Malaya Initiative

06/17/2026

Last month, our Executive Director had the opportunity to visit the Office of American Affairs of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and briefly share Malaya's vision for activating the Filipino-American community as a meaningful force for education development back home. Over 4 million Filipinos call the Americas home — in the United States, Canada, and beyond. They are professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, and leaders. And many of them carry a quiet, enduring question: How do I give back?

The conversation centered on a simple but powerful premise: the diaspora is not just a source of remittances. It is a reservoir of expertise, networks, mentorship, and philanthropic capacity and when that energy is channeled toward education, it compounds in ways that outlast any single donation.

Malaya Initiative Foundation is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit working at the intersection of diaspora engagement and Philippine education and workforce development. Our programs focus on building critical thinking skills, strengthening the IT-BPM talent pipeline, and supporting teacher development - because we believe the freedom that education provides should be available to every Filipino child.

We are now actively building our network of Filipino-American partners, donors, and advocates across the Americas and we would love to hear from you.
Whether you are an individual who wants to support a school, a professional who wants to mentor, or an organization looking for a credible Philippine education partner in the U.S. — Malaya is that bridge.

📩 Reach out to us at [email protected] or send us a message here. Let's talk about how your story, your expertise, and your love for the Philippines can become part of something bigger.

Join our initiative: Kalayaan sa pamamagitan ng edukasyon. Freedom through education.

06/15/2026

Tomorrow, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas convenes the 2026 Filipino Diaspora Summit — bringing together representatives from 30 countries under the theme Dugong Pinoy: Filipinos Transforming the World.

In May, our Executive Director Andrea Caymo-Kauhanen met with CFO Secretary Dante Francis Ang II to explore how the Filipino diaspora can be a more intentional force for educational development in the Philippines. That conversation reinforced what we at Malaya already believe: the diaspora’s greatest contribution isn’t measured in remittances alone — it’s measured in sustained commitment to the systems that shape the next generation.

Tomorrow’s summit is an important moment. We encourage overseas Filipinos everywhere to join the conversation, whether in person in Pasay City or via livestream.

📅 June 16, 2026 | 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM PHT
📍 Marriott Hotel, Pasay City, Philippines
🌐 Livestream via Zoom — details at cfo.gov.ph

Education is freedom. And freedom begins with engagement.

𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬 (𝐍𝐑𝐅𝐬) 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟑𝟎 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) reminds delegates that the 2026 Filipino Diaspora Summit will take place tomorrow, 16 June 2026, at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City. The historic gathering of 350 non-resident Filipinos (NRFs), government officials, private sector leaders, and civil society organizations from almost 30 countries will be livestreamed on the CFO website and page.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬
Date: 16 June 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 7:00 AM - 5:30 PM (Philippine Standard Time)
Theme: "Transformation Through Diaspora Engagement: Harnessing Filipino Global Power in Advancing the Philippines' Cultural, Economic, and Political Goals"
Slogan: "Dugong Pinoy: Filipinos Transforming the World"

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞
07:00 AM - 08:30 AM
Registration
08:30 AM - 09:00 AM
Opening Ceremonies
09:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Panel 1: “Amplifying Voices: Diaspora Advocacy and Policy Influence”
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
Panel 2: “Beyond Remittances: Diaspora Economic Contributions Through Investment and Entrepreneurship”
12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
Networking Lunch
01:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Panel 3: “Bridging Generations: Cultural Preservation and Educational Diplomacy”
03:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Panel 4: “Igniting the Passion: Engaging Filipino Youth and the Young Diaspora”
04:45 PM - 5:30 PM
Special Address and Oath of Commitments Ceremony

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞
𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏-𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔: Arrive early between 07:00 AM and 08:30 AM.
Present your QR code at the registration desk (sent via registered email address).
𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞:Filipiniana & Barong Tagalog
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠:: PhP 150 flat rate at the venue. Notify the hotel concierge upon arrival.

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬:
Join from anywhere via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84465941378?pwd=7n3muN0lbBdrnXNt9fb5ES40bboT9z.1

Log in 10-15 minutes before the start.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭
The Summit will feature four substantive panel discussions with distinguished diaspora leaders, government officials, and national experts exploring critical dimensions of diaspora engagement:
Panel 1: How diaspora leaders leverage political capital and shape policies in the Philippines and host countries
Panel 2: Strategies for mobilizing diaspora capital for productive investment and job creation in the Philippines
Panel 3: How diaspora communities preserve Filipino heritage and strengthen cultural connections across generations
Panel 4: Youth empowerment and youth leadership in diaspora engagement and national development
The Summit will conclude with an Oath of Commitment ceremony, where delegates affirm shared principles for sustained engagement between the NRFs and the Philippines.

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭

Coinciding with the CFO's 46th anniversary, the Summit marks a paradigm shift in how the Philippines engages with its diaspora, positioning NRFs as strategic partners whose global reach, expertise, networks, and influence can drive transformative change across the country’s cultural, economic, and political landscape.

06/14/2026

Our Executive Director recently had the privilege of sitting down with Julio Amador III, Executive Director of Fulbright Philippines/ Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF), to explore how our missions intersect. Both of our organizations believe the same thing: the most powerful investment you can make in a country is building the capacity of its people.

PAEF has been connecting Filipino and American scholars, teachers, and innovators since 1948, nearly eight decades of people-to-people exchange that has quietly shaped generations of Filipino leaders. Over 4,000 alumni have gone through this program and come home with ideas, networks, and the drive to build something better.

2026 is a milestone year for PAEF — 78 years of building bridges between the Philippines and the United States. We’re happy to be part of that conversation, and excited about what we might build together. 🙏✨

06/12/2026

Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan! 🇵🇭

126 years ago, Filipinos declared their independence. Today, we hold onto that declaration and we ask ourselves what it calls us to do next.

At the Malaya Initiative, "malaya" is more than our name. It's our north star. We believe that education leads to freedom: that true independence is when individuals can read, reason, and dream without limits. Real freedom flourishes when every child has what they need to grow, to learn, and to become who they are meant to be.

That is why we invest in education — because a mind given the chance to flourish can never be colonized, and a child empowered to learn is a citizen empowered to lead.

This Independence Day, we honor the vision of those who came before and we commit to building a better future together.

06/11/2026

Our Executive Director, Andrea Christina Caymo-Kauhanen, recently had the opportunity to visit Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI) and learn more about the deployment of the CENTEX Digital Education Program in Zambales, a program that began with AFI funding and has since expanded to 40 public schools under the Philippines' Department of Education.

At its core, CENTEX runs on the High-Touch, High-Tech (HTHT) model: a hybrid approach that pairs advanced digital tools with structured, human-centered teacher development. It isn't about replacing the teacher with technology. It's about making every teacher more effective.

We had the chance to sit in on a training session and speak with some of the participating teachers. What we heard was remarkably consistent: HTHT doesn't just help students learn, it transforms how teachers teach. The tools reduce administrative load, enable personalized learning at scale, and restore something many teachers had quietly lost: confidence in their ability to reach every child in their classroom.

One teacher put it simply: "For the first time, I feel like I can teach every single one of my students."

That is exactly the kind of education reform Malaya exists to support — one where no child is an afterthought, and no teacher is left to figure it out alone.

We are proud to be learning from the Ayala Foundation's proven model as we develop our own programming, and honored to support the expansion of CENTEX into Davao City, where the program will serve students and teachers in the coming years.

Want to be part of this? We are actively looking for partners to adopt a school alongside us. If your organization believes as we do that leveraging on technology and having empowered teachers improve outcomes, we would love to connect you with this program.
Reach out. Let's build this together. 🇵🇭

06/09/2026

05/12/2026

The AI wave is already reshaping the Philippine IT-BPM workforce — and last week's IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines, Inc. (IBPAP) C-Suite Forum: The Agentic Enterprise — Intelligence Delivering Outcomes made that unmistakably clear.

Industry leaders mapped out waves of AI integration:
→ Wave 1: Augmentation — AI handles the repetitive work
→ Wave 2: Replacement — more capable agents take over entire functions
→ Wave 3: Redefinition — workers must become AI-native to stay relevant

Across every wave, the most in-demand competency isn't technical. It's the ability to analyze, judge, and decide well.

As one forum participant put it, these human skills are only becoming MORE relevant, not less, as AI takes on more of the ex*****on.

This is exactly what drives the work of the Malaya Initiative Foundation. We believe that critical thinking is not a "nice-to-have" for Filipino learners — it is the foundational skill that determines whether our workforce leads or lags in an AI-driven economy.

Whether it's streamlining defect triage in minutes instead of hours, or aligning business portfolios with strategic risk in real time, AI will compress timelines and raise the stakes of human judgment. Our education system must rise to meet that moment.

At Malaya, we are committed to building that bridge — from classroom to career, from foundational skills to AI-era readiness. We are currently developing programs to address the workforce gaps especially of the IT-BPM industry.

💬 What competency do you think is most underdeveloped in today's graduates as we enter the agentic AI era? We'd love to hear from the community.

04/28/2026

What began as a belief that education is the surest path to freedom is now a signed commitment — and a step toward real change for Filipino learners.

On April 17, Malaya Initiative Foundation, alongside Connext Global Solutions, formally turned over a $50,000 (₱3,000,000) joint contribution to Ayala Foundation in support of the CENTEX Digital Education Program — bringing improved learning opportunities to Filipino public school students who need it most.

This moment matters to us for reasons beyond the check. CENTEX represents exactly the kind of evidence-based, technology-enabled intervention we believe in: meeting students where they are, equipping teachers with better tools, and building the foundation for long-term academic success.

For Malaya, this is Year 1 of a 10-year commitment. Partnerships like this one — with organizations that have deep roots, proven models, and genuine dedication to Filipino learners — are how we intend to grow. We don't prescribe. We listen, learn, and invest alongside people already doing the work well.

To the Ayala Foundation — thank you for welcoming us and for your continued dedication to Philippine education. And to the Connext team, this is what it looks like when shared values become shared action.

To the students of CENTEX: this is for you. We believe that when young Filipinos are equipped to think critically, communicate confidently, and engage meaningfully in their communities, everything changes — for them, their families, and their country. That belief is why we are here, and it is why we are just getting started. 💛

04/21/2026

HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI / MANILA — On April 17, 2026, Malaya Initiative and Connext Global Solutions formally turned over a ₱3,000,000 check — equivalent to USD $50,000 — to Ayala Foundation, Inc., marking the official launch of their co-investment in the CENTEX Digital Education program. The funds will bring the program to public elementary schools in Davao City, Philippines, over the 2026–2029 school year.

The check was presented by Tim Mobley, Founder of Malaya Initiative and President of Connext Global Solutions — a Honolulu-headquartered global talent solutions company with operations across the Philippines servicing clients in Hawai’i and other parts of the United States.

The handover marks the first major program investment by Malaya, which was established in Honolulu in late 2025 with a $3 million founding commitment and a ten-year strategic horizon.

The program at the center of this investment is no experiment. In its earlier pilot in San Marcelino, Zambales, students’ average mathematics scores doubled from 27% to 56% proficiency in just 12 weeks. An independent evaluation by the Education Development Centerfound those gains were equivalent to roughly seven (7) months of classroom progress.

"Hawai'i businesses have relied on Filipino talent for over a century — and that relationship has only deepened. This investment is our way of saying: we see that, we're grateful for what this workforce has given Hawai'i, and we're willing to put real resources behind the next generation." — Tim Mobley, Founder, Malaya Initiative Foundation & President, Connext Global Solutions

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

CENTEX Digital Education, implemented by Ayala Foundation, Inc., pairs Khan Academy’s adaptive learning platform with intensive teacher coaching in a model called High Touch, High Tech (HTHT). Teachers in participating schools receive 72 hours of structured professional development, including 8 hours of hands-on Khan Academy training and 4 hours of in-person coaching and mentoring per teacher.

Khan Academy gives each student a personalized learning pathway and provides teachers with real-time dashboards showing exactly where students are struggling. Teachers are trained to read that data and adjust their instruction accordingly — a practice reinforced through Professional Learning Communities where educators collaborate throughout the school year.

The Davao City pilot will include an independent third-party evaluation, consistent with both Ayala Foundation’s evidence-based design standards and the co-investors’ commitment to rigorous outcome measurement.

Ayala Foundation, Inc. is the social development arm of the Ayala group of companies — one of the Philippines' oldest and most respected conglomerates — working across community development, leadership development, and arts and culture to build communities where Filipinos are productive, self-reliant, and proud of their identity.

THE CRISIS BEHIND THE INVESTMENT

The Philippines ranked 77th out of 81 countries in the 2022 PISA global education assessment. The World Bank estimates that 91% of Filipino children cannot read and understand a simple text by age ten. A January 2026 report from the EDCOM 2 - The Second Congressional Commission on Education found students are five to six years behind global learning benchmarks.

The CENTEX Digital program in Davao City targets Grades 4 through 6 mathematics — the foundational years where intervention delivers the greatest long-term gains. Davao City was selected to test whether the model, which proved effective in Zambales, can deliver comparable results in a different geographic and socioeconomic context.

HOW THE COMMUNITY CAN ENGAGE

Malaya Initiative Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity. Donations from US residents are tax-deductible (EIN: 41-2664655). The Foundation issues regular updates on its programs and on Philippine education at www.malaya.org.

👀: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/honolulu-nonprofit-backs-technology-program-philippines-fiy1c

04/18/2026

Grateful to Positively Filipino for this feature on Malaya Initiative and the mission behind our work! 🇵🇭🇺🇸

The article captures something we think about often: the Filipino diaspora has always found ways to give back — through remittances, through sacrifice, through the quiet, decades-long act of sending money home. Malaya exists to offer another kind of giving. One that outlasts any single transfer, any single year, any single generation. We are investing in the education back home - building critical thinking, communication skills, and civic engagement of Filipino youth.

We are honored to be part of this conversation within the diaspora community, and grateful to every reader, supporter, and partner who is helping us build something that lasts.

EDCOM 2 - The Second Congressional Commission on Education Commission on Higher Education(CHED) Commission on Filipinos Overseas DepEd Philippines Department of Migrant Workers Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines

🔗https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/community-news/filipinos-in-hawaii-have-always-sent-money-home-this-foundation-wants-to-send-something-that-lasts

A new Honolulu nonprofit is channeling diaspora giving into the education crisis threatening the Philippines' future. Malaya Initiative Foundation launches with $3M initial commitment to drive meaningful change.