What was once eight hectares of grassland along a coast in Punta Dumalag in Davao City is now an outdoor biodiversity learning center, ecological preserve, and haven for pawikans. Built by the Aboitiz Group in 2015 and managed by its subsidiary Davao Light, the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park now stands as a model of habitat conservation and biodiversity management, supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Environmental care practices, along with local government and civil society support, help protect pawikan nesting areas and hatchlings within the Park’s premises, while also nurturing injured adult green, hawksbill, and olive ridley sea turtles back to health.
The project team identified and onboarded partners from various sectors of society, leading to greater awareness and engagement. The Park is a collaborative effort that has led to initiatives such as tree planting activities and the enhancement of sea turtle rehabilitation facilities.
In October 2024, after more than five years at the Park, a hawksbill turtle that had been found with spear wounds—and an olive ridley that was rescued while weak and floating in the sea—were both deemed fully recovered and released back into the wild. They were set free before a cheering crowd as the two swam away. Since 2014, in coordination with the DENR–Region XI, a total of 32 pawikans have been rescued and rehabilitated through the facility, with varying outcomes.
A total of 89 turtle nests have also been secured since 2014, resulting in a hatching success rate of over 80%. Park personnel were able to identify, monitor, and relocate threatened nests to the hatchery, ensuring safer hatching conditions. Thanks to the Park’s interventions, more than 10,000 turtle hatchlings have been released to date.
Meanwhile, another AboitizPower subsidiary, Therma South, Inc., has released a total of 142 hatchlings from pawikan nests found along its shoreline since the start of the year. The hatchlings were released by team members, local barangay officials, and experts from Ridge to Reef Environmental Consultancy. Ridge to Reef also conducted a Marine Turtle Management Training for Therma South’s security personnel.
The plant’s coast has long been a known nesting ground for olive ridley sea turtles, with a nesting mother frequently returning to lay eggs. Close to 500 eggs were first discovered in April after a mother olive ridley was observed in the area earlier this year. Experts relocated 115 eggs from the first nest to a safer location. Subsequent nests contained 76, 88, 108, and 109 eggs, respectively. In May, the mother pawikan returned once again to lay another 109 eggs.
Therma South’s involvement in pawikan conservation goes back to December 2018, when 30 hatchlings were first discovered and released. In the following year, 303 hatchlings from four nests were released. In 2024, pawikan nests were discovered again, with 86 of 120 hatchlings released by team members, officials from the DENR – Environmental Management Bureau, and trained caretakers from the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park.
Currently, the Safety, Health, and Environment Department of Therma South closely monitors the remaining nests. The team has installed protective barricades around the sites to safeguard them from predators.
“We will continue to actively monitor our shoreline and help protect its marine biodiversity as part of our environmental stewardship and communal responsibility in its host communities of Davao City and Sta. Cruz,” said Therma South Environmental Supervisor Geol. Reeka Angela Llenado.
Therma South is a 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant located between Davao City and Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur. It uses advanced circulating fluidized bed technology, which allows for efficient combustion recirculation. The facility also houses the Philippines’ first-ever coal dome, a structure designed to safely store coal deposits while minimizing dust pollution.
AboitizPower’s active initiation and participation in biodiversity conservation have brought together individuals, communities, and organizations around a shared goal: protecting the world where both people and wildlife thrive.
