Juan Arturo Iluminado C. De Castro

Biography

Juan Arturo Iluminado C. de Castro or “Johnny” is a product of PAREF Southridge School for Boys (’98), the University of the Philippines (’01, ’06), and the University of California (UC) Berkeley (’09, ’11). He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science cum laude early and enjoyed studying at the UP College of Law, where he qualified for the Order of the Purple Feather Honor Society and graduated with more units than necessary. His experience at the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) defending decisions of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) before the appellate courts made him decide to specialize in energy law. Johnny de Castro obtained his Master of Laws and Doctorate in the Science of Law at UC Berkeley Law (Boalt Hall) – the only top-tiered law school with specialties in energy law and policy. This book stems from his doctoral dissertation under the mentorship of Professor Daniel A. Farber, chairman of the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) and co-director of the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE), both vital global think tanks in the United States. Professor Steven Weissman, a co-director of CLEE who teaches energy regulation and renewable energy law and policy, and Professor Emeritus Richard M. Buxbaum, an expert in Business and International Law, were also part of his doctoral dissertation committee. Energy economics and market dynamics in this book were learned from Professors Severin Borenstein and Catherine Wolfram of the Haas School of Business and the UC Energy Institute. Today, Dr. de Castro is managing partner of the De Castro & Cagampang-De Castro Law Firm, which specializes in corporate rehabilitation, as well as civil and commercial litigation, and whose clients include Batangas 1 Electric Cooperative (BATELEC 1) and the Wind Energy Developers Association of the Philippines (WEDAP). Johnny is also a consultant to the Joint Congressional Power Commission (JCPC) through Deputy Speaker Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar.