ABS-CBNNews.com reports that Bryan Balaon, a 26-year-old farmer in Bukidnon, has been sentenced to six years in prison for killing, cooking, and eating a Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi). The eagle is classified as "critically endangered" with just "90 to 250 pairs left in the wild." The report noted that the eagle that Balaon had shot with an air gun and later cooked as tinola had been handed to wildlife officials in 2006 "after it was seized from a man who shot it and kept it as a caged pet."

The report further revealed that the eagle, who was given the name Kagsabua, was "fitted with a radio transmitter and was released back into the wild at Mount Kitanglad in March 2008." In July that same year, Balaon shot it. Aside from the jail sentence, Balaon was also fined ₱100,000.

According to the report, "Authorities are still tracking down Balaon, who earlier surrendered to authorities but was released after he denied that he committed the crime." The report did not explain how or when Balaon was able to flee.

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