Philippine Eagle Foundation celebrated the holiday season by highlighting its three pillars of conservation service: Perseverance, Initiative, and Attention to Detail

A transcipt from the message of Mr. Dennis I. Salvador, Executive Director

Good afternoon, everyone.

I want to talk today not about targets, reports, or timelines—but about who we are when things are hard, unnoticed, and uncertain. Because conservation is not built only in moments of celebration. It is built quietly, patiently, and often invisibly—by people who choose to act even when no one is watching.

Let me take you back to a difficult chapter in our history.

When we moved the Philippine Eagle Center to its present location, we were almost running on faith alone. Government support had dried up. Funds were painfully limited. And for more than a year, many of us worked without salaries.

We had a choice then.

We could have slowed down. We could have waited. We could have said, “Let’s do more once conditions improve.”

But eagles in the wild could not wait. The forest could not wait.

So the little money we had went where it mattered most—monitoring eagles in the wild, developing the Center, laying foundations that no one outside would notice at the time.

We kept working. We kept believing. And yes, sometimes all we had was belief.

I remember thinking then that we were—borrowing Lady Gaga’s words—“at the edge of glory.”

Not because success was guaranteed, but because we were standing at the edge of purpose.

And then, Pag-asa hatched.

Suddenly, the world noticed. Headlines followed. Public support surged. What looked like stubbornness turned out to be perseverance. What felt like obscurity became credibility.

That moment did not happen by accident.

It happened because people here chose to show up before recognition arrived.

That is perseverance.

But perseverance alone is not enough. Conservation also demands initiative.

When funds were tight, we did not just say, “We need more money.”

We asked, “What can we do?”

Someone had the idea to invite visitors to inscribe their names along the pathway—for a fee. A simple idea. A small gesture. But it generated revenue and created ownership. People literally became part of the journey.

Then came the Open Classroom—a fee-based program that turned education into both advocacy and sustainability. We weren’t just teaching children about conservation; we were ensuring the Center could continue its work.

That is initiative—not waiting for permission, not waiting for perfect conditions, but acting within our values.

And then there is the third pillar I want to talk about today: attention to detail.

In conservation breeding, details can mean the difference between life and loss.

Who would think that wood shavings, not sawdust, would matter as nest substrate?

Who would think that a dab of nail polish could save an egg with a crack?

But someone noticed. Someone cared enough to ask, “Is there a better way?”

And because of that, the first eaglet hatched at the Center.

In reforestation, attention to detail looks less dramatic—but no less important.

It is noticing a fallen tree guard and restoring it.

It is correcting a signboard with outdated information.

It is refusing to say, “That’s good enough,” when accuracy matters.

No one applauds these moments.

No headlines follow.

But forests grow because of them. Eagles survive because of them.

That is what excellence in conservation looks like.

So today, I want to leave you with this:

Initiative is choosing to act before being asked.

Attention to detail is choosing to care when no one is watching.

Perseverance is choosing to stay when leaving would be easier.

Every great conservation success story is made up of hundreds of small, faithful decisions like these.

We may not always be at the center of attention.

We may not always be well-funded.

We may not always be certain of the outcome.

But if we continue to act with initiative, work with precision, and persevere with purpose, then—just like before—we will find ourselves again at the edge of glory.

And when the world finally notices, it will be because of what we did when it didn’t.

Thank you—for choosing to care, every single day.