Eunice U. Babalcon

Eunice Babalcon is the outgoing Mayor of Paranas, Samar, Philippines, served for nine years and currently elected as Vice-Mayor. A lawyer and an advocate for environmental conservation and sustainable management of forest, coastal and natural resources in her municipality. During her term, she worked with communities in environmental conservation programs particularly in Ulot Watershed Model Forest through sustainable eco-tourism practices. Her work also involved youth leaders, women, and partnerships with local and international organizations with focus on forest landscape restoration, sustainable eco-tourism development, forest land use planning, climate mitigation efforts through research studies on blue and green carbon stock inventory and mapping, mangrove reforestation.
She led her town in developing innovative programs on solid waste management that was recognized by the Philippines’ Environmental Management Bureau as best practices on solid waste management in Local Governments. With the help of Non-government Organizations, the Municipality of Paranas is working on developing policy on clean energy transition and has recently completed a project called solarize Paranas Municipal Executive Building – the first town hall in the province to be powered or energized through photovoltaic system.