DENR Leads Philippine Eagle Week Celebration
START THEM YOUNG – To celebrate the Philippine Eagle Week (PEW), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has organized an outreach program that would raise the awareness of children on the importance of the national bird and its habitat.
Children from the Asilo de San Vicente de Paul Orphanage will visit the Manila Ocean Park today as part of the outreach program along with other activities including a painting workshop and a storytelling session, according to DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu.
Cimatu said that the outreach program is in line with DENR’s vision of raising environmentally conscious children and preserving the environment for them and for future generations.
He added that events like PEW should be celebrated with children to help “imprint wildlife conservation into their young minds.”
“These children will inherit the country’s biodiversity resources. They are the next in line in being stewards of the environment, so it is important for them to learn the value of the Philippine eagle and all other species, especially those that are endemic to the Philippines that need to be preserved and protected as early as now,” he said.
Biodiversity Management Bureau Director Crisanta Rodriguez also reiterated the importance of unity and support in protecting the national bird.
“Protection of the Philippine Eagle has proven that cohesive actions and a supportive society can prevent species extinction. From 100 individuals in 1969, there is now an estimated count of about 400 -500 pairs,” she said.
via Manila Standard / Rio N. Araja
