RESIDENTS of Sitio San Juan, Barangay Inayagan in the City of Naga, Cebu were able to forget their worries brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic when they were able to witness the hatching of around 96 baby sea turtle nesting on their coastline.

Joel Matoza, a resident of the area, told Superbalita Cebu that he and neighbor Neth Gevero first witnessed the hatchlings crawling towards the sea on Thursday morning.

Matoza said they initially thought that there were frogs crawling around the shoreline.

Matoza said months before the hatchlings were found, a neighbor of his reportedly found an adult sea turtle washed up on shore.

They had thought that the turtle was dying and left it alone. They were only surprised that the creature had disappeared from the shore the day after, Matoza added.

It was only after two months the sea turtle hatchlings came out from where the adult sea turtle left them.

In a statement posted on the City of Naga's Facebook page, the city government said the residents of the sitio worked together to protect the hatchlings as they traveled towards the sea. (BBT/JKV)