Melanie Mermida

At 4 am, she is a mother and a wife who prepares food for her child and her husband, who is usually still out on the sea to catch fish.

At 8 am, she’s on duty as a tour guide in the Suyac Island Mangrove Eco-Park, recently awarded as a top green destination. She also sits as the current president of the Suyac Island Eco-Tourism Attendant Association (SIETAAS), which manages the 15-hectare mangrove eco-tourism park.

On the side, Melanie manages an online selling business to support the needs of her family. She has been a proud member of NWTF’s Project Dungganon for 21 years now and is the center chief of the microfinance center in Suyac.

People often wonder how she juggles all her responsibilities—as a mother, wife, tour guide, businesswoman, etc. and the many more hats she wears.

“With God’s guidance, I am able to fulfill all my roles…You just have to strike a balance somewhere,” Melanie said.

She balances her time on the various tasks and responsibilities in this order: family, business, and work.

Melanie knows how important each role she has, which is why even though it seems impossible to juggle everything together, she has somehow managed to do it. It must be because of her ability to radiate positivity in everything she does.

She always wears a big smile as she warmly welcomes the guests in the eco-park. She wears the same proud smile when she talks about her family—her supportive husband and children, who are top performers in school.

She still wears that same smile when she proudly talks about her community and home island, Suyac, which boasts fresh seafood and the mouth-watering and famous “Kinilaw nga Bulaw.”

And in her own words, “Staying happy, positive, and always smiling is the secret to staying beautiful.” Her personality now was far from the shy person she was before, who usually hid when guests arrived. Melanie has learned and gained confidence through the experiences she takes as lessons and opportunities she grabs without question.

At 47 years old, Melanie exposes herself to constant learning; she has recently attended graphic design, communications planning, and mangrove seminars, all in pursuit of further knowledge she can use for self-improvement and her community.

But that is not all there is to Melanie; last 2023, she received an Abanse Babaye Para sa Dunang Manggad Award, recognizing her contribution to environmental stewardship and sustainability.Melanie truly deserves the award because of her advocacies to eliminate single-use plastic, plant more mangroves to serve as the breeding ground for fish, and the impact of mangroves on combatting climate change.

Likewise, she leads the SIETAAS in its efforts to further community-based tourism while also moving forward causes for environmental conservation and protection through enforcement of non-usage of single-use plastics in the island, planting more mangroves, protection of the more than 8,000 bats that live on the island and recently, a new project that is underway, setting up a mangrove seedling nursery in the island to support neighboring coastal community initiatives and for their community as well to have another source of income.

As there is more work to be done, Melanie acknowledges that a community effort is needed to make a difference not only in the environment but, most importantly, for future generations.

This is why she is grateful to the locals of Suyac Island, its partners, and the local government units and agencies who collectively work to make sure this becomes the reality of Suyac Island— becoming a genuinely sustainable island.

She also invites everyone to visit Suyac Island Mangrove Eco-Park and be part of their island’s story, commune with nature, learn more about mangroves, and help their island community thrive.

What makes Melanie stand out is her wearing her humble hat. A hat of a woman with a genuine purpose of making a positive difference in the world. Such an impressive feat, truly Dungganon!