PROTECT Project

In every community, there are stories often left untold, stories hidden behind statistics, waiting to be understood. In Cotabato City, those stories finally found their voice.

Through the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Part III: Data Presentation and Validation, the Blas Ople Policy Center, with the support of AWO International Southeast Asia, gathered local enumerators, government partners, and community stakeholders for a simple but powerful purpose: to ensure that data reflects reality, not assumptions.

As participants sat together reviewing pages of collected information, the atmosphere shifted from technical to deeply personal. Numbers turned into familiar faces. Data points became stories of families striving, workers persevering, and communities navigating everyday challenges.

There were moments of realization when participants recognized gaps, corrected inconsistencies, and affirmed truths that only those on the ground could truly understand. It was not just about validating data; it was about honoring lived experiences.

By the end of the session, what they held was more than validated data. They carried with them a renewed sense of responsibility and ownership knowing that the information they helped refine will guide interventions that matter.

Because in BARMM, data is no longer just collected.
It is understood. It is owned. And most importantly, it is used to build a future that reflects the true needs of its people.

Empowering Returning OFWs Through Organizational Strengthening

CALATAGAN, BATANGAS | The Blas Ople Policy Center in partnership with AWO International Southeast Asia, successfully conducted a Session on Organizational Strengthening for returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), reinforcing their capacity to rebuild their lives with dignity and resilience.

The activity brought together 33 OFW beneficiaries, many of whom faced difficult reintegration challenges after experiencing job displacement, illegal recruitment, or exploitation abroad. Through interactive sessions on leadership, teamwork, and group management, participants strengthened their ability to function as organized groups capable of making collective decisions, resolving conflicts, and managing shared resources effectively.

More than just a training, the session became a safe space for rebuilding confidence and solidarity among OFWs.

“Hindi lang po kami tinuruan—pinakinggan din kami,” one participant shared, highlighting how the activity restored both their voice and sense of belonging.

With the continued support of AWO International Southeast Asia, the Ople Center is helping transform vulnerable returnees into organized, self-reliant groups ready to take control of their future.

From Overseas Worker to Community Changemaker

At just 13 years old, Sittie Alea left home to work abroad driven not by dreams of travel, but by the need to help her family survive. For years, she worked overseas, carrying the quiet sacrifices that many migrant workers know too well. When she finally returned home, she had the courage to start again but like many returning OFWs, rebuilding a stable life was not easy .

That’s when hope found its way through the support of the Blas Ople Policy Center, in partnership with AWO International Southeast Asia. Through skills training and livelihood assistance, Sittie learned how to produce siopao, siomai, and native delicacies turning simple skills into a pathway for sustainable income.

But her journey didn’t stop there.

Together with fellow beneficiaries, Sittie helped establish the Al-Bhannat Overseas Workers Association a group built to support migrant workers and their families. What started as individual assistance grew into a shared enterprise that now generates income and opportunity for many.

Today, their products are recognized in local markets and even sold at Awang Airport in Cotabato City proof that with the right support, reintegration can lead to empowerment .

From a young girl who once left home out of necessity, Sittie is now helping others build futures at home.

This is the power of reintegration when compassion meets opportunity.

Through the partnership of the Blas Ople Policy Center and AWO International Southeast Asia, Sittie’s story reminds us that empowering one returnee can uplift an entire community.