Twenty-two overseas Filipinos completed the Ateneo Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Overseas Filipinos’ Leadership, Innovation, Financial Literacy and Social Entrepreneurship (ALSE OF-LIFE) Program under Batch 155, capping a training cycle that began in November 2025 with a hybrid graduation ceremony on July 18.
The rites were held at Premier Inn Dubai Ibn Battuta Hotel and streamed via Zoom for participants who joined from outside the United Arab Emirates. The batch drew graduates from across the Gulf and beyond, including three from Doha, Qatar, one from Oman, and one from Mozambique, alongside UAE-based participants from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. All classes were delivered online over the eight-month cycle.
The ceremony was attended by program founder Edgardo Valenzuela, former Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Grace Princesa, class secretariats, volunteer teachers, and the families of the graduating class.
Run by the Ateneo School of Government through its Executive Education Program, ALSE OF-LIFE trains overseas Filipinos in leadership, financial literacy, and social entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on building enterprises and community initiatives that carry lasting impact. The program is delivered with consortium partners including the Overseas Filipinos’ Society for the Promotion of Economic Security, the Social Enterprise Development Partnerships Inc., and the UGAT Foundation, and is supported by Philippine government agencies and diplomatic posts abroad. According to Valenzuela, the program is now present in 42 countries with an estimated 6,000 alumni globally, of whom more than 500 are based in the UAE.
Three business plans from the batch were recognized for their strength across judging categories. Luntiang Lunas PH, a healing and wellness tea venture intended for the Philippine market, received the Innovation Award. Healtea Wellness Corporation, a ginger-based herbal tea enterprise also aimed at the Philippines, took the Best Feasibility Award. Echo System, a creative community and education program planned for both Dubai and the Philippines, earned the Social Impact Award.
In place of cash prizes, i-Bizness Consultancy, a local sponsor of ALSE UAE, extended every graduate a support package: an AED 250 voucher toward business setup services through i-Bizness Middle East, and P1,000 in credits toward i-Bizness Philippine services.
The graduation was joined by a roster of honorary guests. They included Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso A. Ver; Vichael Angelo D. Roaring, Trade Commissioner for the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) – Dubai; Bobbie Carella, former chairperson of the Philippine Business Council – Dubai and the Northern Emirates and an ALSE alumna from Batch 14; JR Papel, founding director and chief giving officer of I-Fund; Cristina Calaguian, managing director of Dagaz HR Consultancy and Recruitment Company; and Richard Paolo Deluria, chairman and CEO of SRK Education Group International.
