Malampaya Gas Field

The Malampaya Gas Fields is a natural gas field. In order to fully understand what a gas field is, we should learn what natural gas is. Natural gas is the mixture of mainly methane, a compound with one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. Natural gas occurs deep beneath the earth’s surface and is used mainly for fuel, materials, and chemicals. The location of the Malampaya Gas Field is at the West Philippine Sea. This field started operating their production in 2001 while they founded this in 1992.

Here’s a story told by the Malampaya:

The Malampaya story is a story of resilience, perseverance, and innovation spanning over a decade. In 1989, a small gas reservoir called Camago was discovered in the area of service contract 38 (SC 38). In 1990, upon acquisition of a 50% participating interest in SC38, SPEX joined the search for natural gas reserves. Two years later, the Malampaya gas field was discovered and was later found to be connected to the Camago structure.

SPEX drilled five wells to determine the amount of gas available in Malampaya. The findings confirmed the presence of a formidable power source 80 kilometers northwest of Palawan island–about 2.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves and 85 million barrels of condensate, located some 3,000 meters below sea level. In 1995, after comprehensive studies, it was concluded that Malampaya presented an extraordinary opportunity for commercial gas development in the Philippines.

The development of Malampaya posed a myriad of daunting logistical, social, environmental, and financial challenges. It required the active participation and involvement of government agencies, communities, and both Filipino and multinational companies. The DOE played a key role in making Malampaya a reality.

In 1998, former President Fidel V. Ramos signed the declaration of commerciality of the venture. Three-and-a-half years later, in October 2001, the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project was inaugurated in a special ceremony at the onshore gas plant in Batangas.

I hope this has given you a better overview on what the Malampaya Gas Field is and what’s the importance.

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

Dying Paradises of the Philippines

The Philippine waters are usually full of beautiful fish and colorful, live corals. Taking a look back it can change your views on a lot of things. You could have discovered a variety of different colors, shapes, and sizes. There were such a great amount of schools (of fish) you could see as you swam around and had your sunset walks. Everything might have looked great on the outside with shimmering light blue water which seemed so perfect you couldn’t believe your eyes. But, the real story is within. You can’t always see what’s happening on the outside so we have to really dive in and find out. And, while there are many other beautiful utopias (^_~), we will be concentrating on the Philippines waters.

Philippines waters: Some are protected… Some aren’t

Because of the Philippines bountiful amount of marine life, 100 scientists have claimed it (the Philippines) to be the world’s “center of marine biodiversity”. That is a pretty great achievement. So that means 100 different people (that are scientist!!) have all agreed on the fact that the Philippines is full on boasting with underwater sea creature…… cool! And, if you go scuba diving, in some areas, you would feel like you were just transported into a new world. We need to learn to take care of this.

Intro to the Coral Triangle: Underwater heaven 

Did you know that the Philippines is part of the Coral Triangle? This (the coral triangle) is a marine area stretching far across six countries which are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor – Leste and Solomon Islands. Others say that it’s nearly the size half of America.Anyways, the Coral triangle is mostly famous for its astonishing amount of corals ranging from 500 to 600 different species of reef – building corals.But, that is not all! This (slightly broken) triangle supports, nurtures, and maintains more than 2000 species of reef fish!! It was on 2007 that the WWF started its Coral Triangle Program. The WWF has taken up the challenge to protect the Coral Triangle and develop sustainable solutions to help the inhabitants of the region. With the help of the USAID, the Conservation Internation, The Nature Conservancy, and the WWF are all working together on policy, fisheries management, marine protected areas and climate change adaption.

Donsol bay: Sneak peak of the biggest fish in the world

Also, the biggest fish swims within the 2000 species of reef fish.This fish is called the whale shark! If you haven’t heard of one or seen one you could watch (the awesome film) Finding Dory. And, yes, this type of fish is called a whale shark. If you want to see and swim with these big fishes, you could go on an adventure to Donsol bay which is also connected with the Coral Triangle. This is one of the many Paradises of the Philippines where you could go to enjoy the bar, hotel, restaurant and more! And, don’t worry….. Whale Sharks, the biggest fish in the world, eats the tiniest living organism in the ocean…. you are safe (most likely) just follow the rules and regulations of not touching them, riding them and chasing them (there is still more). Also, these creatures are very gentle and curious (so they will most likely try to approach you) but you should avoid making any physical contact with the oils on your skin may harm the Whale Shark. And, the good thing about this bay is that it is a marine protected area and that is why you could only snorkel with the Sharks (fish, remember they are fish). Although there is another place called Oslob (in Cebu) where you could find these fish but I advise not to go because it is a huge tourist attraction which has destroyed most of the forms of environmental awareness.

Also, if you are planning to visit, the beach is alluring.

Tubbataha Reef

The Tubbataha Reef is one of the 240 protected areas in the Philippines. It is located at the center of the Sulu Sea. This reef was once a very peaceful, filled with color and life area but it is currently suffering from overfishing, exploitation, and destruction. When other fishing grounds started declining of its fishes, sailors went to Tubbuataha in hopes of more fish in their motorized boats. Some of the problems that evolved over time (very quickly), was that the sailors started using (very, very bad) techniques for fishing like utilizing cyanide (extremely toxic salts that contain anion CN⁻) and dynamite fishing (the practice of using explosives to kill schools of fish). Also, because the boats they (the sailors who started filling up the Tubbataha Reef) used were motorized which polluted the reef with a lot of oil.

Dynamite fishing === Bad…. just bad

This was too much. Explosions?!? This is illegal.

The decision was made with the help of some scuba divers and environmentalists who campaigned to turn the Tubbataha Reef into a national marine park. On August 11, 1988, with the aid of the President, Corazon Aquino, the Proclamation no. 306 was signed, which helped the establishment of 2 (not 1 but 2) Tubbatha reefs into a national marine park of 82,000 acres. Because of this (big) step, Philippines had just done a first time for declaring a marine area into a national park. This national marine park was then being properly taken care of by rangers sent by the Presidential Task Force.

Throughout their (the rangers) early years of protecting the park, they had a few problems. One of their struggles were that in 1996, sliding and shifting sand caused the unstableness of the rangers wooden structure tents. They overcame their problems (yay!) and the marine park rangers are now settled in a styrofoam-reinforced concrete structure. Their location is found on the Southeast Islet on the Tubbataha’s North Atoll. And, they have got their cool equipment with them such as patrol boats, utility boats, radars, radio communications, geo-positioning system (GPS) units, and basic research equipment. 24 hours/7 days a week is the times that the natural park is being guarded by (armed) rangers.

There are plans made by the World Wildlife Fund (or WWF) to make a modernized ranger station that was announced during the 25th anniversary of the Tubbataha’s Reef’s national park declaration in 2013. And, as the WWF says, legendary heroes need great hideouts – Batman had his Batcave, Darth Vader had two Death Stars and Voltes V had Camp Big Falcon.WWF, the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park boasts of unparalleled biodiversity levels. Over 360 hard coral and 600 fish species inhabit the park, which continuously seeds the Sulu Sea with life!!! And, this reef is also a UNESCO World Heritage.This means that this park was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a special cultural or physical significance.

Future “bat cave” envisioned by the WWF

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just wanted to say thank you to the rangers that are helping guard the Tubataha Reef against exploitation. Thank you for caring about our environment here in the Philippines. Because of the rangers that make it their job to watch on a daily basis, the Tubataha Reef is properly being taken care of. Also, thank you to the strong campaign composed of scuba divers and environmentalist (people who really cared and spent time in the ocean) who made it possible for this reef to be protected and noticed, more!

Trivia: Did you know that on the back of the 1000 pesos bill you could spot the Tubbataha? Now you know!

 

Going there: “Are we there (the national water park) yet?” 

If you are planning to visit this heaven, you will have to take a plane ride to Puerto Princesa. Then from there, it will take about 10 hours to get to the park from Puerto Princesa. That’s a pretty long time but I am absolutely sure that it will be worth the time that was taken. Maybe you could bring some board games or books on your 10-hour trip. Also, the best times to go there would be around mid-March until mid-June…. the waters are calmer at those times. You could also check this, http://www.gopalawan.travel/travel-info/tubbataha-reefs-natural-park, website for more info to book.

Coron: Almost got destroyed by Nickelodeon

“Excitement is something that could blind people from seeing the true about how it could destroy life.” ~ L.O.A.S.H

This was a direct quote from me ^_~. When I wrote “Excitements” I was referring to the one that Nickelodeon was planning to set up. Just recently, Nickelodeon made the plan and announced that they were going to make an underwater theme park in Coron. For me, this sounded so fun I mean I love theme parks but what it also sounded like was that this park was going to be the very thing that would destroy Coron.

In case you haven’t heard of Coron I will be giving you guys a “short” introduction about it. In Palawan, Coron is a first class municipality (a city or town that has corporate status and local government). It’s beach and waters are usually quite and calm. The view is spectacular and the water seems to be crystal clear. After 742 steps of hard – earned sweat, you could watch the sunset in a beautiful angle.

Anyways, proceeding about the theme park. There was a report on January 13-14 where Nickelodeon retracted from building the park because…

 

That was all just a glimpse of what is happening here in the Philippines. There so many people and netizens who are trying to bring a change and help. The Philippines has helped countless people in providing them food and livelihood. But, recently due to the overheating and climate change, more and more fish are dying and more and more people are having a difficult time. Before, if you were to be catching fish you would just take a few hours and barely exert any hard work and your boat would be overflowing with fish. But now, the workload would be longer, harder and less fish would be brought home. This affects all of us. For example, in the market, since it’s become more difficult to catch seafood, the prices will be raised.  We all have a chance to change this. We are all in this together. If you want to help and make a change you can. When you go swimming or have a casual afternoon stroll, you could help by picking up trash. You could teach your local neighborhood more about this. You don’t need millions to help. You. Can. Make. A. Big. Change.

We all have a chance to change this. We are all in this together. If you want to help and make a change you can. When you go swimming or have a casual afternoon stroll, you could help by picking up trash. You could teach your local neighborhood more about this. You don’t need millions to help. You. Can. Make. A. Big. Change.

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

Death Penalty in the Philippines

You probably know what a death penalty is, right? Well, it’s a very crucial punishment that the government has done before to people who have violated the law. For example, if you committed a crime, before, then you would go to jail but now you would die. It was terrible, really. But, there is a threat that the death penalty might return to the Philippines soon.

Timeline of the death penalty (in the Philippines):

It all started a long, long, long time ago.

1800 – 1890: The Spanish Periods

The 18th century is when the death penalty was first implemented in the Philippines. It was the Spanish who started it all. Their reason was to lessen the riots and rebellions. This was known as the Spanish Period. What the Spanish colonizers first did was bring to the Philippines with them a system known as the Europe’s penal system. The penal system is when people get punished for violating laws. The punishments in the penal system include crucial executions like burning, decapitation, drowning, skinning, garrote (the process of which people were killed by strangulation), hanging, shooting, stabbing and others. I was displeased by the fact that people would actually kill others with such excruciating pain; I was displeased by the fact that people would actually kill one another if they didn’t like the other person. As 1848 passed, the death penalty and the other (very cruel) punishments were only said to impose on locals who challenge or disrespect the authority of the colonizers. Now, the people who are enshrined as heroes like Dr. Jose Rizal, Burgos, Gomez, and Zamora have meted the death penalty and executed. There is actually a movie with Dr. Jose Rizal of how he died and why he is a hero.

1898 – 1934: The American Periods

Nope. It still wasn’t over.

Sadly, the American colonizers still retained and kept the death penalty. Also, they (the American colonizers) adopted the Codigo Penal of 1848, at least most of the provisions. In 1932, the Codigo Penal was revised which considered treason, parricide, piracy, kidnapping, murder, rape and robbery (with homicide) as capital offenses and should people who has any of the offenses were to get dealt with a death penalty. Force used against ALL nationalist Filipinos were sanctioned with the Sedition Law (1901); Brigandage Act (1902); Reconcentration Act (1903); and Flag Law (1907), according to the PCIJ Blog.

Of course, there were so many angry people at the time because they thought it was a terrible choice to kill and torture for stealing and others. A man known as Macario Sakay lead a resistance group and later on was sentenced to die by being hanged in public because of it. So what the American authority did was continue the punishments and torture to forcibly put an end to any resistance.

Also, did you know that it was the Americans that introduced the Philippines to electrical chairs? America and the Philippines are the only countries that actually have this type of torturing machine. It sounds crazy, I know.

1965 – 1986: Marcos Years

Ferdinand Marcos was a Filipino politician and a president who ruled from 1965 to 1986. From 1972 to 1981, under martial law, he ruled as a dictator. And, here are some points from PCIJ:

• “Deterrence” became the official justification for the imposition of the death penalty. This is the same justification used for the declaration of Martial Law in 1972.
• The number of capital crimes increased to a total of 24. Some crimes which were made punishable by death through laws and decrees during the Marcos period were the subversion, possession of firearms, arson, hijacking, embezzlement, drug-related offenses, unlawful possession of firearms, illegal fishing and cattle rustling.
• Jaime Jose, Basilio Pineda, and Edgardo Aquino were executed for the gang rape of movie star Maggie de la Riva in 1972. Despite prohibitions against public executions, the execution of the three was done in full view of the public.
• Nineteen executions took place during the Pre-Martial Law period. Twelve were executed during Martial Law.
• Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. was sentenced to die by firing squad for charges of murder, subversion and illegal possession of the firearm in 1977.
• The last judicial execution under the Marcos years was in October 1976 when Marcelo San Jose was executed by electrocution.
• Similar to the reasons for the imposition of capital punishment during the Colonial Periods, the death penalty during the Marcos Regime was imposed to quell the rebellion and social unrest.

1986 – 1992: Time to Chill

Finally, the death penalty was abolished with the 1987 constitution. And, because of this great big step, Philippines became the first Asian country that allowed all crimes to be death penalty free. Everything was down to either life sentences in jail or just short time in jail but death penalty left the Philippines.

Now: ???

There is a huge possibility that the death penalty might come back to the Philippines, again. Before, the 21 crimes that were listed for the death penalty were:

• Treason
• Qualified piracy
• Qualified bribery
• Parricide
• Murder
• Infanticide
• Rape
• Kidnapping and serious illegal detention
• Robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons
• Destructive arson
• Importation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals
• Sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution, and transportation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals
• Maintenance of a drug den, dive, or resort
• Manufacture of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals
• Possession of dangerous drugs
• Cultivation or culture of plants classified as dangerous drugs or are sources thereof
• Unlawful prescription of dangerous drugs
• Criminal liability of a public officer or employee for misappropriation, misapplication, or failure to account for the confiscated, seized and/or surrendered dangerous drugs, plant sources of dangerous drugs, controlled precursors, and essential chemicals, instruments/paraphernalia and/or laboratory equipment including the proceeds or properties obtained from the unlawful act committed
• Criminal liability for planting evidence concerning illegal drugs
• Carnapping

Then after the House Caucus, the list was reduced to 4 crimes to be punished with death penalty. But, now, President Duterte announced that the death penalty that he is trying to revive will only be implemented to drug – related crimes. According to CNN, when asked if he (President Duterte) thought the removal of plunder from the list of crimes contradicted his anti-corruption campaign, Duterte clarified he had only vowed to stop corruption — and not to kill plunderers. It is just a matter of time before we find out if death penalty will come back to the Philippines.

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

National Symbols of the Philippines

Let’s learn the national symbols of the Philippines. Yay.

National Flower:

The national flower of the Philippines is the Sampaguita. It’s mostly adorned for its simplicity and scent. If you smell it….. you’ll be amazed. This flower symbolizes purity, simplicity, and humility. When you have the chance to spot it, you will notice that it’s petals are all white and it really does look simple (yet surprisingly gorgeous). Also, as a fun fact, this flower was declared the Philippines national flower by Governor-General Frank Murphy (an American) in 1934.

 

Name check:

Common Filipino Name:

Sampaguita

Common English Name:

Arabian Jasmine
Asian Jasmine
Asiatic Jasmine
Sacred Jasmine
Sambac Jasmine

Batonic name:

Jasminum Sambac

 

National Bird:

The national bird of the Philippines is the Philippine eagle. I personally find this bird very stunning. Do you like eagles [I do ~_~]? On July 4, 1995, under the proclamation No. 615, the 12th president of the Philippines, Fidel V. Ramos, declared the Philippine eagle the Philippines national bird. And, the reason to why this bird was “the chosen one” was because of its size and rarity. Let’s emphasize the rarity a little because you should know that the national bird of the Philippines is critically endangered!

 

Just 2 questions that are popping in my head:

Why wouldn’t they choose the Philippine Maya bird which seems to be commonly found in the Philippines? What happens if don’t have the power to properly take care of our national bird (which is critically endangered)!?

National Animal:

CARABAOOOOOOOOOO.

The national animal is the carabao. If it wasn’t that obvious with my random outbursts up there, the carabao is the national animal of the Philippines. Until this day, the carabao is still being very helpful in the rice fields. I had an opportunity once to ride one. It was so cooool. Anyways, the carabao symbolizes strength, power, efficiency, perseverance, and most of all,  hardwork.

National Tree:

I love trees.

The national tree of the Philippines is called Nara. It was declared and given the honor of becoming the Philippines national tree on February 1, 1934, by Governor-General Frank Murphy, too. Remember I mentioned above that  Governor-General Frank Murphy was an American (just a trivia). And, while you will need a permit to cut down this tree (with many other types of trees), here are a few uses that the Narra tree is used and could be used for:

• Decorations
• Furniture Projects
• (And, apparently) keys
• Shade ~_^ (You know…. when it gets hot)

The uses of the (Narra) tree’s flower is:

• Honey source

The use of the (Narra) tree’s leaves is:

• Shampoo
• Waxing
• Polish Brass and Copper

National Language:

The national language of the Philippines is Tagalog and Filipino. According to Rappler, Filipino was declared the Philippines’ national language when the President, Manuel L. Quezon, spoke on air using this language with Executive Order No. 134 issued on December 30, 1937. So, this became the national language nearly eighty years ago. If we run through time and go from 1937 to 2012, the president, Benigno Aquino III, addressed the nation in Filipino. If you are interested in checking out the video, which was posted on youtube, you could search up this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5odo4Szfwgw

National Fish:

This is an unofficial national symbol of the Philippines but I just wanted to let you guys know the national fish.

It is Bangus. If you’ve eaten this before…… you’ll know that it has the best taste a fish could have. This isn’t an official national symbol because it hasn’t been through law or declaration.

National flag:

White. Red. Blue. Sun. Stars.

This flag represents liberty, equality, and fraternity. According to the wiki, the blue stripe on the flag stands for peace, truth, and justice(!); the red stripe on the flag stands for patriotism and valor. Unity, freedom, people’s democracy, and sovereignty are what the golden sun at the center of the white triangle stands for. The three stars that go around the golden stars are supposedly the representation of the 3 MAJOR islands where the beginning of the revolution began. The three main islands are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. There are so many words describing just the colors and shapes than what meets the eye (hopefully that makes sense).

The original proclamation explains the meaning of the flag in the following:

And finally it was resolved unanimously that this Nation, already independent from today should use the same flag which it has used, whose shape and colors are described in the attached drawing rendering realistically the three aforementioned forces representing the white triangle as the distinctive symbol of the famed Society of the Katipunan, which through the blood compact impelled the masses to rise in revolt; the three stars representing the three principal islands of this Archipelago — Luzon, Mindanao, and Panay (Visayas) in which the revolutionary movement broke out; the sun indicating the gigantic steps taken by the children of this country on the road to progress and civilization; the eight rays symbolizing the eight provinces of the Philippines,^[a] and the colors of blue, red and white commemorating the flag of the United States of North America as a manifestation of our profound gratitude towards this Great Nation for its disinterested protection which it lends us, and continues to lend us. And, carrying this flag, I unfurl it before the gentlemen assembled here—[List of names of the delegates]—and we all solemnly swear to acknowledge and defend it to the last drop of our blood.

National anthem:

The Philippines national anthem is called Lupang Hinirang. The English translation of Lupang Hinirang is Chosen Land. Beautiful. The whole anthem (which I got from the wiki) will be down below just in case you would like to learn it, memorize it or sing it.

Bayang magiliw, perlas ng silanganan.
Alab ng puso, sa dibdib mo’y buhay.
Lupang hinirang, duyan ka ng magiting
Sa manlulupig, di ka pasisiil.

Sa dagat at bundok, sa simoy at
sa langit mong bughaw,
may dilag ang tula at awit
sa paglayang minamahal.

Ang kislap ng watawat mo’y
tagumpay na nagniningning.
Ang bituin at araw niya
kailan pa may di magdidilim.

Lupa ng araw, ng lualhati’t pagsinta,
buhay ay langit sa piling mo.
Aming ligaya na pag may mang-aapi,
ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo.

The english version of this anthem is:

 

Land of the morning
Child of the sun returning
With fervor burning
Thee do our souls adore.

Land dear and holy,
Cradle of noble heroes,
Ne’er shall invaders
Trample thy sacred shores.

Ever within thy skies and through thy clouds
And o’er thy hills and seas;
Do we behold thy radiance, feel the throb
Of glorious liberty.

Thy banner dear to all hearts
Its sun and stars alright,
Oh, never shall its shining fields
Be dimmed by tyrants might.

 

So those are a mix of some of the official and unofficial national symbols of the Philippines. I really enjoyed writing about this because it opened up some much more information and facts that I’ve never known. I used to look at the Philippine flag and nothing would really come to me but researching and learning what it really means that every inch of that flag and all the colors mean different things has really change my perspective. I hope that what you’ve learned today has interested you.

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H