Stakeholders and government agencies have successfully found the fragile balance between conservation, development, and community needs in managing the Masinloc and Oyon Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape (MOBPLS) as it now sets the standards for integrated conservation.
Efforts of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Protected Area Management Board in conservation and protection of the area have earned for the MOPBLS, the only one of its kind in Zambales, the honor of being a finalist in the 2025 Para el Mar Awards.
The MOBPLS will be competing with other best-managed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Philippines for the said awards in September in Iloilo.
DENR Regional Executive Director Engr. Ralph Pablo said that the recognition of MOBPLS as a finalist for the Para el Mar Award is “a testament to the unwavering commitment of communities, local government units, communities, and other stakeholders.”
"It affirms that when we work together, we can protect our marine heritage and inspire a new generation of stewards,” Pablo said.
DENR Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer Donaver Guevarra said that the recent achievement is no small feat as managing the area needs a delicate balance between marine conservation, law enforcement, and the practical needs of the thousands of fishing families among the dozens of seaside communities in the area.
“It involved the long process of community awareness and education initiatives among the immediate communities surrounding the bay. We also had the daunting task of ensuring strict monitoring and patrolling to deter illegal activities,” Guevarra said.
Guevarra added that enlisting the commitment of communities and local government units is essential in protecting the marine heritage of the protected area and making it a vital stronghold for community-based marine conservation.
“We also monitor the construction of unauthorized structures, marine pollution, ecosystem destruction, and destructive fishing practices,” Guevarra said, along with the effort to promote sustainable livelihoods for the communities whom he hopes would become more responsible stewards of the protected area.
Masinloc and Oyon Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape
The popular story goes that former President Fidel V. Ramos went on diving trip in Masinloc and fell in love with the bay and its natural beauty.
Ramos had the place declared as a marine reserve on August 18, 1993 through Proclamation No. 231 as he realized the immense marine diversity of the area and the unique diversification elements present in the bay. The area has since come under the protection of the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018.
The MOBPLS is by far the biggest protected area in the country, spanning an approximate area of 7,568 hectares. The protected area covers the municipalities of Masinloc and Palauig. The MOBPLS covers some 11 coastal communities in Masinloc and three from Palauig and derive their livelihood from the bay.
The abundance of fish and coral species, mangroves, and seagrass, along with the natural configuration of islands has resulted in the bio diversification of the bay. The DENR briefer on the area also claims that the seagrass in the area covers some 800 hectares.
The MOBPLS is also home to four marine protected areas. Guevarra said that the existence of these MPAs within the MOBPLS provide an additional layer of protection to areas of the bay.
The San Salvador Marine Sanctuary, also inside the MOBPLS, serves to protect the nursing grounds for young fish species and the giant clams (taklobo). The MOBPLS is also host to 86 hectares of mangroves, including the hybrid mangrove called “happy face” (Rhizophora x lamarckii) located within the Yaha Mangrove Islet.
The DENR said that the MOBPLS cover approximately 1,500 hectares of lush coral reefs which serve as nurseries for fish species. The MOBPLS coral reefs are home to mesophotic corals, large fishes, and the threatened blue-spotted rabbitfish as well as a variety of commercially important fishery species, according to the DENR.
Bio-Diversity Friendly Enterprises
Sea cucumbers, locally known as balat, have been the center of a successful Bio-Diversity Friendly Enterprise (BDFE) in the area. The DENR and local officials help organize the local community into the into the Samahan ng Magbabalat ng San Salvador. The community started sea cucumber ranching both as an intervention to arrest the decline of the population and to provide an alternative livelihood for residents. The DENR said that sea cucumbers are vital function in local biodiversity help break down dead organic matter on the sea floor.
Residents have started sea cucumber ranching, producing local populations that are later harvested. The DENR helped set up the program along with the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC).
The giant clam sanctuary in the area is also a perfect case study of how the academe, the community, and local stakeholders were able to successfully propagate and save the giant clam population. Set up through the local government and the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UPMSI), it conducts conservation and research efforts in the area.
Guevarra said that activities to better protect the area have been conducted regularly, such as habitat assessment, water monitoring, and regular patrols.
The importance of the MOBPLS is clearly reflected in the increase of its Integrated Protected Area Fund (IPAF). The IPAF is a special trust fund established under the NIPAS Act as a financial mechanism for protected area management where fees, revenues, and donations collected within a protected area are used for “conservation, protection, and management.”
As of August 2025, the IPAF collection for the MOBPLS reached ?12,642,171, a far cry from the ?3.6 million collected in 2024.
IPAF funding is mostly sourced from resorts, tourist establishments, and tourism activities, which have peaked in recent months around the protected area. Fish cages, which have recently come under heavy regulation and a nearby coal plant, also contribute to the IPAF fund.
The MOBPLS also generated a new source of income from fees and fines through the implementation of strict environmental regulations. Just this August 2025, collection from fees and fines reached ?10 million, a huge leap from the ?381,400 collected in 2024.
Challenges to Sustainability
The DENR and local stakeholders have identified population and siltation as the main threats to the sustainability of the protected area. The seaside communities have seen a rise in the number of illegal settlers deriving livelihood from the bay as waste generated from these areas has become a serious concern.
The DENR, along with local government units, has been conducting clean-up operations and educational awareness campaigns among the immediate communities. Mangrove cutting for charcoal and lumber has also been strictly prohibited in recent years.
“It has always been an integrated conservation approach because what happens on land has an effect on the sea as well,” Guevarra stressed.
Fish cages in the bay have also been a focus of concern, as they pose a risk to siltation and the carrying capacity of the bay. Uneaten feeds usually end up as waste. In 2021, water quality assessment in the bay showed that the area is still within safe parameters. The DENR reported that the bay “has passed the water quality parameters of containing acceptable levels of ammonia, nitrate, phosphate, total dissolved solids, and total suspended solids.”
Guevarra said that the CENRO has been intensifying information, education, and communication (IEC) programs to solicit community support for the protection of coastal ecosystems of MOBPLS.
With all steps taken, the government, community, and stakeholder efforts in protecting the bay may soon find their validation in the upcoming Para el Mar Awards in Iloilo City this September.