Bongsanglay Natural Park is a Protected Area of mangrove forests and swamps on Ticao Island in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. It is located in the municipality of in the island province of covering an area of 518.9 hectares. The Protected Area was established on 29 December 1981 when the area "from Panciscan Point in Biton Bay up to Bano Sanlay" in Batuan was declared a Mang
rove Swamp Forest Reserve under Proclamation No. 2152 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos. In 2000, when President Joseph Estrada signed Proclamation No. 319, Bongsanglay was reclassified as a natural park pursuant to the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act. It is included in the list of legislated PAs pursuant to the ENIPAS Law or RA 11038 signed on June 22, 2018. In October 2019, it was awarded the 2nd runner-up Best Mangrove Award in the prestigious PARA EL MAR Awards and Recognition. Bongsanglay Natural Park is the only remaining primary-growth mangrove forest in the Bicol Region as all the other regional mangroves have been replanted. It is located in the barangays of Gibraltar and Royroy near the southern tip of Ticao Island by the Biton Bay facing the Ticao Pass and Samar Sea. There is also a 1,000-meter canopy walk that traverses the park for patrolling and ecotourism purposes. The park hosts 32 species of true mangroves dominated by the Rhizophora spp. which also include Avicennia species (Avicennia officinalis) which was declared the Biggest Mangrove Tree in the Bicol Region during a search conducted in CY 1998. It also supports 68 avifauna species, including mangrove heron, Pacific reef heron, little egret, wandering whistling duck, white-collared kingfisher, Pacific swallow, common emerald dove, zebra dove, amethyst brown dove, common cuckoo, river kingfisher, pied triller, grey wagtail, grey-tailed tattler and the endemic Philippine duck. In addition, 3 species of amphibians and 11 species of reptiles have also been observed in the park. The facilities in the PA include the PAMO building, Multi-purpose Hall, Store room of equipment, Wharf, View Deck and boardwalk, electricity, and water supply. Two (2) People's Organizations, Royroy United Fisherfolks Association (RUFA) in Brgy Royroy operates ecotourism and oyster farming biodiversity Friendly Enterprise (BDFE) which includes 2 floating cottages, 1(5-8 seater) motorboat, a homestay with toilet, double decks with clean beddings, 2 plastic kayaks (2 seaters), 2 wooden kayaks, 2 stand up paddle boards, booties, snorkels, life jackets, binoculars for rent, and mini sari-sari store with a refrigerator for cold drinks. The other People's Organization is Gibraltar Fisherfolks Alliance (GFA) located at Brgy. It operates a community-based ecotourism BDFE which includes a 2 bedroom homestay with a toilet for each room, a living room with a kitchen/dining room with electricity, electric fans, tables, chairs,, gas stove, cooking utensils, etc.. There are 4 floating cottages, diving equipment, snorkels, booties, and life vests for rent.
