Press Releases

A look at ABS-CBN Foundation’s conservation initiatives in the Verde Island Passage and the role of the private sector in sustaining them.

About ABS-CBN Foundation (And Why We’re So Passionately Busy)

ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. (AFI) has spent over 30 years helping communities rise, recover, learn and thrive. Our dream? A Philippines where people are empowered and look out for one another, ideally before climate change taps us on the shoulder again with another surprise.

Our Core Advocacies
Sagip Kapamilya - disaster response
Bantay Bata - children’s development
Program Genio - education for all
Bantay Kalikasan - environment stewardship
GaLing Pamayanan - community livelihoods

Our Legacy In Numbers
1M+ at-risk children assisted
1M+ learners reached
1M+ families helped post-disaster
1.3M+ trees cared for (and counting… please don’t cut them)

Our Environment Advocacy

Founded in 1998, Bantay Kalikasan is AFI’s established environmental program, known for its sustained commitment to environmental protection.

Some of our proudest legacies:

• Revived the La Mesa Watershed
• Cleaned up Pasig River tributaries (yes, the same river people used to say was ‘impossible’ to fix)

Today, Bantay Kalikasan continues this mission with science, community empowerment.

The Verde Island Passage (VIP)
The Verde Island Passage is globally recognized as the Center of the Center of Marine Biodiversity in the World: the Beyonce of oceans, if you will.

Located between southern Luzon and northern Mindoro, the VIP is:

• Home to 400+ coral species
• A sanctuary to thousands of marine species
• A global “Hope Spot” recognized by Mission Blue led by Dr. Sylvia Earle, the “Pope of Ocean Conservation.” (We’re not saying her blessing is divine, but it’s close.)

VIP is now 1 of only 156 Hope Spots worldwide. Pretty Exclusive. Like a marine Met Gala.

Citizen Science

Turning Community Members Into Eco-Heroes

AFI’s Citizen Science Program empowers local communities to monitor, protect and regenerate marine ecosystems using scientific methods. No capes needed, just passion and training.

We Train Communities To:

• Assess coral reefs and seagrass beds
• Monitor mangroves
• Collect scientific data
• Become guardians of their own ecosystems

A Shared Commitment to Sustainability

ECCP member organizations may adopt ABS-CBN Foundation’s Citizen Science initiatives in the Verde Island Passage as part of their sustainability and CSR efforts, where science, community, and corporate responsibility meet.

For further information on ABS-CBN Foundation’s initiatives, please reach out to Claro Bonilla and/or Sherwin Hinlo who serve as the Foundation’s representatives in ECCP.