The freak but deadly Mayon volcano eruption

 

Normally the tell-tale sign of a volcano that is preparing to erupt, and which volcanologists are interested about, is what they call the seismic signature. As molten magma moves through rocks, making its way to the surface, it causes small earthquakes. These are called harmonic tremors and are different from earthquakes created along fault lines. Also, there could be a continuous plume of ash and/or steam being blown up in the air.

The fact that Mayon volcano did not show any signs of seismic activity, which means that its pattern of behavior as an inactive volcano has remained the same all these times, the place continued to be open to tourists for viewing.

Supposedly a six-kilometer (3.75 mile) radius “permanent danger zone” has been enforced around the volcano. But, it looks like this instruction has been waived, as it is normally done by authorities, when Mayon is calm and no abnormalities are observed, thus, allowing people to climb up nearer to the crater.

What happened a few days ago could only be described as a freak accident when Mayon made a deadly eruption in what volcanologists described as a 73-second “steam-driven minor explosion” that was not expected to be repeated anytime soon.

Chief state seismologist Renato Solidum said the explosion was triggered when rainwater made contact with hot ash deposits on the crater mouth.

But what a lethal reaction it made, when Mayon, unexpectedly, spewed a giant ash cloud and a hail of rocks that eventually cascaded down where a number of foreign tourists were stationed, crushing some to death.

An Austrian survivor was quoted, saying, “It rained like hell with stones!”

“The rocks that came crashing down on them were as big as dining (table) sets,” a local tour operator said.

The reality about active volcanoes, like Mayon, is that, while predicting its eruption remains an important goal by any volcanologist, the fact remains that it is not an easy task to achieve.

But, barring unforeseen events that trigger its sudden eruption, like what happened to Mayon, the practice of monitoring active volcanoes can always help minimize death tolls, property losses and other economic upheavals.

Tubbataha reef damage “heart-breaking”

 

Chinese vessel stuck in famous Tubbataha reef

How else would you describe it, but “heartbreaking”, every time a UNESCO World Heritage-listed coral reef, like the Tubbataha reef, is wantonly pilfered or damaged.

“The damage the Chinese vessel caused to the reef is heart-breaking,” Angelique Songco, the head of the marine park said in a statement after experts assessed the affected area.

It was bad enough that a US Navy minesweeper, the USS Guardian, went off course and run aground thereby destroying the reef.

It is even worst when a Chinese crew, notorious for encroaching and poaching in our own waters, rams their vessel into one of the Philippines’ most famous reefs damaging almost 4,000 square meters of centuries-old coral.

Fortunately we got them this time because they were not able to extract themselves from where they got stuck. Thus, they were caught with their illegal catches on board.

But, my point is, how many more “heart-breaking” crimes have these people committed before this particular incident happened?

For that matter, how many more of their ilk is out there in our territorial waters giving us the run around and, almost always, snaring the riches of our seas with impunity even in front of our watchful eyes?

Having been caught, it was reported that the government has charged them with poaching and that they could face an additional 12 to 20 years in jail for possession of the pangolins in violation of wildlife law.

It is one thing to be charged and it is another thing to be ‘barking and biting’ them to show that we are willing to walk the talk, come what may.

What I am afraid is that once Beijing starts denying that the 12 Chinese folks were poaching, because, indeed, how could one be poaching in its own territorial waters, as they claim it is theirs, then we stop arguing with them and the case gets quash.

I even doubt that the Beijing will pay the fine of about 95 million pesos ($2.32 million), as the stipulated cost of destroying the coral reef, for the same reason that it is also theirs!

That really puts us between the ‘rock and the dark blue sea.’

Or is it between the ‘damaged  reef and the powdery blue sea’?

China’s relentless poaching and snooping

Frozen, rolled-up pangolins found on board the Chinese vessel Ming Long Yu

It is one thing to commit a navigational error – an honest mistake – and without any hidden agenda, as in the case of the USS Guardian that got stuck at Tubbataha Reef, a protected marine sanctuary, but surely, it is another thing when a Chinese boat, renowned for its illegal and indiscriminate fishing activities in Philippine territorial waters, runs aground in the same wildlife conservation area.

Take for instance the discovery made by the Philippine coast guard when they boarded the Chinese vessel, Ming Long Yu, and found hundreds of frozen scaly anteaters, or pangolins, in the cargo hold.

A protected species, pangolins are widely hunted in parts of Asia for their meat, skin and scales. In China, they are known as a delicacy and are purported to have medicinal qualities.

According to the International Union of Conservation of Nature, all eight species of the insect-eating mammals are protected by international laws around the world.

What is uncertain, however, is whether these endangered creatures have been caught in the Philippine wilds and sold by unscrupulous Filipinos, after having been paid exorbitantly, or purchased somewhere else.

Pangolins are said to be seen roaming in the mountains of Palawan, the nearest land area to Tubbataha Reef where the Chinese boat had been marooned.

One could only wonder what else could have the Chinese fishermen poached, if indeed they were fishermen in a real fishing boat, had they been left to plunder the treasures of Tubbataha Reef unmolested?

It was blessing in disguise that they got marooned or else we could never have apprehended them and would never have known how much they have depleted the population of pangolins, thinking that they were just after marine wildlife.

Now, there are speculations surfacing that the Chinese boat was not a fishing vessel at all and that the 12 Chinese nationals on board were, indeed, “Chinese soldiers who were sent on a mission.”

“As has been noted, the Chinese boat was not like the fishing vessels used by Chinese poachers who were arrested in Palawan. It was not carrying ice to preserve their catch. It did not have refrigerated storage,” said an officer who requested not to be identified.

It was also noted that the men had “flawless” complexions, not the dark-leathered skin of fishermen.

Hmmmmm! Snooping?

Prosecutors have already charged the 12 Chinese fishermen with illegal poaching and with corruption for attempting to bribe Filipinos officials, and if convicted they could face long jail terms.

In the light of these “speculations”, what is important is to establish the fact and erase doubts in the minds of Filipino authorities that these Chinese nationals are indeed fishermen and not intelligence operatives.

Beaver kills man taking close-up picture of animal

 

A man has been reported to have died after he was attacked by a beaver whose picture he wanted to take as close as possible.

Wait a minute now, a beaver? Well, yes, a beaver indeed.

You don’t hear very often beavers attacking people and killing them, but this one probably got annoyed or threatened and fatally bit him.

The man is said to have spotted the beaver while fishing with friends at Lake Shestakov, in Belarus, but as he approached closer to snap a picture, the beaver bit him on the thigh. His friends rushed to his rescue, but the disturbed animal managed to severe an artery that his friends could not stop the blood flow, thus, the victim ended up bleeding to death from the inflicted wound.

Beavers are nocturnal, semi-aquatic rodents known for using their powerful teeth to chomp through trees to build dams on rivers or streams.

Incidents like this serve a lesson to people not to be too trusting with these seemingly interesting, furry and hard working animals.

Meteor falls, causing panic in Russia

Trail of smoke left by the burning meteor

Many stopped their vehicles in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk upon looking at what they thought was a falling, burning plane until witnesses saw a blinding flash that lit up the blue sky, followed by a powerful explosion and then feeling shockwaves, only to realize that it was a meteor hurtling to earth.

Meteors typically cause sizeable sonic booms when they enter the atmosphere because they are traveling much faster than the speed of sound.

The Russian Academy of Sciences estimates the meteor weighed about 10 tons and entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of at least 33,000mph – 15 times the speed of a rifle bullet – and shattered up to 32 miles above ground.

The sonic boom in the atmosphere not only caused panic, but many were hurt when shockwaves hit buildings and shattered windows. It was also reported that mobile communications were disrupted temporarily and alarm of cars sounded.

Russia’s defense ministry said it had identified a six meter crater near a lake in the Chelyabinsk region and has sent soldiers to the site of the impact.

There were no reports that any locals had been hurt directly by a falling piece of meteorite.

For more on this please go to this link: http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/02/15/breaking_huge_meteor_explodes_over_russia.html

 

Largest crocodile in captivity now dead

Lolong now dead

Seventeen months after Lolong, a salt water crocodile, was hunted and captured for causing havoc in the sleepy town of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, Philippines, now comes the bad news that the giant reptile is dead.

For an animal giving the country fame, like being recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records last year as the largest crocodile of its kind in captivity, measuring 6.17 metres (20.24 feet), one would have wanted Lolong to live a little longer.

But, the only way that Lolong could have lived longer was if he was in his natural habitat or if it was an artificial environment, that it should have simulated, at least, the real one. Sad to say this never happened.

When I blogged about Lolong in 2011, http://quierosaber.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/freedom-or-captivity-for-world%E2%80%99s-largest-croc/, I felt strongly that the captive reptile’s end would come much sooner than later, if the decision was simply to keep him for tourist attraction.

While I favored Lolong’s captivity for tourist to come and see the world’s largest croc, which in so doing will also benefit the town of Bunawan, it was, however on the premise that town officials should not confine a giant of an animal in a very limited space.

I even suggested that Lolong be sent for adoption somewhere else if only he could be given the adequate care needed for his long term survival. Giving it up for experts to care for the animal should not have taken away the honor that Bunawan owns it and the Guinness world record.

But, with a myopic vision, the town officials invested on Lolong for whatever proceeds they can earn now from tourists and failed to look at the well-being of the crocodile to sustain the income for the town for a long, long time by giving the poor animal decent and competent care.

The townsfolk may claim that they have given Lolong the best place for him to stay and fed him alternately with meat and poultry ever since he was captured so he may live.

But just living by eating is not enough. What is important for animals like Lolong is the freedom of movement, whether in its natural habitat or in a simulated environment, but not in a cramp space.

If Lolong died because of old age, one could easily accept it.

But what happened to Lolong in his god-forsaken pen still speaks volumes of one’s ignorance and selfishness.

Chinese softshell turtle causing havoc in Phl fishponds

 

Chinese softshell turtle

The Chinese softshell turtle is said to be extensively farmed in China, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam for food, and while this specie, with the scientific name of Pelodiscus sinensis, has been introduced in the Philippines in the early 1900s, lately it has been reported by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that it has been causing havoc in Central Luzon’s local fish and other aquatic animals.

Maximo Dichoso, DENR executive director, expressed alarm over the increasing complaints received by his office from fishpond owners and operators about the turtle preying on local fish species, and bangus and tilapia fingerlings in fishponds.

They likened the turtle menace to the ‘golden kuhol’ that wreaked havoc on rice farms during the 1980s. But this specie of turtle that grows to be about a foot long is carnivorous and aggressive, “preferring to forage at night to feed on fish, crustaceans, mollusks and insects.”

This alarming report has prompted DENR to order a team of biologists and conservation experts to conduct a six-month study to determine the impact of the softshell turtle on the environment and the local fishing industry of the affected provinces, and to identify wildlife management interventions from the government.

“We want to determine the rate of reproduction of this turtle species and come up with a regional policy on the allowable quota for its collection either for food or export,” Dichoso explained, noting that some private individuals have expressed willingness to harvest the turtles for export.

Thus, Dichoso warned the public against propagating or raising the animal as pet, citing that the reptile is considered “a threat to local biodiversity and a pest in the multimillion-peso fishing industries of Pampanga, Bulacan and Bataan.”

There is no doubt that flooding caused by heavy rainfall during storms and/or typhoons has contributed to the proliferation of these invasive species of turtles in fishponds.

For more information about softshell turtles in the Philippines, please visit this link: http://www.academia.edu/796918/The_Chinese_softshell_turtle_established_in_the_Philippines.

 

Tubbataha Reef violated

USS Guardian stuck on Tubbataha Reef

Much has been said already and anger is mounting among Filipinos about the violation committed by an American minesweeper that run aground on the Philippines’ Tubbataha Reef, a World Heritage-listed coral reef.

While the U.S. Navy has apologized already and the extraction of the stranded ship is only a matter of time, what really leaves a bad taste in the mouth is the utter display of insolence by the officers and crews of USS Guardian in ignoring and dismissing the warnings radioed to the ship by the authorities of the Tubbataha marine park that they were closing in on the preserved reef.

Whether or not the ship’s officers knew that the Tubbataha Reef, located about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southeast of the western island of Palawan, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Sulu Sea, and whether or not their nautical charts were faulty, as they claimed it to be, the fact, however, is that the warnings went unheeded and urging instead the park rangers to bring their complaints, if any, to the US embassy, smacks of nothing but arrogance and superiority complex.

One can’t help but wonder that with all the sophisticated navigational equipment the ship has on board, it has not been able to detect the shallow reef. Obviously it is the ship officer’s imperiousness that got them into this flagrant, if not shameful error of judgment.

The site is protected by Philippine law, and is off-limits to navigation except for research or tourism approved by the marine park superintendent.

More than fines for “damages to the reef” and “destroying resources”, which the government would surely try to settle for later, if only to appease the militants in the streets, what the government should do also is counsel military powers that when passing through ours or any country’s territorial waters, proper discretion and respect for the sovereign nation’s authority is of utmost importance and consideration.

Let us not allow distrust nor tension brought about by senseless attitude and unintelligent judgment by some people to mar our country’s and our people’s excellent relationship.

Moving out squatters from waterways a laudable move

The plan of the Aquino government to move about 100,000 squatters from important waterways in Manila by the middle of this year to be able to control flooding much better and have them stay in safer shelters, which they can call there own, can only be describe as very laudable, indeed.

It may be late in coming, but to think that government is doing something and spending money for the right reason – that of saving lives and properties from destruction, which could very well be the trend now, year after year, when we have weather disturbances caused by global warming – is enough to make you feel that this government has the welfare of the poor people in mind, too.

There is no denying that the waterways, especially the major ones, are the most convenient places to erect shanties. They have the area below open for their disposal, including their wastes. So what is there to worry about?

The number of people keeps on adding up and garbage of all sorts increase exponentially and starts sinking and filling up the waterways. A little rain will probably carry some rubbish downstream, but most will just get stuck somewhere. In due time nothing moves anymore.

And so when the country is hit by heavy rainfall, the local government units (LGUs) have their hands full saving lives amidst all the garbage strewn everywhere.

We could not really just heap the blame on the poor people living the way the live on top of waterways. They are eking out a living to support a family and they are eking it in poverty – the only way they know how.

Most to blame, no doubt, are national and local officials in government, those whom we call public servants, for looking but not seeing, for hearing but not listening and for being so insensitive to the plight of these sector in our society. Politics have made them all callous to the ugly and worsening situation happening right in their midst. One can lose an election even at the slightest hint that you are moving them out far and to an uncertain place.

It is, therefore, more than a whiff of fresh air to know that the Aquino government has already allocated 10 billion pesos ($246 million) for the project this year and is preparing “medium-rise buildings” as new homes for the squatters. It is hope. It is light at the end of the tunnel. It is a dream come true for the poor.

Relocating them to an area familiar to them and near where their work would not be disrupted has been and is good strategy by government.

According to Interior Undersecretary Francisco Fernandez there are more than 11.8 million people living in the capital and as many as 20 percent could be squatters who build shanties in empty lots, under bridges, on waterways or any vacant place they can settle.

Moving out those on waterways is a good start. We have to start somewhere, anyway.

Perhaps, the sin tax bill is doing wonders already. But, more than this, political will is what is needed. As the saying goes, when there’s will, there’s a way.

This project by the Aquino government and the other laudable projects that will follow, aimed for the good of people and country, sets a trend that whoever wins the presidency in 2016 shall have to carry the programs to completion during his incumbency.

This is Aquino’s legacy worth looking forward to.

The certainty of it happening, however, is if and when the electorate overwhelmingly supports the Liberal Party come 2016 presidential elections.

Otherwise, we will have another fellow running this government, who, like a dog, will simply start peeing all over the place trying to leave a scent of his being and the country sliding back.

Logging ban murder at the start of 2013

 

It has been reported that two unidentified men armed with M-16 rifles shot environment department officer Alfredo Almueda in the head at the start of 2013 as he waited at a forest checkpoint to intercept a truck carrying illegally cut logs.

It does not only signal a bad omen, but it also foretells a continuing inability of government to implement the nationwide log ban that would, God forbids, also continue to cause havoc among the many poor Filipinos living in the hinterlands from flash floods and landslides caused by typhoons.

“This attack clearly demonstrates the ruthlessness of those responsible for the rape and destruction of our forests,” Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said, condemning the latest killing.

Paje said Almueda, 59, was the victim of persistent efforts by illegal loggers to silence “environmental defenders”.

Statistics show that Almueda’s killing brings to 21 the number of environment department personnel, deputized workers and volunteers who have been killed since a nationwide logging ban was imposed two years ago.

One would think that for foresters to be described as “environmental defenders”, that they have all the means to protect the forests and themselves.

But, in fact, these government workers are said to be underfunded, outnumbered and poorly armed, who often than not are left being taunted and bullied by illegal loggers often linked to powerful businessmen and corrupt public and military officials.

It may be recalled that sometime last year, Melania Dirain, a local DENR officer in Cagayan Valley was shot dead by a lone gunman as she worked in her office. She had been credited with the strict enforcement of logging rules in the area.

The unfortunate thing about these killings is that while the perpetrators are easily identified and caught with the help of CCTVs, which Paje had ordered install in all local DENR offices, lives have not only been shattered then and there, but in the long run the environment is destroyed and more struggling Filipinos are at risk of losing their lives because of a disaster waiting to happen brought about by unscrupulous individuals.

We can only hope that the brutal killing of Almueda will finally awaken the sensitivities of both the national and local officials that they be determined in apprehending illegal loggers and those behind it and make sure they get penalized according to the law.

Unless these are done, there will always be Sendongs and Pablos to compare with.