DAVAO CITY – The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) will hold the groundbreaking of Philippine Eagle Geothermica’s Gateway Project here on August 17 in honor of the raptor as a symbol of international conservation.
Geothermica, one of the two Philippine Eagles sent to Singapore under loan program agreement between Philippine government and Wildlife Reserves Singapore, died in the Bird Paradise at the Mandai Wild Reserve in the Lion City in September 202 from a fungal infection caused by Aspergillus molds.
Tristan Leome Nestor Montemor, Philippine Eagle Center (PEC) marketing coordinator, announced at Wednesday’s Media Forum at the Habi at Kape here that the project will include a sculpture of the 19-year-old Geothermica as the centerpiece of the new facility that will be showcased for visitors.
“For us at Philippine Eagle Center, we want to honor his memory as icon for conservation and we want to commemorate his memory through that gateway where he will have a statute and his story displayed there for all our guests to see,” he said.
The taxidermied body of the raptor is currently displayed at the National Museum of the Philippines in Manila.
Khizia Steffan Madrona, PEF education and development manager, said that the foundation has partnered with well-meaning groups Mandai Wildlife Group and United Architects of the Philippines (UAP)-Davao City chapter and Mindanaoan artist, Kublai Millan, to establish the project.
She added that initial funding for the construction will come from Geothermica’s insurance in Singapore.
“We also wanted to ask for help from public sector as we try to renovate or improve the facilities at the Philippine Eagle Center from time to time,” she said.
Geothermica and another Philippine Eagle, “Sambisig,” were adopted by Energy Development Corp. and Dow Chemical Philippines Inc. respectively.
In June 2019, the country sent Geothermica and Sambisig to Jurong Bird Park in Singapore in line with a 10-year loan program agreement signed by the Philippine government with Wildlife Reserves Singapore to protect the critically endangered raptors from extinction due to calamities and diseases.