By:

Bernard Supetran

The province of Sarangani has been synonymous to eight-time boxing champ Manny Pacquiao. But long before the Pambansang Kamao, his adaptive province and the bay where it was named after, have been quietly punching their way to fame. 

Sarangani Bay is one of the country’s richest body of water, yet one of the lesser-known ones, and a proverbial “pound-for-pound” champion with its rich biodiversity.

 A bustling hub of fishing, shipping and tourism, this waterworld was declared a Protected Seascape in 1996 under Proclamation No. 756 to conserve its marine life.

 Embraced by Sarangani’s six coastal towns and Gen. Santos City, the 215,950-hectare bay is listed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as a Key Marine Biodiversity Area. Its waters boast of coral resources covering 2,293 hectares, 60 important live hard coral genera, 411 reef species, and 11 species of seagrass, making it a rich fishing ground.

Various species of dolphins, killer whales, dwarf and pygmy sperm whales have been spotted by the DENR in recent months.

 The bay is host to the Gen. Santos City Fishport where export-quality tuna caught from the high seas, as well as other aquatic resources, are unloaded. Its tuna yield has earned the city the distinction of being the country’s tuna capital.

 But its most visible asset is its 230-km coastline which makes it a beach and water sports getaway. Gumasa Beach in Glan is a charming retreat with its long stretch of powdery white sand and crystalline water, minus the madding crowd. The beachfront is dotted with cozy boutique resorts which offer culinary treats and stunning panoramas. 

 Nicknamed the “Boracay of Mindanao”, it was included in the prestigious Australia-based Flight Network’s Asia’s Top 50 Beaches in 2018. 

Its extensive shore is a hive of watersports and family-oriented recreation with the annual Sarangani Bay (SarBay) Festival, the country’s biggest beach extravaganza of wellness, musical and environmental events, which lures some 150,000 merrymakers. 

 This year’s edition of the summer-time party has been called off this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But even without the sought-after event, the bay remains as a must-visit in southern Mindanao.

 On its western shores, beach bums can laze in the sun, sea and sand at Tuka Beach marine park at a secluded cove in Kiamba. In Maitum, the bay is breeding ground of the endemic bangsi or flying fish, the major local product and source of livelihood.   

 Scuba divers will be amazed by the marine biodiversity in Tinoto, Maasim, the province’s top dive spot. Within its municipal waters is Maasim Reef which abounds in juvenile white-tipped sharks, huge fan corals and gigantic bat fishes, and marine flora.

The Department of Tourism has declared the bay as Soccsksargen Region’s scuba diving haven in 2017 at a dive safari. 

 Yellow fin tuna, dolphins, clown fishes, lion fishes, sergeant fishes, sea turtles, whale sharks, cheilinus undulatos (Mameng), sea cows, and a profusion of aquatic animals can be sighted. 

 Early this March, the DENR Region 12 spearheaded the first SBPS Week to publicly highlight the efforts to protect and conserve its coastal and marine ecosystems. The bay will mark its silver year in 2021 as a protected seascape, and plans are afoot to mark the milestone with an assortment of activities.

In the midst of the ongoing global pandemic and its impact to the travel and tourism industry, we are featuring destinations you can consider visiting once the pandemic is gone and things go back to normal. You can help in the recovery of the country’s travel industry and the millions of people who rely on tourism to feed their families. Keep the destinations in your mind.