MANILA – One of the three bird hunters who killed an endemic bird finding sanctuary at the campus of University of the Philippines Diliman has been arrested.

Nestor T. Castro, UP Diliman Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs, said one of the suspects in the killing of a Black Bittern (Dupetor flavicollis) at the UP Lagoon last November 9 was arrested on Monday and was brought to the office Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Castro, however, said the man was released since formal charges have yet to be filed against him.

''Kumukonsulta kami ngayon sa mga abogado at sa mga grupong maka-kalikasan kung ano ang nararapat na ligal na hakbang na kailangang gawin. Iimbestigahan din ng UP ang posibleng pagpapabaya ng guwardiya na nakatalaga sa may UP Lagoon,'' Castro said in a statement.

Castro said the suspects may face charges of violating Republic Act No. 9147 or the ''Wildlife Resources and Conservation Act."

Castro said UP Diliman's campus has been home to some of the country's endemic bird species and migratory birds.

''Ang kampus ng UP Diliman ay nagsisilbing atrasan at pugaran ng mga ibong dayo at endemiko dahil isa na lamang ito sa mga nalalabing mapunong lugar sa Kamaynilaan,'' he said.

''Sa katunayan, pinapasyalan ang UP Diliman ng mga bird watcher dahil maaari pang makakita sa kampus ng sari-saring ibong endemiko, tulad ng Black Bittern, kabilang na rin ang ilang ibong 'nasa panganib na o malapit nang malagay sa panganib.'''

FACEBOOK POST

Wild Bird Club of the Philippines founding members Lu-Ann Fuentes Bajarias and her husband, Amado Bajarias Jr. were the first to call the attention of the authorities regarding the bird killing.

In a Facebook post, Lu-Ann said ''this species is uncommon in the Philippines and extremely rare in the campus (the last documented sighting in the campus that I know of was in 2008)."

Lu-An said the bittern was standing on a muddy part of the lagoon when it was killed by repeated blows to the head with a piece of wood and a jungle bolo.

''Why a man openly carrying a jungle bolo is allowed to walk around in campus is something that U.P.'s officials should ask its security force,'' Lu-Ann said.

''Before it was killed, the bittern may have been already incapacitated in some way, or maybe was exhausted from a long trip, and that's why it wasn't able to fly off when the men approached and killed it. This species is usually very wary of humans and would have flown away at the first hint of danger."