design Division. Ray’s assignments included road inventory, asset management, feasibility studies, and road safety. Notable projects he’s contributed to include the following:

Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges Project
Iloilo North Bank Road (now known as the Iloilo Sunset Boulevard)
Iloilo-Capiz-Aklan Expressway

He also provided technical assistance for road safety features in DPWH projects in Western Visayas. Ray’s collaborations with other agencies have made him in demand. He’s supported the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development in road safety initiatives and facilitated capacity development in highway safety design with local government units and the Department of the Interior and Local Government Regional Office VI.

visit DPWH website

view projects ray handled

University of San Agustin

March 2015 – BS Architecture students build their miniature bamboo bridge to show what they learned in structural engineering.

Junior Instructor I, College of Technology, 2015-2017

Ray began his career part-time teaching at the University of San Agustin while pursuing his Master of Engineering degree. He also worked full-time as an engineer at the Department of Public Works and Highways. Eagerly, he taught project study, engineering mechanics, and structural theory to civil engineering and architecture students. He also oversaw The Tech Record, the college’s official publication, from 2015 to 2016. In 2016, he was appointed moderator of the University of San Agustin Publications.d Local Government Regional Office VI.

visit USA website

University of San Agustin

December 2013 – On behalf of the team, I received an award for Best Magazine Layout in the Regional College Press Conference. We won several regional and national awards under my watch as editor-in-chief. This earned me the position of moderator while I was teaching part-time at the University of San Agustin.

Moderator, USA Publications, 2016-2017

Despite lacking a journalism degree, Ray’s extensive college experience made him the longest-serving editor-in-chief of the University of San Agustin Publications since its founding in 1928. His writing and design skills earned the organization several titles for Best Newspaper and Best Magazine. He was also recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Campus Journalists in the National Campus Press Awards in 2012 and the IWAG Award, a regional award for exemplary student writers. After becoming a licensed civil engineer, he broke records as the first engineer to hold the moderator position. Ray has been tapped by various agencies and offices, including the Philippine Information Agency, for capacity-building activities in online writing, photojournalism, and publication design. He trains students and government and private sector personnel in these areas.