Historically, the Babaylans were spiritual leaders who acted as guides of the community in performing rituals, healing the sick, and giving advice for concerns that affect the lives in the community. Today, a Babaylan is someone who empowers communities and drive social change to uplift the lives of many. This definition perfectly describes the kind of leader that the Angel In Red Vest, Evalinda A. Jimeno, is.

Eva, as she is fondly called, is known as a Social Worker that embodied care. Throughout her career, she has served as a bridge between human-development organizations, government systems and real-life community needs.

Her vast experiences with the Human Development Foundation, Inc sponsored by World Vision Australia in 1998, the local government in early 2000s, and eventually climbing the ranks in the DSWD workforce starting 2005 have been her foundation that solidified her strong yet empathetic type of leadership. Today, she serves as the Provincial Link of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Zamboanga Sibugay Province.

Many look up to her as their ‘mother’ in the Department, not just because she is their supervisor, but rather because she acts like one, professionally speaking.

One of the most telling stories about her comes from a crisis situation, the Zamboanga Siege in 2013 which devastated hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. While managing evacuee registration, she personally breastfed hungry infants in an evacuation center, stepping in where immediate care was needed.

This act goes far beyond job description. It reflects, maternal instinct extended to the community (strangers, at that), a willingness to respond to urgent human need without hesitation, a kind of leadership rooted in empathy. This is the brand of service that Eva provides. For us, her colleagues, what she does is not just service but an embodiment of maagap and mapagkalingang serbisyo.

She was then awarded as the Best SWO III until she got promoted to Provincial Link.

To describe Evalinda A. Jimeno merely as an employee would be incomplete.

After every clock out, Eva wears a different hat at home. Personally, Eva is a mother of 3. Her eldest, Sheen, is now a registered Criminologist and the 2^nd, Izra, is a nursing student. Both girls serve as chapter and cluster leaders of the Youth For Christ, while the youngest is in Grade 7. With this information alone, one can sense what kind of a parent Eva is, one that nurtures her family with God in the centre.

She, on the other hand, is a very active member and leader of the Couples For Christ, a cluster coordinator for YFC covering 5 municipalities. Through these affiliations, she is able to help instil good values among children and youth, hone future leaders of the community, and do charitable acts for the needy.

Simultaneously, along her very busy schedule at work and other personally affiliations, she was voted and served as Vice President of the Alumni Association of Naga Elementary School in 2023-2024 which in her term, they built a school perimeter fence for the protection of children.

With this character, Eva is worthy to be called a Modern Babaylan.

 

Lactating Social Worker Breastfeeds Evacuees’ Babies

In between the exchange of bullets and bomb explosions during the Zamboanga Siege, one woman stood and led the survival of many infants in the evacuation center at Joaquin F. Enriquez Sports Complex in Zamboanga City.

Tasked to register evacuees during the onslaught of a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Zamboanga City, Evalinda Jimeno has been breastfeeding in-between her official hours to babies far more than her own. It all started with one baby, born in a portalet to a mentally ill mother, literally needed milk to survive. Eva stepped in and from there, she has been breastfeeding, not one, not two, but 7 babies, in-between her shift, in a make-shift office in the center. When camps were already established, Eva used to visit each camp to distribute diapers that she personally collected from donations and see if any mother needed milk for her baby.

“While ongoing ang putukan, bomba, ayun, nagpadede ako,” Evalinda said.

With this heartwarming story, she has earned the respect of many local, national, and international media and people.

 

Oplan Logdeck: honors 1^st IP college graduate, transforms Primary School Into An Elementary School

The Subanen Tribe is an Indigenous People (IP) living in Zamboanga Peninsula. They are mostly living in mountainous areas where there is suba or river hence the name Subanon or Subanen. In our effort to provide inclusive social services to the poor and the disadvantaged, Evalinda Jimeno and her team visited a remote village called Sitio Logdeck in the municipality of Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay. It is a 4 to 6-hour journey on foot from the población area; one needs to literally cross 13 rivers and creeks, walk on muddy slopes, endure either the scorching heat of the sun or the cold shower of rain to get to this IP community whose members belong to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Their first visit was in 2020. Unfortunate as it was, they learned during their visit that the children did not even know what a toothbrush is. Most children in Sitio Logdeck have not finished schooling because of the unavailability and challenging access to education in the area. Many of them are forced to stop studying and worst, get into marriage at a very young age. The community had 1 primary school that offered Grade 1 to Grade 2 classes. Some proceed to 3^rd grade if the parents can afford to send their children to the población area. But for many, their highest educational attainment then was up to 2^nd grade.

Fortunately, through the convergence strategy of the OPLAN LOGDECK, an initiative by Evalinda Jimeno, the team were able to lobby developments for the primary school. Left and right coordination was led by Eva to help the children. She went to the LGU and personally talked to the Mayor, she presented the situation to the DepEd, and many other stakeholders. On their next visit, they were able to bring bags, food, school supplies, and the good news was that the school offered until Grade 4 classes. Not a huge leap, but definitely a huge win already.

In 2024, Eva invited some staff from the Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) to strengthen their lobbying efforts with the DepEd. Together with the RPMO, they visited DepEd and lobby for 5^th grade level for the school.

In 2025, the dream was realized. From the former Logdeck Primary School, the facility, presently, is known as Logdeck Elementary School with complete grade 1 to grade 6 classes. Additionally, ALS is now offered in the sitio for those who have already married but still want to continue their education. Last 2024, 3 mothers were able to graduate from ALS.

We were also one of the witnesses to the impact of the Oplan Logdeck by Evalinda. During our visit in 2024, we met Geralyn T. Bacang, the first among all the IP members in the area to finish a degree in college.

Due to poverty and access to education, Geralyn, like many other youths in the IP community in Logdeck, had to stop schooling. But Geralyn had a dream and Eva knew about this. So, she personally climbed 3 mountains and passed through rivers and creeks to reach Geralyn’s house. She then talked to Geralyn’s father, Ronnie, who at first was very adamant that his daughter goes to college. After a few talks and presentation of interventions, Eva was able to convince Geralyn’s father to let her continue her college education.

Eva referred her to the former Vice Mayor of Kabasalan, Dr. Lovely Cainglet, for a side job in exchange of a free stay and food. This support gave her time to focus more on her studies and less on the struggles of daily life. She managed to catch up on all her subjects during her second year, feeling a renewed sense of hope and determination.

On her graduation day, Geralyn T. Bacang left a legacy as the first IP member in the whole Sitio Logdeck to march as a college degree graduate.

As the ceremony approached, Gerah’s heart was heavy with both anticipation and anxiety. She was aware of a significant outstanding balance with her school, and without settling it, she wouldn’t be allowed to graduate. Desperate for help, she turned to Ma’am Eva and the DSWD family. Without hesitation, the Angels in Red Vests (DSWD employees) initiated the “Adopt A Bene” project that provided necessary assistance, secured funds through contributions from their personal pockets to clear Geralyn’s school fees and obligations. Her employer also contributed financially, ensuring she could join the graduation rites.

The impact of these 2 wins shows that the interventions initiated by Evalinda Jimeno support and empower communities, especially in indigenous tribes where women and children are often perceived as inferior. The ALS and college finishers are just some of the living testaments to the impact of Evalinda’s advocacy for women and children.

 

Leadership In Action

One of our officemates, Marieced Opaon (PDO III), said, “Hinde se ele ta canza? [Hindi ba siya napapagod?]”

The question stems from the observation that Evalinda A. Jimeno works 24/7. Her weekends are not excused to stop serving. During her breaks, she devotes her time to doing church-related activities, charitable events, and building future leaders. She is very hands-on as well with all her activities.

Like the babaylans of old, she does not lead from above. She leads among her people.

In the workplace, Evalinda creates a safe space for clients, especially for women to feel seen and heard. Perhaps it’s the Social Worker in her or maybe it is her character. She listens to the stories behind the reports, she gets to know them, so she understands where they are coming from. Her subordinates find her not just a supervisor, but as someone who, without saying it, reminds them that leadership is not about position, but about purpose.

In the community, her presence carries the same quiet strength. She engages with mothers, beneficiaries, and fellow women not as distant recipients of aid, but as partners in change. She uplifts them by recognizing their resilience, often telling them that their everyday survival, their sacrifices, and their growth are already acts of leadership.

To lead like the babaylans is to lead with empathy over ego, service over status, and community over self. Evalinda Jimeno embodies this in both quiet gestures and extraordinary act. And through her, other women begin to lead the same way.