"I WOULD just accept the apology. Personally, my sense is that an apology would be enough."
That was what Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte replied when asked if he was keen on declaring M/V Hannah owner and its crew, and Indonesian missionaries as unwelcome after dumping parts of a green sea turtle in a garbage bin in the city.
The statement was aired on his television program, Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa. Speaking in his dialect, the vice-mayor added, "Don't ask me why. I won't allow declaring them persona non grata because that would mean they cannot go back to the city. They were here for goodwill."
Despite the apology, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio still wanted Hannah Parks, a Korean national, and Devie Samola, an Indonesian missionary, including the crew of MV Hannah III, declared as persona non grata by the city council.
“They should understand that we don’t tolerate this (act) in our city. We have supported their visit so they should respect the city," she said.
All this brouhaha started with a Green Sea turtle that was given by the Palau president during a visit in October last year. They slaughtered it in Palau and kept the remains in a freezer as they started traveling to the Philippines late last year.
In her explanation, ship owner Parks said they dumped the sea turtle’s carcass in a biodegradable labeled garbage bin inside the Sta. Ana pier because they don’t want to throw it into the ocean.
It so happened that a reporter from the TV5 network saw it and took some video footage. A news report was aired in the television and was seen by some people.
"Those parts of the turtle were leftovers of what was butchered in Palau. We did not even know there were leftovers. We are here on a humanitarian mission and never meant to harm anything," Parks was quoted as saying.
Jim O. Sampulna, regional director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said there was obviously a violation of Republic Act 9147, or Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001.
But since the sea turtle was butchered outside in another foreign land, the department cannot do anything as the country’s law does not cover crimes committed outside its jurisdiction.
In the Philippines, marine turtles are called pawikan. Of the eight species of marine turtles known to man, five of them can be found in the country. Aside from the Green Sea turtle (known in the science world as Chelonia mydas), the other species inhabiting the country’s waters are Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate), Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), and Leatherback turtle (Dermocheyls coriacea).
The three other marine turtles, which are not found in the Philippines, are the Kemps Ridley (Lepidochelys kempi), Flatback (Chelonia depressa), and Black Sea (Chelonia agassizi).
Unfortunately, all eight species are listed under the Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which means the trade of these species and subspecies is strictly prohibited except for educational, scientific or research and study purposes.
The Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has also classified the eight species as endangered. This is so because their populations are in danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if the causal factors continue to operate.
The Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources warns: Unless we seriously take on the task of protecting the much endangered marine turtles, these ancient creatures will soon be gone (from our waters).
Since the dawn of history, pawikan meat has supplemented the diet of man and its shell has gratified its sense of beauty in more ways than one. Seventeenth century seafaring men used marine turtles as ships’ provisions – their ability to stay alive for months without food and water ensured a steady supply of fresh meat without storage problems.
"Today, man's growing need for survival has endangered the very existence of these sea-dwelling creatures," wrote Jonas H. Liwag in an article which appeared in Mabuhay, the in-flight magazine of Philippine Airlines. "All over the world, these reptiles are threatened with extinction by indifferent and relentless commercial exploitation."
The main primary reason for the decline of marine turtle population is catching the reptiles alive. They are valued for their precious shells. “It was beauty that all but killed the Hawksbill turtle,” wrote one journalist. "Polished and carved, the black-and-yellow plates on its back were long sought for tortoise-shell jewelry and combs."
Japan is one of the importing countries of marine turtle products. There is a centuries-old Japanese tradition of carving tortoise-shell in to ceremonial bridal combs. The carapace of pawikan is also made into brush handles, eyeglass frames, and buttons.
The gathering of pawikan eggs, which are considered by Chinese as aphrodisiac, has contributed to the rapid disappearance of marine turtles. The eggs, which look like ping-pong balls, are also prize as energizing protein. But marine scientists dispel the myth. They said pawikan eggs are just like chicken eggs and nothing more.
Pollution has been cited as another prime factor why marine turtles are on the verge of extinction. Included in the millions of tons of garbage dumped annually into the sea are plastic materials which marine turtles mistake for jellyfish, squid, or some other food. Once digested, plastic wastes can block the turtle’s digestive tracts, causing starvation and ultimately death.
The rapid development of beach resorts for the tourism industry has destroyed the nesting beaches of marine turtles. Sadly, they often travel huge distances only to find human development on or near their nesting sites.
Dynamite fishing likewise contributes to the obliteration of the pawikan’s habitat. So is the use of trawl nets in areas where turtles abound. Since these scoops up everything in their paths, the turtles, which are not the active targets, also get caught. The poor animal are usually drown to death.
If left alone, marine turtles would survive several centuries. In March 2006, a giant tortoise said to be as old as 250 years died in a Calcutta zoo, having been taken to India by British sailors, records suggest, during the reign of King George II. Three months later, newspapers around the world noted the passing of Harriet, a Galapagos tortoise that died in the Australia Zoo at age 176 - 171 years after Charles Darwin plucked her from her equatorial home.
Behind such biblical longevity is the marine turtle's stubborn refusal to senesce -- to grow old. Don't be fooled by the wrinkles, the halting gait and the rheumy gaze. Researchers lately have been astonished to discover that in contrast to nearly every other animal studied a turtles organs do not gradually break down or become less efficient over time.
But the question remains: Will there be marine turtles in the next century?