de la Rosa, O.P., is the Rector Magnificus (president) of the Pontifical University of St.
Thomas Aquinas in Rome, as of 1 September 2016.
Formerly, he served as the Rector Magnificus of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Asia.
A religious leader and a seasoned educator, he was appointed by then Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education in 2004.