MANILA, Philippines – UCPB General Insurance Co. Inc. (Cocogen) has named lawyer Darren de Jesus as the company’s president effective July 02, 2020, replacing Andres Narvasa Jr.
The appointment of De Jesus brings a fresh and younger approach to leadership that suits the dynamic non-life insurance landscape and growing market that targets the younger generations.
De Jesus is experienced in various legal practice areas, government relations, and public policy. Prior to joining Cocogen, he was the deputy secretary general of the Inter-Parliamentary and Public Affairs Department, House of Representatives, and sat as a member of its Executive Committee. He handled media, public relations, inter-parliamentary linkages, foreign affairs, and was instrumental in bringing the House proceedings online amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This allowed the seamless holding of plenary and committee hearings that led to the passage of urgent bills of national significance.
He served as the Head Executive Assistant of the Speaker of the House, where he oversaw political matters, policy formulation, and the overall administration of the institution.
While in the House, De Jesus was recognized as one of the top young leaders in the country, having been chosen by the US State Department as the Philippines’ representative in the International Visitors Leadership Program in 2018 on US Federalism and Democracy, and by China as a delegate in the Young Leaders’ Roundtable Discussion in the 2019 BoaoForum for Asia. In 2017, he was part of the Philippine delegation to the World Bank - IMF Annual Meeting.
De Jesus began his career as a litigation lawyer in one of the country’s biggest law firms, the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Office. He then joined the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as part of the General Counsel and Legal Services Office. Currently, he is a part-time lecturer at the De La Salle University and a bar review lecturer on commercial laws.