Lo Ivan R. Castillon from Cotabato City in the province of Maguindanao in the Philippines is the chairperson and founder of Volunteers’ Initiatives in Bridging and Empowering Society (VIBES), a youth led and youth serving peacebuilding organization based in Cotabato City, Philippines. He works in the Kapyanan (Kapayapaan sa Pamayanan or Peace in the Community) formerly Bangsamoro Regional Inclusive Development for Growth and Empowerment (BRIDGE) Project of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as Monitoring and Evaluation Unit Head. He is a former Peace Program Officer in the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, a position in which he provided technical support, assisted in the government’s supervision of the Independent Decommissioning Body, and was involved with transitional justice in the Bangsamoro region. Lo Ivan earned a Master of Arts in Peace and Development Studies from Mindanao State University in 2016 and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Secondary Education from Notre Dame of Tacurong College, among numerous other academic achievements. Currently, he is on dissertation writing in his Doctor of Philosophy in Peace and Development.

As peace advocate, development worker, and active volunteer, he has robust understanding of grassroots communities and experiences in the context of Mindanao, Philippines with competencies on strategic planning, program management, participatory leadership, report writing, community organizing and facilitation skills.