MENRO-designate Jojo Vargas, Dr. Froilan Juntilla, Ariel Marcasote and Rosendo Lopez of DENR- CENRO Bago City and Philippine Coast Guard personnel getting ready to release the sea turtle back to the sea

The E. B. Magalona Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) rescued a juvenile hawksbill sea turtle (pawikan) that accidentally swallowed a large fishing hook about a month ago, took care of it every day, and released it back to the sea Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

MENRO-designate Jojo Vargas said they were informed last June 7 that a fisherman from Barangay Manta-angan accidentally caught a young sea turtle that was struggling because it swallowed a fishing hook.

After almost a month of taking care of "EcoT" the sea turtle, MENRO-designate Jojo Vargas, Dr. Froilan Juntilla, Rosendo Lopez of DENR- CENRO Bago City, and Municipal Veterinarian Office staff release it back to the sea on July 4.

“I immediately went to see the sea turtle and found that the fishing hook is still inside its mouth. The hook was embedded in its throat and the poor creature could not even open its mouth because of too much pain,” Vargas recalls.

MENRO personnel initially brought the sea turtle to the Municipal Veterinary Office, but that time, the veterinarian was not available.

The staff of the Municipal Veterinary Office then advised them to contact Dr. Froilan Juntilla, a private veterinarian based in Victorias City.

Dr. Froilan Juntilla and staff remove the fishing hook from the mouth of the sea turtle

Juntilla immediately went to see the sea turtle. Upon examining its situation, he decided to bring it to his clinic in Victorias City to remove the fishing hook from its mouth.

Vargas said it was already 9 p. m. when Juntilla and his staff completed the procedure.

They then transferred the sea turtle to the Tomongtong Mangrove Eco-Trail in Barangay Tomongtong to wait for its safe release.

Vargas said they named the sea turtle "EcoT," a play on the words "eco-trail."

The fishing hook that was removed from the mouth of the sea turtle

The staff of the eco-trail attended to the sea turtle every day - feeding it with puree made from fresh fish.

“Dr. Froi not only performed an operation on the sea turtle, but he checked on its condition every week,” Vargas said.

“EcoT,” the sea turtle rescued in the waters off E. B. Magalona

Finally, after almost a month, upon clearance from Juntilla, the MENRO team released the sea turtle back to the sea on July 4.

Vargas thanked Juntilla and his staff, DENR-CENRO Bago City, Mayor Marvin Malacon, and the staff of Tomongtong Mangrove Eco-Trail for assisting MENRO in saving “EcoT,” the sea turtle.*

E. B. MAGALONA PIO
Photos from EBM MENRO