Conserving the endangered tamaraw of Mindoro. In photo (from left) are TMP Foundation President Jose Maria Aligada, TMP President Masando Hashimoto, DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga, and DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations, Luzon, Visayas, and Supervising Undersecretary for Environmental Management Bureau and Mines and Geosciences Bureau – Luzon and Visayas Attorney Juan Miguel Cuna during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Tamaraw Conservation Program.
The Toyota Tamaraw has been such an iconic nameplate in the Philippines. It was a game-changer of its time – kind of like a then-new concept vehicle that Filipinos never knew they absolutely needed in their lives.
Fast forward to a few decades later, and now here is the next-generation Toyota Tamaraw – ready to make new waves in the automotive landscape.
What’s beautiful this time around though, is that Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has stepped up and committed to help save our critically endangered Tamaraws of Mindoro Island. They have in fact, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to help support the Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP), through the automotive company’s social and humanitarian arm, Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation (TMPF). Toyota’s full participation towards the conservation of the Philippine Tamaraw or Bubalus Mindorensis is still currently evolving; but so far, TMP has already committed to donate a brand new Tamaraw vehicle and half a million pesos worth of “Bantay Tamaraw” kits to the DENR to supplement their ranger gears and supplies. These are items that help the Tamaraw rangers properly conduct their regular patrols at all identified Tamaraw sites.
In addition to these in-kind donations, TMPF is also pledging a Php 3 million conservation fund to support other key program initiatives, such as executing regular Tamaraw habitat monitoring and research, holding support programs for local barangays and IP (Indigenous People) volunteers, further equipping the Tamaraw Research and Conservation Center and bolstering other Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) initiatives. Among their most important events is the observation of National Tamaraw Month, which falls every October.
The MOU signing was conducted in Makati last Friday, along the sidelines of the Next Generation Tamaraw’s grand public launch. The ceremony was led by DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Loyzaga, TMP President Masando Hashimoto, and TMPF president Jose Maria Aligada.
The country’s Tamaraw Conservation Program or TCP was created decades ago—on July 9, 1979 to be exact—pursuant to Executive Order No. 544 under the Office of the President. It is the national government’s initiative to protect and help save the Tamaraws from extinction. And to achieve this, the various factors that are threatening the Tamaraw’s population and natural habitat have to be addressed.
Our beloved dwarf buffaloes with their distinct V-shaped horns were already classified as critically endangered animals by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
On Mindoro Island as of 2024, there are only about 500-600 individual Tamaraws remaining in the wild. Let us all raise a greater sense of urgency and do what we can to help this national treasure from disappearing forever.
