2 foreign validators of Pujada Bay arrive

TWO officials from the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club have arrived in the City of Mati on Wednesday, January 8, for the validation of Pujada Bay’s inclusion in the prestigious list.

Most Beautiful Bays in the World Founder and Manager Bruno Bodard and Treasurer Guy Ettiene Rousset were welcomed by officials from the City of Mati and the Davao Oriental Provincial Government led by Mati Tourism Officer Dashiel Indelible Jr.

The two foreign validators will visit several areas within the Pujada Bay in the next days before flying back to their headquarter in

Europe.

City of Mati Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat express hope that the application to include Pujada Bay in the list of Most Beautiful Bays in World would be approved as she thanked everyone for their cooperation and participation in the preparation for the validators’ visit.

Mayor Michelle said that Pujada Bay’s inclusion in the prestigious list would boost the tourism industry not just in the City of Mati but the province as well.

The inclusion of Pujada Bay in the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club was initiated by the Provincial Government under Governor Nelson Dayanghirang.

The application unanimously got the nod of the members of the MBBW Club during the 15th World Bays Congress in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, held last October 2019. In 1994, the Pujada Bay Landscape and Seascape was declared as a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) through Presidential Proclamation No. 431.

This was reinforced by Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National

Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018 (E-NIPAS) approved by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Areas protected under this law are those with “national significance characterized by the harmonious interaction of man and land while providing opportunities for public enjoyment through the recreation and tourism within the normal lifestyle and economic activity of these areas”.

Covering about 20,0887.43 hectares of protected landscapes and seascapes, Pujada Bay is bounded by the Guangguang Peninsula in the east and the Pujada Peninsula in the west.

Forming a cove, waters within the bay are marked with calmness being protected from the crashing waves of the open sea, an advantage which offers seafarers and fishermen a safe harbour in times of storms.

Within the bay are islets and small islands – two of them the Pujada Island at the mouth of the bay and the Waniban Island are famous and frequented by tourists for their powdery, white-sand beaches and crystal-clear blue waters.