𝗣𝗨𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗔, 𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗢 — 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝘂𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 “𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗔𝗚𝗘. 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗧. 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗘.”, 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵-𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵.

The initiative culminated on September 29, 2026, at the Muelle Cultural Heritage Park, bringing together members of the community, local leaders, government workers, uniformed personnel, tourism stakeholders, and partner organizations in support of a shared cause.

The activity was made more meaningful through the participation and support of Mayor Robinhood D. Ylagan and Vice Mayor Rocky D. Ilagan, together with members of the Sangguniang Bayan of Puerto Galera, who joined the community in the culmination of the initiative. Their presence highlighted the local government's continuing commitment to environmental stewardship, community development, and initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for the municipality's Indigenous communities.

The activity also received support from Ayala Foundation, along with other partner organizations, tourism stakeholders, government offices, community members, and individuals who contributed to the success of the initiative. Their collective participation demonstrated how partnerships across sectors can help turn a tourism celebration into a tangible community effort.

At the heart of the project was a simple but purposeful concept: encourage people to participate in environmental action through the purchase of mangrove propagules, with the proceeds ultimately helping provide educational assistance to Mangyan college students who are beneficiaries of the project.

More than simply promoting environmental awareness, the initiative sought to demonstrate how tourism can create opportunities for communities to give back. Every propagule purchased became part of a larger effort, one that connects the protection of Puerto Galera’s natural environment with the aspirations of young people pursuing higher education.

The culmination activity also highlighted the importance of mangrove ecosystems in sustaining coastal communities and strengthening environmental resilience. Through the planting activity, participants were given the opportunity to take part directly in nurturing the natural resources that contribute to the ecological health of Puerto Galera.

For the Municipal Tourism Office, ENGAGE. PLANT. GIVE. reflects a broader commitment to making tourism a force for positive community impact. It brings together three essential actions: engaging people in meaningful causes, planting for the environment, and giving toward the future of the community.

As Puerto Galera marked World Tourism Month 2026, the project offered a meaningful reminder that tourism is not only about the places people visit, but also about the communities, cultures, and environments that make these destinations worth experiencing.

And through ENGAGE. PLANT. GIVE., Puerto Galera showed that when people come together with a shared purpose, even a simple act of giving can contribute to something much bigger, a healthier environment and a brighter future for the next generation.

Engage. Plant. Give.

For the environment.

For the community.

For the future of Puerto Galera.