Intro AVP Among the birds of the air and the other animals, there is only one that

is special enough to be called king of the forest. In the jungles of Africa, the lion reigns supreme, but in the Philippine tropical forest, it is the Haribon. Haribon made from two words Hari, which means king, and Ibon, which means bird roughly translates to king of the birds. Its height is about 3 meters, with a seven foot wingspan. Endemic to the Philippines, we are proud that we have one of the largest, most powerful and most majestic eagles in the whole world. Acts 1 and 2 The Birth of the Haribon and its Origins The Philippine Eagle is also a monogamous animal; the relationship with its partner lasts until ones death. The battle for the attention and attraction of the female eagle will be between a few male eagles, with death-defying, rollercoaster movements, aerial displays and flight patterns. When the female eagles attention is finally caught by a male, they will do their own courtship dance as acceptance, then they build their nest almost immediately afterwards. The Haribon lays only one egg, and right away starts incubating it. Both parents take turns in incubating the egg, and finally, when it hatches, both hunt and feed the young eaglet until its independence. Act 3 The Battle for Survival As the young eaglet matures, he is exposed to the harsh elements of earth, air and water in his new environment. The little one is left alone while both his parents hunt for his food; thus, he is exposed to different kinds of elements and it is up to his hardiness of body and will to ensure his survival. The Haribon is also the type of animal to learn from pain, which reinforces his strong and proud heritage. While learning to harness the skills needed to overcome the pains, the Haribon emerges a stronger being, being able to master the pain to translate it into circumstances which will help him find his real placement in the vast sky. Act 4 Learning to Fly The Haribon eaglet is famous for his acquired independence from his parents. Usually, to teach the eaglet to fly, the parent drops it from a great height and only just saves it in time if the eaglet cannot make it. The dizzying journey to learning flight only ends when the eaglet learns to spread its own wings, ride the thermals, and soar.

It is in this phase that the Haribon has matured enough into making himself a master of both earth and water, and most especially the air, the element he was born into. Act 5 Territory Our very own Haribon is a territorial bird. It needs almost 100 sq.km. of lush dipterocarp forest for it to call the place its home. The seven-foot wing span of the eagle soars over its own territory for prey. It seems that it constantly reminds the rest of the inhabitants of the forest that the place is his home, and that he will do everything to keep it the way he wants it to be. His clear vision allows him to see almost anything that happens in his kingdom, even from high up in the sky. When the eagle marks a place as its territory, it becomes extremely protective, to the point that, when the forest is destroyed, the eagle dies with it. Act 6 - Supremacy Definitely, the wild is where the words survival of the fittest ring true. To acquire food and nourishment, the Philippine eagle must battle it out, not only with the various elements, but also with many other animals, especially his cospecies: other eagles. This is where the name Haribon is reinforced; as the Haribon wins, he defends the title, King of the Birds. Act 7 - Last Flight of the Haribon Although the eagle is usually a long-lived animal, with a lifespan of 30-60 years in the wild, there comes the time for its last flight its swan song, perhaps. He takes his usual trip across the vast expanse of the blue skies, watching from afar how his home has made him into the king that he was right now with all the pain and joy of thriving in the wild, where he really belongs. As he soars above its territory to have one last look over his kingdom, he makes one last glorious flight across the blue skies. Act 8 The Glorious Death In the night of the Haribons death, the skies, the trees and the rest of kingdom of the forest mourn for their king; but also dance to celebrate a life well-lived among the high places of the earth.