Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) has appointed Louie Bacomo as the next Regional Director of JRS Asia Pacific. Bacomo will assume the role on June 1, when current director Fr Bambang A Sipayung SJ completes his term.
Bacomo first began working with JRS in Cambodia in 1997 where he stayed for two years. In 2010, he became Regional Programmes Officer for JRS in the Asia Pacific region. In this role, he helped to establish programmes in the southern Philippines and Myanmar. Since February 2016, he has been working as the International Programmes Coordinator at JRS’s International Office in Rome, Italy.
Bacomo has an MA in Sustainable International Development from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University in the United States, and a BA in Sociology from Xavier University in the Philippines. He has worked in Cambodia, Thailand, Belize and the US with government agencies, NGOs, grassroots communities and universities addressing issues related to environmental protection, education and forcible displacement.
Announcing the appointment, JRS International Director Fr Thomas Smolich SJ said, “Louie Bacomo brings extensive experience from JRS and other international NGOs to this position. We are grateful for his taking on this important role, and I know the staff, partners, and beneficiaries of JRS Asia Pacific look forward to his return.” [Jesuit Refugee Service]