El Nido, Palawan-- Malampaya Foundation Inc (MFI) renewed yesterday, June 4, 2025, conservation agreements with eleven (11) partner communities in the municipalities of Taytay, El Nido and Linapacan to continue marine biodiversity conservation partnership grassroots work that started as far back as 2013-2016 in the different areas, including support to two National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) sites: the Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape and Seascape (MSPLS) and the El Nido Managed Resource Protected Area (ENMRPA).
The conservation partnerships involve community people’s organizations, barangay and municipal governments, as well as local offices of national agencies Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Philippine Coast Guard.
Several of the conservation sites have won local and provincial awards as best marine protected areas in the province since 2017, awarded multiple times at the USAID RACE awards and the Palawan PEARL Awards, following years of implementing community-based conservation actions to improve management of MPAs, marine management zones in NIPAS sites and surrounding ecosystems.
The signing ceremony was graced by El Nido Mayor Edna Lim, Linapacan Mayor Emil Neri, El Nido-Taytay DENR CENRO Conrad Corpuz, Department of Energy Director Nenito Jariel, MFI Trustees Jose Emmanuel Caral, Gerard Salapantan and Alfonso Carpio, the 11 barangay leaders and 11 community organizations’ officers of Liminancong, Tumbod, San Jose, Banbanan, Buena Suerte, Bucana, Teneguiban, San Fernando, San Miguel, Pical and Decabaitot.
