THE YEAR 2024 opened with several of our conservation sites in south Oriental Mindoro reaping bountiful harvest on their shorelines with coastal residents literally picking juvenile sardines off shallow seagrass beds, loading them by the sack-loads. Such is the result of fruitful conservation partnerships from grassroots to the provincial level, through multi-faceted conservation strategies, backed on-site by relevant national agencies.
MARINE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
The major prizes at the 2024 PALAWAN MPAs Empowered through Awards and Recognition to Enrich Marine Life (PEARL) Awards and ORIENTAL MINDORO’S Sustaining MPAs through Awards and Recognitions (STAR) Awards were awarded to conservation sites supported by the Malampaya Foundation Inc. (MFI). Many partnerships began in 2013-2014, demonstrating the effectiveness of grassroots-level conservation when given ample time.
By the end of 2024, MFI had 34 conservation partnerships and 36 sites, involving over 1,200 members from fisherfolk organizations and Indigenous Cultural Communities across northern Palawan, eastern Oriental Mindoro, and Isla Verde in Batangas City. These communities manage and enforce about 337,773.8 hectares of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Fisheries and Marine Management Zones with local governments and national agencies. Additionally, two new Payao Management Areas, covering 15,471 hectares, were legislated in Roxas and Bansud, Oriental Mindoro. Community organizations also planted 10,234 mangrove propagules and 4,449 seedlings of beach forest and fruit-bearing trees. MFI’s environmental outreach reached 1,316 youths through community-based IECs and Environmental Youth Action Camps.
Conservation partnerships are only meaningful when they yield results. Unlike the national trend, the average hard coral cover in MFI sites increased by 85.3% from 2013 to 2024. MFI’s sites in the Verde Island Passage and Oriental Mindoro saw a 241.54% average increase in reef fish abundance. MPA management improvements and fishery law enforcement in Palawan led to a 39% increase in reef fish abundance from 2014 to 2024—indicating that the MPAs are biologically and managerially functional. However, coral bleaching, a Crown-of-Thorns outbreak, and Typhoon Odette in 2021 caused an 18.5% decline in coral cover in northern Palawan.
By December 2024, MFI, in partnership with Western Philippines University through the String of Pearls Project, restocked 7,850 abalone juveniles, 455 topshells, 1,905 Tridacna squamosa, and 7 Tridacna gigas juveniles in marine management zones in Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape and Seascape (MSPLS) and MPAs in El Nido, and Coron.
MFI remains an active member of the Fisheries Management Areas 5 and 12 Scientific Advisory Group and Management Board, which helps improve stocks of commercially important fish species in 52.2 million hectares of municipal waters and the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone. MFI is also part of the Puerto Galera Biosphere Reserve Management Council, the MSPLS Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), PCSD Committee on Commercially Important Species and represents non-government organizations in the Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Councils of Naujan and Baco in Oriental Mindoro. As a PAMB member, MFI facilitated the update of the MSPLS Protected Area Management Plan for 2025-2034.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS
Former graduates of our technical-vocational program, Bridging Employment through Skills Trainings (BEST), are making significant strides both locally and internationally. Their success, characterized by progressive career advancements and economic prosperity, is a result of their hard work, persistence, and resilience. This demonstrates how effectively MFI aligns its trade skills training with industry needs, complemented by supplemental workshops on values formation and personal finance management to prepare them for long-term success, no matter where they are.
Our community-based skills training programs, Sanayan sa Ikauunlad ng Kaalamang Pangkabuhayan (SIKAP) and Galing at Negosyo Dulot ay Asenso (GANDA), are increasingly focused on advanced capacity-building for former trainees who are thriving in their endeavors. In 2024, we introduced tourism skills capacity-building initiatives to enhance tourism services in areas like El Nido and Coron. For the year 2024, a total of 1,367 individuals were trained through the BEST, SIKAP, and GANDA programs.
Under the Enterprise for Conservation program, 115 nano and micro-enterprises in services, trading, and production are operational by the end of 2024. These enterprises are run by our 34 conservation partner people's organizations, consisting of more than 1,200 active members. In 2024, these enterprises generated over P1.1 million in conservation funds, which support the protection and management of their communities’ marine protected areas.
COMMUNITY SOLAR MICRO-GRIDS
In 2024, we completed and inaugurated two (2) pilot remote island communities as part of the Tanglaw sa Komunidad program in Linapacan, Palawan. In partnership with the local government and the community, approximately 225 households now have a reliable self-managed power source after being installed with clustered solar-power hardware systems and receiving technical and management training, along with ongoing mentorship and monitoring from our project team. Additionally, we provided 265 solar-powered streetlights in 35 on-grid sites across different partner communities in Palawan, Oriental Mindoro and Batangas City to enhance safety and security in areas needing proper illumination such as roads and common areas.
OTHERS
The prolonged high heat index experienced in 2024 impacted our native tree seedling production at the Punlang Katutubo Native Tree Nursery. Nevertheless, we successfully produced 12,115 new seedlings comprising 21 indigenous and/or endemic species, with about half eco-classified as threatened or critically endangered, while 8,462 grown seedlings were released for out-planting.
The Malampaya Clinical Laboratory recorded service counts of 1,383 free doctor consultations and 644 laboratory services, while the Charity Program at Palawan Adventist Hospital supported 47 indigent patients.
The tangible results and outcomes of our programs inspire both our team and partners to remain committed to achieving higher levels of success in the next years. In doing so, may the Lord continue to bless, guide and keep us!
Atty. Jose Ma. Emmanuel A. Caral (signed)
Chairman and President of the Board of Trustees
Malampaya Foundation Inc.
