THE TEAM

Board of Directors

Jo Marie Acebes
President

Jom is the Founder and Principal Investigator of BALYENA.ORG. She has over 20 years work experience in marine biodiversity conservation, project management, and stakeholder partnerships through her previous roles at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – Philippines and Conservation International (CI) – Philippines and as an independent researcher and principal investigator of BALYENA.ORG. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, a Master of Science in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management and a PhD in Marine Environmental History. Her interests range from marine mammal population biology and conservation, cetacean-human interactions, biodiversity conservation, wildlife medicine, marine protected areas, environmental history, to historical and current fisheries for large marine vertebrates. Jom is a National Geographic Explorer, Fulbright Scholar, member of IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group and IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force, and a member of the Philippine Aquatic Red List Committee – Subcommittee on Cetaceans and Subcommittee on Cartilaginous Fishes.

Andrea Leonor Barcelona
Secretary

She is a founding and current member of the Board of Trustees of BALYENA.ORG. She is currently the Field Program Coordinator for the Visayan Sea project site of the USAID Fish Right Program, overseeing program activities across three regions, five provinces and 33 towns and cities at the NGA, P/MLGU and community levels. With a degree in Marine Zoology, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and a Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning, her work and interests range from coastal resource and fisheries management, marine mammal conservation, cetacean-fisheries interaction, and ridge to reef planning. She has worked with various organizations, including national government agencies, local government units, local academic institutions and international aid agencies.

Arnel Andrew Yaptinchay
Treasurer

AA is a founding and current member of the board of BALYENA.ORG. He is a marine wildlife species specialist with extensive experience spanning 30 years in the conservation and management of long-lived and threatened species such as the dugong, marine turtles, cetaceans, and sharks. He is a strong advocate for the non-consumptive utilization of marine wildlife and influenced both government and civil society in the development of responsible tourism policies and practices. He is the Founder and Executive Director of MWWP and established partnership with DA-BFAR and NFRDI and the DENR in the development of knowledge products to include the Philippine Aquatic Wildlife Rescue and Response Manual Series (2014). He is a co-convenor of the Save Sharks Network of the Philippines. He is currently the Chair of the PARLC Subcommittee on Cetaceans, a member of PARLC Subcommittee on Cartilaginous Fishes, and lead trainer for MMWP-BFAR-NFRDI’s CITES Enforcement Training Program.

Jose Mari Daclan

He is a founding and current member of the board of BALYENA.ORG. He is currently the Associate Technical Director of EMI, an international scientific organization working to advance knowledge, policy and practice of urban disaster risk reduction. Mr. Daclan previously served as Technical Director of the same organization, completing a three-year term. He has also previously assumed management and technical positions for the Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project of the Philippine Department of the Environment and Natural Resources, as well as for Conservation International-Philippines and WWF-Philippines. Mr. Daclan has over 20 years of experience in implementing and managing development projects. In the course of his career, he has occupied key roles in projects funded by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, World Health Organization, World Food Programme, and local authorities and national governments in various countries. His countries of work experience include the Philippines, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Algeria, and Myanmar.

Miledel Christine Quibilan

She is the newest member of the board of BALYENA.ORG. She is currently a technical consultant of the Marine Environment Resources Foundation (MERF) Inc. and serves as the Resilience Lead of the USAID Fish Right Program. She is a coral reef ecologist with over 25 years of research, conservation, and development work experience. She specialized in coral reef assessment and monitoring and was involved as researcher and/or organizer of various interdisciplinary marine scientific research expeditions in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), Sulu and South China Seas. She held both technical and project management positions in regional marine biodiversity conservation and development programs such as the UNEP-GEF South China Sea Program, the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape Program of Conservation International, the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), and the GEF-World Bank Capturing Coral Reef and Ecosystems Services (CCRES) Project. In 2010, she co-founded the Philippine Coral Bleaching Watch – a citizen science initiative that aims to document impacts of coral bleaching in the Philippines.

Elson Aca

He is a founding and current member of the board of BALYENA.ORG. He is currently working as the training coordinator for the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines (MWWP) project with Ocean5. With masters degrees in Geographic Information System (UNSW) and Environmental Management (NUS), his more than 2 decades of work and interest ranges from urban and regional planning, statistical mapping, marine mammal conservation, integrated coastal management and IEC/awareness to different stakeholders. His wide range of experience has enabled him to work with various local organizations as well as international aid agencies like UNDP, ADB, JICA and GIZ.

Pierre Palallos

Pierre’s work at WWF-Philippines as Communications Manager allowed him to travel around the country and experience the wild first-hand. These experiences furthered his love for the environment. He is now a freelance graphic artist and still works closely with various environmental NGOs. Pierre is also interested in environmental education having previously worked at the Museo Pambata ng Maynila.

Funders and Partners

BALYENA.ORG is dependent on the generous support of many institutions and contributors. We are extremely grateful for the financial and material support from the following organizations and companies. We are also thankful for the partnerships extended by several groups, organizations and agencies. Our collaborations with them have made it possible for us to work in many areas around the country.

Funders:

  • The Rufford Small Grants Foundation
    The Rufford Small Grants Foundation is a charity established specifically for the development of Rufford Small Grants for Nature Conservation (RSGs)
  • The Ocean Fund
    The Ocean Fund – Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises established the Ocean Fund in 1996 to support marine conservation organizations in safeguarding the health of the world’s oceans.
  • Duke Center for Marine Conservation and Oak Foundation
    The Duke Center for Marine Conservation is an interdisciplinary consortium within the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Science focusing on research, education, and outreach in marine conservation. Facilitated by the Duke University Marine Lab, the Oak Foundation Mini-Grants in Marine Conservation are small grants used to develop small-scale research, demonstration or environmental education programs in the home countries of Global Fellows Alumni.
  • Ocean Park Conservation Foundation – Hong Kong
  • Marine Conservation Action Fund

Partners and Collaborators:

  • BEMO
  • CREE
    Center for Rural Empowerment & the Environment is a livelihoods focused non-profit organization that seeks practical solutions to bridging the gap between sustainable development and environmental conservation.
  • MWWP
    Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines is a non-profit, non-stock organization that aims to develop a better appreciation of the marine environment, its ecological processes and how it affects all of us through information dissemination, education, campaigns, training, research, and other related activities.
  • DA-BFAR
    Visit the DA-BFAR website here.
  • DA-NFRDI
    Department of Agriculture – National Fisheries Research and Development Institute was created under the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998. Its vision is to establish an effective, relevant and responsive Philippine fisheries research and development institution towards an industry that is sustainable and globally competitive.
  • TMRC
    Tropical Marine Research Center for Conservation, a small research and conservation outfit founded in 2005, conceived to help promote research and conservation of marine mammals and their habitats in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines.
  • WWF-PHILIPPINES
    WWF-Philippines’ conservation program places strong marine emphasis in the conservation of species and habitats and utilizes highly integrative and participatory approaches to find solutions that work for the environment and for the people that live in and depend on it.
  • Conservation Sew Mates
    Conservation Sew Mates was inspired by, and established with the aim to support wildlife conservation efforts. As a livelihood supplement project, Sew Mates workshops were organized to teach fishing community members, mainly women to make and sell the marine animal toys or plushies
  • Whale Trust
  • Okinawa Churashima Foundation
  • Happywhale

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