Helping hands
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park gets a leg up from the Jimenez Group of Companies to see it through the rough waters of 2021. The group is making a ₱500,000.00 donation to support law enforcement activities for the remainder of the year. The fund will pay for the cost of marine park ranger allowances, supplies, and accessories for a new patrol boat that will ensure continued oversight and protection over Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tourism is the main source of funds for managing Tubbataha. Revenues have dried up since 2020 due to the Covid 19 pandemic, sparking concerns about sustaining conservation efforts in the country’s premier dive site.
A virtual signing agreement was held at 3 pm today between the Jimenez Group of Companies, the Tubbataha Management Office, and Saguda Palawan, Inc., which will manage the funds.
The Jimenez Group has interests in media, real estate, food, health care, and many other fields of business. Among them are, the top rating FM radio station, Monster Radio RX93.1, and Lifeline 16911, the leading emergency-response company in the country.
Benjamin Jimenez, an avid diver, leads this advocacy for the Jimenez group. “It is an honor and a privilege to help support Tubbataha and the rangers who protect it,” says Jimenez. ” Our reefs are a part of our identity as Filipinos, and as divers, it is not only our goal but our passion to help preserve Tubbataha and spread awareness of its beauty.” Jimenez shared that they plan to extend more support to Tubbataha in the years to come.
Ms. Katherine Custodio, Executive Director of WWF-Philippines and a member of the Tubbataha management board has this to say: “This partnership with the Jimenez Group could not have come at a better time. What drives people to work together for the environment really is a shared concern and hope for the future. I am very excited for what this partnership will bring. In addition to supporting the core mission of the Tubbataha, the Jimenez group has made possible the opportunity to engage many more Filipinos in securing our natural heritage, asset, the nursery of our fisheries, and a priceless treasure that is Tubbahata. We thank and commend the Jimenez group for its leadership and support.”