VALIDATORS from the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Organization (MBBWO) called on local authorities to coordinate with private owners of islands and resorts around Pujada Bay to maintain its cleanliness and protect it from environmental degradation. The bay, located in Davao Oriental, has been accepted in the MBBWO list based on the provincial government’s application, subject to site validation. MBBWO officials, led by Founder and Manager Bruno Bodard and Treasurer Guy Ettiene Rousset toured communities around Pujada Bay last week. “We were very surprised by the beauty and quality of the Pujada and Mayo bays that we visited,” Mr. Rousset told media in a press conference held at Menzi Beachpark in Mati City, Davao Oriental, Saturday. Mr. Bodard said among the criteria in the Most Beautiful Bays tag include the community involvement in environmental protection. “The Pujada Bay has complied with the requirements. But I don’t want to say just Pujada Bay, because Mayo and Balite bays are also beautiful. I will call them Mati’s Bays. We will validate these Mati’s bays,” he said. “We are validating the quality of the water, even the mountain and the forest is very important. It is part of our validation,” Mr. Rousset said. He noted that one of the benefits of being included in the MBBWO list is getting international help in protection from toxic products and other concerns. Mati Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat, for her part, said the city government would soon implement a master plan for the protection of Pujada Bay. This includes the construction of sewage treatment plants as well as catchment basins for plastics and other wastes. 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. Covering about 20,0887.43 hectares of protected landscapes and seascapes, Pujada Bay is bounded by the Guang-guang Peninsula in the east and the Pujada Peninsula in the west. — Maya M. Padillo

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