The 138th Maritime Forum was hosted by DENR Secretary Gen Roy Cimatu, and chaired by Maritime League President Commo Carlos L Agustin AFP(Ret) on 19-October-2018 at DENR HQ, Manila. Guest speakers Dr Cora Claudio; CDR Carter Luma-ang, NAMRIA,; Laguna Lake representative Jose Salandan; Ambassador Vidal Querol (Retired PNP Director), as well as Trustees and members of the Maritime League were…
The Tañon Strait is a body of water, situated between the islands of Negros and Cebu in the Visayas region. The Strait is about 100 miles (161 km) long, and connects the Visayan Sea in the north to the Bohol Sea in the south. Its width varies from 3-17 miles (5 to 27 km), with the narrowest point in the…
With the culmination of the second Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan (MMK) The Search for the Country’s Outstanding Coastal Community, the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) is now accepting nominations for the third season of MMK. An annual program by the DA through the BFAR, MMK gives recognition and incentives to outstanding coastal communities for their…
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In my column in the MR 18-1 (Jan-Feb 2018) issue of this magazine, I wrote about the need to look at coastal towns with tourism potential and figure out how to turn around development deficiencies (e.g., correcting zoning, construction and, environmental violations). I wrote in particular about Coron for four reasons: (1) I’ve been familiar with most coastal communities, including…
Scientific Family. The Giant Clams belong to the genus Tridacna (Bruguière 1797), of which Tridacna gigas is the largest living immobile bivalve mollusk in the world. The Giant Clam is known as “Taklobo” in the Philippines. They live in the shallow coral reefs of the South China Sea, West Philippine Sea, Sulo Sea, Red Sea, but mainly in the Indian…
Beaches around the world are disappearing. Riverbanks are getting wider and deeper, as large sections of riverbanks collapse. Most people would not know about this because sand mining is an invisible problem until it’s too late. Sand is used mainly to make cement for construction projects. Yet after decades of continuous hauling and dredging, the negative impacts have become too…
The Talangka in the Philippines is from the scientific family Grapsidae and species Varuna litterata. Apart from the Philippines, Varuna litterata is also known to exist in Australia, China, Fiji, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Japan, Madagascar, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nansha (Spratly) Islands, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paracel Islands, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. The Varuna Litterata was named in 1798…
Many scientific researches indicate that some celestial objects collided with Mother Earth millions of years ago creating incredibly powerful explosions that led to life extinction of the dinosaurs and other pre-historic creatures. Recently there was news on a certain Planet X Nibiru that some predicted to hit the earth last month. While such risk of collision remains Mother Earth presently…
First of all, let me welcome all the participants composed of representatives from concerned government agencies in the maritime sector for the 127th Maritime Forum. This gathering is being undertaken in coordination with the Maritime League. It is truly an honor to host this event as we continue to work together to ensure that our agencies are being updated on…
The Supreme Court rendered a decision on 18 December 2008 ordering 13 government agencies, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay, and restore and maintain its waters to SB level to make them fit for swimming, skin-diving, and other forms of contact recreation. The case stemmed from a complaint filed…
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was recently mentioned on UNTV News on 05-September-2017 as continuously pushing for the periodic planting of mangroves. DENR is targeting to plant mangroves in more than 50K hectares of swamps, especially in areas frequently hit by typhoons. DENR spends roughly Php50K per hectare as part of the National Greening Program to plant…
PART I “DUTERTE: ‘MINING FIRMS FUNDING DESTABILIZATION PLOT.’ President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday accused some mining firms of financing what he called a ‘destabilization’ plot against his Administration.” Manila Times, 14-March-2017 During a presscon in Malacañang with Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on 13-March-2017, President Rody Duterte said mining firms were funding the political opposition…
An Order was issued proclaiming a Naval Reservation at Bicobian, Isabela by former President Ferdinand Marcos after the Karagatan incident wherein the CPA/NPA/NDF landed some 500 M14 rifles (made in China) on a fishing boat that ran aground at Digoyo Point, Isabela due to rough seas in mid-1972. I later got ordered to move the RPS Iloilo (PS32) from Northern…
There are two crocodile species found in the Philippines – the Crocodylus porosus and the Crocodylus mindorensis. The latter is the specie endemic to and found only in the Philippines. Crocodiles are called “Buwaya” in the Philippines. However, it is used interchangeably to mean either crocodile or alligator. The word “Buwaya” originates from the Proto-Austranesian word “Buqaya.” A. CROCODYLUS POROSUS is…
A colleague recently sent me an article written by Matthew Gault about a “hilarious — and infuriating — database of the government’s ethical shortcomings”. An earlier version of this story was published in November 2014 by the magazine War Is Boring. Just like in the infamous “Laglag Bala” scandal involving personnel of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Department…
“I want the declaration of Martial Law to be the sole prerogative of the President…” – Pres. Du30 (The Manila Times, 24 December 2016) The mere mention by Pres. Du30 of the possibility of martial law last Christmas Eve before an audience of Nanay (mother) volunteers in Pampanga sent frightening shivers among hundreds of their “Kabalens” (provincemates) but also, real…
The Philippine Navy (PN), through the Office of Naval Strategic Studies, in partnership with the Foreign Service Institute and the National Coast Watch Council Secretariat, organized the first Experts’ Dialogue on Maritime Security Governance to discuss the different approaches and mechanisms on how to effectively manage the nation’s maritime domain. Drawing from the experiences and best practices of Indonesia and…
In a third issue I outlined three more issues that have not been addressed from a macro viewpoint: The Manila Bay-Cavite Wetlands, Pollution, solid waste and sewage control, and Solving the solid waste dilemma: the Tokyo Bay and other models. I now wish to address a project that I might con- sider close to my heart, having been the General…