THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
In accordance with the Executive Order No. 540, the FTSC works to advance the country’s trade and investment interests by providing credible information and nurturing relations among foreign and local investors and businesses by bringing down the physical and cultural borders of doing business across countries. FTSC facilitates in a wide support network of consulate offices, trade associations, special interest councils, and our government partners in the Philippines and various trading partners worldwide.”
Internal Audit Service (IAS)
Performs internal auditing of DTI systems and processes.
Ana Carolina P. Sanchez
Undersecretary and Chief of Staff
Office of the Secretary
Althea Karen P. Antonio
Assistant Secretary
Foreign Trade Service Corps and Coordinating Office (FTSCCO)
Domingo R. Tolentino Jr.
Assistant Secretary
Special Concerns Office (SCO)
Edgar C. Herrera
Director
Internal Audit Service (IAS)
Lydia R. Guevarra
Director
Resource Generation and Management Service (RGMS)
Usec. Sanchez has provided technical assistance to a number of public sector agencies in the Philippines for the past 20 years through international development projects. She has promoted institutional development of government agencies through the use of participatory, inclusive, and sustainable strategies; conducted studies for the efficiency of government systems and procedures at local and national levels; and authored and co-authored studies and guidelines for national programs. She has fostered collaboration among different sectors, agencies and organizational units to achieve more effective operations or outcomes, promoted accountability and transparency, and spearheaded knowledge management and communications. Her contribution to program development and management skills acquired through her experience, both as a team leader and as a specialist, were recognized by partner institutions.
She has led projects and research groups with funding support from the European Union (EU), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)/DFAT, the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Usec. Sanchez has also managed the delivery of up to multi-million-dollar international development projects benefiting local government, public sector agencies, and civil society organizations. She has worked with both government and non-governmental organizations in managing and implementing institutional and capacity development activities; monitoring and evaluation and learning; performance management; assessing and designing systems and procedures; and project planning/management.
Usec. Sanchez has developed programs and managed projects of an education and training center in London, UK. She likewise taught Political Economy, Development Administration, and Governance to undergraduate and postgraduate students of the De La Salle University.
Prior to his appointment in 2024, Undersecretary Sunico served as the Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs for Unilever Philippines/Southeast Asia. Throughout his career in the private sector, Undersecretary Sunico has worked in various fields, including communications, media relations, and customer development. He has also led the implementation of projects that address the most pressing concerns of the communities all over the country, such as health and nutrition, environmental preservation, sustainable living, and livelihood. For his outstanding work, Undersecretary Sunico was conferred the 2023 Distinguished Alumnus Award for Corporate Social Responsibility by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association.
He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, placing 2nd at the Licensure Examinations, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Management. In addition to his illustrious career in corporate communications, Undersecretary Sunico is also a member of various civic organizations. He served as the Vice President of the Philippine Association of National Advertisers, a Board Member of the Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies (ARISE Philippines), and a trustee for the Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers.
Undersecretary Sunico concurrently sits as a Member of the Board of Governors of the Board of Investments (BOI), the country’s primary industry development arm and lead investment promotion agency (IPA).
Ms. Antonio is currently the Coordinating Officer, with the rank of Assistant Secretary, of the Foreign Trade Service Corps and Coordinating Office (FTSCCO) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) attached to the Office of the Secretary. She coordinates the programs and activities of the DTI overseas posts known as Philippine Trade and Investment Centers (PTIC) and establishes synergies and linkages between the PTICs and DTI bureaus, Philippine- based agencies and entities, both public and private, that are actively involved in the promotion of trade and investments.
In one of her Home Office assignments, Ms. Antonio was the Chief of Staff (COS) of the Undersecretary for Industry Promotion of the DTI in Manila from 2013 until 2015. As COS, she ensured strategy alignment and implementation of the Industry Promotion Group and coordinated projects and activities of the various bureaus and agencies reporting to the Undersecretary. Moreover, she was the lead coordinator of several high level, ministerial and presidential visits in Asia, Europe and the Americas during her stint at the Home Office in Manila.
As a Foreign Trade Service Officer, she was posted as Commercial Counsellor in Bangkok (2022- 2023), Berlin (2015-2021), Madrid (2011-2012) and Paris (2005-2011).
Kristian Ablan is a career public servant. He currently holds the post of Assistant Secretary at the Office of the Secretary. Prior to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Kris was undersecretary for administration at the Department of Education, and assistant secretary and undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Office. His other government stints were at the Commission on Election (COMELEC), Public-Private Partnership Center (PPP Center), Provincial Government of llocos Norte, and Office of the Solicitor General.
Serves as Supervising Assistant Secretary for the National Development Company (NDC) for the purpose of Policy and Program Coordination. He also serves as the Alternate Director for the Philippine Guarantee Corporation (PHILGUARANTEE) Board
He is a lawyer by profession, and holds degrees from Ateneo de Manila University, the University of the Philippines, the University of Auckland, and the National Defense College of the Philippines. Kris holds the rank of CESO I and is a 2021 Presidential Career Executive Service awardee for his work in freedom of information (FOl)
Domingo “Dominic” R. Tolentino, Jr. took his Oath of Office before President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as Assistant Secretary (Asec) of the Department of Trade and Industry, Regional Operations Group, at the Malacañang Palace on 03 March 2020.
Asec Tolentino lives by PRRD’s motto “by working together, we build a nation where citizens are empowered.” and former DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, “more grassroot approach in programs and livelihood intervention to widen the reach of the marginalized sectors providing skills, jobs, business.”
Asec Dominic, as he is fondly called, is designated by virtue of Department Order 20-52, tasking him as the following major programs of this administration;
- National Coordinator, Livelihood Seeding Program – Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay (LSP-NSB)
- National Coordinator, Diskwento Caravan
- ROG In-Charge, Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) Program
Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary, he served as the Director of the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau of the DTI-Consumer Protection Group, in which he ensured regulation of importation as provided by trade agreements and conduct market surveillance and enforcement to ensure compliance with trade and industry law, among others.
Further, Asec Tolentino is a former Director of the Consumer Policy and Advocacy Bureau, the office that develops advocacies and policies to ensure a fair marketplace for both the consumers and businesses. He is responsible for heightening consumer awareness program and bringing basic necessities and prime commodities to the Barangay and likewise the Serbisyo sa Barangay. He handles policy and advocacy programs. Asec. Tolentino hails from Cavite City and comes from the Tolentino Clan.
He is a known to be a seasoned operations management executive with expertise in Marketing, Promotion, Local Government Administration, Planning, Urban Development, Project Management, Trade and Industry, Consumer Policy, Advocacy and Protection.
Before joining the DTI, he spearheaded the Resettlement Program to uplift the living conditions of the disadvantaged people of the community, developed, and implemented a comprehensive and integrated housing development and resettlement programs, the Chief of the Housing Development and Resettlement Department and former Cavite Majority Leader of the Cavite Provincial Legislator and National Chairman of Board Member League.
He is part of the economic team who is responsible for lowering the inflation by saturating the rice in the market. Former Head Executive Assistant of the Department of Labor and Employment and also a former Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) Trade Tourism.
He represented the Philippines during the ASEAN Regional Forum on the Promotion of Sustainable Consumption and one of DTI’s representatives to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting on Digital Marketing and Promotion held in Varas, Chile last 20-26 August 2019. Also in the ASEAN-USPTO Workshop on Intellectual Property Enforcement, Public Awareness and Consumer Behavior last 07-09 November 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand.