Pawikan hatchlings released in Morong as local partners continue conservation efforts

More than 100 pawikan hatchlings were released at the Sitio Fuerte Pawikan Hatchery on Wednesday, November 27, as AboitizPower and its partners strengthened ongoing marine turtle conservation initiatives in the province.

The activity, held at 5:00 p.m., was led by Morong Mayor Leila Linao-Muñoz together with officials from AboitizPower’s private limited partnerships GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co. (GNPD) and GNPower Mariveles Energy Center Ltd. Co. (GMEC), and representatives from the Provincial Government of Bataan.

AboitizPower’s Vice President for Corporate Services Andrea Mellind Madrid joined the release, along with GMEC and GNPD Reputation and Stakeholder Management Manager Joseph Paolo Mendoza. Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office OIC Raphael De Leon also took part in the activity, which forms part of the long-running Sagip PaWeCan conservation program in partnership with the Sagip Pawikan Sitio Fuerte Association.

According to the hatchery, a total of 98 nests containing 9,893 eggs have been recorded as of November 27. From the start of the nesting season in September until the day prior to the event, 227 eggs had already hatched and been released into the wild, with numbers expected to increase in the coming weeks.

AboitizPower and its partners also confirmed that coordination is ongoing for a new memorandum of agreement that will extend the Sagip PaWeCan program for another five years. The partnership—supported by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Provincial Government of Bataan, and the local people’s organization—aims to further strengthen turtle protection, night patrols, and ecological conservation efforts in Morong’s coastal areas.