In the highlands of Talifugao in the municipality of Conner, a young woman quietly rises in leadership, not with a commanding voice, but with steady hands, integrity, and heart.
At 27, Alexy Joyce D. Rufino carries the quiet strength often unseen but deeply felt. As the eldest child in her family, she grew up valuing hard work, humility, and the unbreakable bonds of kinship. Her dreams were simple yet powerful: to give her family a future they could be proud of and to serve the community that shaped her.
Her journey began at 25, when she volunteered under Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) from 2023 to 2024. As a member of the Procurement Team, she helped manage funds and assisted in facilitating labor payments for community workers. Behind the paperwork were sleepless thoughts, worries about miscalculations, about whether the funds would be enough, and about making mistakes.
Those nervous moments became her training ground. They taught her that leadership is not about power, but responsibility. That integrity is not optional in service, it is its foundation.
Through constant interaction with community members, Alexy began to discover her own voice. What started as hesitant participation turned into confident coordination. The once-shy volunteer found strength in engagement, learning how to listen, how to mediate, and how to stand firm when decisions needed to be made.
In October 2023, she was appointed Barangay Secretary. When KALAHI-CIDSS returned in 2025, she once again answered the call, serving as Barangay Development Council – Technical Working Group (BDC-TWG) Secretary. Each role deepened her skills in organizing communities and coordinating stakeholders but more importantly, it strengthened her belief that women belong at the center of development.
Her commitment to community service soon opened new doors. After meeting the qualifications and successfully completing the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s hiring process, Alexy now serves as a Community Empowerment Facilitator (CEF). From once assisting in procurement activities as a volunteer, she now helps guide communities in planning and implementing their own development initiatives in Apayao. Her journey from volunteer to facilitator shows how grassroots leadership can grow when women are empowered to take part in development.
“I have realized that being a leader does not require a loud voice, but rather a sincere heart and a dedication to helping one’s home,” Alexy shared, reflecting on her journey.
This Women’s Month, as we echo the call to “Lead like the Babaylans, Filipinas”, Alexy’s story reminds us that the Babaylans of today do not only stand in sacred spaces, they stand in barangay halls, in procurement meetings, in community assemblies. They lead with wisdom, courage, and compassion. They nurture change not through dominance, but through service.
In Conner, Apayao, one empowered woman proves that leadership rooted in humility can transform not only a community but a life. #DSWD-CAR, KALAHI-CIDSS RPMO, Yvonne Gracious T. Elegado, Project Development Officer III
