Dr. Abueva was Professor Emeritus of Political Science & Public Administration who served as the President of the University of the Philippines System from 1987 to 1993 and Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Diliman from 1990 to 1991. His specializations include democracy and governance, political science, politics and administration, and decentralization and federalism.
He was the Secretary of the Philippine Constitutional Convention of 1971 and the chairman of the Legislative-Executive Military Bases Council from 1989 to 1990. and as chairperson of the Consultative Constitutional Commission during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2005.
Professor Emeritus Abueva was a visiting professor at Yale University and Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (CUNY) and guest lecturer at the University of Michigan, the University of Hawaii, the University of Oregon, Cornell University, Duke University, Tufts University, Sophia University in Tokyo, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, Waseda University, the City University of New York, Colombia University, University of California, Berkeley and Northern Illinois University among others. He also taught at the United Nations University in Tokyo, Japan and worked for the Ford Foundation.
Dr. Abueva has written a number of books, including “Focus in the Barrio: The Foundation of the Philippine Community Development Program”, “Reinventing UP as the National University: Learning for Truth, Leadership, and Social Transformation”, “Towards a Federal Republic of the Philippines with a Parliamentary Government by 2010: A Draft Constitution”, “Charter Change for Good Governance: Towards a Federal Republic of the Philippines with a Parliamentary Government”, “Ramon Magsaysay: A Political Biography”, and “Ang Filipino sa Siglo 21.” Dr. Abueva also edited the 20-volume “PAMANA: The UP Anthology of Filipino Socio-Political Thought since 1872”, “Handbook of Philippine Public Administration”, and “The Post-EDSA Vice-Presidency, Congress, and Judiciary: Self Assessments and Alternative Assessments” among many other publications.
