Priest, Academe for Blue Economy Conservation

Fr. Jayvee Delos Santos and Fr. Kevin Roldan celebrated mass at Narra Resort along the Nabaoy River in Malay, uniting scientists and environmental advocates last October 2025. 📸 Courtesy of Raymond Sucgang

A Roman Catholic priest and a group of scientists, researchers, and conservationists have joined forces to protect Boracay Island’s blue economy.

The blue economy refers to the sustainable use of ocean and coastal resources to drive economic growth, create jobs, and improve livelihoods while safeguarding marine ecosystem health. It encompasses sectors such as fisheries, tourism, and renewable energy, seeking to balance development with environmental stewardship.

Fr. Jayvee Delos Santos, chair of the Kalibo Diocese’s Committee on Ecology, together with Bryan Ray Solano, principal of Nabaoy Elementary School, and Raymond Sucgang, a government chemist from Batan, Aklan, founded a group called Laudato Si-Aklan.

Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, the group has conducted research on Boracay’s blue economy, integrating scientific inquiry with Catholic social teaching. They have published four papers in the International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) and related journals, focusing on environmental concerns and the moral responsibility to care for the planet.

Among these is the paper “Boracay Blue Economy Framework,” authored by Delos Santos, Sucgang, Solano, and Therese Jean Sarabia. The study, available to IJRSI members, proposes a policy and planning framework for government officials engaged in infrastructure development, environmental management, and local governance in Boracay.

According to Sucgang, the framework serves as a critical guide for sustainable decision-making. “Given the island’s ecological fragility and its importance to the national tourism economy, it offers a science-based and values-driven approach to long-term sustainability,” he said.

Sucgang has long been involved in environmental research in Boracay, including studies on the Nabaoy River, air pollution, and green algae proliferation along White Beach. He is a senior researcher at the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology.

He added that adopting the framework would enable government leaders to move beyond short-term, reactive governance toward a more holistic strategy, one that protects Boracay’s ecological integrity while sustaining its economic vitality and serving as a model for other fragile island ecosystems in the Philippines.