Mark Peñalver

Mark Peñalver is a lawyer having been admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2017. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication from Ateneo de Davao University and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Mindanao. Currently, he is serving as the Executive Director of Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), Inc. a policy advocacy and environmental non-government organization with a primary focus on watershed protection and conservation and the promotion of urban sustainable transformation. As such, he represents the organization in different local special bodies in Davao City, among others, the City Development Council, Local Zoning and Review Committee, Watershed Management Council, and Davao City Climate Change Committee. As an environmental lawyer he advocates for an inclusive policy development and implementation through active community participation. He is an alumnus of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) – Professional Fellows Program on Sustainable Development and the Environment by the United States Department of State-Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. He recently participated in the nature-based/regenerative placemaking sandbox hosted by the University of Melbourne, Australia with support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 

Mark Peñalver's 2023 Falling Walls Engage Winner Project is The Flow of the River: A Community-based Water Monitoring System.