Our Story
It's been said the Philippines is worth dying for.
We believe the Philippines is worth diving for.
If there were a movie made about the Philippine seas, it should be called Crazy Rich Oceans. The Philippines has been described as the center of marine biodiversity — but also the center of marine adversity. Save Philippine Seas (SPS) is a non-profit organization that aims to conserve coastal and marine resources by empowering seatizens for collective action and behavior change. We call ourselves, communities, and partners as "seatizens" to remind us that we are citizens of the sea.
Dive into our journey
SPS began as an online platform in May 2011 as a response to a large-scale illegal wildlife trade case dubbed in the media as the “rape of the Philippine Seas.” What was meant to be a short-lived social media campaign continued to grow. In February 2013, we ofishally became a
non-profit organization under the name Philippine Seatizens, Inc.
2011
SPS started as a social media campaign in response to an illegal wildlife trade case using the hashtags #reefwatchPH and #savephseas.
2013
SPS is ofishally registered as an NGO!
2015
A big year for us: we held the first four SEA Camps and Daanbantayan became the home of the first shark and ray sanctuary in the Philippines.
2020
In the midst of a pandemic, we were able to install mooring buoys in Daanbantayan, create a virtual version of Reimagine Recycling, and develop online activities like Battle of the Brain Corals.
2023
We dive back into in-person events for Change the Current 2.0, Commservation, and so much more.
2012
We began our first community-based initiative called the Shark Shelter Project in Daanbantayan, Cebu with the goal to conserve thresher sharks.
2014
We co-organized the 1st Shark Summit in Cebu and co-founded Save Sharks Network Philippines.
2019
This marks the first year of Reimagine Recycling and Haquathon, and the 11th SEA Camp.
2021
We launched major programs from our homes: the Marine Accelerator Program, Haquathon 2.0, and Change the Current!
At present..
We continue to work on ..
Meet the Team
SPS is run by a lean team of dedicated and passionate seatizens.
Our core team consists of our Executive Director, Creative Director, Project Managers, Administrative and Finance Angelfish, and Social Media Mola-Mola. Our number grows based on our program needs. We come from various backgrounds, united by our love for the seas and obsession with excellence and ocean-related puns.
We take problems of our seas sea-riously, but ourselves? Never.
