Sea turtles of the Olive-Ridley variety have created nesting sites with more than 300 eggs along the Chevron Batangas Terminal coastline, where Chevron employee volunteers recently conducted their annual coastal cleanup, company officials said.
Four nesting sites were discovered in December 2018, the first since the last batch of Olive-Ridley turtles hatched in January 2017.
Every year, Chevron Philippines Inc., marketer of the Caltex brand of fuels and lubricants, conducts its annual coastal cleanup with the Olive-Ridley’s nesting season to ensure a favorable environment for the turtles during their nesting period.
With the sea turtle population dwindling due to predation and exploitation, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been lobbying for the government’s pawikan conservation project.
CPI partnered with DENR when the firm discovered the nesting site in 2014 to conduct turtle encounter training for its employees. Chevron staff and security personnel learned how to properly respond, handle and protect the sea turtles.
The Olive-Ridley eggs are now under close monitoring by certified Chevron “pawikan” protectors. An average of 100 eggs is secured in each nesting site. Seventy-seven hatchlings have been released to the seawater.
To supplement the annual coastal cleanup, Chevron conducts regular cleanups along the Batangas Terminal coastline. Together with efforts such as the installation of fences around the nesting sites, this has helped make the coastline safe haven for the Olive-Ridley sea turtles, contributing to the increase in turtle sightings in recent years.
CPI Country Chairman Louie Zhang expressed his delight over the news and stressed CPI’s continued support to the stewardship of the environment.
“Chevron has always been committed to conserving marine life, especially since our Batangas terminal is located along the San Pascual coastline,” Zhang said.
“I hope these recent developments will encourage all stakeholders and the residents of San Pascual, Batangas to pursue similar efforts to increase the turtle population and to do that, we have to make sure that their nesting sites are free of debris,” he said.