WITH Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower) subsidiary Davao Light and Power Co. Inc. (Davao Light) oversaw the release of 152 hawksbill pawikan (sea turtle) hatchlings at Aboitiz Cleanergy Park in Punta Dumalag, Matina Aplaya, Davao City.

The released turtle hatchlings came from the third of five nests found this year at the park. In total, over 7,993 hatchlings have been released from the area since 2014.

Besides the Office of the Vice President, the distribution utility was joined by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Philippine Coast Guard, nongovernmental organizations, and schools and universities, which had their students do the releasing.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, sea turtles helped maintain the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs.

Currently, there were seven rescued adult pawikan of varying species under the care of Aboitiz Cleanergy Park. These included five hawksbill sea turtles as well as a green sea turtle and an olive ridley turtle. They were provided with veterinary care and were being observed at the facility until they were fully recovered and could be released back into the wild.

The 8-hectare ecological preserve and biodiversity conservation site was managed by Davao Light and Aboitiz Foundation Inc. Since its launch in 2014, it served as a protected nesting ground of the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle and a home to more than 100 species of endemic and migratory birds and other marine life.