Oriental Mindoro—Malampaya Foundation Inc.’s (MFI’s) community organization conservation partner Kabisig ng Mangingisda ng Ilag (KAMI) based in Barangay Ilag of the municipality of San Teodoro in Oriental Mindoro was awarded a Local Tourism Stakeholder Excellence Award by the Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro on September 24, 2021.
The award recognizes best practices in the tourism-related ventures and enterprise development of the province. KAMI was awarded for its well-managed beachfront tourism services enterprise such as huts, camping facilities and kayak rentals in the coastal barangay of Ilag. MFI supported the enterprise as part of the organization’s conservation incentive for the management and protection of their community’s 23-hectare marine protected area (MPA).
The Punta Ilag MPA won 2nd Best-Managed MPA and 1st Best Bantay Dagat Team at the 2018 Sustaining MPAs through Awards and Recognitions (STAR) Awards of the Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro.