Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla has served in government for more than 20 years in various capacities --- professor of law in the University of the Philippines (UP), Undersecretary at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) under three Presidents, President and CEO of PSALM, besides sharing his expertise as legal consultant to several Senate Presidents and Senators. He is currently in his second stint as Secretary of Energy. He also served as Regional Programme Director of a regional seas project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

In the private sector, he was an independent director in several publicly listed conglomerates with diverse interests, including energy and financial services.