Pedada Mangroves - An Artists' Delight

Honestly, i had grave misgivings about this place one day before I visited the mangrove forest in Brgy. Pedada in the town of Ajuy in Ilo-ilo. There were no facilities yet, except for a boardwalk that was in the initial stage of construction by the local people's organization (with technical assistance and funding from the Zoological Society of London and the local government unit). There were still rough portions of the road leading to the site, and the community was simply not yet ready to accommodate tourists (which was my role in the first place - to help them in this community-based tourism initiative).

On the night before our trip to the site (and in the middle of a power interruption which added to dampening my spirit, I was ready for a major dissapointment.

But I was greeted by a nice surprise (this part is getting to be predictable in my many posts! ha ha!..).

Yup, the centuries-old mangrove forest is not for the usual tourists (but hey, couple this with the islands, beaches and reef areas, then the story will be a lot different!).

The Pedada Mangrove is for the artists and photographers. And it is also for the students of nature. You have to be there to absorb its visual treat. And you have to be armed with a canvass or a camera to prove your presence.

It will take some more months before the Pedada Mangrove forest would be able to accommodate visitors. At present, the local community is happy allowing students, artists and photographers to the site. More will have to be done to develop tourist attractions and facilities for the typical tourist to enjoy the area.

The town of Ajuy is about two hours from Ilo-ilo City and Pedada (which is located 15 kilometers before the town proper) is about three kilometers from the main road.