THE Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) said it has planted over 200,000 trees under its Planting for the Future initiative as of December 2025 and called on the public to join efforts to protect Philippine Eagles and restore forest ecosystems.
Tatiana Sarigumba, PEF’s Nature-Based Solutions Manager, encouraged people to plant trees one at a time, noting that even a single tree can significantly aid forest restoration—not just for the Philippine Eagle, but also for other wildlife, biodiversity, and humans.
“We need more help and support to participate in our forest restoration and agroforestry programs—not only to meet the 3 million-tree goal but, more importantly, to return and check on the trees,” Sarigumba said in a media interview Saturday at the Philippine Eagle Center (PEC).
She added that revisiting planted trees is crucial to ensure they are maintained and properly monitored.
With 200,000 trees planted so far, PEF has reforested more than 1,000 hectares, depending on planting densities. Most sites follow agroforestry models, though the foundation is still waiting for donations to roll out fruit trees.
Reforested areas include Tambobong and Sirib in Davao City, Monkayo in Davao de Oro, Bukidnon, and Arakan in North Cotabato. Indigenous communities participating in the tree-planting initiatives include the Obu Manuvu, Tigwahanon, and Bagobo-Klata.
Sarigumba said incorporating fruit trees remains a challenge due to rising costs of seedlings, labor, and community needs amid inflation.
3 million trees program
On March 8, 2024, PEF and Globe launched the Planting for the Future: 3 Million Trees program to support the conservation of the critically endangered Philippine Eagle. The initiative reforests areas around eagle nesting sites and allows donors to track their trees through a comprehensive database.
Donors can adopt a tree for about P250 via PayPal, GCash, or the GlobeOne app. Globe users may also convert reward points into donations, with one point equivalent to P1.
Philippine Eagle population
PEF reports that fewer than 400 breeding pairs, around 800 individuals, remain in the wild. The foundation houses over 25 eagles at the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, with breeding eagles at the National Bird Breeding Station (NBBS).
The species’ decline stems largely from forest loss, which destroys nesting, hunting, and rearing habitats. The Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), the national bird of the Philippines, is found only on four islands and is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). RGP