Asec. Genevieve E. Velicaria-Guevarra is the New OIC, Executive Director of PhilFIDA

Date Posted July 2023

Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has recently appointed Atty. Genevieve E. Velicaria-Guevarra as the new Officer-in-Charge (OIC)-Executive Director of the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA) in addition to her role as Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs and Department Legislative Liaison Officer (DLLO) at DA.

Asec-OIC Guevarra graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication, major in Journalism, from the University of the Philippines-Baguio in 1998. Driven by her pursuit for higher learning and in making a positive impact in people's lives and the community, Asec-OIC Guevarra pursued a Bachelor of Laws degree at the San Beda College of Law, then later in Arellano University School of Law, and became a full-fledged lawyer in 2006.

Atty. Guevarra began her legal career as an Associate Lawyer at the Philippine Supreme Legal Advocates Inc. (PSLAI), where she handled various litigation cases involving labor disputes, family relations, and other legal matters. In 2007, she entered government service as an operations lawyer at the Commission on Elections, where she contributed heavily in policy making and in the conduct of national, local and special elections. One of Atty. Guevarra’s electoral highlights included her designation as Head of the Printing Committee for the 2016 National and Local Elections. Her main responsibility was to oversee the printing of official ballots and accountable forms in close collaboration with the National Printing Office, ensuring smooth coordination which resulted to the printing of 63 million ballots in a record-breaking 57 days. She was also designated as the Acting Head of the Overseas Filipino Voters Office in 2017, where she implemented rules and regulations on registration of Filipino voters overseas with the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs. She also proposed a study on how to increase accessibility of overseas voting for Filipinos through the use of the internet technology. 

Atty. Guevarra’s breadth of experience extends beyond the legal and electoral realms. In 2014, she underwent and successfully hurdled the 4-stage CESO examination and was conferred Career Executive Officer-Eligible (CESE) status by the Career Executive Service Board. In 2017, she finished a 6-month Senior Executive Public Management course with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), of which she was conferred with Leadership and With Honors Awards.

Atty. Guevarra also possesses extensive expertise in legislative affairs and public relations. In 2019 she took a leap of faith and served as the Chief Political Affairs Officer for the Office of Cong. Jorge "PATROL" Bustos, representing the PATROL Party-List in the House of Representatives. Her contributions during this time involved developing policies and bills aimed at promoting the public safety sector. In addition to that, she took charge of the overall administration and coordinated with different government agencies to seek assistance for congressional projects and activities.

Most recently, Atty. Guevarra served as Court Attorney V at the Office of Hon. Nesauro H. Firme, a Regular Member (academic) of the Judicial and Bar Council at the Supreme Court in Manila. In this capacity, she handled and assisted the search, screening, and selection processes for appointees to the Judiciary and the Office of the Ombudsman. Her proficiency and diligent evaluation significantly contributed to upholding the integrity and competence of the justice system.

On March 8, 2023, Atty. Guevarra was fortunate enough to have been appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Agriculture.