Arlene Lusterio is a licensed architect and environmental planner. She is one of the founders of TAO-Pilipinas and has been its Executive Director since 2001. While running a technical assistance NGO, she has also done consultancy work as a specialist on People’s Planning and Social Housing for the Department of Interior and Local Government and for Asia Foundation. She serves as board member for Partnership of Philippine Support and Service Agencies (PHILSSA) and as co-convenor for Philippine-Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI). Arlene is also a principal at the planning and design consultancy firm PROS Architects and Planners Inc.

Geraldine Matabang is a licensed architect and environmental planner. She has Master of Arts in Urban & Regional Planning and Bachelor of Science in Architecture degrees from the University of the Philippines.She joined TAO-Pilipinas first as a member of its Board of Trustees in 2001 and worked full-time to head the Young Professionals Program from 2005 to 2010. She is currently its Core Operations Head for Internal Affairs and formerly the Education and Training Program Director where she oversaw its capability building programs for social housing projects, designed participatory shelter planning modules and facilitated trainings for government, civil society and community-based organizations. Ge has published manuals and monographs about community planning, disaster-resilient design and humanitarian shelter assistance.

Angelus Maria Sales is a licensed architect whose field of interest lies in historic preservation. Angel has a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the University of the Philippines College of Architecture and a Graduate Diploma in Archaeology from the University of the Philippines Archaeological Studies Program (UP ASP). She initially joined TAO-Pilipinas in 2005 as a staff for the Research and Publications Program and worked on the regular publication of TAO Shelter magazine, project documentation, and a research project on heritage conservation. She has authored and published two manuals on house construction for social housing. She moved to lead the Young Professionals Program by 2013. She is currently the Core Operations Head for External Affairs of TAO-Pilipinas.

Theresse Julia is a licensed architect. She graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. Theresse started out volunteering at TAO-Pilipinas as a member of the student organization UP Task Force Arki and then applied as an intern after graduation. She became a full-time staff for the Research and Publication Program in 2017, working on project documentation and producing information, education and communication (IEC) materials for TAO’s community partners. She is now the project team leader for Lupang Arenda and PPVHOA. She also leads in other project engagements. Her fields of interest are in urban planning, urban design and community architecture.

Dessica Salvador joined TAO-Pilipinas as an apprentice in 2015 while still a student at the Technological Institute of the Philippines where she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 2019. As a student-intern, Dessica assisted in CAD production and created community planning workshop tools and scaled models of TAO’s various shelter unit designs. She is now a full-time staff assisting in two project areas. Dessica has special interest in the arts, joining several art contests and was a student paper cartoonist in secondary school. Her research interest is in sustainable architecture. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the integration of urban farming-based livelihood in the development of a low-income community in Quezon City.

Marianne Turiano is a BS Architecture graduate of University of Santo Tomas. After graduating, her work experience as an architectural designer with private firms was focused on high-end residential projects. Since joining TAO-Pilipinas in 2020 she has been exposed to social housing and community upgrading projects. Marianne currently assists in the development of the PPVHOA high density housing in Manila and in producing GIS maps for the site upgrading of Lupang Arenda settlement in Taytay. Gender and development and community architecture are her research interests.