For saving a dolphin trapped in a fishing net, a 63-year-old fisherman from Ilocos Norte has been named the latest “Hero of the Environment” by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF)-Philippines. Francisco Vergara, who alerted authorities after he discovered an adult rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis) enmeshed in a fishing net in Badoc town, was recognized by WWF-Philippines for “coming to the aid of a distressed and dying animal.” Setting out at sea on his tiny boat in the wee hours of June 18, the fisherman came across the animal struggling for life in waters between the villages of Pagsanaan Sur and Pagsanaan Norte, the environmentalist group said in a news release.

Yap, D. (2013, August 3). WWF hails Ilocos fisher as ‘environment hero’ . Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A4.