Ari Regino has been in social development work for more than a decade. He started Volunteering for community - based development interventions and social action work during his college years in Ateneo de Zamboanga University. Notwithstanding the academic demands of being a scholar and a working student, Ari always had time for volunteerism while maintaining his status as an honor student and while serving in the student government.

In May of 2012, he reverted to his most resounding passion – uplifting the lives of the marginalized, empowering the vulnerable, and healing victims. Thus, he joined Visayan Forum Foundation Inc., as the organization’s Community Prevention Specialist. Visayan Forum is globally recognized as a best practice organization for its innovative and strategic interventions in the ending modern-day slavery. It was appointed by the Philippine President to serve as NGO representative to the Inter Agency Council Against Trafficking in 2010. As Community Prevention Specialist, he was tasked to manage Visayan Forum’s much celebrated Community – Based Child Protection Mechanism established in Metro
Manila and Bacolod City, and to scale up and replicate the intervention models in other regions in the country. In no time, his work was elevated to that of managing various projects and units of the organization including social enterprise and economic empowerment programs, policy advocacy and partnership building. He also oversees operations of the organization’s various programs in its regional centers and offices, and shelters. At present, he also serves as Executive Assistant to the President of the Foundation.