Pag-asa Newsletter April-June 2021

PAG-ASA NEWSLETTER

APRIL - JUNE 2021

Earth Day

SAVING EAGLES

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY
WITH TAGYAMAN FERNANDO

We celebrated Earth Day 2021 with another rescued and rehabilitated Philippine Eagle released back to its forest home. Tagyaman Fernando's release is made possible through the support of the Australian Embassy in the Philippines, Whitley Fund for Nature, DENR Region X, San Fernando LGU, and the Bukidnon PLGU. The short program in honor of Tagyaman Fernando’s release was attended by the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines His Excellency Steven Robinson AO, Senator Hon. Juan Miguel Zubiri, Bukidnon Governor Hon. Jose Maria Zubiri, Bukidnon 2nd District Congressman Atty. Jonathan Keith Flores, San Fernando Mayor Hon. Levi Edma, Sr., and PEF Trustee Mr. Francis Ledesma.

Tagyaman Fernando is among the seven (7) Philippine Eagles that were rescued last year. He was retrieved on October 2020 in San Fernando, Bukidnon, after getting accidentally caught in a native trap intended for other animals. The bird was then brought to the PEC for further check-up and rehabilitation where he stayed for few months. In preparation for Tagyaman Fernando’s release, we conducted an education campaign targeting communities around the release site.

Indigenous Forest Guards were also trained in forest patrolling and eagle monitoring to help keep Tagyaman Fernando safe within the six months after his release. We also raised Php 78,045.74 online to support this initiative. Thanks to our online donors and the participants of our PEC Virtual Tour.

After almost 2 months, Tagyaman Fernando is observed to be 15 kilometers north of where it was released and has settled in an area where we suspect he was hatched. Monitoring of his whereabouts and his condition is ongoing and in August an expedition will be launched to check the bird and determine if he has indeed settled in his parents’ territory.

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EAGLE SURVEY AND TRAPPING
AT MT. APO GEOTHERMAL RESERVATION

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In November of 2020, our team together with the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) discovered one Philippine Eagle pair and their almost two-year-old eaglet at the foothills of Mt. Apo near the Geothermal Reservation managed by the EDC. This new territory is the 7th known nesting habitat in the whole Mt. Apo range.

Our team went on fieldwork from May to June to trap and tag the eagles for monitoring. However, we found only one lone eagle which unfortunately did not respond to the trap. We are set to go back for another expedition to monitor the eagles in October.

CCTV INSTALLATION

Three CCTV cameras have been installed to ensure that our eagles are properly monitored at the PEC without disturbing them. Each of the cameras were placed inside our pairing attempt enclosure, natural pair enclosure, and chick rearing room, respectively. Our animal keepers can now also find out sooner if an egg has been laid and be able to retrieve it immediately.

The CCTV cameras were sponsored by the Guangdong Chimelong Flora and Fauna Conservation Foundation.

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PROTECTING FORESTS

Healthy plantlets at the experimental mounds of Plot 6 at the carbon forest .JPG

ALI- DAVAO CARBON FOREST

To date, we have planted 2,847 trees in six (6) plots with 20,719 seedlings of various native species in the nursery.

In April, we launched the new Voluntour program at the ALI-Davao Carbon Forest to encourage more people to volunteer and adopt trees at the same time. We give our Voluntourists not just the opportunity to learn about how to plant and care for their adopted trees, but also a tour of the carbon forest for a leisurely outdoor experience.

We also celebrated Biodiversity Day on May 22 with DENR XI by planting 50 trees and holding a special tour of the Carbon forest and a bird-watching activity.

I want to volunteer at the Carbon Forest.

SECURING OUR FUTURE

COVID-19 SUPPORT GRANTS

Through the support of the Australian Award Covid-19 Alumni Grant, PLDT, and TDCX, our partner Indigenous communities received enterprise support to help them cope with the challenges brought by the pandemic.

BRGY. GUILAN-GUILANG

Sewing Machine and Training for Face Mask Enterprise

BRGY. MAGKALUNGAY & KIBONGKOG

Beadwork Enterprise Support

BRGY. TAMBOBONG

Native Chicken Dispersal

KPP-ECA WOMEN OF MT.SINAKA

Face Mask Enterprise Launch

SITIO MAKATI & GANATAN

4 Desktops and Ancestral Domain Management Webinar

PHILIPPINE EAGLE
WEEK 2021

Since April 2020, we were able to rescue 10 eagles – the highest rescue rate in Philippine Eagle conservation history. This tells us that trapping and hunting eagles are still prevalent, and magnifies the troubling frequency of people encroaching forests and wildlife spaces. In this year’s Philippine Eagle Week, we focused on rescued eagles Salagbanog and Agsamon.

Salagbanog is a male eagle retrieved in Sarangani Province in January. He underwent surgery to remove a marble in his shoulder. He is now fully recovered and is fit and ready to be released. Agsamon, on the other hand, was a 2-month-old chick when first rescued in Bukidnon back in February. It was brought to the PEC for rearing. Our PEW campaign does not only raise support for the two eagles but also bring attention to our rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts as an emergency response to eagles that remain vulnerable in the wild.

PEW HIGHLIGHTS

Agsamon Livestream: A Day in the Life of Agsamon- A week-long livestreaming event which showed a glimpse of what it takes to care for a rescued eaglet. We were able to see different eaglet behaviors which were explained by our animal keepers.

Conversation on Conservation PEW Edition: Will the Great Philippine Eagle Survive the 21st Century? is a three-part dialogue with raptor conservationists and scientists from the US, Australia and UK discussing different techniques in repopulating raptor species in the wild, the role of Indigenous communities in conservation and the importance of a holistic approach in tackling modern threats against the Philippine Eagle and other endemic raptors.

We also held a PEW edition PEC Virtual Tour, Learn with Malaya and online screenings of the Bird of Prey for the benefit of Salagbanog and Agsamon. The proceeds from our fundraising campaigns will be used to fund Salagbanog’s release back to the wild and Agsamon’s upkeep during its temporary stay at the PEC. Through your support we raised a total amount of Php 400,282.91.

The Philippine Eagle Week 2021 is brought to you by San Roque Power Corporation and OmniPay, Inc. together with PLDT, Ulticon Builders, Inc., and Energy Development Corp. with the support of FDC Utilities, Inc.

ONLINE INITIATIVES

We continue to push forward with our online activities aimed to encourage Philippine Eagle appreciation and to raise funds to recover losses brought by the PEC closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PEC Virtual Tours is an interactive online tour of the Philippine Eagle Center. From April to June 2021, we had 60 participants to our virtual tours raising P15,000.

Learn with Malaya is an online exclusive 40- minute educational program designed to improve Philippine Eagle and wildlife conservation literacy and instill conservation values among the youth. Through the support of Forest Foundation Philippines, we were able to hold 15 sessions to date, with schools in Sierra Madre, Calabarzon, Samar, Leyte and Misamis engaging 467 students and 66 teachers.

L E A R N | W I T H | M A L A Y A

Bird of Prey: To Save Our Eagle online screenings via Vimeo were able to reach 10,621 views to date, in partnership with the Forest Foundation Philippines. The Bird of Prey is a 90-minute film about the Philippine Eagle and the people behind the conservation mission produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

UPLAND EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS

The participation of our partner communities in the uplands play a crucial role in our rescue and release operations. Eagle territories are usually situated within ancestral domains, making the Indigenous peoples living in the area the best stewards for forest and eagle protection. Thus we see continuous engagement and education campaigns as important aspects of our work. In April, we conducted a 2-day Conservation Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) campaign in two barangays in San Fernando, Bukidnon reaching over 270 residents, prior to the release of Philippine Eagle Tagyaman Fernando. We made sure to follow COVID-19 protocols to ensure the safety of our participants.

We also did a series of education campaigns and outreach in the Mamanwa ancestral domain in Barangays Camamonan and Mahanob, Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte from March to June. This is where Philippine Eagle Balikatan was retrieved.