Moving home
I moved back to my hometown in the Philippines right after graduating with an MA in Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford in December 2018. This was around the time that the Bangsamoro autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao was established – the culmination of several years of peace talks between the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
As a result, I was able to use the skills, network, and experience I gained during my Chevening year, to focus my work around building institutions in support of the new government.
Since my scholarship
In the past three years, I have been engaged in multiple research and development projects. This includes strategic planning consultancies with the offices of several members of the Bangsamoro parliament, working under a donor-funded program in support of the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education, and involvement in various research works such as The Asia Foundation’s Rapid Needs Assessment of Orphans in Muslim Mindanao and Overseas Development Institute’s Inclusion in Displacement and Peacebuilding.
I’ve also turned my hand to journalism, publishing several opinion pieces on the Bangsamoro. I was invited to be a resource speaker at an International Conference on Women’s Rights and Peace, and recently became a member of the Board of Trustees of the Chevening Alumni Foundation of the Philippines.
Where I am now
I am currently engaged in a consultancy period at the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy on the creation of the Bangsamoro energy development plan. I’m also working on my own projects around youth literacy, intangible cultural heritage, and archiving.
I had an amazing time at Bradford and the UK more widely. Thanks to Chevening for giving me this opportunity.