Daily Tribune‘It is important to immediately return the sea turtles to the ocean because this is their natural habitat.’
PEOPLE of Naic, Cavite watch baby sea turtles released on the beach during the town’s Pawikan Festival 2026.
Photograph courtesy of PCG 112th Auxiliary Squadron
NORIHIDE Takei, director and general manager of Suzuki Philippines’ Automobile Division, releases sea turtle hatchlings in the beach of Morong, Bataan.
Photograph courtesy of Suzuki Philippines
Hundreds of baby sea turtles were released in January in the beaches of San Jose in Occidental Mindoro and during the Pawikan Festival 2026 in Naic, Cavite last week.
Officials from the San Jose local government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources released 65 Olive Ridleys in Barangay Bubog on 7 January and 48 Green Sea turtles in Barangay Labangan Ilin, Ilin Island on 25 January, the Philippine Information Agency reports.
According to the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office, the hatchlings were found in their nesting sites.
The release was conducted to protect San Jose’s marine biodiversity, strengthen marine resource conservation, and expand public awareness on the conservation of endangered animals.
Czarina Maye P. San Jose, Ecosystems Management specialist I, said that there are 12 barangays in the town of San Jose that serve as nesting sites for sea turtles, namely Bubog, San Roque, Labangan Ilin, Pawikan, White Island and Pag-asa.
She said that it is important to immediately return the sea turtles to the ocean because this is their natural habitat where they grow and travel. According to her, sea turtles have the ability to imprint the location of their origin and after 25 years, they will return to the same place to lay their eggs.
In Naic, people celebrated the Pawikan Festival 2026 with the release of hatchlings to the sea, coastal cleanup, fun run and cheering competition at the town plaza on 13 February.
Mayor Rommel Magbitang said the festival — with the theme “Alagaan ang Pawikan, Pahalagahan ang Kaligtasan, Isalba ang Kinabuukasan” — is not just a celebration but a stand for nature, for turtles and for the next generation.
He called on fellow Naiceños to take care of the turtles, protect the oceans and save the future.
Highlight of the festival was the pawikan release which was witnessed by members of the Philippine Coast Guard 112th Auxiliary Squadron and Coast Guard Sub Station Naic under Commander CG Ens. Lourdes C. Lagyap, alongside the 103rd Aux Squadron and the local leaders of Naic.
“Watching these tiny hatchlings make their determined journey to the sea at Barangay Labac is a powerful reminder of why we serve to protect our environment. Every pawikan that reaches the waves is a victory for biodiversity and a symbol of hope for our future. Let us all continue to be stewards of their home,” Lagyap said in a post on the squadron’s Facebook page.
FCSupt. Roy Roderick P. Aguto, regional director of the Bureau of Fire Protection Region 4A, led personnel of the Naic Fire Station in a clean-up of the Pawikan Sanctuary in Barangay Labac, Naic.
Meanwhile, men and women, their hands in gloves, were digging up the sands at the Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC) in Morong, Bataan one morning in February. They then pick up newly-emerged sea turtle hatchlings from the protected nests and placed them in plastic basins.
Weeks ago, Suzuki Philippines officials visited the PCC to adopt the pawikan nests as part of its support for marine conservation and environmental awareness. With the baby turtles hatched, it was time to release them to the sea.
After gathering the hatchlings, Norihide Takei, director and general manager of Suzuki Philippines’ Automobile Division, Ira Valte, national sales manager, and Jeff Lopez, brand communications group head of the automobile division, led members of the company’s marketing and brand communications teams in releasing the baby turtles in the beach, where the reptiles crawled towards the waters of West Philippine Sea.
