It was a bright sunny January 14 morning when I arrived at the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, Baguio District to join the 25th hatching day celebrations of Pag-asa, the first Philippine Eagle to be successfully bred and hatched in captivity.
Pag-asa’s 25th hatchday is part of the Philippine Eagle Foundation’s (PEF) 30th anniversary celebration. With the theme “Strengthening the hope for saving the Filipino Heritage – The Great Philippine Eagle”, the event is one of the PEF’s education awareness efforts in furthering the conservation mission.
Aside from guests from the local press, students from various partner elementary and high schools were also invited to join the whole-day affair at the center. Some of the event activities include an eco-game, animal exhibit, and Pag-asa’s Life History Exhibit. On its 30th year, the PEF aims to strengthen its education awareness efforts for the youth to encourage involvement in the conservation mission.
“Pag-asa’s hatching is important for us at the PEF because we were able to learn many things how to hatch and rear our national bird,” said PEF’s Director for Research and Conservation Jason Ibañez. “The techniques used on Pag-asa are later refined and improved based on what we learned from Pag-asa.”
“Manong Domeng” Tadena. Manong Domeng talked about how they did the first cooperative artificial insemination between Pag-asa’s parents, Junior and Diola. He also furthered the role of conservation breeding in the preservation of our national heritage and its importance in the mission.
Domingo “Manong Domeng” Tadena has been working in the Philippine Eagle Center since the late 80’s and was one of the conservation breeding staff who helped Pag-asa successfully come out of its shell and the rest, of course, is now history, with a new hope for the country’s national bird.
