Pujada Bay in Mati City, Davao Oriental has been officially accepted in the prestigious Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World.
Pujada Bay, known for a promontory locally known as “Sleeping Dinosaur Island” because of its form like a reclining Tyranausaurus Rex, is a 20,887-hectare U-shaped bay located in the provincial capital of Davao Oriental.
The Province of Davao Oriental shared the news of Pujada Bay’s inclusion in the World Club after it received official communication from the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Association (MBBWA) on February 20, 2020.
“I am pleased to inform you that the Board of Directors has voted in favor of accepting Pujada Bay, but also Mayo and Balete Bays together as a new member of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Association. Congratulations and welcome,” the letter from Michel Bujold, World President of the MBBWA, said. The inclusion of Mayo Bay and Balete Bay in the world club are set to be processed together with MBBWA’s recommendations for implementation.
The Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World accepts members using the following criteria:
- Have a wildlife and a flora interesting;
- Have outstanding natural and attractive;
- Be known and appreciated at the local and national levels;
- Be emblematic for the local population;
- Have some economic potential.
- The bay must possess at least two features recognized by UNESCO in the cultural or natural assets categories.
Pujada Bay, with its islands, islets, and sandbars, is a declared protected area named Pujada Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape under the National Integrated Protected Area System.
The bay serves as the catchment of runoffs from two other protected areas in the City of Mati: the Mati Protected Landscape, and the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The bay is part of the biodiversity-rich Coral Triangle, the region that possesses the world’s highest levels of marine biodiversity. Pujada Bay is a traditional fishing ground of the Mandaya and Kaagan tribes, the local indigenous peoples of Davao Oriental, who are now adjusting their fishing practices in harmony with the conservation and protection of the site, the Davao Oriental Provincial report about the January 2020 validation and site visit made by Bruno Bodard, general manager of the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World.
Bodard was reported to have praised Pujada Bay, saying, “Pujada Bay is almost a virgin paradise! It is nicer. It is much more beautiful than we expected. The Philippines is a very nice country. You have the jewel in Pujada Bay.”
Pujada Bay is part of the Philippine Sea fronting the Pacific Ocean. The bay is bounded in the east by the Guang-Guang Peninsula and by the Pujada Peninsula in the west, with Pujada Island standing in the bay’s mouth like a loyal guard. Because it is protected from both sides from the waves of the open sea, the bay offers shelter for seafarers and fishers during storms. With mountain ranges in the backdrop, white sand beaches in the shorelines and with its calm, blue waters, the bay offers a stunning view to anybody who happens to take a look at the landscape and seascape and to those adventurous who dare to fly with a light craft offering services in the area.
Pujada Bay will be awarded the certificate of membership during the MBBWA’s annual congress in Morocco this coming October.
Pujada Bay now joins marine life-rich Puerto Galera Bay in Oriental Mindoro which in 2005 joined the elite 23-member list of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club.
The Philippines was previously known for its world-famous Manila Bay Sunset, a tourist spot that is now undergoing rehabilitation.
SEND CONGRATULATIONS in the comments below to Pujada Bay for making the elite list of the World’s Most Beautiful Bays!
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