A remarkable find

It was a secret 28-year-old fisherman Bobby Onin kept for eight years until he finally let the "turtle" out of the bag.

Onin’s revelation last month of a turtle’s nesting site in Aboitiz family-owned property in Punta Dumalag, a coastal community along Davao Gulf in Matina Aplaya, Davao City, sparked anew public interest in biodiversity that launched a joint massive conservation effort between the local government and the Aboitiz Group of Companies.

The find is remarkable, considering the nesting ground happens to be just a stone’s throw away from densely populated villages in urban Davao.

The area contains egg clusters of the endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), one of the Philippines’ four turtle species (the others being the sea green turtle, olive-ridley turtle and leatherback turtle) listed endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

This discovery steps up Davao City’s wildlife conservation efforts. It is already protecting another endangered species, the Philippine eagle – a national icon at risk.

Locally known as "pawikan", sea turtles tetter at the brink of extinction. Predators that prey on vulnerable hatchlings and human pressures like habitat destruction, sea pollution, and utter ignorance have swiftly decimated their populations. They are hunted for their beautiful carapace; their eggs, skin and meat highly prized ingredients in Asian cuisine.

Thanks to Onin’s vigilance and midset, a conservation program that brings communities, the Aboitiz Group of Companies and the local government together in showcasing citizen participation, harmonization between commerce and nature is taking shape.

The Davao Light and Power Company (DPLC), a subsidiary of the Aboitiz Group of Companies, which has property rights, has expressed its strong corporate environmental commitment through a sustainable marine turtle conservation program.

"First of all, it’s our land, and now we’re saying we have pawikans there," says DLPC president Alfonso Y. Aboitiz.

The 19-hectare land was acquired in the 1960s as a planned site for a coal-powered plant. It was put on hold in favor of environmental safety and well-being.

The turtles’ arrival has again, changed things.

"The company will fund it all the way," says Aboitiz, urging Davao City councilor Leo Avila and consultant Ernesto Sta. Cruz to come up with studies and proposals for a holistic conservation program.

At the program’s core are affected local residents who will benefit once the projects are in full swing. "This is going to be treated as a community-based project by the Aboitiz Group Foundation, Inc." Aboitiz says.

Barely a month old, the program has already taken significant strides. DLPC has signed up Onin’s help as a security aide – a fisherman who supports a wife and a kid through occasional construction work.

Aboitiz has ordered the area secured from turtle egg poachers and curious residents. His company has also funded the inspection trip made by marine biologists to present a comprehensive assessment of the nesting area through barangay profiling, habitat assessment and environmental education. The experts have trained the locals in hatchery setting, nesting beach monitoring, tagging and beach patrol, to sustain protection and conservation work.

In a gesture of gratitude for helping the government, Davao City’s local city council has approved a resolution to enact an ordinance declaring portions of Punta Dumalag as Marine Turtle Conservation Area. It has commended Onin’s efforts and the support of the Aboitiz Group of Companies in the marine turtle conservation.