There has been some good news on the environment, over and beyond the fires that have turned Indonesia into a red planet, and which have sent hazy skies as far away as Singapore, Malaysia, even Palawan and Iloilo in the Philippines. Meanwhile, on the home front, Angelique Songco, hardworking protected area superintendent of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Palawan, became the first woman to receive the KfW-Bernhard-Grzimek Prize 2019 for Biodiversity in recognition of her work of managing one of the world’s greatest marine biodiversity areas, a Unesco World Heritage Site. She received the award, which comes with a 50,000 euro cash prize (around P2.8 million) for conservation, in Frankfurt, Germany, last Sept. 18. The award is named after environmental activist professor Dr. Bernhard Grzimek (1909-1987), former director of the Frankfurt Zoo and longtime president of the Frankfurt Zoological Society. “The KfW-Bernhard-Grzimek-Preis is awarded every two years to outstanding organizations or leaders who distinguish themselves in their remarkable endeavor to preserve the world’s biodiversity with creative and innovative ideas,” the foundation said in a statement.

Honasan, A. B. (2019, September 29). Greta, Tubbataha and Masungi: A strong month for the environment. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. C8.