Campaign: Strengthen Coral-Rich Marine Protected Areas
What’s the TEA?
Our vision for the province is to fight poverty and make our province competitive by upholding discipline, teamwork, and solidarity among our people. This will stem from self-reliance and empowerment of our people to be able to participate in our TEA program – tourism, environmental protection, and agricultural development. Our TEA program intends to harness … Read more
A Dive Down Memory Lane
Months after the expedition, we asked Oceana’s Senior Campaign Manager Danny Ocampo to look back at his favorite photos from Panaon Island. It wasn’t an easy task given how biodiverse Panaon’s reefscape is, but Danny lists down his three photos and anecdotes that go with it. Since returning to dry land a couple of weeks ago after the expedition, I only managed to sneak in one dive since I … Read more
Scientist Spotlight: Mar Saniano
For our final Scientist Spotlight, we feature no other than Oceana’s very own and Panaon Expedition Team Leader, Mar Saniano. From staying up late to watch documentaries on television, she ably coordinated the latest Oceana scientific expedition to protect the coral reefs of the Philippines. What made you decide to become a marine scientist? Early in my childhood, my sister and I were very fond … Read more
At Sea with Yvette Lee
Yvette Lee is the Vice President of the Discovery Fleet but this award-winning underwater photographer found it hard to resist the call of the ocean. She volunteered to be part of the documentary team and we are more than thankful to have an eye like hers to capture the gems of Panaon. Can you tell us about how you got started … Read more
Bew Pardo’s Dive Diaries
You might remember Bew from our first issue where we wrote about the expedition team’s birthday surprise for her onboard. Bew Pardo, who is part of the coral team, is a UP Los Baños alumna and is among those with the highest general weighted average among Master of Science in Environmental Science graduates. Let’s take a look at Bew’s usual … Read more
The Stormtrooper On Board
Aside from the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Panaon Expedition also had to deal with the forces of nature. Let’s hear from Boat Manager Nori Tolibas how coordination with Oceana’s 24/7 Land Monitoring Team helped them brave all four storms during their journey. Can you tell us what your typical day is aboard M/V Discovery Palawan as the … Read more
Capturing the Captivating Panaon Island
While the science team was busy lugging their equipment for research, Marco Biemann’s weapon of choice was a video camera. Together with his team, their task was to film the entire expedition, especially underwater, and create a documentary that will allow others to see the beauty of Panaon Island. We talked to Marco to learn more about a filmmaker’s life … Read more