Category: Business Mirror

The Palawan Electric Cooperative (Paleco) and Delta P Inc. (DPI) have started implementing last October 4 their 15-year power supply agreement (PSA).

Under their PSA, Paleco is assured of 40 megawatts (MW) of power supply from DPI, a subsidiary of Vivant Energy Corp. (Vivant Energy).

This milestone underscores Paleco’s commitment to address the long-standing challenges in mainland Palawan by ensuring a reliable power supply and reducing electricity costs for its member-consumer-owners (MCO) in partnership with Vivant Energy, according to a statement from both firms released Monday.

Prior to the start of the PSA, both were implementing a transition power supply agreement (TSPA). The PSA now paves the way for a more reliable power in the province and a lower power generation charge for consumers as DPI will only recover the Subsidized Approved Generation Rate (SAGR) from Paleco.

Also, Paleco’s MCOs will receive refunds from its implementation, along with significantly lower electricity bills through the Universal Charge for Missionary Electrification (UCME), further easing the burden of the consumers who previously had to pay unsubsidized generation rates.

‘Through this transition, Paleco assures Palaweños that we are keeping our promise of delivering reliable service, stable power, and lower rates, as we move toward Palawan’s development.’ Paleco General Manager Rez Contrivida said.

‘This milestone is a proof of our commitment to provide secure and reliable power to Palawan-continuing our mission of bringing excellence to industries that improve everyday living,’ said Eric Omamalin, DPI president.

MALAYAN Insurance Co. credited its ‘synergy’ within the Yuchengco Group of Co., advanced analytics tools and strong underwriting capabilities as the drivers of its ‘consistent’ top performance over the past two years.

As of December last year, Malayan’s net premiums written increased to P5.36 billion from the previous year’s P4.78 billion. While gross premiums written slightly dipped to P15.07 billion from P15.4 billion, the company retains its high ranking for two years in a row.

Malayan Insurance Chief Underwriting Officer Adelo A. Abeleda said last Monday that the company’s sustainable growth is ‘shaped by internal strengths and external market dynamics.’

‘Internally, Malayan benefits from strong underwriting and distribution capabilities, enhanced by its affiliation and synergy with YGC. With YGC’s deep market relationships, financial strength, and strategic guidance, Malayan is well-positioned to seize growth opportunities while managing risks effectively-a combination that has strengthened its standing in a competitive industry,’ Abeleda said.

‘Externally, Malayan benefits from the overall growth of the Philippine insurance industry and the country’s economic expansion, which drives demand for new insurance products,’ he added.

Malayan’s key performance indicators reflect sustained business growth in a highly competitive market.

‘The company’s rising NPW highlights its financial strength and ability to meet obligations. This growth suggests that the company is actively engaged in the market through proper selection and has the financial capability to manage a larger volume of policies, reinforcing its reliability and capacity to serve,’ Abeleda said.

The bottom line, Abeleda said the numbers aren’t just about size; it’s about stability.

‘And in an unpredictable world, that’s exactly what you want from your insurer.’

He said Malayan has been improving its underwriting profitability and risk evaluation by utilizing modern risk modeling platforms and risk assessment tools available in the market, including the innovative Moody’s RMS Risk Modeler which enables risk analysis of potential disasters.

Rising concerns over economic uncertainty, climate change and cybersecurity will continue to drive the demand for non-life insurance. On the other hand, tighter regulatory requirements and the need for advanced risk modeling tools will keep the market competitive.

‘For Malayan, the competitive edge will likely keep evolving around three pillars: data-driven underwriting, disciplined risk selection, and the strength of its partnerships. With continued investments in advanced analytics, technology, and talent, the company is well positioned to offer more tailored solutions, respond faster to client needs, and maintain a solid balance sheet-all of which are crucial in a rapidly changing environment,’ Abeleda said.

Founded in 1930, Malayan Insurance is celebrating its 95th anniversary this year.

This may not have been Xander Schauffele’s most prestigious tournament victory, but it should be the American’s most memorable.

Schauffele’s shot a 7-under 64 on Sunday to win the Baycurrent Classic in Japan – a country where his mother grew up and where he has many connections.

Schauffele, who shot 19-under 265 over four rounds at the Yokohama Country Club, finished one shot ahead of American Max Greyserman, who was also the runner-up at this event a year ago as he chases his first PGA Tour title.

Schauffele has maternal grandparents living in Japan and his mother has roots in Taiwan and grew up in Japan. His mother-in-law is also Japanese, and his wife is half Japanese and grew up in Japan’s southern island of Okinawa.

‘I’ve been coming here since I was about 9 years old to visit my grandparents,’ Schauffele said. ‘I sort of fell in love with this country a long time ago. I can’t wait to bring my son here when he’s old enough to sort of understand and appreciate the culture here in Japan.’

‘Yeah, the ties run deep for the Schauffele family here in Japan,’ he added.

Schauffele and his wife Maya became parents just over a month ago with the birth of a son.

‘It’s still kind of fresh, but it’s definitely a cool thing being a dad and I’m so excited to go home to him and Maya after this,’ Schauffele said.

Schauffele was cheered during the tournament by family members who attended, including his 81-year-old grandmother who walked the course with him. He said there would probably be a ‘get-together’ with family members later to celebrate.

‘I mean, I don’t get to see them very often and they’ve always been gracious with their time to come out wherever the event was,’ he said. ‘They’ve been awesome to me and this is pretty cool. I’ve really wanted to share a win with them, so can’t wait to get together with them.’

Greyserman closed with a 65 and held or shared the lead through the first three rounds. American Michael Thorbjornsen finished with a 64 and was three strokes behind the winner.

Schauffele has won two major championships – including the British Open in 2024 which was his last victory – and took gold in the Tokyo Olympics, which were delayed until 2021 by the pandemic. He’s also compiled a considerable list of other PGA Tour titles – but this PGA Tour title is different.

Soft conditions and still winds led to low scoring. American Matt McCarty shot an 11-under 60 – he still finished nine strokes back. Japanese Takumi Kanaya finished with a 9-under 62 and was five behind with winner.

McCarty had a chance at a 58 but hit into the trees on his final hole and settled for a bogey and a 60. Jim Furyk holds the PGA Tour record with a 58 in the final round of the Travelers Championship in 2016.

ENTREPRENEUR Hayb Anzures-known for his success with Gentry Timepiece-has transformed his business acumen toward a different passion-tennis-as he leads the P2-million Gentry Open Tennis Championships, the richest tournament in local tennis history.

The Gentry Open officially kicked off last Friday at the world-class 2,000-seat, 11-court Tennis Center inside Colegio San Agustin-Bulacan in San Jose del Monte.

‘For just one year into tennis, the feeling and excitement are different compared to when I play basketball, football or golf,’ Anzures said. ‘The tennis community is so vibrant and welcoming.’

Anzures, 31, a Business Management graduate from Far Eastern University, said he was inspired by the success of Alex Eala on the global stage to invest his energy and resources into developing local tennis.

‘The rise of Alex Eala on the world stage has given local tennis something to cheer for,’ he said. ‘I felt I had to do something to contribute and help further develop the sport in the local scene.’

With a P2 million total prize pool, the Gentry Open now stands as the biggest local tennis tournament in terms of cash rewards-surpassing even the storied Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open.

Anzures said the men’s singles champion will receive P300,000, and cash prizes and special gifts from sponsors will be awarded to the 15th place in the main draw.

The country’s top players AJ Lim and Eric Jed Olivarez headline the men’s competition, while the women’s singles division features promising stars Mikaela Vicencio and Tiffany Nocos, who will battle for the P100,000 champion’s purse and the runner-up prize of P50,000.

The tournament, which runs until Sunday, is staged in partnership with Palawan Pawnshop, Palawan Express Pera Padala and Palawan Pay as the official event and tournament partners.

Presented by GWM (Great Wall Motor Philippines), the Gentry Open 2025 enjoys strong backing from its platinum sponsors-Hiessence, Purse Maison, Mobile Cart, Primoshine, Sole Avenue, Dear Face, PDAX, Darling’s Fine Jewels, Luxetrust by Amethyst, The Watch Reserve, and Guapo Car Care Solutions. These brands share Gentry’s vision of promoting excellence, innovation, and national pride through sport.

‘We’re not just organizing tournaments; we’re building a community and an ecosystem that supports players, coaches, and fans,’ Anzures said. ‘My hope is that this becomes a yearly tradition that inspires the next generation of Filipino tennis champions.’

Jaron Ennis barely needed 2 minutes to leave a path of destruction in the ring as the Philadelphia fighter successfully moved up to 154 pounds for the first time in his undefeated career.

Ennis needed much less time to spout off who he wanted next: Bring on Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Ennis’ debut at 154 pounds was a smashing success as the rising star proved he could dominate in his new weight class and made quick work of Uisma Lima with a first-round victory via stoppage on Saturday night.

‘I’m belt chasing,’ Ennis said. ‘This is my division, 154 is mine.’

Known as Boots, Ennis dropped Lima three times in the first round in a complete mismatch in just 1:58 of the first round – and an absolute statement that Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) is primed for bigger fights. Ennis’ win should set up a fight with Ortiz early next year. Ennis officially claimed a share of the interim WBA junior middleweight title.

‘I just wanted to test my body at 154,’ Ennis said.

The 28-year-old Ennis won his first test at 154 pounds following an undefeated run at 147 pounds that included three fights out of his last four in the Philly arena also home to the 76ers and Flyers.

Boots did give the Philly sports scene a small boost after a week that included two Eagles losses, the Phillies getting eliminated in the playoffs and two losses in the first two games of the season for the Flyers.

‘It was a great win for Philadelphia,’ Ennis said.

Ennis, out of northwest Philadelphia, is a rising star in the sport. and used a right uppercut to stun Lima (14-2) before unloading a combination on the Angolan challenger to knock him out for the first time in his career.

Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers’ All-Star guard, yelled encouragement from the front row and fans who stood for the national anthem hardly had time to sit by the time Ennis flattened Lima for the first time.

Ennis, who moved up in weight class after he unified two welterweight belts in an April win, was raised in the Germantown section of Philadelphia and was a Golden Gloves gold medalist as an amateur. He made his pro debut in 2016.

Ennis’ dad was a boxer and he picked up his Boots nickname as a kid when he tagged along to training sessions in the gym. Ennis was barely in his boots during his short time in the ring.

He used this fight more of a tune-up for an anticipated showdown with Ortiz. Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn said he has talked to to Ortiz’s promoters at Golden Boy Promotions and expected the fight to happen some time next year. Ortiz also has to get past Erickson Lubin in a fight next month.

Should Ortiz clear that hurdle, Ennis should be in line for a fight that – with a win – could shoot him to true boxing stardom.

‘It’s going to happen next,’ Ennis said. ‘He’s got his fight coming up. If he don’t win, I’ll fight the winner of that. I want Vergil Ortiz next.’

Hearn said he wanted the Ennis-Ortiz fight to happen in the United States rather than accept would could be a more lucrative payday in Saudi Arabia.

T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center in New York host some of the biggest domestic cards while the true headline bouts – topped by Tyson Fury’s win over Francis Ngannou in October 2023 – are held in Saudi Arabia. Celebrity bouts such as Jake Paul’s win over a 58-year-old Mike Tyson have become the rage but there is hope within Matchroom that Ennis could soon headline a true 154-pound super fight in Las Vegas.

Philadelphia was once a heavyweight in the boxing game. Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney packed more than 120,000 fans into the Sesquicentennial Stadium in 1926. Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Marvin Hagler and Joe Frazier all called Philly home on fight night.

Ennis vowed to bring a major title defense back to Philadelphia, though that seemed more of a longshot than Lima pulling off an upset in the scheduled 12-rounder on Saturday night.

While Ortiz is the top target, Ennis said there was some appeal to fight Puerto Rican fighter Xander Zayas next year at MSG

‘I’m trying to be undisputed and collect all these belts,’ Ennis said.

A timeline of Tiger Woods’ injuries after announcing Saturday he had a seventh surgery on his lower back:

December 1994 – As a freshman at Stanford, Woods has surgery to remove two benign tumors and scar tissue.

December 2002 – Woods has surgery to remove fluid inside and outside his ACL in his left knee, and to remove benign cysts. It is from this surgery that Woods said he learned the ACT was damaged.

July 2007 – Ruptures his ACL while running on a golf course after the British Open. He went on to win five of his last six tournaments, including the PGA Championship.

April 15, 2008 – Two days after a runner-up finish at the Masters, Woods has arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage, but chose not to repair the ACL to give him a chance to play in the U.S. Open.

May 2008 – Woods is advised weeks before the U.S. Open that because of two stress fractures in his left tibia, he should expect to be on crutches for three weeks and be out of golf for an additional three weeks.

June 24, 2008 – Woods has reconstructive surgery on his left knee to repair the ACL.

2008-2009 – At the 2010 Masters, Woods revealed that he tore his right Achilles tendon in 2008, and reinjured the tendon several times in 2009, yet continued to play.

May 2010: Woods withdraws during the final round of The Players Championship, citing what he believes to be a potential bulging disk. ‘I’ve been playing with a bad neck for quite a while,’ he tells reporters. The injury was later diagnosed as an inflamed facet joint in his neck. Woods does not miss a start, tying for 19th in his next appearance at the Memorial Tournament the following month.

April 2011: Woods announces that he will withdraw from the upcoming Wells Fargo Championship due to a ‘minor’ injury to his left knee and Achilles’ tendon, one that he claimed to have suffered at the Masters earlier in the month.

May 2011: In his first start since his most recent injury announcement, Woods abruptly withdraws from The Players Championship after nine holes, exiting early from TPC Sawgrass for the second consecutive year. ‘The knee acted up and then the Achilles’ followed after that,’ he tells reporters. The injury is later diagnosed as both a sprain of the MCL ligament in his left knee and a strain to the left Achilles’ tendon, and Woods ultimately misses three months of action, including both the US Open and The Open.

March 2012: Woods withdraws with seven holes left in his final round at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, citing an injury to his left Achilles’ tendon. He wins two weeks later at Bay Hill in his next start.

June 2013: Woods announces he will miss the upcoming AT and T National due to a left elbow strain.

March 2014: Woods withdraws on the 13th green in the final round of the Honda Classic, citing lower back spasms.

April 2014: Woods announces that he will miss the Masters for the first time in his pro career. He also revealed that he recently underwent surgery for a pinched nerve in his back and that he hoped to return to the PGA Tour ‘sometime this summer.’

August 2014: Woods withdraws on the ninth hole of the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, citing lower back pain. The injury stemmed from an awkward lie on the second hole that sent Woods back into a fairway bunker after impact. He plays the PGA the following week.

February 2015: In his second start of the year, Woods walks off after completing 11 holes of his opening round at the Farmers Insurance Open, citing a back injury. Woods explained that the injury stemmed from enduring multiple fog delays before the start of his round, and that he was unable to keep his glutes ‘activated.’ ‘My glutes are just shutting off,’ he said. ‘Then they don’t activate and then, hence, it goes into my lower back.’

September 2015: After showing signs of improvement in his final start of the season at the Wyndham Championship, Woods on Sept. 18 announces that he has undergone a second microdiscectomy surgery two days prior to remove a disk fragment that was pinching his nerve.

October 2015: Woods announces on his website that he has undergone a ‘successful’ procedure as a follow-up to his latest back surgery.

April 2016: Woods announces that he will miss the Masters for the second time in three years.

February 2017: Woods withdraws from the Omega Dubai Desert Classic before the start of his second round with back spasms.

April 2017: Woods announces on his website that he has undergone fusion surgery on his lower back.

May 2017: Woods is arrested in Jupiter, Florida, on suspicion of driving under the influence. Woods later says alcohol was not involved and he had ‘an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications.’

July 2017: Woods tweets that he ‘recently completed an out of state private intensive program,’ as he continues to seek professional help following his arrest for DUI on May 29.

October 28, 2017: Woods pleads guilty to reckless driving and enters a diversion program. He was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to pay a $250 fine and court costs.

March 4, 2019: After playing 2018 injury-free and competing in three events in 2019, Woods announces his withdrawal from the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Woods, an eight-time winner of the event, cites a neck strain.

August 27, 2019: Woods announces he has undergone arthroscopic surgery to repair minor ligament damage in his left knee.

January 19, 2021: Woods announces he has undergone a fifth microdiscectomy procedure on his back.

February 23, 2021: Woods is involved in a single-vehicle rollover accident outside of Los Angeles. According to a statement from his doctor, Woods sustained ‘significant’ injuries to his right leg and ankle. Dr. Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said that Woods suffered comminuted open fractures to the upper and lower sections of his right leg, as well as significant trauma to his right ankle. Doctors needed to insert a rod, screws and pins to stabilize Woods’ leg, Mahajan said in a statement.

May 21, 2022: After successfully making the cut at the Masters, Woods also made the cut at the PGA Championship. But following a third-round 79, Woods informed the PGA of America he was withdrawing.

April 9, 2023: In his second start of the year, after tying for 45th in his own Genesis Invitational, Woods survived the cut at the Masters. But because of multiple weather suspensions, he would need to play 28 1/2 holes on Sunday to complete his third and final rounds. Woods, who played Saturday in miserable cold and rainy conditions, announces his withdrawal early Sunday on Twitter, stating, ‘I am disappointed to have to WD this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis.’

April 19, 2023: Woods announces via his Twitter account that he had a subtalar fusion procedure in his right ankle to ‘address his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture.’

Sept. 13, 2024: Woods announces he had surgery on his lower back, which he described as a microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement in the lower back. He said he hoped it would alleviate back spasms he experienced through most of the season.

March 11, 2025: Woods has surgery after rupturing his left Achilles tendon while increasing his workouts to get ready for the Masters. The surgery was described as ‘minimally invasive.’

Oct. 11, 2025: Woods has surgery on his lower back to replace a disk. He says he had been dealing with pain and lack of mobility, and scans reveals a collapsed disk in his L4/5, disk fragments and a compromised spinal canal.

American Annie Mitchem tries to save the ball during the Akari Chargers’23-25, 25-23, 30-28, 23-25, 15-12 upset victory over the defending champions Creamline Cool Smashers in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the Dasmariñas City Arena in Cavite on Saturday.

Mitchem has 33 points along with 14 excellent receptions in Akari’s first-ever win over Creamline in 10 meetings in the league.

THE Philippine curling team went unbeaten in a pre-Olympic qualification event at the Curl Aberdeen in Scotland over the weekend to move tantalizingly close to qualifying for the 2026 Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics in February.

The 2025 Asian Winter Games gold medal-winning team of heritage athletes Marc Pfister, Christian Haller, Enrico Pfister, Brayden Carpenter and alternate Alan Frei automatically advanced to the Olympic Qualification 2025 event in Kelowna, British Columbia, in Canada from December 6 to 19.

The top two teams in Kelowna will qualify for the Winter Olympics set February 4 to 22.

‘We’re so happy to announce that our Philippine men’s curling team is just a door step away from making it to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo,’ Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino said.

The same team beat South Korea, 5-3, in the men’s team final in Harbin last February for a historic first gold medal for the Philippines in any winter sports games.

In Aberdeen, the Pfister and company went unblemished with victories Pfister Denmark, 7-4; Chinese Taipei, 10-0; New Zealand, 6-5; Australia, 9 (7)-4; and Poland, 7-2.

‘They performed really well in Scotland and we are proud of them. We expect them to advance, and we are calling the entire nation for support and prayers,’ Tolentino said. ‘We are also hoping that the PSC [Philippine Sports Commission] support their campaign.’

Ten countries-120 quotas or 60 in each of the men and women categories-plus host Italy will qualify for the Winter Olympics.

Men’s teams from Czechia, Poland and New Zealand and Germany and Australia’s women’s squads also made the qualifiers in Canada.

In an interview with the BusinessMirror after their success in Harbin, Marc Pfister said it’s about time the Philippines make a name for itself in the curling world.

‘It’s about the country’s story. There was an opportunity to restart curling as there’s something new. It’s time to represent the Philippines,’ Pfister said. ‘I have met Alan [Frei] and Christian [Haller] telling me about this opportunity to represent the Philippines.’

The 35-year-old Marc Pfister-whose mom Milagrosa is originally from Palawan while his dad Christian is Swiss-has three men’s world championships in 2015, 2016 and 2018 and mixed doubles stints in 2015 representing Switzerland.

He stopped competing in 2020 because of the pandemic but bared that the opportunity started in September 2023 when Curling Pilipinas gave them a call to represent the Philippines.

Together with brother Enrico, Haller, Frei and Benjo Delermente, they won Division B gold and silver at the 2024 and 2023 Pan Continental Curling Championships, respectively, in Lacombe, Alberta, and British Columbia in Canada.

‘We were super happy with the gold medal in Harbin,’ said Enrico Pfister, 33, a certified electrician in Switzerland and a 24-year curling veteran.

Club Serena Resort, an upscale beach hotel in Moalboal, Cebu province, led the recent International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day along the Tañon Strait, one of the top beach and dive destinations in Cebu.

Held at the famed Basdaku Beach in Bgy. Saavedra, the environmental event is the town’s first private sector-led multi-sectoral and collaboration with 105 participants from the municipal government, public safety officers, and tourism stakeholders, who hauled 200 kilos of trash.

The ICC-held annually on the third Saturday of September-was introduced in 1986 by the Texas-based Ocean Conservancy, and has since gained global popularity around the world, including the Philippines, which boasts of hundreds of thousands of participants nationwide.

Volunteers included employees of AppleOne Properties Inc. (API), Barangay Saavedra officials, personnel from the Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Moalboal Municipal Tourism Office, owners of beach establishments, and One Root Hospitality, which owns and operates Club Serena.

Moreover, scuba divers from Savedra Dive Center, Cebu Fun Divers and 7 Seas Dive Center did underwater cleanup.

‘Club Serena’s leadership in this year’s ICC is our public statement on sustainability even as we pursue property and tourism development in the countryside,’ says API Vice President for Hospitality Samantha Manigsaca, who hatched the local version of the global movement.

‘Our mother company, AppleOne Properties Inc., has been implementing earth-friendly measures across our group of companies, and the ICC is part of our bigger journey towards corporate social responsibility and sustainable tourism,’ Manigsaca adds.

She noted that the multi-sectoral participants wrote specific pledges after the cleanup to create synergy for Tañon Strait, which AppleOne and Club Serena will help take to the next level of environmental advocacy in the coming years.

The third Saturday of September has been declared in the Philippines by Presidential Proclamation 470 in 1994 as the International Coastal Cleanup Day enjoining government agencies and sectoral organizations.

This year’s theme is ‘Clean Seas Against the Climate Crisis, Tayo ang Solusyon [We are the Solution],’ which highlights the need to sustain the coastal and marine ecosystems as the natural shields to extreme weather conditions.

Regarded as the country’s biggest protected seascape, which is known for its rich marine and terrestrial biodiversity, Tañon Strait is a 160-kilometer long body of water located between the provinces of Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Negros Occidental, embracing 42 municipalities and cities.

It has a spread of 8,408 hectares of coral reefs with 41 common coral genera, 4,108 hectares of mangrove forests with 46 known species, and is habitat to nearly half of the archipelago’s cetaceans, and 12 of the country’s 16 seagrass species.

It is also home to the sardine run, a world-famous dive site because of the thousands of sardines swirling near Panagsama Beach and Pescador Island, a limestone islet which has been declared a marine park and fish sanctuary.

A simultaneous public sector cleanup was also held in the coastal areas around the town proper led by Moalboal Mayor Inocentes Cabaron and municipal government officials and civil servants.

‘The annual ICC Day brought together people from all walks of life to care for the sea and celebrate our love for nature and culture,’ says the local chief executive.

He noted that public and private entities do regular coastal and underwater cleanups which involve the townsfolk, fisherfolk, and all tourist stakeholders to ensure environmental health of Moalboal and their portion of Tañon Strait.

Cabaron added that this year’s event is a part of the town’s year-round commitment to protecting one of the country’s best beaches and underwater world.

Located along Cebu’s southwestern corridor, Moalboal was selected as a finalist in the top destination category in the recent Philippine Tourism Awards by the Department of Tourism.

An Indonesian archipelago that’s home to three-fourths of Earth’s coral species, a stretch of Icelandic coast with 70 percent of the country’s plant life and an area along Angola’s Atlantic coast featuring savannahs, forests and estuaries are among 26 new Unesco-designated biosphere reserves.

The United Nations cultural agency says the reserves-785 sites in 142 countries, designated since 1971-are home to some of the planet’s richest and most fragile ecosystems.

But biosphere reserves encompass more than strictly protected nature reserves; they’re expanded to include areas where people live and work, and the designation requires that scientists, residents and government officials work together to balance conservation and research with local economic and cultural needs.

‘The concept of biosphere reserves is that biodiversity conservation is a pillar of socioeconomic development’ and can contribute to the economy, said António Abreu, head of the program, adding that conflict and misunderstanding can result if local communities are left out of decision-making and planning.

The new reserves, in 21 countries, were announced in Hangzhou, China, where the program adopted a 10-year strategic action plan that includes studying the effects of climate change, Abreu said.

Biodiversity hot spots

The new reserves include a 52,000-square-mile (135,000-square-kilometer) area in the Indonesian archipelago, Raja Ampat, home to over 75 percent of earth’s coral species as well as rainforests and rare endangered sea turtles. The economy depends on fishing, aquaculture, small-scale agriculture and tourism, Unesco said.

On Iceland’s west coast, the Snæfellsnes Biosphere Reserve’s landscape includes volcanic peaks, lava fields, wetlands, grasslands and the Snæfellsjökull glacier.

The 1,460-square-kilometer (564 square-mile) reserve is an important sanctuary for seabirds, seals and over 70 percent of Iceland’s plant life-including 330 species of wildflowers and ferns. Its population of more than 4,000 people relies on fishing, sheep farming and tourism.

And in Angola, the new Quiçama Biosphere Reserve, along 206 kilometers (128 miles) of Atlantic coast is a ‘sanctuary for biodiversity’ within its savannahs, forests, flood plains, estuaries and islands, according to Unesco.

It’s home to elephants, manatees, sea turtles and more than 200 bird species. Residents’ livelihoods include livestock herding, farming, fishing, honey production.

Collaboration is key

Residents are important partners in protecting biodiversity within the reserves, and even have helped identify new species, said Abreu, the program’s leader.

Meanwhile, scientists also are helping to restore ecosystems to benefit the local economy, he said.

For example, in the Philippines, the coral reefs around Pangatalan Island in Palawan were severely damaged because local fishermen used dynamite to find depleted fish populations.

Scientists helped design a structure to help coral reefs regrow and taught fishermen to raise fish through aquaculture so the reefs could recover.

‘They have food and they have also fish to sell in the markets,’ said Abreu.

In the African nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, a biosphere reserve on Príncipe Island led to restoration of mangroves, which help buffer against storm surges and provide important habitat, Abreu said.

Ecotourism also has become an important industry, with biosphere trails and guided bird-watching tours. A new species of owl was identified there in recent years.

This year, a biosphere reserve was added for the island of São Tomé, making the country the first entirely within a reserve.

Climate and environmental concerns

At least 60 percent of the Unesco biosphere reserves have been affected by extreme weather tied to climate change, which is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and gas, including extreme heat and drought and sea-level rise, Abreu said.

The agency is using satellite imagery and computer modeling to monitor changes in coastal zones and other areas, and is digitizing its historical databases, Abreu said. The information will be used to help determine how best to preserve and manage the reserves.

Some biosphere reserves also are under pressure from environmental degradation.

In Nigeria, for example, habitat for a dwindling population of critically endangered African forest elephants is under threat as cocoa farmers expand into Omo Forest Reserve, a protected rainforest and one of Africa’s oldest and largest Unesco Biosphere Reserves. The forest is also important to help combat climate change.

The Trump administration in July announced that the US would withdraw from Unesco as of December 2026, just as it did during his first administration, saying US involvement is not in the national interest. The US has 47 biosphere reserves, most in federal protected areas.