Jessa joined the Institute in 2009 as a research and project assistant. She obtained her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Makati, graduating magna cum laude. As an administrative assistant, she provides project support and coordinates DLSU-JRIG's events. In addition, Ms. Pacheco is the organization's Financial Officer and manages all of the Institute's project grants and financial reporting.

Benz is the Program Manager for the Institute. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from UPLB and is pursuing a Master of Arts in Sociology at UP Diliman. Before joining the Institute, he worked as a Research Assistant on a national socio-economic study on corn and vegetable production funded by DOST-PCAARRD and as a Program Associate at the Asian Institute of Management. His research interests include religion and spirituality, politics, and governance.

Ana is the Office Assistant in the Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance. She is a graduate of BS in Office Management with Efficiency Award at Kalinga State University. As an Office Assistant, she performs administrative and office support for the Director and assists in the operational activities of the Institute in areas such as office and events management.

Ian Jayson R. Hecita is currently a Faculty Member of the Department of Political Science and Development Studies at De La Salle University. He is a trained and experienced public policy and governance specialist with over twenty-two (22) years of experience working with national government agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, Philippine and foreign universities, and international development institutions. He has co-led and implemented research programs, capacity development projects, and community engagement initiatives focusing on local governance, sustainable development, open government, and participatory governance. He was a Visiting Research Scholar at the Institute for Energy Systems, Economics, and Sustainability of Florida State University in 2010. He was a Fellow at the International Academy of Freedom of the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung in 2009.  His research thrusts include local governance,  decentralization, open government, and citizen/ civil society participation. 

Joshua serves as one of the Program Assistants in the Institute.  He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), graduating Cum Laude. During his undergraduate years, he was a proud member of The Political Science Forum (TPSF) in UST where he became involved in the organization of various institutional forums and public lectures. Before his current role, he was also among the graduates of the Institute’s  Internship Program, where he contributed to advancing research commitments on international education policy and gender-inclusive climate governance.  Currently, he is working on developing programs related to Open Government Partnerships (OGP), particularly through knowledge sharing efforts.

His professional and research interests circle around the areas of youth civic engagement, gender development, political communication, and public policy.

Eryl is a Program Assistant at the Institute and a product of JRIG’s Internship Program. He graduated magna cum laude from Far Eastern University (FEU) with a BA in Political Science, specializing in Philippine Politics and Foreign Relations. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Sociology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. 

He was a features writer for FEU Advocate, the official student publication of FEU, before serving as Managing Editor where he managed the day-to-day financial and administrative operations of the publication. He also represented FEU in various national and international debate competitions from 2022-2026. His research explores the intersection of queer politics, resistance in rural-urban spaces, postmodernism in Philippine popular media, and decolonial sociologies. 

Gen is a Program Assistant at the Institute. 

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Global Affairs and Diplomacy, specializing in Economic and Political Diplomacy from Miriam College, where she graduated magna cum laude and was awarded the Outstanding Student Leadership Award.

Prior to joining the Institute, she served as a Research and Program Management Intern at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Philippines. During her time at Miriam College, Geneva was also involved in various initiatives as an academic scholar, student journalist, and student leader. She led as the External Vice President of the Organization of Diplomatic, Humanitarian, and Economic Affairs in 2025 and of the Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng Miriam in 2026. 

Her areas of interest center on women’s empowerment, governance, and artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on advancing inclusive and sustainable policies on labor migration and the economic reintegration of migrant workers.

Fiona is a Research Assistant at the Institute, and was previously a Human Resources Officer at NORFIL Foundation, Inc. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Negros Oriental State University, where she was also recognized as a Presidential Academic Awardee and multi-year Dean's Lister.

During her undergraduate years, she was an active student leader, serving as President of the NORSU Psychology Society and the NORSU Psychology Interns, as well as a Representative for the Academic Faction of the NORSU League of Student Organizations, where she was recognized as one of its Most Outstanding LSO Officers. Her research interests include social psychology, indigenous psychology, and Sikolohiyang Pilipino.

Azriel is a Research Associate in the institute.

He finished a double degree in Financial Economics and Business Management at DLSU. He has worked as a data analyst for Institutional Shareholder Services under the Simfund team. He is currently finishing a Master of Science in Economics course also at DLSU. His research interests center around economic development and poverty.

Anne is a Research Associate at the Institute. She graduated from the University of the Philippines Los Baños with a degree in economics and a specialization in environmental economics.

During her time at college, she served as an education committee member for the UPLB Economics Society, a news staffer for UPLB Perspective, and an intern at the Resources, Environment, and Economic Center for Studies. Her primary research interest lies in examining how climate change impacts community development, disaster risk reduction, and gender inequality.