LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — The first woman to lead the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in its nearly 60-year history has decades of experience in agricultural policy and regional development.
The appointment of Mercedita Sombilla as the new SEARCA Center Director, effective April 1, 2025, follows a distinguished career marked by thought leadership and significant contributions to agricultural economics, public policy and regional development.
In her acceptance speech during the SEARCA Leadership Turnover Ceremony held on Mar. 25, 2025, Sombilla expressed her sincere appreciation for the opportunity to steer the Center and build on the institution's remarkable legacy established by her predecessors.
"It is with profound gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility that I address you today as the newly appointed 12th director of SEARCA," she said.
Sombilla added that a shift from business-as-usual development to transformational development is needed as well as forward-looking policies that fast-track modernization, drive innovation, strengthen capacity building and nurture inclusivity in Southeast Asia.
"SEARCA's capacity to contribute to this shift must be bolstered through informed policy actions and equipping agricultural stakeholders with knowledge and tools to adopt and use technologies and innovations," she said.
Highlighting SEARCA's strategic role in advancing micro-credential and reskilling programs for agricultural professionals and supporting future-ready academic programs in digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, genomics and sustainable food systems, Sombilla also identified region-wide research, policy dialogues and institutional partnerships as critical to accelerating inclusive growth in Southeast Asia.
She urged everyone to make SEARCA "the go-to center for policy actions and a champion for knowledge and innovation that empower agricultural stakeholders in the region now and in the future" and to take "challenges as opportunities to maintain Southeast Asian agriculture as the economic cornerstone, not only of the region but also of the rest of the world."
SEARCA is the center of excellence in agriculture of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).
It serves 11 SEAMEO member countries with a threefold core mandate to provide high-quality graduate education and training in agriculture, to conduct and coordinate regionally relevant research, and to disseminate research findings to inform policy and practice across Southeast Asia.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara, who is also the current SEAMEO Council President, said that SEARCA under Sombilla "will continue to thrive and expand its impact, particularly in its collaboration with the Department of Education, in strengthening agricultural education."
"May SEARCA remain a dynamic force in bridging education and agricultural innovation, ensuring that the next generation is well-equipped to address the challenges and opportunities ahead," Angara said.
As undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture and of the National Economic and Development Authority, Sombilla has long championed policy reforms aimed at strengthening agricultural productivity, food security and rural development.
Sombilla's research informed major initiatives on agricultural transformation across Southeast and South Asia, with expertise that bridges macroeconomic insight, climate-smart agriculture and grassroots empowerment. Her research delved into the complexities of agricultural production, marketing, trade and prices.
She held key research and advisory positions at the International Food Policy Research Institute, International Rice Research Institute and SEARCA.