PRESS RELEASE
PR-094-2023*
15 June 2023, Singapore – The Philippine Embassy in Singapore, in coordination with Mandai Wildlife Reserves’ Bird Paradise, opened the Philippine Eagle Aviary during the Official Visit of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte in Singapore on 13-14 June 2023. The Vice President visited Singapore in her capacity as Chairperson of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Council.
Sambisig (Sam) and Geothermica (Geo), a pair of Philippine Eagles from the Philippine Eagle Foundation in Davao City, the Vice President’s hometown, are in Singapore under a 10-year renewable conservation breeding loan agreement between the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), now Mandai Wildlife Reserves. Sam and Geo were transferred to the recently-opened Bird Paradise on 12 June 2023 in time for the visit of Vice President Duterte and the 125th Anniversary of Philippine Independence Day and Nationhood.
Among those present at the opening were Philippine Ambassador to Singapore H.E. Ambassador Medardo G. Macaraig, Mandai Group CEO Mike Barclay, Boeing Southeast Asia President Alex Feldman, Philippine Eagle Foundation Executive Director Dennis I. Salvador and Dr. Jayson Ibanez, Director for Research and Conservation.
After a simple ceremony at the aviary, Dr. Jessica Lee, Mandai’s Head of Avian Programmes and Partnerships, made a brief presentation at the Learning Center on Mandai’s partnership with the Philippines on its conservation efforts in saving species through ex situ interventions, i.e. the conservation of species outside their natural habitats. Recipients of Mandai’s workshops, capacity building, and recovery projects for biodiversity conservation are various provinces in the Philippines.
Joining Vice President Duterte in her visit was an 8th grader named Naomi who was part of the Vice President’s “You Can Be VP” program that provides Filipino students an opportunity to see the duties and responsibilities of the Vice President.
The Philippine Eagle Aviary is located at the Winged Sanctuary and is the only exhibit in the Bird Paradise which has twelve (12) live CCTVs distributed in each corner.
The opening of the Philippine Eagle Aviary also coincided with the celebration of Philippine Eagle Week held every June 4-10 of each year by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 79, series of 1999. END
*(Supplement to PR-082-2023 dated 15 June 2023)
