BALANGA CITY, Bataan — The coastal barangays of this city have become a haven for thousands of migrating forest and water birds coming all the way from as far as Europe and neighboring countries in Asia.

Even Tourism Secretary Ace Durano and foreign tourists from Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea who attended the recent bird festival in Balanga were impressed by the flock of the attractive migratory birds here.

Balanga Mayor Joet Garcia said there are around 15,000 birds belonging to 35 species hovering in Balanga’s coastal villages regularly, particularly in Barangays Tortuga, Porto Rivas and Sibacan.

The migratory birds include Little Egrets, Purple Herons, Brahminy Kites, Peregrine Falcon, Chestnut Checked Starling, White Breasted Waterhens, Rails, Wood Sandpiper, Rufous Necked Stint, Grey Heron and species of Kingfishers, Flowerpeckers and Sandpipers.

This prompted Garcia and other provincial government officials to allocate funds for the construction of the Balanga Wetland Park with an area of about two hectares. The project will cost between P20 million and P30 million.

Located on the western edge of Manila Bay, Balanga City is a perfect spot for watching migrant shorebirds and waterfowls that usually take an annual North-South migration pattern all over the world.

Balanga, according to the Wild Bird Club here, is an ideal stopover for migrating forest and water birds from Russia, China, Japan, Korea, Siberia and as far as Canada due to its preserved thick mangrove forest, grassland and wetland. The birds are usually spotted in the early morning and in the afternoon during the months of October up to March.

Balanga is a fast-developing component city and the provincial center for education, culture, tourism and technology.

"We have already poured in P5 million for the information center in our Wetland Park and construction is going on with the help of Wild Bird Club who made the design. No fees were being collected from bird watchers, but they are encouraged to plant in the mangrove area to help in the development of the land," the mayor said.