The Clearest Water In the World

American news site Daily News Dig recently came up with a list of “35 Clearest Waters in the World to Swim in Before You Die”, where Palawan's Linapacan Island occupied the top spot.

“This island is in a remote province and home to many beaches with super clear water. The island has a population of just 14,180 people,” read the short caption below a snapshot by Scott Sporleder of the breath-taking clear water by the tiny island.

Linapacan is a medium sized island in the Calamianes group, located between Coron to the north and the Palawan mainland to the south. There’s no public ferry or air travel, so getting there can be a bit of an adventure, riding on some of the banca boats from Coron and Taytay that bring supplies to the island.

New Population of Rare Irrawaddy Dolphins Found in Palawan

A new Philippine population of critically-endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) was reported recently by WWF-Philippines. 

Spotted by chance off Quezon, municipality of Palawan, this pod of rare marine mammals, locally called Lampasut, was observed displaying typical behavior, foraging for prey around lift net fish traps sitting approximately one kilometer offshore.

Read more:

• http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?208457/New-Population-of-Rare-Irrawaddy-Dolphins-Found-in-Palawan
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrawaddy_Dolphin

ADB approves grant to Palawan to help prevent turtle poaching

The Asian Development Bank has approved a P1-million grant to Palawan to help address marine turtle poaching and other illegal activities in the province’s southernmost municipality of Balabac.

Governor Abraham Kahlil Mitra, in a press conference on Thursday, said the grant facility aimed to provide alternative livelihood to communities to discourage poaching and other environmentally destructive activities.

Balabac has been frequently targeted by foreign poachers, mostly Chinese, seeking marine turtles. Government enforcers involved in more recent operations to stop marine turtle poaching have observed that some members of local communities were working in cahoots with foreign poachers.

Also on Thursday, Palawan received from Hong Kong authorities a shipment of rare and critically endangered freshwater turtles and other animals highly prized in the black market pet trade which were confiscated from a travelling Chinese national the other week.

Among the cargo were 39 Philippine forest turtles, rare species found only in Palawan, 19 Mindanao water monitors, 49 Asian box turtles and a reticulated phyton.

While in previous years, Chinese turtle poachers have been arrested and detained in Palawan, recent cases showed a pattern where locals were capturing the endangered marine turtles using capital and equipment provided by Chinese buyers.

“This grant will help transform those communities and wean them away from temptations to engage in illegal activities,” Mitra said.

He said the ADB and the Department of Foreign Affairs signed an agreement in July to implement the grant.

Balabac has also been cited by environmentalists for mangrove destruction, done mainly by debarking the trees for tan bark which are used as raw material for the manufacture of cloth dye and medicines.

Source:

• http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/244003/palawan-gets-grant-to-prevent-turtle-poaching

Pag-asa Island opens school

A new Filipino kindergarten school has opened on Pag-asa Island (Hope in Tagalog), the biggest of the seven islets which comprise the Kalayaan Group of Islands in the western section of the province of Palawan. Kalayaan is a 6th class municipality and has one barangay located in Pag-asa island. The other islets are Likas, Parola, Lawak, Kota, Patag and Panata. Also found in Kalayaan and part of Palawan province are the Ayungin and Rizal Reef.




The school was inaugurated without any publicity on June 15. Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon said that his aim was to help the 37-hectare island’s civilian community and not to antagonize rival claimant countries. The island serves as a town proper to the Municipality of Kalayaan and is currently inhabited by a civilian population of about 300 Filipinos, among which are many children.

The island has a significant number of structures, including a runway maintained by the Philippine Air Force, a police station managed by the Philippine National Police, a municipal and multi-purpose hall, health center, school, water-filtration plant, marina, communication and observation towers, a commercial mobile phone station, civilian houses and military barracks. Last year, a ferry wharf was also constructed.

The municipality has a long-standing policy of protecting the island's environment. Aerial photos of the island reveal that more than 70% of the island is still covered with trees, which is in contrast with islands occupied by other coubtries where many trees were already cut down. Besides fishing, the residents raise pigs, goats and chickens and plant crops in an allotted space to supplement their supplies of goods provided by a naval vessel which visits once a month. By day, the residents get electricity from a power generator owned by the municipality. By night, they shift to stored solar power which comes from 1.5V solar panels installed throughout the island.

Among the numerous plans for the island are the creation of a long causeway that leads all the way to a deep water region. The island is completely surrounded by its expansive shallow coral base. This caused a Philippine Navy's ship to run aground during a failed attempt to dock near the island in 2004. The damaged ship currently remains at the site of the wreck. Additionally, the Philippine Navy has proposed a naval base be built on the island, specifically for the purposes of training the Philippine Navy's elite Special Warfare Group and Navy Seals. In contrast, the municipality proposes that the island be developed for tourism. The island has a white sand coastline, is filled with trees, and is a sanctuary for several species of sea birds. Its wide coral base could serve as an excellent diving spot.

Two giant crocodiles captured in Bataraza

The Palawan Wildlife Conservation Council (PWCC) said two large crocodiles, a male and a female, were captured in Bataraza town in south Palawan early this week. According to the PWCC the male crocodile measures about 16 feet and was captured early Tuesday, while the 10-foot female crocodile was caught Monday night.

The crocodiles were captured after traps were set up when several residents reported several attacks by crocodiles, among which there was a fisherman who was reportedly bitten by a crocodile in the area.

The captured reptiles were named “Valentino” and “Valentina” and were turned over to a crocodile farm in Puerto Princesa.

The PWCC said crocodiles only surface if their natural habitat is being threatened.

In July 11 last year, another 13.7-foot crocodile was also captured in Bataraza town. The male crocodile was captured in a trap set up along the Rio Tuba river and had to be tied, blindfolded and carried by more than 10 men. It was estimated to weigh up to 770 pounds (350 kilos).


Source: 
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2012/02/15/2-giant-crocodiles-caught-palawan-206211

Puerto Princesa Underground River becomes one of the New7wonders

The Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) is officially one of the New7wonders of nature, authorities said Saturday. Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders, announced that the 8.2-kilometer navigable river made it to the list, according to the New7Wonders site.

“When your very own President Aquino came out in support of the PPUR campaign, I knew that this country was taking the New7Wonders of Nature seriously, Fans of PPUR all over the world responded to his call for action by voting in record numbers and today’s confirmation is the well-earned reward for this extraordinary display of enthusiasm,”  Weber added.

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino himself campaigned for PPUR's victory, noting that its inclusion in the New7Wonders would not only "bolster a sense of national pride" but will also provide employment. "We must also remember that the tourists we can potentially attract will redound to thousands of employment opportunities; our success here will ultimately breed success for Filipinos everywhere," Aquino had said.



These news might help boost Philippine tourism and comes just weeks after the Department of Tourism unveiled its new tourism slogan "It's more fun in the Philippines," to attract more foreign travelers.

Puerto Princesa Underground River is located some 50km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, on Palawan island in the Philippines. It consists of a limestone karst mountain landscape, several large chambers containing significant formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and an 8.2 km. navigable underground river that winds through a cave before flowing directly into the West Philippine Sea. At the exit, a flawless lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water’s edge.