The Filipino Profiles

Jesli A. Lapus is the Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd). Prior to his cabinet appointment, Lapus was known as a top professional manager in the manufacturing and financial sectors, a certified public accountant (CPA), a college professor, and a member of the House of Representatives for three consecutive terms, serving from 1998 to 2007.

Lapus was born on September 12, 1949 in Tarlac, Tarlac. He attended the Little Flower Academy (Holy Spirit Academy) in Tarlac for his elementary and secondary education. In 1969, he earned a BS in accountancy from the St. Louis University in Baguio City, finishing college in three years and subsequently passing the accountancy board exams. He further honed his management skills by enrolling in the Masters in Business Management (MBM) program of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and graduating in 1973. In 1998, Lapus was conferred a doctorate in public administration (honoris causa) by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP).

Other Information

• Name :  Jesli A. Lapus
• Birthday : September 12, 1949
• Birthplace : Tarlac, Tarlac
• Residence  : Nicolas, Conception, Tarlac (Provincial); Unit 38-A The Salcedo Park, H.V. dela Costa, Salcedo Village, Makati City (Metro Manila)
• Schools Attended :
  • Elementary education, Little Flower Academy (Holy Spirit Academy), Tarlac (1961)
  • Secondary education, Little Flower Academy (Holy Spirit Academy), Tarlac (1965)
  • BS Accounting, St. Louis University (1969)
  • Masters in Business Management, Asian Institute of Management (1973)
  • Doctor in Public Administration, Polytechnic University of the Philippines (1998)
  • Investment Appraisals and Management, Harvard University, United States of America (USA)
  • Management of Transfer of Technology, INSEAD, France
  • Project Management, BITS, Sweden
  • Personal Financial Planning, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA
• Spouse : Teresita Crisostomo

Career Highlights

• Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd)
• Representative, 3rd district, Tarlac (1998-present)
• President, chief executive officer, and vice chairman of the board of directors, Land Bank of the Philippines (1992-1998)
• President, Asia Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (1994-1995)
• President and chief executive officer, Pacific Products Inc. (1990-1992)
• Director, Union Bank of the Philippines (1988-1992)
• Agrarian reform undersecretary, Deparment of Agrarian Reform (1987-1989)
• Managing director and chief operating officer, Triumph International Philippines (1979-1986)
• Vice president and chief finance officer, RAMCAR Inc. Group of Companies (1973-1979)
• Auditor and consultant, Sycip, Gorres and Velayo (1969-1973)
• President, Optimus Management Services Inc.

Affiliations

• Founder and chairman, People’s Credit and Finance Corporation
• Founding president, Kuya Foundation, Tarlac
• Chairman and founder, Col. Jesus R. Lapus Scholarship Fund

Awards and Recognitions

• Triple A Award, outstanding achievements in the practice of Management (the highest AIM alumnus award), (1980)
• Hall of Fame, Outstanding Legislator for 5 consecutive years (2000-2004), Makati Graduate School and Congress Magazine
• Datu Bantugan V, invaluable service to Mindanao
• Outstanding Citizen of Pampanga and Tarlac
• Outstanding CPA in the Philippines
• Outstanding Legislator of the Consumers Union of the Philippines