In 1999, PSFI launched the Kilusan Ligtas Malaria (KLM) Program in partnership with the Provincial Government of Palawan. Putting the community organizing experience to good use, PSFI worked with the Provincial Health Office and the Department of Health Regional Office to organize and mobilize in villages a community-based malaria control program. Technical working groups were formed at various levels to draw their malaria prevention plans alongside capacity building activities and equipment provision to improve case detection and ensure prompt treatment.

The success of PSFI and its partners in implementing KLM paved the way for PSFI to become the Principal Recipient of a grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in 2006. Dubbed the Movement Against Malaria (MAM). The program covered the 5 most endemic provinces of the country, namely Palawan, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Apayao and Quirino. Because of its successful implementation, the NFM grant coverage in 2015 was reduced to the remaining endemic 13 provinces. For the 2018 to 2020 grant, the MAM’s coverage was reduced further to the last 8 provinces reporting indigenous malaria cases. At the first half of 2019, only 2 provinces are reporting indigenous cases of malaria.

The sustained private-public partnerships in malaria control through the 4 grants totaling over USD100 million has resulted to the 90% reduction in the total number of cases and 98% reduction in deaths due to malaria in the country at the end of 2018 compared to the 2003 baseline. Through the national and local level partnerships forged through MAM, the Philippines achieved the Millennium Development Goal’s 2015 target for malaria as early as 2008. At the end of 2018, 50 provinces have been declared malaria-free and 27 have reached elimination phase (zero malaria).