By Leilanie G. Adriano
Currimao, Ilocos Norte—At least 35 baby sea turtles from a guarded hatchery in a barangay in this town were guided back to the wild on Jan. 29, 2025.
Engineer Erickson Biag, Currimao municipal environment officer-designate,
told The Ilocos Times in a phone
interview that barangay officials of Brgy. Paguludan, are monitoring the pawikan
hatchery.
He said the latest batch of released hatchlings are on top of the
32 hatchlings that emerged from the relocated sea turtle eggs last December,
guarded to keep them safe during high tide and protect them from predators.
“The pawikan eggs in the first nest were laid last
December and we are counting 52 days for them to emerge and guide them back to
their natural habitat,” he explained.
Biag added there are two more nests at the hatchery and they are
expecting them to emerge until February.
The pawikan hatchery in Currimao town was established last
year and the coastal barangays of Pangil all the way to Paguludan are regarded
as “pawikan sanctuary”.
Marine sea turtles often lay their eggs from dusk till dawn and
the peak season is from November to March.
The local government, through its Municipal Environment and
Natural Resources Office, has been advocating for the caring of marine turtles
in support of Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and
Protection Act of 2001, which prohibits killing, wounding, trading,
transporting, collecting, hunting, gathering of eggs, destroying of nests, or
possessing marine turtles, and their products of derivatives.
