MANILA — Career executive Aileen Anunciacion R. Zosa is the first woman
president and chief executive officer of the Bases Conversion and Development
Authority, taking her oath of office before President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in
Malacañan Palace on Aug. 11.
Zosa will be bringing to the table 27 years of institutional knowledge with the
BCDA and know-how in the fields of business development and public policy,
aside from more than a decade’s worth of experience in various academic and
bureaucratic positions in the public sector including the Senate, the Office of the
President, and the Commission on Audit.
As the BCDA PCEO, Ms. Zosa will continue the infrastructure thrust of the
previous administration. Additionally, her focus will be on revenue generation,
especially for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, modernization, and in
strengthening the BCDA organization to be more responsive and efficient in the
delivery of projects.
“For the development of our properties, we have introduced three major
components that will distinguish our properties from the pack and make our
projects more globally competitive. These are sustainability, gender diversity and
gender sensitivity, as well as smart components,” Zosa said. “Our projects should
embed those three important elements. I hope that my experiences and
perspective as a career executive and as a woman continue to bring a different
lens on approaching opportunities and challenges for BCDA.”
Rising through the ranks, Zosa started her career in BCDA as manager for
corporate planning and project development, was promoted to vice president,
and on to be the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the state
firm until July this year.
Knowing the institution inside out, the executive aims to improve systems and
processes in the organization and to “do more with less,” noting that the
government will have to cope with tightening budgets.
Zosa started her career in government service in the Commission on Audit in 1984
under then Commission Secretary Leonor M. Briones, former Department of
Education secretary. She also worked in the Office of Senate Majority Leader
Teofisto Guingona, Jr. where she undertook policy and legislative support
functions, and actively participated in the research, formulation, and
deliberations on the Bases Conversion Law and the Special Economic Zones Law.
These laws eventually laid the foundation of the BCDA. Zosa replaced Atty. Aristotle B. Batuhan, who served as officer-in-charge of the
BCDA Office of the President and CEO since October 2021.
