Pawikan Festival: A yearly Celebration

---

Besides its scenic beaches, Morong-Bataan, is notably known as the site of the community-based Pawikan Conservation Program located in Barangay Nagbalayong. Many tourists go to this sanctuary during the nesting season and especially during the Pawikan Festival to witness turtles come up to seashore at night to lay their eggs.

Pawikan Festival is a week long celebration, organized by Bantay Pawikan Inc.(BPI) with the cooperation of Bataan Tourism Council Foundation Inc. (BTCFI), to call the attention of everyone for saving of the Philippine Marine Turtles or "Pawikan" and gather funds for the continuous development and rehabilitation of the conservation center.

Since 2005, the celebration of Pawikan Festival is now a yearly event in the province and it is celebrate every last week of November. All visitors enjoyed and witnessing the ceremonial releasing of Pawikan hatching in the blue waters of West Philippine sea as the highlight of the event. 

Another highlight is the street dancing competition, which were participated by dancers from all the towns and city of Bataan. The dancer dressed or costumes turtle-like clothing which gives message related to the life of marine turtles.The event activities includes beach volleyball competition, nature's camp, film showing, night patrolling, walk-for-a-cause, kite flying, sand sculpture, paddle painting, body painting, beach concert, coastal clean-up projects, seminar and other activities.

2012 Pawikan Festival: Senator Loren Legarda, together with Morong Mayor Cynthia Estanislao (left) and Bataan Tourism Council Foundation Inc. President Vicky Garcia (right), releases Pawikan hatchlings at the beachfront of the Pawikan Conservation Center during the 2012 Pawikan Festival in Morong, Bataan. Legarda, Keynote Speaker at the event, urged the people of Bataan to spread to other communities in the country their advocacy of saving the Philippine Marine Turtles.

Background:

In the late September of 1999, the Community-based Pawikan Conservation in Bataan, Philippines was established. It was started in a picture of how big a small community effort translates development – man working for nature for a healthy co-existence not only for the present but for the future.  A community of poachers and turtle egg collectors now transformed into marine turtle conservation advocates is continuously taking on the challenge of protecting and conserving the remaining Olive Ridley species, the smallest of the eight species in the world.  For a long period, eggs of these endemic marine turtles were collected while some nesters were poached that served as one primary source of livelihood for the community.  The meager income provided by the trade helped them to send their kids to schools, buy food, pay their debts among many others notwithstanding the damage they were inflicting to the balance of the marine biodiversity.  Over time, nesters became fewer and the nesting season became shorter.

Now, after a few years of the project framed in an in-situ conservation scheme and highlighting the importance of community participation after a comprehensive capacity building work, the endangered turtles are slowly flourishing.  This time, their fate lies in the hands of the people who use to exploit them now equipped with the awareness of their importance in the marine ecosystem, the community’s most important life-support base.  Since 1999, the Bantay Pawikan had released over 47,000 hatchlings were successfully released to the ocean.

Releasing baby Pawikan at Pawikan Conservation Center

Credit to the owner of this video

How to go there:

Because of its inter-connection and accessibility to main thorough fares, getting to Morong, Bataan is easy, so take a drive for the weekend or long holiday or special occasion. There are three major routes going to Morong, Bataan if you are coming from Manila:

• Route 1 - via NLEX, Gapan-Olongapo Road, Layac Junction and Tipo Hi-Way Junction to SBMA Morong Gate to Morong town proper to Brgy Nagbalayong
• Route 2 - via NLEX and SCTex to SBMA Morong Gate to Morong town proper to Brgy. Nagbalayong
• Route 3 - via NLEX, Gapan-Olongapo Road, Layac Junction, Roman Hi-way to Ala-uli junction to  Mt. Samat or  Dambana ng Kagitingan to  Bagac Junction to Brgy. Nagbalayong.

So, if you are coming either from the Northern Luzon or from the busy Metro- Manila, go easy on the gas pedal while driving and enjoy the ride gazing the vivid scenes of the rice fields and the mountainous view while traversing the first-class Subic-Clark & Tarlac Expressway (SCTex) via SBMA Morong Gate. Travelling via Route 1, you will be able to get a chance to have a glimpse or side-trip to well-known tourist attractions along the way, like the historical Dambana ng Kagitingan, Mt. Samat to Dunsulan fall via zip line, Morong and Bagac beaches and  to  the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

Where to stay:

Since town of Morong is blessed with wonderful and pristine natures and home of  pawikan as nesting ground in more than four (4) kilometers long beach, many visitors are not worrying where they to stay, beach resort is available here from the cheapest to exclusive one. Check out the list of beach  resorts and hotels, click here. 

For more details contact the following:

Bantay Pawikan Inc.

Brgy. Nagbalayong, Morong, Bataan, Philippines
c/o Nida: +63 928 718-5721
c/o Manolo: +63 906 615-5546

Bataan Tourism:
+63 47 237-4476
+63 47 237-4785
tourism_bataan@yahoo.com

Photo Credit to the following owners: Bobot Bagtas via Flickr ,thebackpackersadventures.blogspot.com, lorenlegarda.com.ph

Last Update: 1/5/2013