Batangas City, Batangas—The Provincial Government of Batangas and Malampaya Foundation Inc. (MFI) formalized on December 6, 2024 its long-standing partnership and cooperation on marine conservation efforts in the province since 2013.
MFI and the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) of Batangas have jointly worked through the years for more than a decade in areas such as annual seasonal closures, enforcement-strengthening, Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network Management Planning, reef monitoring, youth camps, and various conservation capacity-building for Batangas coastal municipalities bounding the Verde Island Passage.
Additionally, MFI together with the Batangas City LGU, expanded in 2020 the Pulong Bato MPA at Isla Verde from 14 to 539 hectares, updated the diving fee ordinance, reorganization of the Verde Island Santuary Management Board, and has been supporting MPA management improvement with the San Agapito community and the city LGU since 2015.
Since 2021, PGENRO and MFI have also collaborated and worked to support the province’s annual seasonal closure from December to March of every year, with MFI providing incentives for the active Bantay Dagats (sea rangers) of select coastal municipalities’ and technical assistance in policy updating.
In 2024, the PGENRO and MFI conducted a Marine Wildlife Stranding Response Training in Lian to equip the 15 Batangas coastal Local Government Units (LGUs) and selected provincial offices with knowledge, skills and techniques to properly respond to stranded, sick, and distressed marine wildlife.
