From the Streets to Five-Star Hotels: FTI is Rewriting The Stories of Women

When the InLife Sheroes Awards recognized the Foundation for Professional Training, Inc. (FPTI), it was honoring more than an institution. It was honoring a movement built on the belief that one woman’s transformation can reshape an entire community.

FPTI is a nonprofit that runs three technical-vocational schools in the Philippines: Punlaan School in San Juan, Anihan Technical School in Calamba, Laguna, and Banilad Center for Professional Development in Cebu. 

Its work is grounded in a clear conviction: empowering women, especially those from less privileged sectors, is an act of nation-building.

To make this possible, FPTI offers full tuition scholarships to young women from underserved families and communities, funded by partners who share this vision. Every student graduates with a career, a livelihood, and a future. 

Education as the Hand of God

FPTI’s approach to education draws from the teachings of St. Josemaía Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei, who believed that all work “bears witness to the dignity of man” and serves as “a means of aiding in the improvement of the society in which we live.”

This principle guides how FPTI runs its schools: as places where dignity is recognized and where women gain the skills to build a better life for themselves and others.

Filipinas de Guzman, School Director of Punlaan School, recalls one student who found the program on Facebook and called it “the hand of God lifting her up.” Now, the student works in a five-star hotel. 

“Majority of our students come from referrals of our own graduates. They see the transformation and our graduates as role models, not just breadwinners. A young girl sees another young girl who has transformed into someone else, and she starts emulating her,” de Guzman said.

Graduates refer new students. Those students graduate and refer the next batch. The cycle repeats, and with each round, the community grows stronger.

Celebrating Lives Changed Through Education

For FPTI President and Chair Imelda Nibungco, the program's impact is most visible at graduation ceremonies.

“I saw how our schools have helped many young women because right after they graduate, they become employed, they support their families, help their communities, and inspire other young women to be like them. I have attended maybe 20 such graduations, and each time, I am moved to tears by their stories,” Nibungco shared.

Nibungco leads alongside de Guzman and fellow school directors Elizabeth Lopez and Aileen Clutario. Together, they run FPTI as more than a skills school. 

Their goal is whole-person development: building self-reliance, self-esteem, and the values that help women contribute to their families, communities, and the nation.

Transforming Communities One Woman at a Time

One of the best examples of FPTI’s impact comes from Cebu, where Lopez heads the FPTI Banilad Center. The foundation brought its programs to the Badjao community, an indigenous group with limited access to employment and formal education.

“Our first batch of Badjao mothers used to beg on the streets. They underwent livelihood skills training in breadmaking and baking and are now selling these to their community and the public school,” Lopez said.

Their daughters came next. As senior high school graduates, they enrolled in a one-year hotel and restaurant technology course. 

Ten more are now in healthcare training, with plans to serve in their community health center. What started with 25 Badjao women has now grown to close to 100.

The Courage to Keep Going

Aileen Clutario, School Director of Anihan Technical School, acknowledges the challenges in running FPTI. Resources are limited. The work is demanding. But the mission keeps the team going.

“There is always fear and fatigue because we don’t have much resources, but we believe in our mission of helping young women achieve their dreams. I want to tell them: dream big, lead with courage and integrity, and when they get the opportunity to rise, to keep lifting others and giving back,” Clutario said.

Beyond initial training, FPTI runs continuing skills programs and leadership development for its own staff and for personnel across partner industries. 

It advocates for technical-vocational education as a credible, high-value career path. The foundation sees itself as a platform for women to grow, lead, and give back.

100% Employed, 100% Empowered

All three FPTI schools report a 100% employment rate for graduates. Every woman who completes a program finds work. She leaves with a profession, an income, and the standing to tell the next woman: this path is open to you.

“Through education and support, a dream can be a reality,” Clutario emphasized.

A Recognition That Reflects a Mission

The InLife Sheroes Award celebrates Filipino women who show exceptional courage and create lasting impact. FPTI fits that description. 

What the foundation does every day is its mission in action: women from the least visible corners of society graduating into professionals, breadwinners, and community leaders.

Nibungco, de Guzman, Lopez, and Clutario are proud to be Sheroes. But the women they are proudest of are the graduates: the hotel workers, community bakers, and healthcare trainees who took a chance on a better life.

Those are the real Sheroes. FPTI gave them a place to start.