When officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) learned that some eateries in Barangay Pasil in Cebu City were selling steaming bowls of turtle stew, they first needed to make sure that the meat used for the sought-after soup was indeed from marine turtles. Known as “pawikan larang,” the orange-hued soup was also dubbed “pawer,” as some locals believed that consuming it would boost their sex drive. After undercover officials managed to buy 2 kilograms of the cut-up meat, wildlife law enforcers turned to a laboratory in Quezon City, some 850 kilometers away, for answers.

Enano, J. O. (2019, August 26). UP's 'CSI' helps catch illegal wildlife traders. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A6.