By Maya M. Padillo
Correspondent

DAVAO CITY — The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) is seeking more financial support to improve the Eagle Center and expand exhibit areas to attract more visitors, its top official said.

“We don’t have enough support and investors to improve our facilities and space to expand our exhibits which, in turn, will hopefully pay for itself through increasing visitor traffic,” PEF Executive Director Dennis Joseph I. Salvador said in an interview with BusinessWorld.

Mr. Salvador also said that the recent bird flu incidents in Pampanga and Tarlac, although geographically far and now contained, have highlighted the need for them to look into the development of alternative facilities in case the virus reaches Mindanao. He said they need to have space further away from poultry farms and the migratory path of birds.

The PEF official said while they have a steady set of government, private sector, and international funders, along with eagle sponsors, corporate and individual members, and donors (www.philippineeaglefoundation.org/partners), the expanse of their work requires more funding.

The maintenance for the Eagle Center alone, he said, costs about P5 million a year. The Philippine Eagle Center sits on an 8.4-hectare area located at the foothills of Mt. Apo in Malagos, Davao City.

PEF focuses on the protection of the endangered Philippine Eagle through the preservation of forest habitats alongside sustainable use of resources by communities living there.

“Over and beyond these are logistics to carry out field work and expeditions in Leyte, Samar and Luzon, education campaigns as well as funds to ‘incentivize’ communities in areas where eagles occur,” Mr. Salvador said.

In terms of public awareness, he said there is still a long way to go in terms of fully understanding the value of the country’s national bird and its role in the forest ecosystem.

“Even in areas where the eagles are, people continue to shoot them. Clearly knowing is not enough. We have to invest further in changing values and attitudes,” he said.

The PEF, in partnership with the Asian Raptor Research and Conservation Network (ARRCN) is hosting the 10th ARRCN Symposium on Oct. 18-22 at the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU). The event is co-organized by ADDU, Davao City government, Department of Tourism-Davao Region, and the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines. This year’s symposium theme would be “Renewing Raptor People Ties through Community Based Initiatives”.

The PEF recently received a donation of P1.156 million from the Marco Polo Hotels, with the check handed over by Philippe Caretti, Wharf Hotels vice-president for operations; Francis R. Ledesma, Halifax Davao Hotel, Inc President; and Dottie Wurgler-Cronin, general manager of Marco Polo Davao.

Mr. Salvador said, “We deeply appreciate Marco Polo Davao and Philippe Caretti for making it possible for the entire Marco Polo Hotels family to support PEF. Realizing our many needs, they went out of their way to orchestrate a fund-raising project which engaged both its guests, associates and members of the local community. In doing so, it enhanced public awareness about our national bird not just in the Philippines but other parts of the world.”

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR