FOR the past decade, tens of thousands of party people from all over the archipelago have been trooping to southern Mindanao for the Sarangani Bay (SarBay) Festival, the country’s biggest beach party.
Just like the bay’s mouthwatering tuna, which have found their way to the world’s plate, this long stretch of white sand in Gumasa Beach in Glan sizzled once more in the event’s 11th installment, but with a unique twist.
Themed #SarbayEvolution, this year’s version celebrated the innovations it has embraced through the years, most notably its advocacy for environmental sustainability.
According to Sarangani First Lady and Provincial Tourism Council President Michelle Lopez-Solon, this year’s edition was more than the usual beach party that, more often than not, harms the coastal ecosystem. She said the third day of SarBay was devoted to coastal cleanup activities and environmental projects.
Five civic organizations joined the I Love Clean SarBay program this year to help maintain the ecological balance of the bay’s coastal ecosystem.
Some 100,000 bangus (milkfish) fingerlings were released at the bay after the two-day fest, in cooperation with Spectrum, Conrado-Ladislawa-Alcantara Foundation Inc. and Smart Communications.
Still part of this year’s environmental advocacy is the e-trash bag given as part of the environmental fee given upon entrance. Every kilogram of gathered garbage submitted by every person has an equivalent token given by SarBay corporate partners Globe, Talk N’ Text, 2Go and Coca-Cola.
Once a best-kept tourist secret, Gumasa has become one of the country’s most sought-after getaways because of its unspoiled talcum sand, minus the madding crowd of popular beaches.
The two-day beach party included physical-fitness events, sporting tournaments and concerts.
As the Best Tourism event awardee from the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines for several years now, the SarBay fest is organized by the Provincial Tourism Council, and supported by the provincial government, the Department of Tourism Region 12 and the municipality of Glan.