Cecilia is President and Executive Director of Voice of the Free (formerly Visayan Forum), a national NGO in the Philippines that works to improve the welfare of marginalized migrants and informal workers, and establishes innovative solutions to combat modern slavery and human trafficking.

She has spent much of her life as a social entrepreneur and human rights activist, working to ensure that all people are free to explore opportunities without the risk of being exploited, abused or enslaved. Since founding Voice of the Free in the Philippines, she has successfully established global best practices to fight human trafficking.

Cecilia’s efforts have been globally recognized with awards by Anti-Slavery International, US Departments of State and Labor, Government of the United Kingdom, World Children’s Prize Foundation, Thomson Reuters Foundation, and Reach for Change. She is on the Advisory Board of Freedom United and the World Children’s Prize, and was appointed as an NGO Representative for the Philippines’ Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.