DENR

THE DECLARATION of a Philippine Eagle Critical Habitat in Barangay Tambobong is critical to protect and preserve the endangered raptor.

Jayson Ibanez, Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) director for operations, said declaring it a critical habitat acknowledges what has long existed on the ground: an ancient nesting site of the Philippine Eagle and a well-protected ancestral forest of the Obu-Manuvu.

“The Critical Habitat status formalizes and strengthens this protection by providing legal recognition and support to the community’s efforts,” he said.

This stems from the April 15 public hearing of the 21st City Council committee on environment and natural resources, headed by chairperson Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, approving the proposed critical habitat area for the Philippine Eagle and other threatened wildlife species in Barangay Tambobong, Baguio District, Davao City.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Davao said the proposed site covers approximately 2,964.35 hectares within the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed. 

The area was identified as a critical habitat due to confirmed sightings and nesting activity of the Philippine Eagle. 

DENR XI added the area features relatively intact forest ecosystems, river systems, and a high diversity of endemic species, and holds cultural and spiritual significance for the Obu Manuvu Indigenous Community.

PEF has supported this initiative through mapping, biodiversity assessments, and facilitating alignment between Indigenous and government conservation goals, as a partner of the DENR, the Obu Manuvu community, and the city government.

Known to the Obu-Manuvu as “Kuruwonnan Alihowan to Atollun Kahubbarran” (or “a natural area cared for by three clans”), this landscape has already been conserved for generations through Indigenous stewardship.

Kuruwonnan Alihowan to Atollun Kahubbarran (a natural area cared for by three clans)

For Lipatuan Joel Unad, Obu-Manuvu indigenous peoples chief, declaring the area a critical habitat equates to declaring it a “sacred possession” being part of the Obu-Manuvu. 

Kuruwonnan is an Obu-Manuvu term that translates to resources, which Unad said requires protection, “dili pagadaoton, dili pagapasipad-an kay kini usa ka kayamanan sa tribung  Obu-Manuvu nga naga-base sa kinaiyahan.”

“Ang katubigan, mga ka-sapaan, ka-lasangan, kahayupan, kahanginan, kalanggaman parte ka na sa Kuruwonnan, nagpasabot dili pwede himoan og mga dautan nga binuhatan, kundli pagapanggaon og ampingan ug dili kini pagahilabtan,” Unad told TIMES in an interview.

The word Alihowan means “to avoid” whatever ill intention an individual has for a mountain or an area declared Alihowan. Cutting trees and the abuse of animals are prohibited.

The concept, Unad said, the tribe has long lived amid the forest, rivers, and birds, meaning the lives of the tribe are incorporated with nature, inside the declared “pusaka.”

Pusaka is an indigenous term for sacred heirloom or ancestral possession.

Obu-Manuvu involvement in environmental preservation as “frontliners”

With the proposed critical habitat,  concerns about the presence of residents are raised, but DENR  stated that such a situation is possible.

Dr. Franklyn R. Buenaflor, DENR Davao Conservation and Development Division chief, explained that under Memorandum Circular No. 2007-02, which provides the guidelines for establishing critical habitats, the area must adopt a harmonized framework for sustainable use and zoning. 

Similar to protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS), a Critical Habitat Management Plan (CHMP) is required. 

According to DENR, the plan will define zoning classifications such as core zones, strict protection zones, and multiple-use zones, where limited and sustainable indigenous practices may be allowed. 

Tribal leader Unad acknowledged the initiatives of the government and how critical communication is between both government and tribe, but emphasized the involvement of Obu-Manuvu as the frontliners.

Unad explained that there are considerations that various parties: DENR, the city government, civil organizations, and the tribe, need to consider for the critical habitat to prevail.

He stressed there is a need for a cultural policy, cultural procedure of communication and relationship, so that not only the DENR or the city government are aware of environmental preservation, but accountability and responsibility are conceptualized to the Obu-Manuvu as frontliners.

The involvement of Obu-Manuvu should be prioritized as they are the ones residing in the proposed critical habitat. 

“Komunidad na sa Obu-Manuvu so kinahanglan nga sila unang una makasabot, magkasinabtanay kay walay lain nga mahimong makakita, maka witness, ang Obu-Manuvu lang,” he stressed.

“Ang kinaiyahan parte sa kinabuhi sa tribu tungod kay naa na sila nagdako, ang ilang economic development naa na diha mismo sa gi-declare nga critical habitat,” Unad added.

For Ibañez, the presence of small and remote Indigenous communities within the area does not threaten the Philippine eagle. 

On the contrary, Ibañez  said the long history of Obu-Manuvu living in harmony with nature manifests that they are “vital partners in conservation.”

“The residents of Tambobong are not threats to wildlife—they are its protectors, serving as eagle-friendly stewards of this Critical Habitat,” Ibañez said.

The Obu-Manuvu community named the eaglet through a traditional naming ritual. 

“Tuglivon” is an ancient bird in their stories, believed to have helped form the first land after a great flood.

LGU support

Ocampo said the committee will adopt the resolution of the Watershed Management Council and will be presented to the plenary for approval.

Ocampo said there is no opposition from the barangay, and it was actually supportive of the move.

“We are preparing the necessary resolution declaring the area to be a sanctuary for the Philippine eagle,” Ocampo told TIMES in an interview.

He clarified that the adoption of the resolution is not confiscatory but an affirmation of the need to protect the Philippine Eagle’s breeding ground, backed by research and studies from PEF and DENR.

The declaration of the critical habitat will incorporate provisions that respect the existing traditional way of life of the indigenous people and ensure strict enforcement against illegal structures.

For the sustainability of the critical habitat, Ocampo said deputizing the Obu-Manuvu in terms of monitoring and surveillance on the ground would depend on the future plans of the city government to add more Bantay Bukid volunteers. 

The councilor acknowledged that the Obu-Manuvu are naturally the stewards of the environment. 

“We are all on one page in protecting the environment in that particular area,” Ocampo stressed.

Harmonization of mainstream, cultural policies pushed

Tribal leader Unad hopes the declaration will incorporate the Obu-Manuvu’s own cultural and traditional policies of protecting the environment, and should be harmonized with mainstream policies of DENR.

“Nga dili lamang ang local government o ang DENR nga mao ni among balaud mao ni ipatuman, dili lamang na,” he said.

While the tribe is not scientific, Unad said they understand the importance of protecting the critical habitat for cultural integrity, citing the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA), or Republic Act No. 8371.

The IPRA Law promotes respect for cultural integrity that protects indigenous culture, traditions, and institutions, including the right to preserve their indigenous knowledge systems and practices.