This incident happened seven years ago.
To those who live in barangay Daliao in Toril, Davao City, it was just another day. People were no longer surprised to see marine or sea turtles, locally known as pawikan, being sold in the public market.
“Although local fishermen are very much aware that selling endangered sea creatures is illegal and prohibited by the government, they are still doing it,” said a college student who conducted research for his investigative report for a school paper.
A local resident, who refused to be identified, told him: “These fishermen would walk around our purok, selling the pawikans that they caught from one house to another.”
According to her, most of these fishermen caught these marine turtles by accident. When they are pulling out their fishnets out of the water, there are instances where pawikans are included together with the fish. But instead of returning these marine creatures back into the water, the fishermen would just put them in a different barrel and hide them in their fishing boats to elude detection from the local authorities when they arrived at the fish port for inspection.
“The place where they usually catch fishes might probably be a suitable habitat for the pawikans,” the local resident surmised. “Perhaps it is where they swim to after they are released to the ocean from a pawikan sanctuary in a coastal area in the city, which is more or less 10 kilometers from here.”
The woman was referring to the island of Punta Dumalag in Matina Aplaya. The 2-kilometer stretch of white sand peninsula is part of the 37-hectare Marine Protected Area (MPA) that was established through Council Resolution No. 02504-03. Swimming is not allowed in the area.
The Aboitiz Group, which owns eight hectares in the southeastern portion of the island; the total land area is about 37 hectares. As part of its corporate responsibility, they decided to convert the place into an eight-hectare ecological preserve, called Cleanergy Park and managed by Davao Light, an AboitizPower subsidiary.
The park, which is completely wireless and is built entirely using recycled materials, aims to preserve the pawikan nesting grounds and be a home of many thriving bird species. Another objective is to help maintain ecological balance for other sea and land creatures.
Employees of the park keep an eye on sea turtle nesting activity by patrolling the beach. Even at night, except for flashlights, lamps and electricity lights are not used in order not to disturb or confuse the pawikans’ nesting in the area and others which considered the park their home.
More than 150 eggs can be laid at once by sea turtles. Because of the mangroves’ thick undergrowth and ability to provide cover from both predators and waves, mangrove-lined beaches are among the best places for sea turtles to lay their eggs. When it is determined that they are susceptible to getting snagged by the sea waves, the turtle eggs are moved to the park’s turtle hatchery.
Since 2014, about 9,507 pawikan hatchlings have been released from the area. “While only a few will survive into adulthood, conservation efforts and proper waste management remain important to ensure that these endangered creatures can thrive in the oceans,” AboitizPower said in a statement. “Sea turtles help maintain the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs.”
The statement cited the case of Hawksbill sea turtles. “(They) live on coral reefs and, in their own way, give back to the environment by eating overgrown sponges that suffocate slow-growing corals, resulting in a healthy reef,” it explained. “They also help prevent the overpopulation of jellyfishes in the ocean.”
The park is open to interested groups and individuals. Every time there are visitors, the staff educates them by hosting tours around. In some instances, visitors are allowed to release baby hatchlings into the sea and watch them crawl through the sand and swim into the ocean.
“Visitors are taught that it is critical to a pawikan’s early stage of life to grovel through the sand and into the ocean on their own,” the statement said. “The pawikans imprint themselves onto their birthing place, wherein after a few decades, they will return and make their own nests as parents for a new generation of hatchlings.”
Visitors, particularly the younger ones, must know this fact. “It is important to let the youth understand the situation of the pawikans and all other endangered species, so that while they are still young, they are already aware of what they should do and how they could take action to save our wildlife,” said Fermin Edillon, the park’s reputation enhancement manager.
In partnership with the regional office of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the local government of Davao City, the team at the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park established a Pawikan Rescue Center inside the park as a testament to their commitment to conserve and protect the pawikans and their marine habitat.
“We are fully committed to our cause of saving the pawikans,” Edillon said. “We must all carry this responsibility so that our future generations will be able to see them. It can be through small acts such as keeping our coastal areas clean, not littering, and having safe practices when fishing. These are very simple but have a large impact on preserving our environment.”
Mangroves, which are vital to marine life, are growing profusely in the park. So far, over 21,448 mangroves have been planted at the park’s mangrove reforestation site and coastal forest.
“However, several natural and man-made factors have rendered its survival rate at only 30%, which emphasizes the need for continuous collaborative efforts to plant more mangroves and increase awareness of its importance to sea turtles and the rest of the natural world,” said AboitizPower in its website.
Some studies have shown that birds have a symbiotic relationship with mangrove trees. “Most build their nests in trees as strong branches and dense canopies can keep their eggs and themselves safe from predators and other external threats. Barks are also adequate materials for building nests,” the AboitizPower reported.
In terms of sustenance, flowers and foliage draw insects, which are essential to a bird’s diet. In addition to offering fruit, nuts, and sap, mangroves also give water that collects on their leaves, which birds use for bathing and drinking.
Aside from the mangrove reforestation site, several native tree species are also propagated. As a result, a wide variety of bird species – including migratory birds, permanent inhabitants, and localized endemics – consider it their home.
Following a recommendation by the University of the Philippines Mindanao and the University of Southeastern Philippines back in 2013, the park steadily propagated trees in the area through years of joint efforts from the public and private sectors, enabling an increase in the number of bird species residing there — rising from just five in 2015 to 108 in 2024.
Following a recommendation by the University of the Philippines-Mindanao and the University of Southeastern Philippines way back in 2013, the park gradually propagated trees in the area through years of combined efforts from the public and private sectors. This enabled an increase in the number of bird species residing in the area — increasing from just five in 2015 to 108 in 2024.
More trees provided more food and shelter, which allowed more bird species to move into the park, as noted by bird watchers who visit the area frequently. Because there are too few people in the area, habitat conservation efforts and effective biodiversity management have contributed to the area’s growth and made it a safer refuge for birds.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the country, other AboitizPower business units in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao also consistently champion initiatives throughout the past few years to plant more trees and mangroves and produce carbon sinks within their host communities.
