Beach Town Showcases Marine Biodiversity
By: Bernard Supetran
The town of Glan, Sarangani has been regarded as the beach haven of southern Mindanao because of its numerous white sand coves and crystal-clear water.
The mile-long Gumasa Beach is the most popular among these sandy shores due to the numerous tropical-themed resorts and restaurants, thus earning it the moniker of being the “Boracay of Mindanao”
It is also the site of the summer-time Sarangani Bay (SarBay Festival), the country's biggest beach party which blends environmental advocacy, physical wellness and family recreation.
But beyond its mesmerizing sleepy shores, Glan will be known as home to a biodiversity-rich body of water with the recent launch of its dive tourism program.
“There are so many things that Glan can be proud of that we have kept for so long. It is high time for us now to discover all those and show it off to the world as one of the most beautiful municipalities in the Soccsksargen Region and the country,” says mayor Vivien Yap.
Formally opened for recreational diving were Sumbang Point and Binuni Reef which are both located on the eastern section of Sarangani Bay.
Sumbang Point, situated near Belimac Beach Resort is habitat to 16 genera of hard corals and five soft corals, and some 100 distinct marine species, including hawksbill turtles, giant clams, marble shrimps and rare nudibranchs.
Binuni Reef, with a maximum depth of 12 meters, has a with a vertically-zoned intertidal area with patchy seagrass. The subtidal area is characterized by colonies of hard corals of massive, breaching and encrusting life forms. It also has 12 hard coral and four soft coral genera, and 62 distinct fish species.
Yap said that the program launch is timed for the recent 25th anniversary of the declaration of the Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape by then president Fidel Ramos by virtue of Proclamation 756 in 1996.
The body of water was also later listed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as a Key Marine Biodiversity Area.
Held during the town’s annual Mahin Festival, the municipal government also launched the coffeetable book titled “Discover Glan’s other Paradise: It’s Underwater”.
Aside from Sumbang Point and Binuni Reef, local divers have also plotted about 12 other sites, with some extending up close to Celebes near the neighboring Davao Occidental province.
Many of the said dive spots boast of rich underwater life and are worthy of being declared as marine protected areas.
Glan’s dive tourism program is supported by the DENR, the Provincial Government of Sarangani, the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving, and the Department of Tourism which declared the Bay as the diving haven of Soccsksargen in 2017.
With an area of 215,950 hectares, the bay is habitat to yellow fin tuna, sperm whales, pilot whales, dolphins, clown fishes, lion fishes, sergeant fishes, and sea turtles. Its coral resources cover more than 2,293 hectares spread in 20 coral reef areas with about 60 important live hard coral genera and 411 reef species.
Whale sharks, cheilinus undulatos (mameng), and sea cows are frequently sighted by environment authorities monitoring the bay’s western section.
