A symbol of the country's soaring aspirations, the Philippine eagle, the world's tallest eagle at three feet high from talon to crown, is still facing a grim future as yars of poaching pushed the birds in the brink of extinction.
Jude C. Galford explained it very well. Decades of illegal logging also in the Mindanao rainforests and elsewhere in the country where the eagles inhabit further threatened the very existence of the haribon - derived by blending HARI (king) and IBON (bird) - and the chance for the younger generation to see one of the world's most exotic predators.
As an environmentalist since many years I am glad and happy to announce: the sad fate of the Philippine eagle, moreover, may see a reversal of fortune now that several groups are doing whatever they can to help preserve and protect their natural nesting areas. These groups include PLDT (Philippine Longdistance Telephone Company) and the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF).
Both really climbed the mountains of Barangay Datu Ladayon in Arakan Valley, North Cotabato recently to bring hope to the "monkey-eating-eagle.
Kudos and thank you very much for helping to PLDT Community Relation Head Evelyn M. del Rosario and PLDT Davao Customer Zone Head Mr. Ben Gaite.
According to PEF Executive Director Dennis Salvador, PLDT was the first private institution helping the Arakan Valley. Yes, the Philippine eagle indeed may soar the skies of Cotabato again as one of the biggest living eagles in the world.
