Aurece Aubrey Bahala is the Senior Program Manager at the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) in Manila. Since 2018, she has worked closely with civil society organizations, indigenous peoples, emerging political parties, and marginalized groups in the Bangsamoro, southern Philippines, to empower them in advancing their collective governance agendas. Her dedication to supporting disadvantaged communities in the Bangsamoro was recognized in the Annual Cohort of Distinguished Southeast Asian Women Leaders Program of the US-ASEAN Women's Leadership Academy in 2020. She is also a Professional Fellow of the 2017 Spring Cohort of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Program, a flagship initiative of the U.S. Department of State. In 2022-2023, Aurece was a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, a Fulbright Commission program funded by the U.S. Department of State. During her fellowship, she studied public policy and completed international professional affiliations with Nonviolent Peaceforce and Global Rights for Women, both based in Minnesota, USA. Aurece remains committed to empowering underrepresented communities and fostering inclusive governance in the Bangsamoro and beyond.