Bagatsing makes sense of money every Sunday

Bagatsing makes sense of money every Sunday | Daily Tribune

He began his professional life in commercial and mortgage banking in the United States, straight out of business school.

He then returned to the Philippines, where he worked on several landmark investment banking transactions and was among the pioneers of the country’s capital markets, helping develop the market for LGU (Municipal) Bonds.

That early work in Philippine finance set the stage for a pivot into development finance with the World Bank Group.

IFC experience

At the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Bagatsing held senior posts across multiple countries. He started as an investment officer covering the Philippines and Lao PDR, then served as resident representative and head of Office for IFC Nepal, before returning to the Philippines as principal investment officer.

Across his years with the World Bank Group, he led teams on private sector development and investment, multi-sectoral investment policy and governance reform, infrastructure, energy, and Public-Private Partnerships — sitting on leadership teams across several countries within the institution.

Today, Bagatsing continues to lend his expertise to the corporate boardroom. He is independent director and Audit Committee chairman of Apex Mining Co. Inc., and holds the same roles — independent director and chairman of the Audit Committee — at Oona Insurance Corp. He is a life member of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines and a fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors of the Philippines.

Bagatsing earned his undergraduate degree in Accounting and Auditing from San Beda College.

In his column, Bagatsing draws on this rare vantage point, one that spans Wall Street mortgage desks, Manila’s earliest bond markets, and World Bank boardrooms from Kathmandu to Vientiane, to examine the forces shaping Philippine and regional finance today.

Readers can expect sharp, seasoned commentary on capital markets, infrastructure financing, corporate governance, and the PPP landscape, informed by a career built on both the deal floor and the policy table.