Wildlife and environment protection in Brooke’s Point found a new ally in “Makmak”, a blue-naped parrot mascot launched Friday in the town by the Champions for Conservation (C4C) in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Protect Wildlife Project.
Makmak is part of Brooke’s Point’s conservation campaign, which was an output of the USAID Protect Wildlife Project’s training.
The USAID Protect Wildlife Project funded the creation of the mascot.
Maria Socorro Melic, social marketing associate of the USAID, told Palawan News at the launching that the mascot will help in the wildlife conservation awareness campaign and provide inspiration for the residents of the town to be active in protecting them.
“Protecting the wildlife is a project of the USAID. We are in partnership kasi with the local government unit at ang gusto namin is to spearhead a conservation campaign through this mascot called MakMak. MakMak po kasi Maka-kalikasan at Maka-bayan. At nais ni MakMak na makilahok at makiaalam ‘yong mga tao sa Brooke’s Point para pangalagaan ang Mt. Mantalingahan,” Melic said.
She said the mascot MakMak is a representation of the Blue-naped Parrot, an endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Melic said they hope that the mascot will particularly take the interest of the youth in joining the campaign to conserve and protect wildlife.
“Si MakMak ay isang pikoy na isa sa mga threatened species according sa IUCN. So hopefully through the event lalo na through MakMak ‘yong mga kabataan sa Brooke’s Point at mga nasa barangay ay mapag-isipan nila na bawat ginagawa natin ay may epekto sa kalikasan at marami na ang buhay-ilang na nanganganib,” she said.
Florante Candido, land officer III of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), said protecting and conserving Brooke’s Point’s natural resources is not just a government obligation but a responsibility of all residents.
“Ang pangangalaga at pag-protekta ng kalikasan ay hindi lang trabaho ng gobyerno ngunit tayong lahat ay responsable dito kaya ngayon sa opisyal na paglipad ni MakMak ay hinihiling namin sa inyo na matanim sa inyong isipan, tumubo at lumago ang inyong kaisipan sa pagpapahalaga ng ating kalikasan sana po tayong lahat ay magkaisa para sa magandang kinabukasan ng ating mga buhay-ilang,” Candido said.
The launching program was attended by students from 15 schools in Brookes Point.
Also present were officials of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 4, Brooke’s Point Municipal Police Station and the municipal Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
