Pawikan – The Oogway of the Philippines

Aldrin Aujero

May 26, 2018

With 200 pounds of mass beneath its shell, the sharp-looking marine reptile crawls through the warm sands of the Batangas beaches of the Philippines. The sun, quickly sinking towards the perpetual abyss of the seas, gives a sense of direction and purpose to the old reptile. Its sturdy shell structure, the carapace as they call it, doesn't suffice to protect this creature from the harshness of the environment. Its eyes, looking far towards the rosy crimson Rayleigh-induced dawn in the west, harbors the brilliance and beauty of the creature with its sharp bird-like features ready to take on anything in front of it. But instead of fierceness, a melancholic blanket of brine floods its eyes as it desperately roams around the beach in search of her lost offsprings.

The Pawikan, as the locals call it, is lost, confused and helpless with all the bright glimmer and light  coming off from the nearby village. She relies in the celestial navigational tool that the sun and moon provides all the while gravitating towards the breeze of the ocean. Her children, would have started emerging from their shells by now. But instead of the warm embrace of their mother, they are now wrapped and sealed in the black nets of the village poachers – only a few hours from being placed in a broth and enjoyed for dinner.

***

Pawikan, or the Hawksbill Turtle is one of the most critically endangered species in the Philippines. They are 3 feet long and are usually within 170 to 260 pounds in mass during their adulthood. Commonly found in the regions of Bicol, Antique, Cebu, Leyte, Mindoro, Samar and Palawan, the Pawikan enjoys living within the coral reefs of the ocean or in locations in close proximity to them.

Each Pawikan is able to nest more than 20 eggs each time suggesting a booming potential for an exponential population growth rate especially with the conducive quality of ocean environment in the Philippines in places such as Palawan. But why the criticality of its endangered status? The culprit are of course the poachers.

The Inquirer, in July 2016, reported a smuggling case of more than 19,000 Pawikan eggs amounting to around P350,000 worth in, ironically, what is called the Turtle Islands on the border of the Philippines with Sabah. According to the same source, egg production of Pawikan turtle has also decreased some 65% since 1930 highlighting the extent of poachers' actions to the Pawikan population.

Reminiscent to the idea of the Tragedy of the Commons, the illegal poaching of turtles ultimately leads to quite drastic externalities not only on the environment but also on the general well-being of sea-reliant communities.

The destruction of the Pawikan species have far flung implications. According to a paper published by the Maritime Review in  2015, Pawikans are one of the main species responsible for preying on jellyfish thereby effectively keeping the jellyfish population under control and in harmony with the rest of the ecological species of the ocean. This is especially important in beaches and tourist destinations since a high jellyfish population would undermine the safety and attraction of these marine tourism spots, effectively reducing the potential livelihood for local citizens. Another cause of worry is that the extinction of the Pawikans may have very negative effects on the ecological food chain of their environment. In January 2016, Science PH published an article reporting that sea turtles are one of the top consumers of seagrass in the ocean – effectively grazing the seagrass and increasing  its nutritional content. And hence, since species such as shrimps, crabs and mussels heavily rely on the seagrass as a source of food, the absence of the Pawikan's maintenance and nourishment of the seagrass may lead to a decline of the former species, causing a decline in seafood catch and productivity.

The importance of the Pawikan to environment and local communities does not go unnoticed especially with the controversial issues of illegal poaching in various locations in the Philippines. In 2001, the Philippines the Philippine Wildlife Act which bans the possession and sale of turtle eggs within the Philippines. In addition, the establishment of exclusive turtle protection zones such as the Turtle Island's National Integrated Protected Area System are also due to the increasing pressure to protect the endangered Pawikans.

Nonetheless, poaching and the sale of Pawikan eggs is still part of the conventional trend today. In March 2017, the Philippine Star reported an incident where government officials in Tawi-Tawi were alleged to have smuggled some 5,000 Pawikan eggs out of the turtle protected zone. When asked about the incident, Marine Turtle Specialist Group member Romeo Trono stated that incidents like this doesn?t surprise him anymore as the "gathering and selling of Pawikan eggs [..] happens every day, every night". The culprit he says, is the lack of enforcement within these regions as well as the corruption that enables that to happen.

Alternative solutions are currently underway. One of the most prominent ones is that of ecological tourism. Last year, I've had the opportunity to visit the Pawikan Conservation Center in Bataan, north of the Philippines. Within the center, guard patrols consistently patrol the beaches at night in search of illegal poachers to be taken and arrested. Field trips from local schools are often accommodated as well to not only increase awareness but to also serve as additional sources of income for the center in order to maintain its operating costs. During a visit, students would be given the chance to release hatched eggs from the site's hatchery back into the ocean and witness the Pawikan's laying of eggs as well.

Conservation efforts are complex. The particular weakness of enforcement institutions in the Philippines only worsens the conditions of the endangered species. Saving the Pawikans requires a joint  effort. Recognizing its importance to the society at large is the first step. Creating empathy and greater understanding on the detrimental consequences of this species extinction to the masses would go a long way in stirring people's hearts away from aggravating the criticality of the situation even further.

***

In the dead of the night the poachers make their way home. "Tatlong Pu't siyam, kwarenta..." (thirty-nine, forty...) , they count as they ready the eggs for delivery and set aside a dozen for their families. The eggs were fragile and frail, some already fragmented, with the yellow oozings of what was to be a Pawikan squirting out of the cracks and into the cold sand. The buyer makes his way into the house, with his cash enclosed and bulging from rubber bands, he examines and counts the eggs once more. The inky-crisp scent of the stacked one-thousand peso bills weaves itself with the idyllic seaside fragrance of the ocean as it makes its way to the nostrils of the poachers. The fresh humid breeze induces a mild tension, creates a slight uneasiness among the parties. "Papa?" , the young daughter shouts into the conscience of the men. With teary eyes and a swollen nose she asks where the eggs are going. The men, unable to respond, turn their eyes down, in guilt and shock – their eyes now covered in bitter seawater. The buyer hides his cash behind his back and quietly withdraws from the room.

She also withdraws from shores and into the ocean. 51 years of age, the frail Pawikan lets out one last breath and succumbs to the final embrace of nature. The way her eyelids meet for the last time, the way her body smoothly collapses into the sand, the way she silently ascends out her shell and corporeal body, tells her peace as she understands that though the number of Pawikans might have been reduced by one tonight, the tomorrow's youth is in action in bringing some thirty-nine or forty more young Pawikans to live in the light.

*

We, the youth, are the hope. It is up to use to bring light, awareness and understanding to the people who need them. It is up to us to bring the Pawikans and other endangered species out of the dark abyss of their looming extinction and into the bright harmonious world of tomorrow.

We can't do anything about the past. Tomorrow remains a mystery. But today, we act.

Works Cited:

Castro, Aaron. ?Pawikan: Worth Saving?? Why Is The Pawikan Worth Saving?, La Union Soul, 12 Apr. 2017, www.launionsoul.com/projects/2017/4/12/why-is-the-pawikan-worth-saving.

Frisvold, George. ?The Economics of Endangered Species.? Resources for the Future, 3 Nov. 2015, www.rff.org/blog/2010/economics-endangered-species.

Mendoza, Viray. ?Marine Turtles and the Philippines.? The Maritime Review, Maritime Review Magazine, 20 Oct. 2015, maritimereview.ph/2016/05/24/marine-turtles-and-the-philippine-forest-turtle/.  

Yaptinchay, AA. ?Endangered 'Pawikan' Still at High Risk.? Inquirer Opinion Global Economic Downturn Could Affect PH Comments, Inquirer Opinion, 15 July 2016, opinion.inquirer.net/96642/endangered-pawikan-still-at-high-risk.  

Photos Cited:

Rappler.com. ?DENR Awards Soldiers, Cops, Others for Fighting Wildlife Crime.? Rappler, www.rappler.com/nation/44692-denr-pogi-enforcement-awards

JAGUAR. ?Pawikan Eggs.? Flickr, Yahoo!, 11 July 2009, www.flickr.com/photos/jaguar48/3709513701. .