Story by Christian Given Magaling, Visual Communications Officer
For Cheilo Padilla, some of the most meaningful signs of change come in ordinary moments.
A former scholar proudly sends her a photo of the cellphone he bought with his first earnings. An aspiring entrepreneur holds her hand while nervously delivering a business pitch. After a long day in the field, Cheilo returns home tired but fulfilled, knowing that her work has helped someone move closer to a better future.
These moments may never appear in a project report, but for Cheilo, they reveal the true impact of her work.
Doon ko nare-realize na di lang tayo nag-oorganize ng activity o program para sa kanila, kundi nagbibigay tayo ng chance sa kanila. Na pagkakataon lang pala yung need nila para ma-change yung buhay nila.
Today, Cheilo serves as a Program Officer for a Shell-funded program in Palawan under Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI). Nearly five years into her journey with the Foundation, she has witnessed how the right opportunity can transform an individual, strengthen a family, and create ripples of change throughout a community.
But as she helped others rebuild their lives, Cheilo found that her own life was changing, too.
“Kasi habang tinutulungan natin baguhin ang iba, di natin namamalayan na nababago din pala ang buhay natin.”
An Unexpected Path
Community development was not the career Cheilo initially imagined for herself.
A Tourism graduate, she spent nearly a decade working as a tourist guide in Palawan. She loved meeting people, sharing stories, and introducing visitors to the beauty of her home province. Then the COVID-19 pandemic brought tourism to a standstill, forcing Cheilo and many others in the industry to rethink their future.
In November 2021, she joined PSFI as a Community Advocacy Officer under the Global Fund-supported Movement Against Malaria Program. At first, she was unsure whether her background had prepared her for development work.
Over time, she realized that her years in tourism had already taught her some of the skills she needed most. She knew how to connect with people from different backgrounds, listen to their stories, navigate unfamiliar places, and build relationships based on trust.
Cheilo served under the Movement Against Malaria Program until December 2023. She returned to PSFI in April 2024 as a Project Officer and later assumed her current role as Program Officer, continuing her work with communities across Palawan.
What began as an unexpected career transition soon became a calling.
Di lang ako nagtatrabaho. Gusto ko is yung magenjoy din ako at love ko din siya. Yung alam mong kahit umuwi kang pagod pero alam mo yung may naging ambag ka sa buhay ng ibang tao.
Beyond What the Photos Show
Ask Cheilo what a typical workday looks like, and she will tell you that there is no such thing.
Some days are spent coordinating with partners, preparing reports, engaging stakeholders, and planning upcoming activities. On other days, she leaves before sunrise and travels for hours to reach geographically isolated communities.
In the field, her role can shift from one moment to the next. She may be a coordinator, facilitator, photographer, documenter, driver, problem-solver, or even an informal counselor.
People often see the photographs from a successful activity, a completed training, or a project launch. What they may not see are the weeks of preparation, long journeys, sudden changes, and countless conversations behind each accomplishment.
The work can be physically and emotionally demanding. Yet every journey has allowed Cheilo to better understand the realities communities face, particularly families with limited access to services, education, and livelihood opportunities.
These experiences taught her that development work is not simply about implementing activities. It is about listening to people, recognizing their potential, and helping create the conditions for them to move forward.
“Kasi pag binigyan mo ng tamang opportunity yung tao, mababago ang buhay niya pati ang pamilya niya.”
The Message That Stayed With Her
Among the many people Cheilo has worked with, one former scholar holds a special place in her memory.
After graduating and finding employment, the scholar sent Cheilo a photo of a new cellphone he had purchased using his own earnings. He thanked her for encouraging him to continue his studies and persevere through difficult moments.
To others, the cellphone might have seemed like a simple purchase. To Cheilo, it represented independence, dignity, and the beginning of a new chapter.
The message showed her that the impact of a program can continue long after the training sessions have ended and the reports have been submitted. A young person who receives an opportunity can find stable employment, support a family, and pursue possibilities that once seemed beyond reach.
She saw the same potential in a Shell LiveWIRE beneficiary who struggled with anxiety while delivering a business pitch. During the presentation, the participant held Cheilo’s hand for support. Later, the beneficiary thanked her for helping them find the courage to speak before an audience.
The experience reminded Cheilo that meaningful change is not always captured by large numbers. Sometimes, it begins quietly, when someone feels supported enough to take the next step.
For Cheilo, PSFI’s role is not to determine the path people should take. It is to help them recognize that they have the ability to shape their own future.
Tinutulungan natin silang ma-realize na kaya nilang baguhin yung sarili nilang buhay. Ito para sa akin yung pinakamagandang serbisyo na maibibigay natin.
A Transformation Close to Home
Cheilo understands the power of opportunity because she has experienced it herself.
Before joining PSFI, she faced a period of deep uncertainty. As a single mother raising three children, she struggled with unstable work and the challenge of providing for her family.
“Before, di ko sila kasama. Di ko kasi kayang buhayin silang tatlo.”
While working in El Nido, she was separated from her children. Despite doing everything she could to support them, she learned that they were being led to believe that she had abandoned them. She carried the pain of that separation while trying to find a way forward.
There were also people who doubted whether she could raise her children on her own. The collapse of the tourism industry during the pandemic made the situation even more uncertain.
Still, Cheilo held on to her faith and continued believing that better days would come.
Her opportunity with PSFI gave her more than a new professional direction. It brought stability and helped her rebuild her life. Today, her children are with her again, and one is preparing to graduate from college.
Si PSFI di lang nabago yung mga beneficiaries kundi pati ako as a mother nabago niya. Nakasama ko yung mga anak ko at nabigyan ko sila ng magandang buhay at mapapatapos ko ng college yung anak ko.
For Cheilo, success is not measured only through professional milestones. It can be found in family dinners, everyday conversations, and the chance to be present as her children pursue their dreams.
Her own experience has deepened the empathy she brings to every community. When she speaks with a parent struggling to provide for a family or a young person uncertain about the future, she understands how life-changing it can be when someone believes in you and gives you a chance.
Purpose, Shared
Cheilo draws strength from her faith, her children, and the communities she serves.
“Sila ang nagpapaalala kung bakit ko dapat ibigay yung best ko sa mga ginagawa ko.”
She is also quick to emphasize that lasting impact is never created by one person alone. Behind every training, scholarship, livelihood intervention, and community milestone is a network of colleagues, partners, volunteers, and community members working toward a shared goal.
“Nagre-reflect sa bawat training, bawat activity na ginagawa natin ay bunga rin siya ng teamwork. Kung sama-sama tayo, marami tayong buhay na mababago.”
As PSFI celebrates its 44th anniversary, Cheilo’s journey reflects the kind of change the Foundation has worked to nurture since 1982. It is change built through partnerships, sustained by people, and made possible by opportunities that enable individuals and communities to determine their own future.
Cheilo has grown from someone finding her way after an unexpected career disruption into a leader helping others find their own path forward.
“Di lang ako nag-grow bilang employee kundi nag-grow din ako bilang isang tao, bilang leader, at bilang isang ina.”
She carries many roles with pride: mother, leader, colleague, and changemaker. Yet what defines her is not the belief that she can change people’s lives on her own. It is her commitment to helping people discover that they have the power to change their own.
Her story is a reminder that an opportunity, when met with courage and supported by people who care, can transform far more than one life.
It can strengthen a family. It can inspire a community. It can also change the person who helped make it possible.
“Because this is more than a job. This is my calling.”
