Atty. Lesley Jeanne Y. Cordero

Commissioner-at-Large

 

ATTY. LESLEY JEANNE Y. CORDERO is the Commissioner-at-Large of the National Youth Commission under the Office of the President of the Philippines.

She was an assistant legal specialist and project management consultant of USAID Energy and Clean Air Project in the Philippines. She has helped local government units in crafting policies and has assisted DENR, DOE and DOTC in drafting guidelines to promote clean air and clean energy in our country. She has conducted training workshops on climate change mitigation and adaptation. She is also involved in the Global Legal Action against Climate Change Movement.

Concurrently, she was a technical and legal research assistant of Castalia Strategic Advisors in their AUSAID-Philippine Economic Reform and Governance Institution Strengthening of NEDA through Value Engineering, Contract Preparation and Performance Monitoring of Government Infrastructure Projects

In 2008, Atty. Lesley served as the political communications director of Laurence J. Brahm, an American socio-political figure based in China. She liaised with Embassies, Ambassadors and diplomats to discuss pressing issues in the Asian region. She has conducted informal press briefings for foreign media correspondents from CNN, BBC, AP, Reuters, TIME, and Newsweek; journalists from London, France, Germany, India, Malaysia, and Singapore.

She was also a program development manager of the Shambhala Foundation, a social enterprise focused on poverty alleviation, education, health, and micro-equity projects in Western China. She coordinated with international organizations, government agencies and business chambers for their projects. She has worked with the United Nations, Foreign Correspondents Community, and the Diplomatic Circle in Beijing.

During the 2007 Senatorial Elections, she was dubbed as the youngest election lawyer who headed the legal team of Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri. She also served as a spokesperson for the Senator’s environmental agenda, the Renewable Energy Act and the Philippine Biofuels Act.

In 2006, she served as a legislative officer in the office of the Majority Leader Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan. She facilitated the passage of bills such as the Automated Election System, Abolition of Death Penalty, Juvenile Justice Law,2006 Biofuels Act.

Lesley was also active in youth programs. She headed the 2006 Philippine Delegation to the China-Asean Youth Exchange Program and the Batch President of the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation China Scholarship Program in 2007.

As a youth leader, she was awarded one of The Outstanding Students of the Philippines (Region VII), The Outstanding Cebuano Youth Leader, USC Outstanding Leader and USC Outstanding Graduate. Atty. Lesley was a recipient of the University of San Carlos Most Outstanding Alumni honors. In 2008, she holds the distinction of being the youngest Most Outstanding USC Alumni awardee in the history of the university.

This Cebuana lawyer graduated magna cum laude with a degree of Bachelor of Philosophy from the University of San Carlos in 2001. She later finished her Juris Doctor of Laws degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 2005.