Built on Gratitude: My Journey from Engineer to Advocate

I first learned about Assisi when my late father, Rolando Lumibao, worked during the Tabang Mindanao period as a lead man in the installation of community water systems. As a fresh graduate in civil engineering, I asked him if I could join the team as an apprentice—simply to experience what it was like to work in this field.

That experience changed my life. Initially, I aspired to build structures like buildings, bridges, and roads—just as most engineers do. However, working with indigenous communities shifted my focus entirely.

One moment in particular left a lasting impact. After we completed a water system project, an elderly woman approached me with tears in her eyes and said, “Since I was born until now that I am old, this is the first time we no longer have to struggle to fetch water. Thank you so much.” I could feel the depth of her gratitude because I had seen firsthand the hardships they endured. That moment, 20 years ago, made me realize that I could be an instrument of change—helping indigenous communities fulfill one of their most basic hopes: access to clean water.

Without Assisi Development Foundation, Inc., which dedicates itself to serving marginalized communities with love and peace, I might have taken a different path, working a job that lacked true purpose. Instead, I found a calling. This is my first and, most likely, my last job—because I love what I do. It brings me happiness, and, more importantly, it allows me to help others.

Thank you, Assisi, for giving me the opportunity to be a channel of your unconditional love in serving those most in need. I want to pass on all the gratitude I have seen, heard, and experienced from the indigenous communities you have helped. My work in these communities has made me a better person with a deeper purpose. I truly believe that God led me to Assisi.

Assisi, you are not just an organization—you are a family. You are our family.