His main fields of interest, expertise, and experience include project management and implementation, fund generation and financial management, rural development and extension, participatory and community-based approaches, and multidisciplinary research.

Dr. Saguiguit, Jr. has written and co-authored a number of publications on community-based natural resource management, research management, North-South collaborative research, and agriculture and rural development.

He has received various prestigious scholarships such as the Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program Scholarship in 2002 from the University of California at Berkeley, Harvard Project 928-B Scholarship in 1977, Netherlands Government Fellowship in the Region Scholarship from 1974 to 1977 for his Masters degree, and a scholarship from the French Government from 1977 to 1980 for his Doctorate degree. In 1983, Dr. Saguiguit, Jr. reached the final round of selection for the World Bank’s Young Professionals Program.

Before he assumed the position of Deputy Director for Administration in July 2002, he served as SEARCA’s Research and Development Manager from 1998 to 2002 where he was responsible for the overall management and coordination of SEARCA’s Research and Development (R&D) programs, projects, and activities in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. His duties included program/project direction setting and development, fund generation, and linkage establishment with national and international donors and partners.

Several projects which he led and managed during his term as the RDD Manager received awards. Among them were the Data Management for Rural Development and Food Security Project which garnered “Best Linkage Project” from the Canadian International Development Agency, and the Ned Agroindustrial Development Project which earned SEARCA the “Most Outstanding NGO Partner” award from the Department of Agrarian Reform of the Philippine Government.

He also managed SEARCA’s Consulting Department which was ranked among the top ten consulting firms in the Philippines doing business with ADB in the year 2000.

He started serving the Center as a Student Assistant for the SEARCA-Harvard 928-B Corn Commodity Systems Project in 1977 and later on assumed leadership in key SEARCA projects, and key management positions in the Center. To date, playing a crucial role in the Center’s fund resource generation and continuing to gear his efforts toward ensuring financial viability of the Center, his significant contributions in project/program development and establishing partnerships and linkages are as follows:

• Established and strengthened collaborations with Canada/Canadian institutions (University of Guelph and University of British Columbia) through CIDA funding of the 3-year project on Data Management for Rural Development. The project included a research component involving 3 member countries namely Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

• Established and strengthened collaborations with French institutions including the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Ecole Nationale Superieure des Industries Agricoles et Alimentaires -Section Industries Agro-Alimentaires Regions Chaudes (ENSIA-SIARC), and Centre National d' Etudes Agronomiques des Regions Chaudes (CNEARC) which resulted to several collaborative projects in research and education. Currently involved in SEARCA efforts to generate new projects and increased funding from the French government.

• Established and strengthened collaborations with Australia/Australian institutions through the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Developed and negotiated the first SEARCA research project funded by ACIAR with the University of Queensland as partner. This was followed by 3 other projects, establishing the Center as a dependable research partner of ACIAR in Southeast Asia. Currently involved in SEARCA efforts to generate new projects and increased funding from ACIAR and AusAID.

• Led development, packaging, and negotiations to secure a PhP 40M grant from the Philippine Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for the “Ned Agro-Industrial Development Project” implemented in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato over a period of 5 years. The project sought to pilot sustainable farming techniques in resource poor upland areas in Mindanao, Southern Philippines.

• Led development, packaging, and negotiations to secure funding from the Netherlands Ministry for Development Cooperation for the “Philippines-Netherlands Biodiversity Research Program” being piloted in Mt. Malindang, Misamis Occidental and later planned for national and/or regional replication. Total initial approved grant was Nlg 5M Guilders (approximately US$2.5M). Prior to this, obtained pre-implementation funds from the Netherlands Advisory Council for Development Problems (RAWOO) for program conceptualization and development.

• Supervised technical packaging and bid negotiations for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded project on Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy for Indonesia. Currently managing field implementation as Project Director.

• Led planning and implementation of directional shifts in SEARCA Research and Development programs and activities, i.e., from basic to applied research; and from lowland/flatlands to landscape (uplands, lowlands, coastal zones); and emphasis on sustainable agriculture/natural resource management.

He is the only son and namesake of the late Dr. Gil F. Saguiguit Sr., a renowned agricultural education expert, institution-builder, academician, and one of the founding fathers of SEARCA.