Nancy Sinangote Demafelis
September 1982 from San Remigio, Cebu
Ministry with the Batak tribe in Palawan, June 2005-present
After marrying fellow BTCian, Joseph Demafelis, in 2005, Nancy moved to the island of Palawan to help with the Batak tribal ministries and start a tribal school. Her first year in the tribe she dedicated to learning the language and culture, building relationships with the women and children, and helping with the church ministry. Starting with no help or resources, Nancy solely taught the Batak children basic education, slowly nurturing their spiritual, emotional, and intellectual capacity. She even braved the rigors of driving a motorcycle 18 kilometers crossing the river sixteen times to send reports, get updates, and buy much needed supplies. Despite the hardship of living in a remote area with extremely limited resources, Nancy succeeded in starting a tribal school in 2007, even taking on yearly interns, volunteers, and a fellow teacher. Now as the school head of a fully functioning DepEd certified IP elementary school, Nancy has nurtured, from the very beginning through graduation, seven of the first Bataks ever to attend college.
Living with the tribe for eleven years, Nancy has become a passionate advocate for the Batak people and their rights as Filipinos, helping them to acquire birth certificates, marriage licenses, legal documents, and currently helping them fight for their ancestral land rights. She also is responsible for getting them partnerships with government and non-government organizations that help sponsor education, feeding programs, livelihood and community development projects, and healthcare services. When there is sickness, pregnancy complications, and major injuries that need treatment, Nancy is the one who makes sure that they get the proper medical attention they deserve.
Together Pastor Jo and Nancy and their staff are working toward a common goal of helping the Batak tribe achieve holistic community development.
