APPLEONE Properties Inc. (API), held screenings of documentary “Bird of Prey (The Story of the Rarest Eagle on Earth)” last Nov. 12 at Ayala Center Cebu.
This was in collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Philippine Eagle Foundation, USAid and Ayala Center Cebu and was free to the public. Screening times of the documentary were at 2:30 and 7 p.m.
“Bird of Prey” focuses on the great Philippine eagle, its scarcity and the people who are determined to save it from extinction. This documentary is by six-time Emmy Award winning cinematographer Neil Rettig, who first documented the Philippine eagle in 1977 with “To Free and Eagle.” It is produced by John Bowman, three-time Emmy Award winning executive producer and vice president of production for the National Geographic Society; and directed by Eric Liner, a director and cinematographer who has filmed wildlife around the globe.
“We’re all about preserving the community the best way we can. By taking on this first step, as we call it, to try to help Philippine Eagle Foundation—specifically and the Philippines as a whole—we’re trying to raise awareness the seriousness of the scarcity. We want to be part of that. We hope everyone here will also get more awareness and get more help as well,” shared API assistant vice president Ria Ledesma during an interview at the VIP screening Nov. 11.
API Group marketing manager Javier Marcalain shared that by offering free admission, it makes it accessible for everyone in Cebu which will serve as a way to raise awareness of the problem. “We felt the Philippine Eagle really represented the Philippines. It was sad for us to know that not a lot of people knew it was our national bird. We found out through the organization that it’s such an alarming number. There’s only 400,” he said.
“We’re a Filipino company, we’re based in Cebu, we’re all about elevating the communities, our countries—why not take this initiative. We know this is a big problem but the first way to quickly solve it is something as basic as awareness and the film really does that,” he added.
“In addition this is also for our employees because our employees are so engrossed with the day-to-day activities and we tend to forget our responsibilities towards our country, our environment. This is part of our values, respect for the country and respect for the environment,” said API Group HR manager Tonette Cejudo about the company’s corporate social responsibility.