Why Dr. Angel C. Alcala is someone to look up to
They rose. They lifted others.
A National Scientist and marine biologist whose work on marine protected areas helped preserve the seas while improving life for coastal communities.
1929–2023
What if protecting part of the sea could actually help fishermen catch more fish?
Dr. Angel C. Alcala helped show that it could.
One of the Philippines’ foremost marine scientists, Alcala pioneered work on marine protected areas and community-based conservation. His research demonstrated that when portions of fishing grounds are allowed to recover, fish populations can flourish and benefit the surrounding waters where communities fish.
His groundbreaking work, particularly at Apo Island in Negros Oriental, helped make community-supported marine sanctuaries an important model for conservation in the Philippines and beyond.
But Alcala’s legacy was never only about fish and coral reefs.
It was also about people.
He worked with fishing communities rather than treating them merely as subjects of conservation. His life’s work helped demonstrate that protecting biodiversity and protecting people’s livelihoods need not be opposing goals.
And he gave back in another lasting way: he taught.
At Silliman University, where he became professor and later president, Alcala helped develop Philippine marine science and mentored generations of Filipino scientists, researchers and conservation leaders.
He also served the country as Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources and later as Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education.
In 2014, he was named a National Scientist of the Philippines - the highest honor the nation confers upon its scientists.
Dr. Alcala died in 2023 at the age of 93.
But perhaps the best measure of his life is not found in the titles after his name.
It can be found beneath Philippine waters where marine life continues to recover, in coastal communities benefiting from conservation, and in the generations of Filipino scientists he helped prepare to carry the work forward.
He used science not just to understand nature - but to help people live better within it.
And that is a legacy worth looking up to.