IN A bid to protect the Philippine Eagle, a proposal to declare Barangay Tambobong, Baguio District in Davao City, as a Philippine Eagle Critical Habitat has been pushed.
The proposal covers a site of approximately 2,964 hectares along the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed, which is known to be a critical habitat of the Philippine Eagle. There have been confirmed sightings in the area as well as nesting activities.
The area features intact forest ecosystems, river systems, and a high diversity of endemic species. The area also holds cultural and spiritual significance for the Obu Manuvu.
DENR-Davao Conservation and Development Division Chief Dr. Franklyn R. Buenaflor said that despite the concerns raised by the barangay captain of Tambobong regarding the presence of residents in the proposed area, DENR Memorandum Circular No. 2007-02 stipulates guidelines in establishing critical habitats that should adopt a harmonized framework for sustainable use and zoning.
This move is similar to protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas), wherein a Critical Habitat Management Plan (CHMP) is required.
Through the plan, there would be zoning classifications such as core zones, strict protection zones, and multiple-use zones, wherein some Indigenous practices are allowed.
Dr. Jayson Ibañez, PEF director for operations, added that the presence of Indigenous communities in the area does not threaten the Philippine Eagle. In fact, the IPs’ long history of living in harmony with nature shows that they are important partners in wildlife conservation.
“The residents of Tambobong are not threats to wildlife — they are its protectors, serving as eagle-friendly stewards of this Critical Habitat,” Ibañes said on April 22.
The proposal was discussed during the committee hearing of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on April 15, 2026, wherein several stakeholders, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao Region (DENR-Davao), participated.
Following its approval by the committee, it would then be forwarded to the plenary and would soon be adopted as a city ordinance if approved by the 21st City Council.
The proposal to declare Barangay Tambobong, Baguio District in Davao City, as a Philippine Eagle Critical Habitat was a joint effort of the Indigenous Obu Manuvu of Tambobong, the Philippine Eagle Foundation, DENR-Davao, and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) Davao City.
Bigger step for conservation
PEF said the approval from the Council’s Committee on Environment to declare Tambobong a Philippine Eagle Critical Habitat shows the strong affirmation of the government of what has long existed in the area – the nesting site of the Philippine Eagle and the ancestral domain of the Obu Manuvu.
Ibañez said that declaring Tambobong as a critical wildlife habitat strengthens protection in the area through legal recognition and community support.
“As a partner of the DENR, the Obu Manuvu community, and the Davao City Government, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) has supported this initiative through mapping, biodiversity assessments, and facilitating alignment between Indigenous and government conservation goals,” he said.
He said these measures are aligned with the efforts of the government toward the preservation of the Philippine Eagle in partnership with Indigenous Peoples (IPs).
Ibañez then called on the 21st Davao City Council to support their call to declare Tambobong as a critical habitat not only to protect the Philippine Eagle but also to preserve the cultural significance of the area to the Obu Manuvu. He said that this initiative aligns “Indigenous stewardship with formal conservation measures in the same biocultural landscape.”
Similarly, Datu Lipatuan Joel Unad Sr. of the Obu Manuvu Unified Ancestral Domain of Elders and Leaders said that it is important that an ordinance be passed so that the areas vital to the survival of the Philippine Eagle, as well as the conservation of the environment, may be established.
Unad said the implementation of the ordinance provides another safety measure for people who will enter the area. He said that the Obu Manuvu had already declared the area as “Kuruwonnan Alihowan to Atollun Kahubbarran” (or “a natural area cared for by three clans”), and in order to strengthen the protection measures, a city ordinance would be needed.
Protection for Philippine Eagle, protection for ancestral lands
The area is not only the nesting site of the Philippine Eagle but also a sacred place for the Obu Manuvu Tribe, which they call “Kuruwonnan Alihowan to Atollun Kahubbarran.”
Unad explained that the tribe treats the ancestral domain as a treasure, whether it be the trees, water, or animals, and that it is the tribe’s responsibility to take care of it because it is part of the community’s life, as the Obu Manuvu have lived in the forests since the beginning.
“Ayaw putla ang kahoy, ayaw panamastamasi ang katubigan, kasapaan, ug labaw ayaw panamastamasi ang mga kahayupan nga sulod anang gi-declare nga Kuruwonnan Alihowan to Atollun Kahubbarran (Do not cut down trees, do not abuse or destroy the bodies of water and rivers, and above all, do not abuse or harm the wildlife within the area declared as the Kuruwonnan Alihowan to Atollun Kahubbarran),” he told SunStar Davao on April 28.
The tribe’s declaration of Kuruwonnan Alihowan to Atollun Kahubbarran has a similar objective to the proposal to declare Tambobong as a Critical Habitat.
Unad said that once the area is officially declared a critical habitat, the Obu Manuvu would co-manage the area through the implementation of both policies. He said the passing of the ordinance would limit the number of people going to the area because the ordinance would provide police power.
At present, there are around 100 to 200 families in the proposed critical habitat, while adjacent communities would be included in the monitoring of the critical habitat. He also said that through the proposal, the community would be able to identify its responsibilities in the area, such as helping in the conservation of the Philippine Eagle and the protection of the environment. RGP
