MANILA — Three bays in Mati City, Davao Oriental were hailed as among the most beautiful in the world, the local government said.

The Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World gave the distinction to the bays of Pujada, Mayo, and Balete.

Delegates of the Mati City government received the certificate of recognition during the club's 16th congress at the Sokha Resort in Sihanoukville City, Cambodia on Saturday.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attended the congress.

The three bays in Mati were also recognized by the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World in June 2020.

A few months before the recognition, two officials of the Club personally visited Mati City for its validation of the application.

The city government said it was only Pujada Bay that it hoped to be included in the list. But the club decided to also include Mayo and Balete bays due to their proximity to each other.

The awarding ceremony was initially scheduled in Morocco in December 2020, but was postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aside from the Mati bays, another Philippine bay in the list is the Puerto Galera Bay in Oriental Mindoro.

About 130 delegates from 35 countries across the globe attended the club's 16th congress.

— Report from Hernel Tocmo

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