Rodolfo “Rudy Boy” Manib, Jr., knows very well how it is like to come home. He is a resident of Punta Dumalag in Davao City, where the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park, a sprawling eight-hectare outdoor biodiversity park, is located.
“I was born and raised here, how we used to play hide and seek or run around the place anytime we wanted,” Rudy Boy reminisces, gesturing to the pristine shoreline where the crystal-clear water lapped against the soft white sand, amid a backdrop of a bright blue, cloudless sky. A native bird chirps in the distance.
Opened in April 2015, the Park showcases an urban-based habitat conservation and biodiversity management. In a baseline study conducted by the University of the Philippines Mindanao and University of Southeastern Philippines, it was revealed that 66 other species thrive in the coastal ecosystem, truly a haven for species of trees, birds, fish seagrass and corals.
It’s location in Punta Dumalag has been identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as one of the few remaining nesting sites of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Earlier this year, the Aboitiz Foundation stepped up its conservation campaign with #BetterWorld for the Pawikan, a drive to raise funds for the protection and preservation of the hawksbill turtle. This fundraising will not only secure the sanctuary for the hawksbill turtles but also spread greater public awareness on how everyone can help ensure its survival amid climate change and environmental degradation.
Since it opened, the Park has released nearly 2,000 hatchlings from 17 pawikan nests and welcomed over 1,400 visitors—students, representatives of key government agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, private organizations, and everyone interested in learning about nature conservation and pawikan protection.
Rudy Boy’s father, Rodolfo “Roche” Manib, Sr., is a caretaker at the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park and part of this conservation effort.
“When Papa started working here, there were already sea turtles to take care of. Early each morning, maybe 5 a.m. or 4 a.m., Papa comes here and scours the entire place for any sea turtles,” Rudy Boy explains.
Like other sea turtles, the pawikans at the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park possess a unique trait growing up.
“What I know about the sea turtle is that wherever they were hatched, they always return to that exact place. I learned this from Papa,” Rudy Boy shares, recalling the several pawikans he has seen return over the years.
Rudy Boy and his brothers have long since grown up and now lead separate lives, but they never cease to return to the place they call home.
“We still do come here to visit. We’d help Papa even though he says not to anymore. He thinks we might be tired coming from our work,” he laughs. “But we’re already here, so we might as well make his work easier.”
Homes are, in a way, like life’s compasses: no matter where we end up in life, at the end of the day, we always come back home.
The pawikan (or hawksbill) sea turtle has played an important role in keeping our world’s oceans healthy for over a hundred million years. Rudy Boy and his family are helping ensure these critically endangered sea turtles will stick around for a long time. You, too, can be part of their protection and preservation.
Visit http://ushare.unionbankph.com/aboitiz/ to donate. Every peso you give goes a long way toward making a #BetterWorld for the Pawikan.
For check donations, please issue to Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. and send to Riza Madrid at 21/F NAC Tower, 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
