Plan eyes finding more Philippine Eagle pairs in Luzon, Samar

Philippine eagle ‘Carlito’ spotted in the forest of Leyte, three months after its release into the wild. Photo courtesy of Philippine Eagle Foundation

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 5 September) — Finding pairs of Philippine Eagles in less studied islands of Luzon and Samar will be a top priority in a five-year action plan to be completed by year-end or earlier to intensify efforts to conserve the national bird, an official of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) said.

The “multifaceted” Philippine Eagle species action plan will include the release of Philippine Eagles in Leyte, which started last year, Jayson C. Ibañez, Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) director for operations, said in an interview Thursday.

The plan will also include accelerating captive breeding, as well as preventing the shooting, hunting and trapping of eagles with the help of the Philippine National Police, which entails more school- and community-based campaigns.

Congress will be asked to enact a law exclusively for Philippine Eagle research and conservation, which is proposed to be known as the “National Bird Act.”

The plan will seek additional funding from the national government and other sources.

Ibañez said the species action will involve different agencies and stakeholders to improve the efforts in protecting the critically endangered raptor.

He said the action plan will cover at least five years, although PEF executive director Dennis Salvador said Thursday that it may be extended for up to 10 years.

The action plan was a product of a four-day workshop on population viability analysis this week in Davao City, and a revision of the one made in April 2024 in Quezon City, which gathered several stakeholders, he added.

The planning activity brought together the PEF, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Biodiversity Management Bureau, and Mandai Nature, and was facilitated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)-Conservation Planning Specialist Group.

Dr. Simon Valle, an ornithologist from IUCN, said in an interview Thursday that they will ensure that by September or October, they will have a “clear, efficient, and implementable” action plan that DENR and other relevant agencies can implement. (Razl EJ Teman/MindaNews)