The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS), through the District Management Division (DMD)-North, participated in the Marine Turtle Conservation Training Workshop in the Municipality of San Vicente, Palawan on September 14-15, 2021.
Said activity, which was conducted with the support and cooperation of the Barangay Officials of New Canipo, Malampaya Sound Protected Land and Seascape (MSPLS), DENR- CENRO Roxas, and volunteers from Alimanguan Sagip Pawikan Organization, aimed at promoting environmental awareness among the local communities specifically in Marine Turtle Protection and Conservation.
The PCSDS DMD North staff participated in the event as a resource speaker at the invitation of the San Vicente Municipal Tourism Office.
The program began on September 14, 2021, with an inspirational message from the Hon. Renan T. Failon, Brgy. Chairman of New Canipo, San Vicente, Palawan. The lecture began with a presentation of MSPLS activities and updates by PASu Clarisse Pador.
Mr. Eduardo Cabrera, IEC Officer of PCSDS DMD North, then gave a presentation and led a discussion on the regulation and implementation of the Wildlife Act (Republic Act 9147).
Mr. Karl Sumandal and Ms. Jo Annie Corvera of DENR-CENRO Roxas then discussed marine turtle biology, threats to marine turtle conservation, rescue, and response. Shortly, the Alimanguan Sagip Pawikan Organization shared their knowledge of how to properly handle marine turtles during nesting and hatching seasons. Then, the activity moved on to data collection and reporting, as well as hatchery management.
Ms. Covera provided a brief recap of the first-day activities on the second day, September 15, 2021. Following that, the Alimanguan Sagip Pawikan focused on marine turtle rescue and response simulation, sharing their knowledge and best practices.
At the end of the activity, a practicum was conducted by the DENR CENRO Roxas and assisted by the PCSDS DMD-North staff to measure the knowledge gained by the participants from the training. The practicum’s final output was based on the prepared exam wherein the majority of the participants received a perfect score.