Cesar Ilao III is a Filipino communications specialist and an aspiring researcher based in Melbourne. He is interested in the interplay of media, religion, and migration studies, having done his undergraduate research on Muslim migrants from areas ravaged by prolonged conflict in Mindanao. He was involved in the Philippine economic policy landscape as the communications head of the Foundation for Economic Freedom. He coordinated with legislators and devised political communication strategies that helped introduce several landmark laws affecting agriculture and property rights, labour exportation, and free trade amidst transformations in both local and global political economies. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Development Communication from the University of the Philippines in 2020, finishing as valedictorian (magna cum laude) of the College of Development Communication. He is also an IAF Alumni of Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (FNS)