|
On its
35th founding anniversary celebrations held recently, the
Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) launched
Pugad Pawikan, an environmental advocacy campaign to
protect and conserve the endangered sea turtle or pawikan.
KBP is
partnering with Corporate Image Dimensions (CID), a
corporate communication company, and other multisectoral
organizations to establish the Philippines as the “Pugad
Pawikan,” or sea-turtle haven of the world, with special
emphasis on protecting the turtle from poaching and other
threats to its habitat.
Pugad
Pawikan also refers to the people behind the campaign— a
community of volunteers and concerned citizens, a pool of
spokespersons and champions, and a network of
organizations from the government, nongovernment and the
private sector focused on generating mass awareness and
multisectoral involvement on sea turtle protection.
Louie
Morales, CID chairman, reported that Pugad Pawikan has
already released over 5,000 sea turtle hatchlings in Isla
Arena in Narra, Palawan, one of the pilot areas chosen for
the conservation cause. The organization has also donated
around 500 sea-turtle hatchlings to
Guimaras
Island,
in response to reports that the pawikan was among the sea
creatures affected by the bunker oil spill that devastated
the island in 2006.
In an
interview at the sidelines of the anniversary gala, KBP
president Maloli Espinosa said their organization is the
perfect medium for the program, as it can reach a wide
range of audiences all over the country.
“As
responsible media practitioners, we are very much aware at
how the media can serve as a powerful tool in advancing
such cause for our environment. Part of our duties is to
effectively communicate important and relevant messages
that we know should be shared with and understood by the
public whether through the radio or television,” said
Espinosa.
Sen. Pia
Cayetano, chairperson of the Senate Committee on
Environment and Natural Resources, expressed her support
for the program in her speech that night, saying that she
is proud to be a part of the campaign.
“I’ll even
swim with the pawikan,” she quipped.
Cayetano
said the pawikan symbolizes the state of the environment
and health in the country, as they are intertwined.
“You
remove the pawikan, and the whole ecosystem is destroyed,”
she emphasized.
Cayetano
also stressed that while laws like antipoaching protect
the pawikan, there is a need to protect the habitats where
the species is located. That is why, she said, the Senate
is pushing for the passage of the Turtle Islands bill
which intends to do just that.
Jun Nicdao,
former KBP president, said, “The pawikan is one of the
magnificent creatures on Earth. And it is disheartening
that it is on the verge of extinction, no thanks to man’s
many harmful activities.”
“I don’t
want my children’s children to see a sea turtle only in
books or in museums. The sea turtle has every right to be
here on earth, just as we have a right to be here.”
Espinosa
agreed. “KBP is certainly committed to raise public
awareness but, more than that, we aim to be a primary
mover in inspiring and stirring the community to
participate and be fully emerged in the world of pawikan
conservation. We are with the Pugad Pawikan for the long
haul in getting a positive reaction among various sectors,
which need to step up and take a stand for this cause.” | 
