Dante Ventura Liban, PhD.

Biography

A three-termer Representative from Quezon City's 2nd congressional district in Metro Manila, Philippines, Dr. Liban served with distinction as chairman of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education, chairman of the Special Committee on Overseas Filipino Workers, and chairman of the Committee on Justice from March 2001 to June 30, 2001. His strong advocacy on universal and quality education earned him the respect of his colleagues by calling him "Mr. Education Congressman" in the 11th Congress. In February, 2001, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed him as director general of the Technical Education and Skill Development Authority which he politely begged off, and in the following year, on June, 2002, the President appointed him again which he finally accepted. However, due to irreconcilable policy differences on the removal of the overseas performing artists program from TESDA and its transfer to the private entertainment industry, he tendered his irrevocable resignation on March 14, 2003. Currently, he is a practising organization development consultant, a professor of management in the Far Eastern University-FERN campus, a regular columnist of the country's number 1 tabloid newspaper, BULGAR, and governor of the Philippine National Red Cross. He is active in the community of the Couples for Christ as chairman of the CFC Educational Foundation, Inc., president of the Philippine Society for Public Administration, chairman of the Philippine Council for Urban Governance, director general of the Filipino Inventors Society, and first vice president of the World Scout Parliamentary Union based in Geneva, Switzerland. At present, he is the President of the Rotary Club of Quezton City, the mother club in Rotary International District 3780, and dutifully serving as Head Servant in St. Peter Church of the Diocese of Novaliches. He is a life member of the following organizations and institutions: Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), the Philippine Constitution Association (PHILCONSA), the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) Foundation, the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA), and the Order of the Knights of Rizal. He is listed as honorary member of the Rotary Club of Novaliches, the Rotary Club of Commonwealth, the Quezon City Center for Women in Development, and the Confederation of Overseas Filipino Workers in Hongkong. He served for more than a decade as national adviser of the Philippine Councilors’ League. Dr. Liban’s involvement in international affairs covers active membership in Rotary International, International Who's Who of Professionals, World Organization of Scouting Movement, Eastern Regional Organization in Public Administration, the World Alliance of YMCAs, and the World Scout Parliamentary Union. He is listed in the 7th edition of WHO'S WHO IN THE WORLD. A respected educator and distinguished public servant, the following universities conferred on him several honorary doctorate degrees, namely: Doctor of Public Administration by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines; Doctor of Humanities, by the Lyceum Northwestern University and the Central Luzon State University; Doctor of Laws, by the University of Northern Philippines, and Doctor on Pedagogy, by the Palawan State University. He served as Regent of the University of the Philippines System, and principally authored of U.P. Board of Regents’ Resolution approving the establishment of the U.P. National College of Public Administration and Governance (UPNCPAG). Dr. Liban, who hails from Tuguegarao, Cagayan, is married to the former Marvina Reina of La Paz, Iloilo and Oas, Albay, and blessed with five children, namely lawyer Joan Catherine, medical doctor Joan Cristine, professional nurse Joan Criselle, culinary arts practitioner Joan Carla, and college freshman Julio Carlo.