The Malvar Rurban Development Foundation (MRDF) was created in 1988 to perpetuate the memory of Gen. Miguel Malvar, a revolutionary leader and the last Filipino General to surrender to the American Forces. He was a gentleman farmer who was committed in alleviating the plight of poor farmers and small entrepreneurs towards socio-economic advancement and sustainable livelihood.

MRDF was organized by a group of social, economic and sustainable development practitioners, who share a common vision of sustainable development and alleviation of poverty through agricultural and agro-industrial modernization and small and medium enterprise development with initial commitment to participate in, and contribute to the accelerated sustainable development of Malvar, Batangas, a small town named after General Miguel Malvar.