Irma Rose C. Marcelo

Ms. Marcelo served as Executive Director from September 1998 to August 31, 2020, and concurrent Corporate Secretary of El Nido Foundation Inc. from 2000-2020. After graduating at the top of her class at Andres Soriano Memorial Elementary School (ASMES) in 1979, and as Class Valedictorian from Roxas National Comprehensive High School (RNCHS) in 1983 in Roxas, Palawan, she pursued and completed her Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics (Operations Research option) at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) where she was a 3-time Dean's Lister. Upon graduation, she served as Instructor of Mathematics courses at the UPLB Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics for two years before going home to El Nido and was hired to work at Ten Knots – Miniloc Resort in 1992. She went on to pursue Masteral studies in Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Hawaii Manoa Campus in 1993 while on degree fellowship at the East West Center, where she was invited and inducted as Member of Gamma Sigma Delta, Honor Society of Agriculture University of Hawaii Chapter in 1993. She joined El Nido Foundation as its Executive Director in 1998 and has served as Trustee since 2000. She was also a Participant in Facilitating Multi-stakeholder Processes and Social Learning, a short course held on September 13-October 1, 2004, at WICC, Wageningen, Netherlands, on sponsorship by the Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP). Ms. Marcelo still serves as on-call Technical Consultant to Program and Administrative staff of ENF even after her retirement. Born and raised in Palawan (Puerto Princesa, Roxas, and El Nido), she is the fourth of six children of Evangeline Maggay-dela Cruz of Puerto Princesa and Romeo dela Cruz of El Nido. She is married to Ferdinand C. Marcelo, Field Representative of Seacology in the Philippines, and has one daughter, Alexa Celine Erika, a licensed Civil Engineering graduate (cum laude) of the University of the Philippines-Diliman Campus, currently employed by BDO Insurance Brokers.