AboitizPower, partners release 336 Olive Ridley hatchlings in Morong, Bataan

AboitizPower, through its private limited partnerships GNPower Mariveles Energy Center Ltd. Co. (GMEC) and GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co. (GNPD), together with local partners and stakeholders, released 336 Olive Ridley sea turtle hatchlings at Sitio Fuerte, Poblacion, Morong, Bataan, on 23 February 2026.

According to AboitizPower, the event was organized by the Sagip Pawikan Sitio Fuerte Association, a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of sea turtles (locally known as pawikan) in Morong.

The Provincial Government of Bataan, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Bataan, and the local government of Morong were among the partners that helped release the hatchlings.

The program featured messages from Sagip Pawikan President Arnold Mendoza; CENRO Brenda Clemente; BM Angelito Sunga; AboitizPower RSM Manager Jeps Mendoza; Councilor Jomar Castro; Mayor Leila Linao-Muñoz; and OIC PG-ENRO Raphael De Leon. Prior to the release, the PG-ENRO led a briefing on proper pawikan release protocols.

The event was also attended by representatives from the Provincial Tourism Office, CARES Morong, the Barangay Poblacion Council, PNP Morong, and RHU Morong.

Morong, Bataan, is considered a critical nesting site for Green, Olive Ridley, and Hawksbill sea turtles, with conservation efforts protecting thousands of eggs annually. As of late 2025, the “Sagip PaWeCan” program had protected 98 nests, or 9,893 eggs, and released 227 hatchlings. Recent data from February 2026 reported 8,713 successful hatchlings from 100 monitored nests.

The “Sagip PaWeCan” initiative, supported by GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co., protects nests in Sitio Fuerte. Despite high hatchery success rates, natural and unmonitored survival rates remain extremely low, often cited as only one in 1,000 hatchlings reaching adulthood.