Ambassador Laura Quiambao-Del Rosario was the DFA Undersecretary for International Economic Relations under the Aquino administration, from 2011-2016. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) were all within her remit. She was also in charge of bilateral economic relations and formed or led investment missions to other countries to augment the efforts of the Department of Trade and Industry, especially in countries where there are no Trade Attachés. Missions were brought to Japan, Korea, the Seychelles, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, and Iran.

The ambassador’s economic diplomacy focus was balanced by her work in political policy during her assignment as diplomatic Minister for Political Affairs in the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C (1993-2000), and as Director General of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) from 2009-2011.

Commissioned as a career Foreign Service Officer in 1979, she was also assigned to the Philippine embassy in Singapore, was appointed the Alternate Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna, and served as Ambassador to India and Vietnam.

In 2012, President Benigno Aquino III honored her with the Gawad Kamanong (Grand Cross) for her work in economic diplomacy and in 2016, received the presidential Sikatuna Award (Gold Distinction) for her work in chairing APEC 2015. Upon her retirement from government service in June 2016, she was given the President’s Medal of Merit for her service to government and country. She was also inducted as an Eminent Fellow in the Council of Fellows at the Development Academy of the Philippines in February 2016.

Ambassador Del Rosario obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature, magna cum laude, in 1968 from Maryknoll College, her Master’s degree in Literature, benemeritus, from the University of Santo Tomas in 1975, and her Masters in Education at the University of the Philippines in 1978.