Sasmuan Mayor Catalina Cabrera said she is optimistic about the development of the 405-hectare Sasmuan Bangkung Malapad Coastal Wetland into the town’s primary ecotourism destination.
Bagasina led a delegation of representatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), different groups and students during a visit at the site.
During the event, a poster-making was conducted in celebration of the anniversary of the declaration of the area as the 8th Ramsar Site in the country and the first in Central Luzon.
“Katuwang ang DENR, PENRO at Sasmuan Tourism Office, marami pa tayong mga naka-line up na proyekto at programa para i-develop ang Bangkung Malapad. Ang goal natin ay gawin itong pangunahing ecotourism spot hindi lang sa Pampanga, kundi sa buong Pilipinas,” Cabrera said.
The mayor said that it is important to promote the area among the youth.
She mentioned parallel programs to invite more visitors to the area organizing more conservation efforts.
In 2021, the DENR issued Administrative Order (DAO) 2021-36, declaring the 405-hectare Sasmuan Bangkung Malapad Coastal Wetland in Sasmuan town as a critical habitat and ecotourism area.
The move aims to intensify government efforts in the rehabilitation of Manila Bay and the protection of mangrove and coastal ecosystems, including migratory birds that frequent the area.
Under the DAO, the said coastal wetland will now be known as the Sasmuan Bangkung Malapad Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (SBMCHEA).
The area will be managed by the DENR and the local government of Sasmuan.
SBMCHEA is a mangrove islet in the Pasak River and part of the large and enclosed sea of Manila Bay formed by the volcanic sediments from Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991.