The year 2023 was another year of many triumphs and trials, if you recall, in the first quarter of the year alone, a tanker oil spill affected a number of our south Oriental Mindoro conservation sites. Nonetheless, with the collective efforts of partners and other parties, the worst is over and we continue our support partner communities to this day in helping overcome this tragedy.

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Pola, Oriental Mindoro--The combined effect of MPA and Enforcement Network, community-based coastal resource management efforts, and province-wide annual seasonal closure continues to bear fruit with the recent “fish-picking” phenomenon at Barangay Puting Cacao in Pola, Oriental Mindoro that was experienced by residents of this coastal barangay after the 7^th cycle of the province’s annual seasonal closure from Nov 15 to Jan 15.

Oriental Mindoro —BPI Foundation (BPIF), the social arm of the Bank of Philippine Islands, and Malampaya Foundation Inc (MFI) teamed up and signed a partnership in September 2023 to undertake additional skills trainings in south Oriental Mindoro to support recovery of select oil spill-affected towns in the province.