DENR orders investigation on tarsier death in Calbayog

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Eastern Visayas ordered an investigation on the cause of death of tarsiers found along the roadside in Calbayog City.

DENR regional executive director Arturo Salazar ordered DENR personnel assigned at the Calbayog Pan-as Hayiban Protected Landscape (CPHPL) to investigate the incident but the results remain inconclusive at this time.

Salazar said this could be caused by a disturbance on their habitat or could be other human-induced factors.

CPHPL, a 5,068 hectares critical protected area, where the valley of the Hayiban River serves as the primary source of water for Calbayog.

Aside from tarsier, the protected area is home to endemic and endangered wildlife such as the Visayan warty pig, Visayan spotted deer, and the Visayas hornbill.

A study conducted from February to March 2025 documented 122 plant specie including five species that are in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

The study also documented 130 species of forest plant serving critical roles in food, 79 species in construction and 72 species in traditional medicine as among the benefits the local communities get from the area.

In the last two years, the protected area has been in the center of controversy due to plan to put up a P19-billion wind power project.

The 304-megawatts Gemini Wind Power Project plans to establish 38 wind turbine generators that will be spread across the mountain ridges of 13 barangays of Calbayog City and San Isidro, Northern Samar.

Calbayog City Mayor Raymund Uy and the city council opposed the initial plan and asked for a modification of the turbine placements as some of it overlap with the protected area, which is a critical watershed.

But the deaths of at least four tarsiers in recent weeks could not be related to the wind project since the construction has not even started.

Salazar ordered to continue wildlife monitoring in the area, assess possible threats and identify appropriate interventions to protect tarsiers and their habitat.

The DENR regional office said it is also working closely with the local government units, barangay officials and other stakeholders and encouraged the public to report sightings of injured or dead wildlife.