MANILA, Philippines?Veteran actor Christopher de Leon led a team of environmentalists in releasing a green sea turtle into the waters off Anilao in Mabini town, in Batangas over the weekend.

?It felt great,? De Leon said, thrilled by the experience of personally setting the turtle free.

The green turtle (Chelonia mydas), a large sea animal recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora as an endangered species, was earlier rescued by environment officials in Hagonoy, Bulacan, the Conservation International Philippines said Monday.

The event kick-started De Leon?s partnership with CI Philippines in campaigning for the protection and sustainable management of marine biodiversity in the Verde Island Passage.

?His interest and eagerness to be involved certainly opens up a lot of great opportunities for marine conservation,? said CI Philippines country program director Romeo Trono.

?Initiating meaningful partnerships is a key component for CI?s work in the Verde Island Passage, and we?re glad that Boyet has expressed willingness to help engage the entertainment industry in this endeavor,? said Trono.

The Verde Island Passage is recognized as the global epicenter or ?center of the center? of marine biodiversity as it hosts the biggest concentration of marine species in the world.

The busy sea lane between Mindoro Island and Batangas is one of the marine biodiversity corridors that are the key areas of CI Philippines? work for its Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape Project, said Trono.

He said CI Philippines has been implementing the seascape project in the Verde Island Passage for the past three years, working with local stakeholders and generating scientific information to guide conservation efforts, such as establishing marine sanctuaries, strengthening marine law enforcement activities, and building capacities of local conservation managers.

De Leon?s involvement with the environmentalist group is expected to bring greater visibility to the biological richness of the area and highlight the need to protect its natural resources, Trono said.

De Leon is actually an avid SCUBA diver and a long-time admirer of marine biodiversity. His love of diving drove him to buy a house in Lobo, Batangas four years ago.

He often makes it a point to go to Lobo to go diving or just enjoy a break, and his diving hobby became a natural take-off point towards a personal advocacy for marine conservation.

For one, De Leon has been working with the local government of Lobo in establishing a marine sanctuary in the municipality. Marine sanctuaries are areas set aside and protected from exploitation to allow marine resources such as fisheries and corals to regenerate and thrive.

Numerous marine sanctuaries established along the coast of Batangas help enhance fisheries and restore coral reefs. These sanctuaries are also popular sites for scuba divers like De Leon, who currently heads the ecotourism task force of the Lobo municipality.

Now, he hopes to get other actors to also support marine conservation efforts and promote ecotourism.

Incidentally, De Leon?s dream project is a documentary film that showcases dive sites in the Verde Island Passage.