The Philippine Eagle has landed

It was during the administration of former President Fidel Ramos (1992 to 1998) that the national bird of the Philippines became the Philippine Eagle. The Philippine Eagle was formerly known as the Monkey Eating Eagle, because when it was first discovered in 1986, the people who found it thought that it ate only monkeys.

Since then much has been discovered about the Philippine Eagle, one of the most significant facts being that it is endemic to the Philippines. 

On a trip to Malagos in Davao recently, where the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) holds office, we got a chance to see the Philippine Eagle up close. The visit was part of Pacific Paint Philippines, Inc.’s (Boysen) launching of its new logo, and the company’s adoption of a Philippine Eagle.

“This is a very big event for our company, the adoption of the Philippine Eagle,” said Johnson Ongking, VP for marketing, Boysen Paints. “When Boysen started in the Philippines in 1960 the Filipino mentality was very colonial, since it was just after WWII. This is why our founders chose Boysen.”

Ongking shared that Pacific Paint was founded by the late Vicente Ong Sue, Jimmy Ongking and Ung Han Leong. It was a repacker of paint and lacquer thinners in 1953. The company, originally known as Pacific Paint & Oil Manufacturing, Inc., launched products under the Columbus and Nation brands. The company started developing its identity after acquiring a license to manufacture Boysen Paints from the Walter N. Boysen Company in US in the early ‘60s.

Boysen Paints joined in the mission to save the Philippine Eagle through an agreement with PEF to adopt the youngest eagle chick housed at the PEF’s Center in Davao City.  The chick, named Pinpin (Pinturang Pinoy), is the 21st Philippine Eagle bred in captivity. Boysen will sponsor not only the food and care for the upkeep of Pinpin for the next six years, but will also help fund research efforts to learn more about the species to ensure its survival. The adoption of and privilege to name your own Philippine Eagle goes for the price of P125,000 a year.

More than that, Pinpin will fly with every can of Boysen Paint, as Boysen has adopted the Philippine Eagle as its new corporate logo. The Boysen Paints brand has long been identified with an eagle logo, but its earlier logo was based on the American bald eagle, which it inherited from the original Walter N. Boysen Paint Company of the United States. The new Boysen logo will bear the distinctive long brown feathers and lion’s mane of our national bird.

“The shift in our logo from that of the American bald eagle to the Philippine eagle symbolizes the coming of age for Boysen Paints,” said Willy Ong, president of Pacific Paint (Boysen) Philippines, Inc. “Today the Boysen brand is no longer perceived as an American brand but as a strong Filipino brand, so it’s very fitting that the Philippine eagle, our national bird, will become our new logo.” 

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The Philippine Eagle, also known as Haribon or Bird King because of its standing as the top predator in the Philippine rainforest, is in danger of extinction. Current population estimates place the remaining number of Philippine Eagles, which are unique to the Philippines, to less than a thousand, with the World Conservation Union classifying it as a critically endangered species because of its extremely small and rapidly declining population.

At a briefing at PEF we were joined by Tatit Quiblat, communications officer, (PEF);  Dennis Salvador, executive director and Domi Cadena, deputy director for conservation breeding.

It was in 1987 that PEF was established. The goal of the foundation is to help to perpetuate the efforts to save this eagle. This year PEF celebrates its 20th anniversary.  And, still more has to be done to help bring the Philippine Eagle back into the forests.

The foundation is engaged in four programs for the Philippine Eagle: breeding research, conservation breeding and field research where we study in the wild, community-based work.

Young people are encouraged to participate in this effort. There are lots programs for them at PEF. After all, PEF looks to all its work as something that will benefit the succeeding generations.

“The foundation is necessary because the Philippine Eagle is one of the rarest birds alive today,” said Tatit Quiblat. “Estimates have it that there are 1,000 left here in the Philippines and the Philippine Eagle is an endemic species to the country.”

There is much work that still has to be done because the Philippine Eagle is one of those birds that reproduces very slowly. Matter of fact, we were told that the eagle only lays one egg every two years. The Philippine Eagle is a blue-eyed eagle and it is one of those rare birds that remains monogamous for its lifetime. The oldest eagle to have been found is around 40 years old.

In the PEF there are 21 eagles that have been bred in captivity; a total of 17 of these are still alive. Although, the PEF houses 36 eagles, the other 18 have been rescued from the wild. In terms of adoption 17 have donors, while 18 are still waiting to be adopted.

“There are two threats to the Philippine eagle: one is hunting and the other is deforestation,” added Dennis Salvador, executive director, PEF.

The first captive-bred eagle was released in 2004, named Kabayan. It was under the care of Vice President Noli De Castro. Kabayan was released in Mt. Apo, but died after nine months in the wild because he got electrocuted. That was a big learning experience for PEF and they have now set up a facility to train the captive-bred eagles to avoid the posts.

There is a lot that goes into preparing to release these eagles into the wild. One is that we have to find a suitable habitat. Second, it is a matter of funding for the foundation. Because once the eagle is released there are teams out there that monitor the eagles every day. Third, we can only release a suitable bird and this depends on the breeding success that PEF achieves from season to season.

Yes, the birds are actually bred so that they can eventually be released, and also so that the number of these birds may increase. But the PEF says that only some of the birds will be released. Others will be used for breeding and still others to further educate us about eagles.  

“The ultimate goal though of conservation breeding is really to be able to replace the birds we are losing in the wild,” added Salvador. 

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“The change in our logo is symbolic of two things. First is our commitment to help save the Philippine eagle, and save the Philippine environment, too. Second, it is the coming of age of our company, we are now proudly Filipino,” said Ongking. “Boysen will bring the Philippine Eagle to all Filipino homes and, we hope, to other countries through exports.”