Davao Light and Power Company

Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. spotted two sea turtles at the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park in Sitio Punta Dumalag, Matina Aplaya, Davao City in the evening of May 24, 2021.

 

One of the sea turtles was on her way back to the sea when spotted while the other one was seen laying eggs. Apparently, the latter is “Turtle Cleanergy” as she was identified through her official tag PH0148J.

 

Turtle Cleanergy was the rescued female Hawksbill sea turtle who was found dehydrated and struggling

to get out of the mangrove area of the park on February 25, 2017. She was believed to be on her way back to the sea after nesting. The turtle was rescued from the mangroves where she got stuck and Davao Light provided the necessary veterinary care and nursed her back to health. After Turtle Cleanergy was assessed by the veterinarian and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) XI to be fit for release, she was tagged and set free four days later.

 

A DNA analysis conducted by the students from the University of the Philippines Mindanao under the supervision of Dr. Ruth Gamboa revealed that the turtle's DNA is closely related to the DNA results taken from one of the nests in 2014 and is also closely related to those from the 11 nests found in 2017. Therefore, it is possible that Turtle Cleanergy or a sister is the origin of the nests discovered in the park.

 

As of May this year, there are seven pawikan nests in the park including the two pawikan nests found last May 22 and this nest of Turtle Cleanergy. The eggs from nest number one (1) recently hatched and the hatchlings were released on June 4. The eggs from the other six nests are expected to hatch between June to July.

 

“We believe that there are currently two or three pawikan nesters at the park and we are expecting additional nests in the weeks to come,” said Davao Light Reputation Enhancement Department Manager Fermin Edillon.

 

The sighting is proof that the eight-hectare outdoor biodiversity park, managed by AboitizPower subsidiary, Davao Light with Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., has preserved and protected the pawikan nesting site as well as the wildlife in it all these years. The company will do its best to continue to do so even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The Aboitiz Cleanergy Park represents the Aboitiz group’s sustainability mindset-that we can do well by doing good, always making the right long-term decisions that balance the interests of people, planet, and profit.