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Leila Rispens-Noel, President and co-Founder
Leila presently works as Senior Advisor for International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI), a network of more than 300 microfinance institutions located in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Before she took the position as Senior Advisor, she was Interim Remittances Programme Manager where she managed the start up of EC-funded project titled “Harnessing the Potentials of Migration for Development by Linking Microfinance Institutions and Immigrant Associations” which is implemented in 10 Sub-Sahara African and 10 European countries.
Before joining INAFI, Leila was Programme Manager at Oxfam Novib, a Dutch development agency based in the Netherlands. She provided technical assistance to Netherlands-based, Dutch non-governmental and Diaspora organizations with projects in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Cameroon. She was the focal person on microfinance, remittances and migration and development. She also designed and implemented capacity building programs tailored for Diaspora organizations. Since joining Oxfam Novib in 2001, Leila has been advocating for the inclusion of migration in development strategies and the active participation of Diaspora organizations in decision-making processes in the field of migration and development.
Leila was a member of International Advisory Committee of the Civil Society Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD) 2008. She is presently a member of the Migrants Advisory Board (MAB) of the EC-UN Joint-Initiative for Migration and Development.
She is director and co-founder of WIMLER Foundation Hong Kong.
She earned her BS degree in Commerce (Major Accounting) at the Holy Cross of Davao College (Philippines) and diploma in Rural and Agricultural Project Planning at the Institute of Social Studies (The Hague, The Netherlands). She finished her MA in Migration Studies at Miriam College, Manila.
In 2017, she set up Xabukid Trading, a social enterprise to assist small entrepreneurs. Her fields of interest are migration, remittances, development, and microfinance.
After living for 32 years in the Netherlands and three years Hong Kong, Leila and her husband finally decided to spend most of their time in her hometown in Bansalan. Leila continues with her volunteer work through WIMLER.
Location: Hong Kong (SAR)
E-mail: [email protected]
Alpha Vargas Lajato, Vice-President
Alpha’s expertise is in the field of Program and Project Planning, Coordination, and Evaluation having performed as project manager, resource person, facilitator, on-site coach, documentor, monitoring and evaluation team leader, and technical writer in different capability building projects implemented by Development Academy of the Philippines-Mindanao Office (1992-2002) and as freelance development worker (2002-present) . Alpha performed some assignments related to projects funded by EU, World Bank, AusAID, CIDA, and USAID-IFES.
She has been involved in CIDA-funded GREAT Women Project implemented by the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) in eight (8) provinces nationwide. Currently, she is engaged as the Local Area Coordinator for the Province of Davao del Sur covering the municipalities of Bansalan, Matanao, and Sta. Cruz. As such, she coordinates with the Project Technical Working Groups in the implementation of all activities that aim to put in place enabling mechanisms for women micro-entrepreneurs and women workers of micro- enterprises.
She also acted as project manager and co-facilitator of another CIDA-funded project to create PALMA Alliance in North Cotabato, and the Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance (AVLDA) of South Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat (and the 9 municipalities from the provinces), respectively.
Alpha earned her Master of Arts in Anthropology (Academic units completed) Silliman University, Dumaguete City, and Master of Arts in Education (12 units) at the University of Southeastern Philippines, Davao City.
Location: Davao City, Philippines
E-mail: [email protected]
Amelita Balisalisa Atillo, Secretary
Melot is currently a freelance consultant and a social science practitioner specializing in Monitoring and Evaluation. She has a long experience in social development work that highlights rural development and lasting peace as approaches to rural poverty reduction and sustainable development. She is adept on linking initiatives of stakeholders, building alliances and networking with local government units, national line agencies, and civil society organizations and highly familiar with overseas development assistance (ODAs) and foreign-assisted development projects.
In recent past, she managed the JICA’s strengthening the health delivery system program in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. She served as human resource consultant for AusAID projects in the country that dealt on the different Australian scholarship delivery modes. She was a gender specialist for an IFC/World Bank gender study that tried to locate and determine the role of women in the banana industry and the constraints and opportunities the industry presents to the women.
Melot believes that each citizen has a civic duty thus she volunteers her time and engages herself in the activities of Kusog Mindanao and Mindanao Peace Advocates Coalition (MPAC). Last year, she coordinated a team comprised of bosom friends from college days to undertake a research on how Mindanao communities and clans deal with conflict and build peace.
Being a part-time college teacher at the Ateneo de Davao University (1978-1980; 1991-1999), she believes in the liberating factor of education. She taught Sociology subjects, regional economics and political economy to junior and senior students. As a fulltime endeavor for 13 years spanning three Philippine presidents (1983-1996), she guided the Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao (AFRIM), the oldest research NGO in the island, to provide information as alternative to mainstream providers especially during the martial law years.
Melot represented the civil society to the City Development Council of Davao (1993-1998), private sector representative to the Regional Development Council (1995-1998) and chairperson of Davao City’s Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordination Committee or PARCOMM (1998-2000). She was a recipient of a plaque of appreciation from the City Government of Davao for her active participation and support in the formulation of Ordinance No. 5004, otherwise known as the Women Development Code of Davao City.
Being a working student and scholarship grantee from college to graduate school, she believes it is “pay-back time”. She is happy to devote part of her time with Wimler Foundation.
Location: Davao City, Philippines
E-mail: [email protected]
Lydia Doromal, Treasurer
Lydia is a part-time instructor at Holy Cross of Bansalan College teaching subjects such as Micro/Macro Economics, Risk Management, Public Finance, and Corporate Social Responsibility.
She also works at the Department of Agrarian Reform (Malita, Davao del Sur) since 1999 up to the present as Agrarian Reform Program Technologist. Her main tasks include conduct of ocular inspection, interview, identify, and evaluate farmer beneficiaries. She also conducts meetings, networking, and linkaging barangay, municipal officials, non-governmental organizations, cooperatives and other peoples’ organizations. She also mediates and conciliates complaints related to agrarian disputes.
In 2004, she has been tasked to organize, manage, and supervise farmers’ cooperatives. She conducts and facilitates capacity building trainings for farmers. She was also assigned as focal point person on Gender and Development.
Her related activities: Conduct cross-training in Community Organizing, Facilitation and conducting seminars and trainings, Personnel Administration, projects Management, Financial Management, Leadership Management, Technical and Operation and sustainable Procedures of PWS and Skills training as Women Desk Officer.
Location: Bansalan, Davao del Sur, Philippines
E-mail: [email protected]
Atty. Angelisa Razo, Member
Since January 2008, Angie is managing her own law office. She was a legal officer from July 2008-September 2009 at the Foundation for Agrarian Reform in Mindanao Cooperatives (FARMCOOP), Inc. She is also a professor at the College of Law, Cor Jesu College, Digos City handling laws on Property, Land Titles and Deeds; and Environmental and Natural Resources. From June 2005-December 2007 she served as staff lawyer at Paglilingkod Batas Pangkapatiran Foundation (PBPF), Inc.
Aside from her law practice, Angie is also engaged in various advocacy works particularly on environment, gender, and human rights. Angie was born in Bansalan and one of the few graduates who opted to stay and serve their own community.
Angie earned her degree in Bachelor of Laws at the Ateneo de Davao University College of Laws (2004) and Bachelor of Arts in Communication Research (cum laude) at the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (1999). She passed the bar examination in 2004. Angie is affiliated with Paglilingkod Batas Pangkapatiran Foundation (PBPF) Inc.; Green Juris (Environment Legal Advocacy Organization); Ateneo de Davao Legal Advocacy Works (AdDLAW), and Ateneo de Davao Legal Services Office (Legal Aid).
Location: Bansalan, Davao del Sur, Philippines
E-mail: [email protected]
Dr. Duane Salud, Member
Duane is an otolaryngologists-head and neck surgeon. Otolaryngology is the branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose and throat, and head and neck disorders. Duane earned his diploma in B.S. Medical Technology on January 1994—March 1997 at the Trinity College of Quezon City and Degree in Doctor in Medicine on May 2002 at St. Luke’s William H. Quasha College of Medicine. He passed his Philippine Medical Board Examination in August 2002.
On October 1, 2008 to April 1, 2009, he attended the Sleep Medicine Fellowship training in Laryngology at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taoyuan,Taiwan R.O.C.
Duane has practices in Davao City, Digos City and Bansalan (Davao del Sur Provice); and in Kidapawan City, Malalag, and Makilala (North Cotabato). He considers Bansalan as his homebase.
Location: Bansalan, Davao del Sur, Philippines
Email: [email protected]
Ma. Lourdes Tiangco, Member
Malou has been in the development work in the past 35 years. Starting to work with the Development of People’s Foundation in Davao City in 1973, catering to the urban poor women of Davao City, sparked her commitment to work for the deprived, oppressed, poor, exploited and marginalized (DOPEM). Her stints with the Mindanao Sulu Pastoral Secretariat in the 70s as Trainor and Facilitator in the conscientization programs of the Church using Theater, further cemented her commitment to work for the DOPEM. Being a single parent to her only child in the 80s compelled her to join the Department of Social Welfare and Development as a Program Specialist for children, family and women for 14 years. Thus, from the 80s todate Malou has been in the mainstream social work practice, specializing in clinical practice.
Simultaneous to being a government employee, Malou continued to be connected to various non-government and people’s organizations. She was Board of Consultant and at the same time a therapist to the children survivors of armed-conflict with the Children’s Rehabilitation Center for Mindanao, from the 70s todate; Board of Trustee Member and at the same time counselor for the women and children survivors of violence with Bathaluman Crisis Center since the 90s todate. Honed in the clinical and rehabilitation of children and women survivors of violence and armed-conflict, Malou was invited by University of the Philippines Trauma and Human Rights Program to design a module on the biopsychosocial care of children survivors traumatized in East Timor. She implemented the Module as Trainor-Facilitator for the teachers, parents, and religious handling the children in East Timor in Jakarta, Indonesia, representing the Philippines in collaboration with Community and Family Services International, and UNICEF Jakarta.
Malou as an educator has been connected in the local colleges for almost a decade now. She has been with the Holy Cross College of Davao from 1995-todate where she handles subjects like: gender and development, Philippine social realities, social legislation, and major subject in social work.
Location: Davao City, Philippines
Email: [email protected]