The Philippine Eagle Week (PEW) 2025 has capped off a week-long celebration of the country’s national bird with powerful messages of unity, environmental education, and inclusive conservation. Anchored on the theme “Soaring Together: Empowering Communities, Educating Minds, and Protecting the Philippine Eagle,” this year’s PEW brought together communities, youth, indigenous peoples, and partner institutions from across the country to renew their commitment to saving the critically endangered Philippine eagle and the forests it calls home.
Spearheaded by the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), the annual observance featured activities in Luzon and Mindanao that educated the public, engaged local leaders, and mobilized collective action.
Celebrating Where It All Began: Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City
The week-long celebration opened at the Philippine Eagle Center (PEC) in Malagos, Davao City, the heart of Philippine eagle conservation and home to the country’s leading captive breeding and education programs. The Center welcomed hundreds of visitors daily for a series of educational and experiential activities.
Guests, including students, educators, families, and local leaders, participated in guided exhibit tours, conservation-themed workshops, and short film screenings. Volunteers and PEF staff facilitated discussions around the biology, threats, and recovery efforts for the Philippine eagle.
A Historic Milestone for Luzon: SM City Cabanatuan Leg
For the first time, Philippine Eagle Week was celebrated in Nueva Ecija, Luzon, considering the historic sighting of a Philippine eagle in the Central Sierra Madre Mountain range. In partnership with SM City Cabanatuan, PEF launched an inspiring public event that marked the Philippine eagle’s growing significance in Northern Luzon.
“The Philippine eagle soars as a gigantic guardian of our forests and a symbol of our national pride and heritage, and this majestic raptor becomes an indicator of the health condition of our forests and ecosystem, where the biodiversity will flourish and our eagles will thrive when forests are more alive,” said Mr. Gerundio Fernandez, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer of Nueva Ecija.
The centerpiece of the celebration was a Philippine Eagle Art Exhibit at the mall atrium, featuring student artworks and illustrations inspired by the eagle and its forest habitat. The exhibit became a gathering point for local families and mallgoers to learn about the eagle’s ecology and symbolic role in forest protection.
PEF’s Executive Director, Mr. Dennis Salvador, stressed the greater impact of observing Philippine Eagle Week in Luzon: “This is a historic moment for conservation in Luzon. The recent sighting of the Philippine eagle here affirms that our forests still hold hope—and with it, a responsibility. Let this not be a fleeting celebration, but a long-term commitment to protect what remains and rebuild what we have lost. The eagle’s presence is not just a discovery; it is a call to act.
The celebration in Cabanatuan underscored the need to extend conservation efforts beyond Mindanao and into Luzon, where recent eagle sightings call for increased forest protection, research, and community engagement.
Davao Joins the Celebration: Communities, IPs, and Youth Rally for the Philippine Eagle
Tinonanon Advocacy Band of the Manuvun Tinonanon Tribe of North Cotabato performed in the cultural showcase opening of the Philippine Eagle Week 2025 – Davao Leg..
Down south, the celebration took flight in Davao City, the home of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, with a vibrant three-day gathering at SM City Davao Annex Event Area. The event, co-organized by PEF and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), brought together hundreds of participants—including Indigenous leaders, conservationists, educators, youth, and volunteers—in a powerful demonstration of community-driven conservation.
“The Philippine eagle cannot survive without our forests—and our forests cannot thrive without our united action,” shared Dr. Franklyn Buenaflor, Chief of the Conservation and Development Division of DENR XI.
Exhibits and knowledge-sharing talks featured prominently throughout the week. Visitors engaged with interactive installations that explored eagle biology, conservation breeding, and field stories from Indigenous communities.
Special attention was given to the experiences of the Obu Manuvu (Barangay Tambobong) and Sumpaw Nang Magkatikadung Sang Maragusan communities, who have played key roles in recent eagle discoveries. Their testimonials reinforced the indispensable role of Indigenous knowledge in eagle habitat protection.
A Celebration Made Possible Through Partnerships
The success of the Davao celebration was made possible through the support of key partners, including Inlife Foundation, Ulticon Builders Incorporated, the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor (EMBC) Project, Lakpue Drug Incorporated, Arellano University, Bank of the Philippine Islands, FDC Utilities, Inc., and the City Government of Davao.
The Philippine Eagle Foundation has also partnered with the interregional communications group COMCO Mundo League of Enterprises through the consortium’s Citizen COMCO advocacy movement, which champions environmental conservation, among others. The partnership aims to amplify the PEF message and efforts in integrating wildlife protection into forest and nature conservation.
As the week-long celebration draws to a close, the Philippine Eagle Foundation renews its call: that all Filipinos—across islands and institutions—continue to soar together in defense of the national bird, and the forests that give life to us all.
