Oxfam HK longtimer leads Oxfam Pilipinas, thanks HK people for supporting Trailwalker

A long time Hong Kong resident who mostly worked as policy director for the non-profit Oxfam Hong Kong known for its annual Oxfam Trailwalker, has been named the new executive director of Oxfam Pilipinas. 

Maria Rosario "Lot" Felizco, 60, and married with a daughter, was named head Thursday. 

Felizco was country director with Oxfam Great Britain, policy director with Oxfam Hong Kong and country director for Oxfam in the Philippines, during which she shepherded the transition of the Oxfam International presence in the Philippines into Oxfam Pilipinas and served as its interim executive director.

She will guide Oxfam Pilipinas through the final stages of affiliation that will establish Oxfam Pilipinas as an independent affiliate or member organization of Oxfam International, which currently has 21 members globally.

Oxfam International does not receive funding from the United States government, where US President Donald Trump has said the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is wasting money and has moved to cut its funding. Thousands of employees at USAID will be placed on leave from Friday night, the agency told BBC.

Felizco told The Standard: "Although we are not immediately and directly affected by developments in USAID, we are concerned about the effects of the freeze on USAID funds on marginalized and vulnerable communities that are being served by groups supported by USAID."

She is grateful to Oxfam Hong Kong for supporting "our work in the Philippines, thanks to the generosity of Hong Kong people and Oxfam Trailwalker participants who help raise funds for Oxfam HK."

Oxfam programs aim to reduce poverty through community-based initiatives, Felizco said, as well as "ensuring that policies protect the most vulnerable. We also respond to humanitarian emergencies - the Philippines is one of the countries most vulnerable to disasters, including extreme weather events brought about by climate change."

She holds a master's degree in social anthropology from the University of London and a bachelor's degree in community development from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

(Mary Ann Benitez)