Director Natural joined government right after graduation and has been a public servant ever since. She joined the government as a way of giving back to the people, to whom she owes her education, having attended public schools from elementary until postgraduate level. Her keen interest in science paved the way for her moving to the Manila Science High School after completing her elementary education. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences at the University of the Philippines Manila. Then, she pursued a Diploma in Development Studies at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Years later, she earned her Masters of Public Administration at the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance. She started off as a contractual employee of two national government agencies over a span of five years before applying for a permanent position at the Department of Agriculture (DA). It is at the DA where she stayed the longest, for almost 30 years. It is in this office where she gained a lot of experience while serving in various capacities, starting from being a junior project evaluation officer until she was designated Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Director, Planning and Monitoring Service.
Needless to say, she immensely enjoyed her work and gave her a sense of fulfillment and purpose, especially having the opportunity to directly interact with farmers and fisherfolk. In March 2018, she joined the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Staff of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA-ANRES). ANRES acts as oversight for agriculture and fisheries sectors and matters pertaining to the environment and natural resources. ANRES work covers agriculture and fisheries concerns, agrarian reform, environment and natural resources, including climate change. Part of their work in ANRES is policy formulation backed up by research/data science.