Haribon spotted during wildlife monitoring in Cotabato highlands

In forests growing smaller each year, everything matters: even the simplest form of  being seen. 

Deep in the mountains of Matalam, Cotabato, a Philippine Eagle was spotted resting on a Ulayan tree during a wildlife monitoring activity conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) SOCCSKSARGEN from April 14 to 16, 2026. The critically endangered raptor later moved along the treeline, briefly breaking the stillness of the canopy. In forests where sightings like this have become increasingly rare, even a single encounter already carries weight.

According to reports from DENR SOCCSKSARGEN and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Matalam, the sighting was part of a broader monitoring effort in the Mahuson Range ecosystem. The activity also documented other species such as the Philippine serpent eagle, Brahminy kite, White-eared brown dove, and Mindanao squirrel, reflecting the continued but fragile biodiversity of the area.

Officials noted that the sighting reinforces the importance of protecting forest ecosystems that continue to support the Philippine eagle and other wildlife. Continued monitoring is seen as crucial in tracking habitat use and responding to threats such as habitat loss and degradation.

The Philippine eagle is critically endangered, with fewer than 500 believed to remain in the wild. Its survival is tied to fragments of forest that continue to shrink under pressure from land use and habitat loss. 

Based on conservation reports cited by SunStar Davao, each confirmed sighting is not a sign of recovery but evidence that certain forest ecosystems are still functioning enough to sustain life that should have already disappeared from them.

While the sighting occurred in SOCCSKSARGEN, its significance extends to Davao City, where long-term conservation work for the species is based. The Philippine Eagle Center (PEC) in Malagos, Davao City serves as a managed sanctuary for breeding, research, and rehabilitation of Philippine eagles and other wildlife. Established in 1987 by the Philippine Eagle Foundation, the center houses multiple eagles and supports ongoing conservation programs.

This is where Pag-asa once lived, the first Philippine eagle successfully bred in captivity. Born in 1992 through assisted breeding techniques developed with international partners, Pag-asa marked a turning point in Philippine eagle conservation, according to Philippine Eagle Foundation records. His name, meaning “hope,” became shorthand for what conservationists were building on: not certainty, but possibility that stayed even when numbers remained low.

His birth showed that intervention was possible for a species that was already becoming harder to find in the wild. He became more than just a milestone in the program, but a sign that things could still shift in the right direction.

Tiwala, born from the same breeding pair months later, carried that effort forward in quieter ways. According to Philippine Eagle Foundation records, she became part of the early success of captive breeding efforts that shaped how the center continues its work today, alongside ongoing efforts in the wild.

Seen together, the eagle in SOCCSKSARGEN and the eagles in Davao are two sides of the same coin. One reflects what the forest is still able to hold on its own, the other reflects the long work behind keeping the species from fading out completely.

The sighting does not suggest immediate recovery, but it also does not stand alone. It adds another quiet confirmation that the species is still present in parts of the landscape where it matters. In places where forests keep shrinking, even one sighting starts to carry more weight than it once did.