ALAMINOS CITY, Pangasinan — A damaged stretch of mangrove forest in this coastal city is being rebuilt through a ₱1-million program that is putting local fisherfolk and vulnerable residents to work while strengthening Alaminos’ natural defenses against future storms.
Metro Pacific Investments Foundation (MPIF) and the Alaminos City government have launched Project RESHORE, a community-based cash-for-work initiative targeting 2.19 hectares of severely damaged mangroves inside the Bued Mangrove Eco-Park.
Thirty qualified small-scale fisherfolk and residents from at-risk coastal households are participating in the project, which runs from September 1 to October 31, 2026. Participants can work for up to five hours a day and receive allowances along with protective equipment, tools and technical guidance.
The program’s full name — Resilient Ecosystem and Sustainable Habitats through Organized Restoration and Employment — captures its two-pronged objective: rebuild an environmentally important coastal ecosystem while giving families an additional source of income.
More than a quarter of mangrove park severely damaged
The scale of the rehabilitation challenge is significant.
The Bued Mangrove Eco-Park covers 8.17 hectares, but approximately 2.19 hectares, or 26.79% of the area, has been classified as severely damaged following environmental disturbances that MPIF said included Typhoon Emong in 2025.
Project workers are clearing damaged and dead mangroves, removing marine debris and waste, and planting new propagules in sections identified for rehabilitation.
The project comes after Alaminos experienced widespread destruction when Typhoon Emong struck Pangasinan in July 2025. The Philippine Information Agency reported uprooted trees, damaged homes, disrupted livelihoods and widespread power outages in the city, while the Philippine News Agency documented continuing public-private rehabilitation efforts in the weeks following the storm.
MPIF specifically identifies Emong as among the disturbances linked to the damaged section of the Bued park, although the foundation’s release does not provide a breakdown showing how much of the 2.19 hectares was damaged by that typhoon alone.
Why rebuilding the mangroves matters
Mangroves are more than trees growing along the shoreline.
They can reduce coastal erosion and help buffer communities from storm surges and coastal flooding while providing habitat and nursery grounds for fish, crabs, shellfish and other marine species.
DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau has previously emphasized those benefits while supporting mangrove rehabilitation in the same Bued area. In May 2025, about 250 participants planted 2,500 mangrove seedlings at the Alaminos Mangrove Eco-Park through another project involving the Jollibee Group Foundation, the city government and government agencies.
That earlier initiative shows that mangrove rehabilitation in Bued predates Project RESHORE and forms part of a broader effort to protect Alaminos’ coastal ecosystem.
But planting alone does not guarantee recovery.
MPIF said it consulted noted marine scientist Dr. Jurgenne Primavera about the appropriate restoration strategy for the damaged site, including selecting mangrove species capable of surviving local conditions and repeated exposure to typhoons.
That science-based approach could prove critical because successful mangrove restoration depends not simply on the number of propagules planted but on whether suitable species are placed in environments where they can actually establish and survive.
Restoration becomes a source of income
For the 30 participating families, RESHORE is also an employment program.
MPIF said the initiative gives fisherfolk an alternative income source at a time when communities face fluctuating fishing conditions and high operating costs.
The program is being implemented under MPIF’s Gabay Kabuhayan pillar and is recognized as a Cash-for-Work intervention aligned with the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Risk Resiliency Program framework.
That approach mirrors the broader philosophy behind DSWD’s climate-resilience programs, which use cash-for-work and training activities to provide immediate income while involving vulnerable communities in projects designed to improve environmental and economic resilience.
In the Ilocos Region alone, DSWD Field Office 1 said its Risk Resiliency Program is targeting 7,350 beneficiaries across 30 local government units in 2026, reflecting the growing use of livelihood programs tied to climate adaptation.
Alaminos has become a long-term conservation partner
Project RESHORE also builds on years of cooperation between MPIF and Alaminos through the foundation’s Shore It Up! marine conservation program.
Now in its 18th year, Shore It Up! has expanded from coastal cleanups into mangrove planting, marine conservation and sustained community engagement. During its nationwide March 2026 activities, MPIF said 2,894 volunteers removed 2.3 metric tons of marine litter and planted 600 mangroves across eight coastal partner sites, including Alaminos.
The partnership has also produced a Mangrove Information Center and nursery in Alaminos, with local eco-guides helping explain the importance of mangrove ecosystems to visitors.
MPIF President Melody del Rosario said the community will ultimately determine whether the commitments in the partnership translate into lasting results.
“The real work starts after the signing,” she said, emphasizing that implementation by local residents will bring the restoration plans to life.
Alaminos Mayor Arth Bryan Celeste likewise pledged continued cooperation in protecting the city’s mangroves and other coastal resources.
The bigger test comes after October
Project RESHORE’s immediate targets are clear: restore a damaged 2.19-hectare section of Bued, generate temporary income for vulnerable households and help revive a natural coastal buffer.
Its bigger measure of success, however, will come after the cash-for-work program ends on October 31.
The newly rehabilitated areas will have to survive succeeding rainy seasons and typhoons, while the community will need to maintain the ecosystem long after workers receive their final allowances.
If the mangroves take root and mature, their value could extend far beyond the project’s ₱1-million budget — supporting fisheries, protecting biodiversity and creating another layer of defense for communities facing increasingly severe coastal hazards.
For Alaminos, that makes Project RESHORE more than another tree-planting campaign.
It is an attempt to turn environmental restoration itself into livelihood — while rebuilding a coastal shield the city may need when the next powerful storm arrives.
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