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Morong, Bataan celebrates Pawikan festival
Morong, Bataan recently celebrated a Pawikan
festival. Morong is a three hour ride from Manila. It occupies
about 16% of Bataan’s total land area, and is the second largest
municipality. It lies in the western part of Bataan and is
bounded by the South China Sea in the west, Bagac in the south,
Abucay, Samal, and Orani in the east, Hermosa and Dinalupihan in
the northwest, and Zambales in the north.
Some 8,000 hectares are part of the Subic Bay
Metropolitan Authority reservation area and about 9,000 hectares
are identified as water shed-primary growth forest area.
Industries in Morong include mango/cashew production,
vinegar-making, and basketry.
The Provincial Tourism Office of Bataan
recently led the 3rd
Pawikan Festival. Six groups from different schools participated
in the very colorful street dancing competition
The Bataan community organization in Morong
named Bantay Pawikan Inc. started the first community-based
conservation program of marine turtles with the help of
UNDP-GEF-SGP-PRRM and the Provincial Government in 1999. Soon
other communites and groups in neighboring towns replicated the
conservation work, which is going on up to the present.
The efforts now collectively contribute to
the protection of nesting turtles, collection and hatching of
eggs and releasing of hatchlings to the sea.
With the growing involvement of people and organizations in
Bataan, soon all turtles coming to Bataan beaches will be
assured of protected nesting, and hopefully this species will
once again flourish to continue their function to maintain the
balance and health of international waters. | 
