Paalam Pamana: A Philippine Legacy Is Gone

“Pamana” is a Filipino term for “legacy,” which usually connotes a precious heritage; way beyond wealth or any kind of material inheritance.

This was the name given to a female Philippine Eagle, which was rescued in April of 2012 in Davao after she was found weak and unable to fly due to a gunshot wound.

The eagle was brought to the Philippine Eagle Center, located in Davao. Pamana stayed in the center for more than 3 years until she has fully recovered from her injury.

A HISTORICAL FLIGHT

By the time Pamana was ready to fly back to her natural habitat, members of the Philippine Eagle Center made sure that they would be able to guide her during her first flight after being nurtured in captivity for a long period.

A historical and emotional moment took place when Pamana was finally set free during the Philippine Independence Day celebration on June 12 of this present year. The people who took care of her, together with many other spectators waited and anticipated Pamana’s majestic departure.

A LEGACY DIES

Sadly, just 2 months from being brought back into the wild, Pamana was found dead just a few meters away from the place where she was set free. The eagle had 2 gunshot entries to her body, which were noted upon thorough investigation on the cause of her death.

I couldn’t help but get emotional when I learned about the Philippine Eagle’s death. It’s such a disappointment because Pamana has just been released and she was still adjusting from her newfound freedom.

With just a click of a gun, a priceless Philippine legacy is gone; Pamana is no longer with us.

A POSSIBLE EXTINCTION

I can’t help but think about the many offspring she could have produced that could have continued her “legacy” for the future Philippine generation to appreciate. Now, Pamana can no longer fulfill what her name implied. A rare eagle specie has once again lost another one of its member.

There are barely around 400 pairs of Philippine Eagles living among our rain forests to date, which is according to a representative of the Philippine Eagle Center.

The fact that these eagles are already critically endangered still hasn’t prevented heartless hunters from shooting them down. And what was the purpose of shooting such a beautiful part of nature? Is it for the mere thrill of it?

I am not a member of any animal rights group or any other movement but I firmly believe that these unauthorized hunting should be dealt with more seriously. We are losing priceless treasures because of these illegal hounding of animals.

THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE IS A FILIPINO SYMBOL

The Philippine Eagle is a representative of the Filipino people. It is to be considered as a Philippine pride worthy of protection and preservation. We should make sure that these eagles are not continuously hunted down and face total extinction.

The Philippine Eagle together with all the other wonderful creatures that belong to the heavens deserves to fly freely along our beautiful skies. Our children and the future generation deserve to witness the beautiful creations of God that we have the privilege to witness right now.

PAMANA’S LEGACY

Pamana was indeed a legacy that was given for all of us to cherish and care for. Despite the fact that Pamana is now gone, she will forever be part of the history of the Filipino people who were given the opportunity to appreciate her.

Pamana’s confident stance represented our courage and strength to still stand after being wounded from all the problems that our nation and we as a people are facing. The majestic spread of her wings that freely moved upon our skies represented our nation’s freedom from any kind of oppression. Her eyes represented windows of hope that will keep the Filipino fighting despite all the hardships of life.

These qualities are Pamana’s legacy for all the Filipino people. We may no longer get to witness her fly again but we still have the chance to make sure that her legacy will never go to waste by protecting her other remaining brothers and sisters.

It is our responsibility to make sure that Pamana’s way of dying would never happen again to other remaining Philippine Eagles. To the Philippine government and other concerned authorities, may this incident be a strong call for the stricter protection of our wildlife.

Images courtesy of Pixabay