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HOW I FELL IN LOVE WITH WATER

I started my love for the water at a very early age. My Mom used to bring me by the sea-side back in our home town in Camarines Norte. I was born in Manila, but I still regard myself as a person who grew up by the seas. I lived with my aunt who was a Fisheries Technology graduate and a professor from the University of the Philippines. She’s an inspiration to me until this moment and her drive greatly influenced my growing love for the waters. She went global, from Asia, to Africa, to North America, to share about Fisheries Technology and responsible fish breeding and processing. Her clients were big companies in the industry, and I told myself, I wanted to continue her legacy. My aunt passed away in 2002, and with so little background, I was left with just my passion for the ocean and an ambition for change.

ON BUILDING FOTOS (Friends of the Ocean Society)

Until the time has come when I am able to finally make my ambition a reality. My advocacy is to raise awareness on water pollution and how responsible tourism greatly affects Marine life. I am starting to build FOTOS (Friends of the Ocean Society), a non-profit organization that aims to provide individuals a better knowledge on ocean and water conservation. Through every knowledge imparted to those who can potentially help, each of us can reach out to families in remote areas of the world to get access to clean drinking water. Also, through this, we would all be able to help marine scientists from all over the world to innovate solutions for global Marine Conservation.

Through FOTOS, I would like to build bridges of information in schools, localities, and units of the society where social media and the web is inaccessible.

PROJECT FOTOS AND PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

Right now, my projects under FOTOS are the following:

  • Campaign for Access to Clean Drinking Water to at least 19 individuals in Africa through Charity:Water.
  • Coastal Clean Up Drives with OceanConservancy.Org
  • Raise awareness on how responsible tourism in the Philippines greatly affects Marine Life, not just with Ocean Biodiversity, but as well as our fishermen through the help of The Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation and Foundation Inc., located in Danjugan Island, Negros Occidental.
  •  Support Oceanic Society‘s long-term dolphin research and conservation efforts in Turneffe Atoll, Belize by adopting a bottlenose dolphin.
  • Support Oceana’s critical work in protecting the oceans and the endangered animals that call them home  by adopting an animal at the Oceana Marine Wildlife Adoption Center.
  • Hold seminars and talks about Responsible and Safe Tourism in Palawan, particularly in Coron and El Nido (two of the most visited islands in the country) with the help of Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.
  • Organize tours-for-a-cause in the oceans of the Philippines to help raise awareness amongst tourists through the help of LetzJet Travel and Tours.
  • Reach out to possible FOTOS Ambassadors to help me in pursuing this advocacy.

Click here to visit Friends of the Ocean Society Page.

Together, we can help save our oceans and the creatures living on it. We can help those in poverty to gain access to clean drinking water. We can be the start of a drastic change.

“No water, no life. No blue. No Green.” – Sylvia Earle