DAVAO CITY, — The 9th Philippine Eagle Week celebrations began last Saturday, June 2, with close to 100 eagle supporters motoring through downtown Davao before proceeding to the Philippine Eagle Center, located at the foot of Mt. Apo in Malagos, Baguio District, this city, according to Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) Executive Director Dennis Salvador.
The PEF-led motorcade, Salvador said, gathered representatives from government agencies, civil society, the youth, business sector, including delegates to the World Environment Day (WED) festivities scheduled Tuesday, June 5.
The convoy kicked off a week of activities aimed at increasing awareness and support for the critically endangered eagle, he said.
He said the Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) which is one of the largest eagles in the world and being unique to the Philippines, was declared the national bird in 1995.
The annual Philippine Eagle Week was began in 1999 to bring attention to the plight of the critically-endangered bird.
Most people are aware of its endangered status, but not very many may have a good grasp of what the eagle’s possible extinction means to every Filipino, Salvador said.
“The loss of a national symbol is tragic in itself, but the decline in population of Philippine Eagles also points to an alarming degree of carelessness in the management of the country’s natural resources,†he said.
Salvador stressed this year’s festivities include a tree-planting caravan from Davao City to Arakan Valley in Cotabato where 20,000 forest tree seedlings will be planted in the Arakan Valley Conservation Area (AVCA).
He said the people of Arakan have been working closely with the PEF in creating forest corridors to bridge the three remaining patches of forest which serve as home to many Philippine Eagles and other important flora and fauna.
The joint project seeks to rehabilitate Arakan’s forests by planting two strips of forest trees between the forest patches. The strips span 12 and five kilometers, respectively, he added.
The Philippine Eagle Center will be the venue of animal encounters, photo exhibits and fun games from June 2-10 to increase public awareness and understanding of the eagle.
On the other hand, Salvador said that photo exhibit with the Camera Club of Davao, a Partners’ Fair showcasing conservation efforts in other areas of Mindanao and a concert are also scheduled at the SM City Davao from June 4-9.
This year’s Eagle Week is especially significant with the PEF also celebrating its 20th Anniversary.
Founded in 1987, the PEF was created to ensure the sustainability of eagle research and conservation, which began as a voluntary effort in the 1960s.
Photo Credits : Philippine Eagle Foundation
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The tree planting initiative is good. The two strips of forest trees make up 60 square kilometers each, which would not only help expand the habitat of the Philippine Eagle, but of other important wildlife species as well. I could only hope that the tree species they are planting are indigenous to the country, and that they will be monitoring the growth of the trees long after they are planted just to ensure that they grow well enough into maturity.
I agree don! hope governement become serious on reforestation// Philippine eagle is just like our Flag… Its our Pride… Its time to take serious efforts to save them…. feeding and reproducing them in Davao is not enough…. they need to go back to their natural habitat…. the Philippine forest….. but………