Cecille Montenegro

Batis-AWARE (Association of Women in Action for Rights and Empowerment) • Philippines

Cecille Pauline Sanglap Montenegro is a self-taught Filipino artist, book illustrator and migrant women and children’s rights activist. Cecille was born in Iloilo City, Philippines. She studied two years of Fine Arts with a major in Interior Design at the University of the East Caloocan. From 2000 to 2010, she started to work as an OPA (Overseas Performing Artist) in Japan. Returning to the Philippines for good was the best decision of her life. In 2014, she started to paint again and started YLLANG artworks. She uses painting as her meditation and relaxation, to paint what’s on her mind and heart. She became interested in women and children’s empowerment concepts, as most of her works are about women and her inspiration are the women in the organization and her family. Since 2015, she has lead Batis AWARE (Association of Women in Action for Rights and Empowerment) as the President of the organization. In 2016, Cecille had her first exhibition in Motomachi, Kobe, Japan, a mural entitled “Empowerment of all People,” as an advocacy art for the migrants living in Japan. Today, some of her paintings are displayed at SALA Asian Shokudo in Kobe, Japan. She is a registered book illustrator, designer, and layout artist in the NBDB (National Book Development Board).