WE CAPPED OUR 20TH YEAR WITH A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE: two of our programs received major national awards and recognition, inspiring the Foundation and our partners to press on in delivering the fruits of empowerment in diverse ways—despite the challenges we face.
MARINE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
Malampaya Foundation (MFI) conservation sites dominated the 2025 Para el Mar Awards, with five (5) of the nine (9) finalist marine protected areas (MPAs) in the entire country being our partner communities. Ranzo Fish Sanctuary in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro, MFI’s partner since 2013, was hailed as the Best Managed MPA in the country (Locally Managed MPA category). The Pulong Bato MPA in Brgy. San Agapito, Batangas City bagged 2nd place, while Punta Ilag MPA in San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro received a Best in Enforcement citation, a key element in ensuring long-term conservation success. Bulalacao MPA in Coron, Palawan took the fourth spot.
The Para el Mar Awards is a biennial event that recognizes outstanding MPAs in the Philippines, demonstrating best practices in marine conservation, excellence in coastal resource management, fisheries protection, and sustainable coastal governance.
By end-2025, MFI maintained 34 conservation agreements across 30 coastal barangays and one sitio, involving 1,134 members of fisherfolk associations and Indigenous Cultural Communities in Northern Palawan, Oriental Mindoro, and Batangas City. Together with government partners, these communities now help manage approximately 336,936 hectares of MPAs and fisheries management zones.
Community conservation efforts from 2013–2025 included the outplanting of over 97,100
mangrove propagules, beach forest, watershed, and fruit-bearing tree, along with coastal cleanup activities that removed tons of waste and strengthened environmental stewardship. Despite economic pressures, partner communities continue to protect and maintain their MPAs. MFI is also building the next generation of environmental stewards through education campaigns and Environmental Youth Action Camps, reaching 9,315 youths from 2013 –2025.
Impact monitoring shows gradual recovery of coral reef ecosystems. Between 2013 and 2025, indicator reef fish abundance increased by 58.21% in Northern Palawan and 299.59% in the Verde Island Passage. Hard coral cover also improved overall by 23.25%, with a 59.93% increase in the Verde Island Passage, although Northern Palawan recorded a 13.44% decline due to coral bleaching, Crown-of-Thorns outbreaks, and the impacts of super typhoons Haiyan and Odette.
Despite these pressures, Palawan’s average coral cover of 45.76% remains well above the national average of 22%. The continued presence of key reef health indicators —including sharks, rays, bumphead parrotfish, humphead wrasse, giant clams, sea turtles, and dugong—demonstrates the biological functionality of these MPAs and the positive impact of community-based conservation.
Through the String of Pearls Project with Western Philippines University, MFI supported the
production of 4,300 abalone juveniles, 4,189 topshell juveniles, and 3,050 Tridacna
gigas juveniles. From only seven known Palawan-native giant clam spawners, the project has produced 14 adult equivalents and 93 subadults now stocked in MPAs in El Nido, Coron, and Puerto Princesa.
At the policy level, MFI serves as NGO Representative to the Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 5 Scientific Advisory Group, covering 48.5 million hectares of municipal waters and the Philippine EEZ around Palawan, Mindoro, Panay, and the Tawi-Tawi Peninsula. MFI also completed its term as NGO Alternate Representative to the FMA 12 Management Board, and in recognition of its contributions, BFAR Region IV-A awarded MFI a citation in December 2025.
MFI continues to serve in key governance bodies, including the Puerto Galera Biosphere Reserve Management Council, the Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape and Seascape Protected Area Management Board, and the Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Councils of Naujan, Pola, and Baco.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS
Our nearly two decades of work in Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for out-of- school youth, unemployed, and underemployed adults earned Malampaya Foundation Inc. (MFI) a 2025 National Kabalikat Award from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, in recognition of exemplary and sustained contributions to advancing TVET in the Philippines— particularly in underserved rural communities—helping bridge critical education-to-employment gaps.
Since 2006, MFI has delivered TVET empowerment initially through the program Bridging Employment through Skills Training (BEST) to boost Filipino employability. In 2013, it added Sanayan sa Ikauunlad ng Kaalamang Pangkabuhayan (SIKAP) and Galing at Negosyo Dulot ay Asenso (GANDA), geared toward self-employment. MFI delivers its trainings through both in- center and community-based modalities, selecting the most in-demand trades for immediate employment and skills application while ensuring that geographically isolated and disadvantaged communities are not left behind.
From 2007–2025, the BEST program has empowered 13,825 individuals, with overall employment rates averaging 80–90%. SIKAP and GANDA, on the other hand, have benefited 12,865 individuals from 2013–2025.
Under the Enterprise for Conservation program, the 108 micro-enterprises that continue to operate as of end-2025 benefit 34 community people’s organizations and fisherfolk associations with 1,134 active members, generating approximately P325,000 in conservation funds from the year’s net profits. Since the inception of the various enterprises—ranging from 8–12 years ago— more than P6 million in conservation funds have been generated, which are ultimately utilized by the associations for direct conservation actions in their communities.
Program impact assessments conducted from 2023–2025 by the academe for MFI’s Palawan sites indicated that MFI’s socio-economic programs are effective in improving the economic conditions of trainees, enhancing human capital skills that support community development, developing professional work attitudes, and providing growth opportunities in the years following the capacity- building.
COMMUNITY SOLAR MICROGRIDS
By the end of 2025, the Tanglaw sa Komunidad program has energized three island communities in Northern Palawan with the addition of Barangonan Island in Linapacan. Collectively, the annual generation of the three microgrids produces not less than 30,000 kWh for some 292 households.
Expectedly, this has increased the productivity of community members, improved safety and security, and enabled household savings of up to 50% for power generation. A portion of collections is likewise allocated for the conservation and protection of the islands’ marine ecosystems.
OTHERS
We inaugurated two community water systems benefiting 429 households under our Water Access program in 2025: Ranzo, Pinamalayan (Oriental Mindoro) and Sitio Diapila, El Nido (Palawan), both of which are also our conservation partners. The water systems were completed thanks to the technical support of Manila Water Foundation. This brings to seven (7) communities—with more than 1,000 households—that have improved access to clean water and better-managed watersheds since 2017.
The Punlang Katutubo Native Tree Nursery produced 13,313 new native species seedlings in 2025, bringing the total number produced from 2020–2025 to 78,098, with total outplanted seedlings and large planting materials reaching 40,684 across key coastal zones and terrestrial locations in the provinces of Batangas and Oriental Mindoro.
The Malampaya Clinic, located in Barangay Ambulong in Batangas, continued its free doctor consultation service for the host community, logging 13,475 consultations from 2016–2025, while medical missions conducted in different communities of Batangas City served 914 individuals from 2017–2025. The Charity Fund at Palawan Adventist Hospital, turned over to MFI in 2023, supported 47 indigent patients in 2025.
The Malampaya Sustainable Development Scholarship has produced 77 graduates of both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in engineering, geology, and ecosystem restoration fields from 2015–2025, some of whom are now working productively in both public and private sectors.
We ended the year responding to Typhoon Tino, which wreaked havoc on our program sites in El Nido, Taytay, and Linapacan in Palawan. Our assistance came through the provision and distribution of large-volume food items to partner communities and bulk food items to partner local governments. We continued to support the restoration of affected livelihood and conservation assets into the new year.
Indeed, triumphs and tribulations will always be part of our journey with partner communities, but everyone manages to emerge stronger with the Lord’s guiding hand and protection.
MINERVA MATIBAG (sgd)
Chairman and President
