Bataan: Pawikan Conservation Center!

We drove to SBMA after a full hour in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar with The Naughty One (TNO) sulking in the backseat because we did not allow him to go swimming.  He was not allowed because he did not bring proper swimming attire but we promised him that we will go back one weekend.

It was our first time to go to SBMA via Morong gate and we actually enjoyed the ride.  It was a scenic ride in the long and winding roads of Bagac and Morong where in every 500 hundred meters or so there’s a sign that says “Pawikan Conservation Center - Straight Ahead”.  My sister asked if it really exists because all we see are signages.  J  I suggested that since we’re there anyway, might as well drop by the center and check out the turtles. 

The Pawikan Conservation Center is located in Nagbalayong, Bagac, Bataan and it’s one kilometer off the national highway.  The sandy shores are vital nesting grounds for the endangered Olive Ridley species, the smallest of the world's eight sea turtle species.  I’m mighty proud of this community because a decade ago this was a site of rampant poaching and illegal sea turtle egg collecting.  But overtime it has become a community of environmental advocates, in fact, some of the poachers have become caretakers of the conservation center, too. 

When we got there, they told us that they have just released the latest batch of hatchlings to the open sea.  And that if we could return the following weekend, we could join them in the releasing of the baby turtles which will be hatched in a few days.  We would have been tremendously disappointed had not the caretakers thought of keeping a couple of hatchlings for “latecomers” like us.

We also got to pet some of the grown and baby sea turtles.  I was hesitant at first but the caretaker said that the adult turtles in the pawikan-shaped pool are quite used to having visitors play with them. 

The hatchery is an enclosed area where the unhatched eggs are buried under the sand.  The volunteers bury the eggs in the hatchery after collecting them when the pawikan deposit their eggs on the beach.

The impromptu visit to the Pawikan Conservation Center was the best decision of the day because TNO finally smiled after seeing the turtles.  He even amazed us by identifying the sea turtle species that were there in the pool.  Note to self: Keep the promise to take them swimming in Acuzar and visit the sea turtles again.