MANILA, Philippines—Mining activities in Surigao del Sur are endangering the habitat of the country’s national bird, the Philippine eagle, according to the head of the Philippine Eagle Foundation.
Retired Lieutenant General William Hotchkiss III, PEF president and former commander of the Philippine Air Force, said mining activities in the Mt. Hilong-hilong range was threatening the ecological area inhabited by the endangered bird.
He also faulted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for declaring Mt. Hilong-hilong range as a key biodiversity conservation area but then allowing mining activities there, even in an area that had already been declared as a watershed.
On Saturday, 10,000 residents of six towns in the province are expected to form a 30-kilometer human chain to protest mining. The activity is spearheaded by the Diocese of Tandag.
“Mt. Hilong-hilong range is one of the most biodiverse areas in the Philippines today and we think it’s an eagle sanctuary still because five years ago, a juvenile eagle was captured there,” Hotchkiss said in an interview.
He said mining activities, particularly in the watershed area of Cantilan town, endangered the eagle’s habitat.
“Mt. Hilong-hilong is supposed to be an ecological reserve. There’s a presidential decree saying that it’s a watershed but the same DENR gave an exploratory permit to mine,” Hotchkiss said.
“They say they went through the process. That’s a lot of baloney. Why is it that the people of Cantilan are saying ‘no.’ How did they get their ECC (Environmental Clearance Certificate)?” he added.
According to New Conservation Areas in the Philippines Project (NCAPP)—a joint endeavor of the DENR and the United Nations Development Program—Mt. Hilong-hilong contains one of the remaining primary forests in the country, making it a “priority conservation area” and key biodiversity area.
The mountain range is home to at least 120 species of birds, including 59 which are found only in the Philippines.
Mt. Hilong-hilong also has seven species of mammals, five species of birds, one species of herpetofauna, and 18 species of plants that are included on the list of globally threatened species. These include the Magkono, or the Philippine ironwood, and the Philippine eagle.
“The juvenile male eagle was captured five years ago in (Carrascal town). Fortunately, the four men who captured the eagle were men of the mayor of Madrid, who knew that I was with the Philippine Eagle Foundation and so they turned it over to us,” Hotchkiss said.
“The eagle had already been traumatized and so we brought him to our eagle center in Malagos, Davao. We named him Cantilan. We’re now trying to pair him off with a female,” he added.
Hotchkiss said that the primary forests of Mt. Hilong-hilong that are threatened by mining activities must be preserved if the Philippine Eagle is to survive in the area.
“It’s our national bird and just for your information, it’s the only blue-eyed raptor in the world. And it’s on top of the food chain in the forest,” Hotchkiss said.
“That is why if you don’t have the primary forests anymore, the eagle dies. It’s as simple as that because he will no longer have anything to eat. So, we have to have the primary forests so that the eagle will live,” he said.
“But if you mine, you have to cut down the trees. Even at the exploratory stage, they cut down the trees,” he added.
Hotchkiss said the PEF estimated that there were around 500 pairs of Philippine eagles left in Mindanao.
“It’s a magnificent bird. It is second biggest bird in the world, second only to the South American harpy. The male averages six kilos while the female is heavier by two kilos and is the more aggressive one. She lays an egg every one or two years. That’s why it is so very hard for it to survive,” Hotchkiss said.
“They’re also territorial and, when they mate, they mate for life. Even their children, when they reach maturity, they have to look for another area to live in because they’re territorial. Our mission to help the Philippine eagle survive is really hard will all the illegal logging and mining,” he added.