Executive Profile: Ma. Lourdes Sumilang

Ms. Sumilang is an administrator with wide-ranging experience in personnel management, office management, and the coordination and supervision of project backstopping support.

Since 1974, she had held various administrative positions in several private firms, including Muller and Phipps Manufacturing Corporation, Getz Corporation Philippines, Lep International Philippines, Inc., Asia Health Systems, Inc., and Inland Resources Development Corporation. At Getz Corporation, where she was connected from August 1976 to September 1980, she rose from Confidential Secretary of the Personnel Manager to Personnel Supervisor, with responsibility for providing support to the Vice‑President for Finance in staff functions related to the planning, installation, and maintenance of the Company's personnel program. She also experienced working with the Government when she served as Executive Assistant to the Administrator of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) from May 1986 to July 1987. There, she provided staff support and assistance to the Administrator in various matters and coordinated and liaised for the Office of the Administrator with the other departments and offices within and outside of NIA. From August 1987 to July 1989, she was Senior Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice‑President and Chief Operating Officer of Inland Resources Development Corporation (IRDC), with responsibility for coordinating staff support and project administration services.

She has been with PRIMEX since its inception, starting as Executive Assistant and promoted to Manager within one year in recognition of her exemplary performance in project administration and backstopping. In September 1995, she was promoted to Assistant Vice President with responsibility for the supervision and coordination of all technical and backstopping services and for the day-to-day management of the Company's various operations. She assists the President and the Vice President in ensuring that the Company's policies and systems and procedures are properly implemented, and in supervising all finance‑related work, particularly the preparation of vouchers and checks, payments of professional fees, disbursements, and collections, among others.

She also undertakes specific project assignments, as required, mainly as Project Coordinator or Administrator. Examples of such projects include the following:

USAID-funded Coastal Resource Management Project, Philippines (1996-2000);
CIDA-funded Philippine Local Government Support Project (1995-1998);
Provision of Administrative Support Services to the Preventive Nephrology Project of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (1995-1999);
ADB Regional Technical Assistance for the Institutional Strengthening and Collection of Environment Statistics in Selected Developing Member Countries (1995-1998); and
Secretariat Management for the CIDA-funded Western Pacific Fisheries Consultative Committee (WPFCC) (1989-1995).

Ms. Sumilang graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Commerce (major in Banking and Finance) from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.