MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – This relatively new tourism destination in Bohol province is part of the 417 hectares of uplifted seashore that covers Barangays Pig-ot, Tangnan, Cuasi, Tontonan, and Song-on in the municipality of Loon.
In a Facebook post, the National Museum of Bohol said that the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the province on October 15, 2013, uplifted the southern portion of the shores of Loon, from the vicinity of Canhangdon Occidental to Song-on.
Four years later, the uplifted area, especially the one located in the vicinity of Barangay Tangnan, was encroached by several terrestrial plants that include the invasive purslane and amaranth species that create a red-orange carpet during the summer months.
“The area came to be known as the Loon Coral Gardens and became an internet sensation. It has since been frequently visited, mostly by local tourists,” the National Museum of Bohol said on its FB post.
It added that the 13th Sangguniang Bayan of Loon passed Municipal Ordinance No. 14-003 to name the uplifted seashore as the Loon Coastal Geomorphic Conservation Park and to mandate its protection and conservation.
On May 14, 2015, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also issued Administrative Order No. 2015-08 declaring the area a geological monument.
Photos below are courtesy of the National Museum of Bohol:
