A whale of a tale
sessions with schoolchildren.
Between March and August 2011, BDO automated teller machines were programmed to enable bank account holders to donate P5 every time they made a withdrawal.
Ed S. Reyes, ATM operations department head, TBG Retail Channels management-atm, said the convenience was only available to BDO ATM cardholders.
Every time they withdrew cash from an ATM, a new screen was displayed after the transaction was completed asking the client if he/she wished to make a donation.
Reyes said an estimated P4 million was generated through the campaign, with about P2 million going to the butanding project.
The butanding is a bona fide member of the shark family although not carnivorous.
As with most things in nature, the butanding’s seasonal trips to Donsol are driven by a very primal instinct. It goes where plankton is most plentiful. And Donsol, in the first half of the year, teems with the tiny creatures.
The need to keep the butanding welcome in Donsol waters has brought attention to other ecological targets.
Environmentalists realized that the lush mangrove forests allowed the plankton to flourish. Amangrove reforestation became a complementary side project, which had another beneficial result.
Thousands of fireflies that light up Donsol and another river on dark, moonless nights have also been assured of their habitat.