About the Undersecretary

Rafaelita Aldaba, Ph.D.
Undersecretary
Dr. Rafaelita “Fita” M. Aldaba is Undersecretary for the Competitiveness and Innovation Group of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). She fulfills a key role in the formulation and implementation of the Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy (i3S), which puts innovation at the heart of the country’s new industrial policy. Undersecretary Aldaba is also a Governor of the Philippine Board of Investments (BOI), the country’s primary industry development arm and lead investment promotion agency (IPA).
She is leading DTI’s initiatives in preparing industries for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and digital transformation, establishing Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers (RIICs), developing new creative industries, and growing a robust startup ecosystem. She oversees the administration and operations of the Competitiveness Bureau (CB), Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) and Bureau of Trade and Industrial Policy Research (BTIPR).
A researcher turned policymaker, Undersecretary Aldaba was Senior Research Fellow and Acting Vice-President of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) prior to her previous appointment as Assistant Secretary of DTI’s Industry Development and Trade Policy Group (IDTPG). She has extensive research experience, authored various publications on development issues, and conceptualized and managed research projects with various international organizations, including The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the United States Agency for International Development.
USEC's Presentation Decks from Selected Previous Events
54th ASEAN Symposium Panel Discussion
ASEAN-ROK Event – The PH Startup Ecosystem
CAR Startup Roadshow – Startup Enabling Policies
ECCP – AI plus Innovation in the Philippines
FGD with Startups – DTI Startup Programs
Furniture Industry Presentation on SCCIPA Hearing
Globe RISE – Collaboration Towards Inclusive Innovation
Manila Times Creative Industries Forum – Unlocking the PH Creative Potential
MIH Seminar – Investment Opportunities in the Philippines (Dec 2021)
MIH Seminar (Tech) – Investment Opportunities in the Philippines (Feb 2022)
National AI Strategy for the Philippines
National Export Congress, 07 December 2022
Opportunities in the Philippine IT-BPM Sector
PCCI Event – Startups Programs and Plans
PHSW21 Presscon – Accelerating Startups in the New Normal
Post-Pandemic Recovery and New Normal Strategies for Regional Economic Integration
Region 3 Touchpoints 2.0 – Collaboration Towards Inclusive Innovation
Region 4A MSMED Council Event – Emerging Innovation Ecosystems in the Post Pandemic Future
Shanghai Investment Forum – PH Innovation and Startup Ecosystem
TVET National Conference 2021 – Industry in the New Normal (challenges and insights)
PHL-Taiwan Industry Collaboration Summit

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