Anvaya Cove Nature Comes First

Ayala Land Premier – Anvaya Cove – Properties for Sale Philippines

When Ayala Land Premier conceptualized Anvaya Cove Beach & Nature Club, a seaside leisure community in Morong, Bataan, with its 470 hectares and featuring a 3.5 kilometer long beach front, it was very clear that preserving nature takes the first priority in the developmental planning.

The club, including its staff, members and the children of the members, have undertaken a lot of environmental projects all aimed at giving back to nature what the club has taken when it started developing the project.

"We had to consider what was inside the property, and for one, we retained the trees we could, also we found out the beach was a nesting ground for turtles so we preserved the frontage and built the casitas farther, in fact we even do direct intervention as needed to ensure the safety of the turtle eggs, including moving them more inland, using soft lights at the beach area, limiting night time activities during nesting season, and then we work with the nearby Pawikan Conservation Center in Morong, Bataan to educate our members and guests about these turtles, "related George Cadhit, general manager of Anvaya Cove Beach & Nature Club.

The 25k Kayak Marathon participants row for the finish line.

The major Corporate Social Responsibility project of the club resort was able to secure a certification to declare the waters off the beach as a Marine Protected Area. The club also put up its own Anvaya Cove Environmental Foundation to focus on environment-related initiatives of the club, including regular coastal clean-ups, mangrove planting and removal of the crown of thorns under the sea.

Even in the choice of sporting activities, Anvaya Cove Beach & Nature Club is very selective and decided to focus only on environmental-friendly sports including hobie sailing, triathlon, an amazing outdoor adventure race, and kayaking.

Just recently, for the second time in three years, Anvaya Cove opened its gates to guests and participants in the Anvaya Cove Kayak Explore, the first leg of the 2013 Philippine Kayaking Series, the country's longest-running kayaking event that does not just focus on the competitive side of the sport but also features eco-touring, something that is very much aligned with the club's own initiatives.

This writer was among the media people invited to the two day event with the first day devoted to the competitive and recreational side of kayaking, including the highlight event, the 25k Kayak Marathon that started from Anvaya Cove all the way to the Lighthouse Hotel in Subic and back. This was won by a pair of Zambales natives, lifeguard Rodolfo Farrales and Roberto de la Cruz, a farm hand, both competing for the very first time in a kayak race.

Brgy. Sabang in Morong, Bataan hosted a Galunggong Fiesta lunch for the Anvaya Cove Kayak Explore 2013 participants.

The pair learned the rudiments of the sport under Val Camara in a community-based livelihood program of Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane, battling strong waves in the open sea, the two clocked 3:28.34 to win the event beating Romeo Castro and Jeffrey Sison for top honors.

The other events on the first day were the 1K beach run – 5K kayak race, also held in Anvaya Cove with club members participating, winners were Juan Plaza and Dinson Dalamas who came all the way from Davao and participated in their very first kayak race.

Regular kayaking and stand-up paddling clinics were also conducted by Val Camara for the benefit of beginners. The second day featured non-competitive events including an eco-touring at nearby Bgy. Sabang in Morong, Bataan which hosted a Galunggong Fiesta lunch for the participants. A coastal clean-up was also done by the participants along the beach front of Anvaya Cove.

Organized by the Sun & Sea Sports Systems, the Lighthouse Marina Resort and the Philippine Kayaking Association, the event brought together major tourism stakeholders in the area including SBMA, DOT-Region 3, the province of Zambales, International School for Sustainable Tourism, Harbor Point and Manila North Tollway Corp. with the support of Mojo Sandals, Power-up Gym, Montanara, and Chris Sports, among others.

The best part is that Anvaya Cove Beach & nature Club is already looking forward to an even bigger kayaking event in 2014.

Source: Manila Standard Today