PROFILE OF AN ACHIEVER
by Ulysses V. Espartero
Usec Edsel T. Custodio
An Aklanon now holds a top position in the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Undersecretary Edsel T. Custodio is presently the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations of DFA. Concurrently, he is Philippine Senior Official (SOM) Chair to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
He’s in the active roster of the part-time consultant/cum expert on trade promotion and development, on trade policy, on ICT issues in the International Trade Center, UNCTAD, and the WTO Geneva
In 1964, he joined the Career Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC) in the Department of Trade and Industry. He was assigned as Attaché to Malaysia, Singapore, France and Trade Commissioner to the Europe and Chinese Taipei. In the course of 35 years work in the DTI, he handled extensive responsibility in trade promotion, SMEs development, regional economic cooperation in (ASEAN, APEC, ASEM) as well as other capacity building and institutional development responsibilities.
In 1967, he joined the Regional Export Promotion Training Program to Senior Trade Promotion Officials, ITC in Geneva. In 1972, he was named Director, a post he held until 1974, of RP-UNDP Export Promotion Project in the Philippines which conceptualized and institutionalized the export development and strategy programs of the Philippines in the years to come.
In 1992, he was appointed Acting Director of the Bureau of International Trade Relations of the Department of Trade and Industry.
In 1996, he was posted to the Executive Committee, Philippines Hosting of APEC Heads of Government and Ministerial Meeting Philippines.For seven years (1992-1999), he chaired the APEC Committee for Trade and Investments and the ASEAN Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM). In March 2000, he was named Chairman of the WTC Committee on Regional Trade Agreements.
From August 1999 to July 2003, he served as Ambassador and Alternate Permanent Representative to the WTO-Geneva, Department of Foreign Affairs. Finally in July 2003, he was appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO-Geneva.
Undersecretary Custodio has served the government for 45 years now.
He took up undergraduate and graduate courses from the University of the Philippines in economic, political science and business administrationfor the peiod 1954-1967. He was born on June 23, 1938 in Makato, Aklan. He is married to Edita B. Custodio, with three adult, and independent children.
