05/06/2026
What if Philippine Eagle Week could engage not just thousands, but millions of young Filipinos every year?
It is time to begin a national conversation on moving Philippine Eagle Week to July 4–10, the very week that includes the anniversary of the Philippine Eagle's proclamation as our National Bird. By July, schools across the country are fully operational, allowing students, teachers, and communities to actively participate in lectures, exhibits, art and photography competitions, tree-growing activities, and conservation campaigns. A simple shift of one month could transform Philippine Eagle Week from a celebration observed by many into a movement embraced by an entire generation of future environmental stewards.
Read the entire message of Alain Pascua, WBPP Co-Founder and President, at the celebration of Philippine Eagle Week at BMB Training Center at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Widlife Center yesterday, June 4, 2026.
“Lahat Kasali, Lahat May Papel:
Sama-Sama para sa Philippine Eagle”
We wholeheartedly agree with this year's theme: “Lahat Kasali, Lahat May Papel: Sama-Sama para sa Philippine Eagle.”
The Philippine Eagle is not merely the largest eagle in the world. It is our National Bird, a symbol of Filipino identity, strength, freedom, resilience, and national pride. More importantly, it is the living guardian of our forests. If the Philippine Eagle survives, the forests survive. If the forests survive, the nation breathes. And if the nation breathes, its people flourish.
That is why protecting the Philippine Eagle is not only an environmental concern. It is a national concern.
Its protection requires not only the work of biologists, foresters, and conservation organizations, but also the participation of teachers, students, artists, birders, photographers, writers, community leaders, Indigenous Peoples, and ordinary citizens. Sa madaling salita – lahat. Lahat tayo may papel.
As we celebrate Philippine Eagle Week, let us briefly revisit several milestones in our conservation history.
In 1978, President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. issued Proclamation No. 1732 officially changing the name of the bird from "Monkey-Eating Eagle" to the Philippine Eagle, emphasizing that this magnificent species belongs to the entire Filipino nation.
On July 4, 1995, President Fidel V. Ramos proclaimed the Philippine Eagle as the National Bird of the Philippines through Proclamation No. 615. The proclamation recognized the eagle's uniqueness, strength, courage, love of freedom, and importance as a symbol of national identity.
July 4 also occupies a unique place in Philippine history. While our Independence Day will always be June 12, 1898, the day our forefathers proclaimed Philippine Independence, July 4 marks the return and international recognition of that Independence in 1946, when the American flag was lowered and the Philippine flag was raised as the sole symbol of our sovereignty. Whether by design or coincidence, declaring the Philippine Eagle as our National Bird on that date carries a powerful symbolism. A free nation deserves a symbol that soars high, bows to no one, and belongs only to the Filipino people.
Four years later, in 1999, President Joseph Ejercito Estrada proclaimed June 4 to 10 of every year as Philippine Eagle Week. The date appears to have been chosen to coincide with World Environment Day on June 5 and Environment Month, thereby strengthening public awareness of conservation and environmental protection.
Today, however, after more than twenty-five years of observance, perhaps it is time to ask not why those dates were chosen, but whether they continue to achieve their intended impact.
The ultimate goal of Philippine Eagle Week is not merely to commemorate. It is to educate, inspire, and mobilize Filipinos toward conservation.
And if there is one sector that must be at the center of this effort, it is our students.
The future of the Philippine Eagle depends not only on laws, protected areas, and enforcement. It depends on whether millions of young Filipinos understand why forests matter, why biodiversity matters, and why the Philippine Eagle matters.
Yet every year, Philippine Eagle Week is celebrated before schools have fully settled into the academic schoolyear. Many students are not yet in classrooms. Many schools are still preparing for opening activities. As a result, one of our most important environmental celebrations often takes place without the full participation of the nation's youth.
For this reason, we respectfully propose that we begin a national conversation on moving Philippine Eagle Week to a period fully within the school year.
The most appropriate period may be July 4 to 10. Let’s just move the celebration of the Philippine Eagle Week for just one month, from June to July.
Not because of the July 4 return of Philippine Independence, but because July 4 was the very date when the Philippine Eagle was proclaimed our National Bird.
By that time, classes have already begun. Teachers have organized their lessons. Students have settled into school life. Schools can then prepare meaningful activities, including lectures, exhibits, film showings, tree-growing initiatives, art competitions, photography exhibits, and conservation campaigns – all centered on the Philippine Eagle.
Most importantly, millions of students can participate simultaneously across the country.
A simple adjustment in the calendar could transform Philippine Eagle Week from a symbolic observance into one of the largest environmental education programs in the nation.
Let us be clear. The Philippine Eagle Foundation, the Haribon Foundation, the Biodiversity Management Bureau, our Protected Area Management Boards and Offices, local government units, indigenous peoples, forest guards, wildlife biologists, researchers, and many other conservation organizations have done extraordinary work over the past decades to prevent the extinction of the Philippine Eagle.
Because of their dedication, the Philippine Eagle still flies over our forests today.
But the reality is that their efforts alone will not be enough to bring the species out of its critically endangered status.
The challenge before us is simply too large.
To secure a viable future for the Philippine Eagle, we must not only protect the remaining forests. We must expand them. We must restore millions of hectares of native forests, particularly the dipterocarp forests that provide the habitat, nesting sites, prey base, and ecological conditions required by the eagle.
If we are serious about ensuring the long-term survival of the Philippine Eagle, we must aspire to restore and protect as much as ten million hectares of suitable forest habitat across the country, 7 million hectares more than what we already have today. This is not a task that can be accomplished by a few organizations, a few government agencies, or a few protected areas alone.
It requires a national movement.
It requires millions of Filipinos planting native trees.
It requires communities protecting watersheds.
It requires schools teaching environmental stewardship.
It requires local governments investing in forest restoration.
It requires businesses supporting biodiversity conservation.
It requires no less than three decades of rainforestation.
And it requires a new generation of Filipinos who see the Philippine Eagle not merely as a bird, but as a responsibility.
That is why this year's theme is so powerful.
Lahat Kasali. Lahat May Papel.
Because saving the Philippine Eagle is ultimately not the responsibility of a few institutions. It is the responsibility of an entire nation.
Because conservation begins with awareness. Awareness begins with education. And formal education begins in the classroom.
As my own humble contribution to this cause, I wrote in 2017 a coffee table book entitled Haring Ibon: The Great Philippine Eagle, which sought to introduce more Filipinos to the majesty, beauty, and conservation significance of our National Bird. Just recently, I completed a sequel, Lord of the Forest: The Fall and Rise of the Great Philippine Eagle, which will be formally launched this Saturday as part of the Philippine Eagle Week celebration.
Through these two books, I have attempted to tell the remarkable story of the Philippine Eagle - its history, biology, ecology, cultural significance, conservation journey, and enduring place in our national identity. They chronicle not only the challenges faced by this magnificent species, but also the inspiring efforts of scientists, conservationists, communities, government agencies, and ordinary Filipinos who have dedicated themselves to ensuring its survival.
Among these inspiring efforts is the partnership between the Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines (WBPP) and the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Through this collaboration, Filipino photographers were given the rare opportunity to responsibly photograph Philippine Eagles in their natural habitat. For perhaps the first time in our history in 2014, ordinary Filipinos were able to witness through photography the beauty, power, and dignity of wild Philippine Eagles living freely in our forests. Lahat kasali. These images have helped bring the eagle closer to the hearts of our people and have transformed photography into a powerful tool for conservation education and advocacy.
Likewise, we recognize the valuable contributions of the Philippine Fauna and Botanical Art Society and the many artists, illustrators, painters, sculptors, and nature muralists who have devoted their talents to depicting the Philippine Eagle. Lahat may papel. Through art, they have made the eagle visible not only in forests and protected areas, but also in walls, fences, classrooms, galleries, books, exhibits, and homes. Their works remind us that conservation is not only a scientific endeavor; it is also a cultural movement. Every photograph taken, every painting completed, every illustration published, and every story told helps strengthen the connection between the Filipino people and their National Bird.
This spirit of shared responsibility is also reflected in this year's Philippine Eagle Week activities. On June 6, 2026, the Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines (WBPP), in partnership with the Quezon City Government through the Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department (CCESD), and in collaboration with the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) and the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center (NAPWC), will conduct the 2nd Leg of the Quezon City Bird Race 2026 at the Quezon Memorial Circle and NAPWC. The event is being held as part of the celebration of Philippine Eagle Week and in recognition of Girlie, the Philippine Eagle ambassador currently residing at the center. Through birdwatching, bird photography, environmental education, and citizen participation, the Bird Race demonstrates how ordinary Filipinos can become active partners in conservation. Sama-sama para sa Haring Ibon. It reminds us that protecting the Philippine Eagle is not confined to laboratories, offices, or protected areas; it also happens when citizens learn about nature, appreciate wildlife, and become advocates for the forests that sustain life.
Together, scientists, conservationists, protected area managers, indigenous communities, educators, photographers, artists, writers, government agencies, and concerned citizens form a growing movement dedicated to ensuring that future generations will continue to see the Philippine Eagle soaring over Philippine forests.
In my latest book, I sought to share ideas, reflections, and possible pathways toward strengthening conservation in the years ahead. My hope is that they will help more Filipinos understand that the fate of the Philippine Eagle is inseparable from the fate of our forests, our biodiversity, and ultimately, our nation itself.
For in protecting the Philippine Eagle, we are not merely saving a bird.
We are rebuilding forests.
We are protecting watersheds.
We are conserving biodiversity.
We are preserving a living symbol of the Filipino spirit.
Let us therefore continue to work together, because truly, lahat kasali, lahat may papel.
The future of the Philippine Eagle will not be decided by a handful of conservationists. It will be decided by the choices of millions of Filipinos.
Maraming salamat, at mabuhay ang Agilang Pilipino.
