Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso

Mary Aileen Bacalso is an experienced human rights defender currently serving as the Executive Director at the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) since April 2023 and as a Lecturer at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines since September 2022. Bacalso has previously worked as a Consultant for the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines from March 2021 to April 2022 and as the Secretary General of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearance from June 1998 to July 2019. Educational qualifications include a Master's degree in Philippine Studies with a focus on Foreign Relations from the University of the Philippines, a Spanish Language degree from Instituto Cervantes, and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from St. Theresa's College.