Jibrael Angel Blog

Two hours in Paradise - Pag-asa islands of the Kalayaan Islands Group

2009-08-13T00:18:00.000-07:00

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Please double click the image to enlarge it.
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Tuesday, 11 August 2009
By TESSA JAMANDRE

THREE months after three other countries formally submitted to the United Nations their claims over the disputed Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), the Philippines finally registered its protests to those claims.

Two protests to the unilateral submissions of Vietnam and Palau and another on the Joint Submission of Malaysia and Vietnam were filed by the Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

The diplomatic protests were received by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the United Nations in New York on Aug. 4, shortly before the deadline. The Philippines almost exhausted the 90-day period given to states to lodge their protest. (Download Philippine protests to the claims of Malaysia, Vietnam and Palau.)

Malaysia and Vietnam on May 6 formally made a joint claim on the southern part of the South China Sea as part of their continental shelf. China promptly protested the submission the following day. Vietnam filed its own protest on May 8, while Malaysia’s note verbale in reply to China’s protest was received on May 20.

Malaysia claims Sabah
One of the areas that Malaysia is claiming as its extended continental shelf was clearly projected from Sabah, thereby effectively declaring Sabah to be a Malaysian territory. Its claim also covers the outer edge of the continental margin in the southern part of the South China Sea, an area that includes the KIG which the Philippines has declared as a regime of islands under its baselines law.

Malaysia and Vietnam are among the claimant countries to the cluster of islands in the South China Sea referred to as the Spratlys. The same islands are also contested by the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and China.

The Philippine claim in the Spratlys covers eight islands and reefs. Along with Malaysia, the Philippines is also claiming Sabah, which is on the northern part of Borneo. For the past decades, the two countries have shelved the issue for the sake of peaceful co-existence between them.

The Malaysian claim over Sabah is based on a perpetual lease that began in 1963. The Malaysian government is still paying an annual rent of 5,300 Malaysian ringgit, or less than P70,000, to the heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu. Sabah was ceded by the Sultan of Brunei to the Sultanate of Sulu, which ruled Sabah until it was leased.

The Philippines formally asserted that Sabah was part of its territory in 1962, based on the claims of the heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu, who had ceded proprietary rights over Sabah to the Philippines.

In their joint submission, Vietnam and Malaysia said they “may make further submissions, either jointly and unilaterally, in respect to other areas.”

Vietnam's claim, China's map

On May 7, Vietnam made a unilateral partial submission of its extended continental shelf in the northern part of its territory, covering part of the disputed Spratlys chain. Unlike the Philippines, China protested on the same day. Vietnam replied to China’s protest on May 8.

It was the first time that China had attached a map to its diplomatic protest to submissions that had to do with the disputed South China Sea. In both notes verbale protesting the joint submission of Malaysia and Vietnam and the unilateral submission of Vietnam, China reiterated its “indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the SCS (South China Sea) and the adjacent waters and enjoys sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the relevant waters as well as the seabed and subsoil thereof.”

China also asserted that such indisputable sovereignty “is consistently held by the Chinese government, and is widely known by the international community.”

Vietnam was quick to note that and pushed back, stating that the map “has no legal, historical basis, (and is) therefore null and void.” It also asserted that the Spratlys archipelago or Troung Sa is part of its territory and that it “has indisputable sovereignty over these archipelagos.”

RP cites UNCLOS articles

While Vietnam and China both declared sovereignty over the disputed area, the Philippine protest merely stated that the “Joint Submission for the Extended Continental Shelf by Malaysia and Vietnam lays claim on areas that are disputed not only because they overlap with that of the Philippines, but also because of the controversy arising from the territorial claims on some of the islands in the area including North Borneo.”

Citing the relevant articles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Rules of procedure of the Commission on the Law of the Sea that disqualifies a submission on disputed areas, the Philippines requested the commission “to refrain from considering the aforementioned Joint Submission by Malaysia and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, unless and until after the parties have discussed and resolved their disputes.”

As of press time, the Philippine protest has drawn no response.

In its protest, the Philippines said the areas covered by Vietnam’s unilateral partial submission are “disputed because they overlap with those of the Philippines.”

Citing the same provisions of the UNCLOS pertaining to disputed areas, the Philippines requested deferment of the commission’s consideration of Vietnam’s unilateral submission.

Potential overlap

The Philippines also contested the submission by the Republic of Palau establishing the outer limits of its continental shelf that lie beyond 200 nautical miles. It said the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea of Palau is measured overlaps with the maritime jurisdiction of the Philippines.

While Palau recognized a “potential overlap” between its continental shelf with that of the Philippines, it stated that its submission is without prejudice to the question of delimitation of that area.

Earlier, VERA Files reported that the Philippines border talks are under way with seven of its neighbors with whom its extended continental shelf may overlap.

The Philippine Archipelagic Baseline law, which defines the territorial boundaries of the country, has projected a continental shelf that overlaps with those of Japan, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Palau, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The converging fishing grounds of the Philippines and Palau have often led to arrests of Filipino fishermen. A fisheries cooperation agreement between the countries is hoped to be forged soon that will establish common fishing grounds as well as allow joint fishing deals.

Palau is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean some 800 km east of the Philippines. Filipinos, numbering about 21,000, comprise its second largest ethnic group. Tagalog, though not an official language, is the fourth most widely spoken language in Palau.

http://verafiles.org/index.php/focus/300-rp-protests-claims-over-kalayaan-islands-before-un

Other Refences :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pag-asa_Island#Municipality_of_Kalayaan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalayaan_Group_of_Islands#History

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spratly_Islands

Photo Essays
Two hours on Paradise

http://www.gmanews.tv/htmfiles/photoessays/twohoursonparadise/

Videos on Pag-asa island :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvn8DBV5TFg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V77NlemThqA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaLhYj4a90E

Air Force chief visits troops on Spratlys' Pag-Asa Island
05/02/2008 | 07:50 PM
http://www.gmanews.tv/video/22029/Air-Force-chief-visits-troops-on-Spratlys'-Pag-Asa-Island

Spratlys' Pag-asa Island is potential tourist attraction
03/26/2008 | 06:55 PM
http://www.gmanews.tv/video/20075/Spratlys'-Pag-asa-Island-is-potential-tourist-attraction

AFP chief visits Spratlys
03/25/2008 | 07:01 PM
http://www.gmanews.tv/video/20006/AFP-chief-visits-Spratlys

Amana Water Park in Pandi Bulacan

2009-08-01T02:48:00.000-07:00

Pls double click the image to enlarge it.

The Vice Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado of Bulacan visited the Barangay Hall of Poblacion, Pandi. The wife of Vice Gov Alvarado is the Congressman of Bulacan's 2nd District.

The above mentioned photos of Pandi were also posted in Skyscraper City Forum
with below weblink.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=40630154#post40630154

Photos of Ayala Avenue and Makati CBD

2009-07-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

0800 hours 27th June 2009

(Pls double click the image to see an enlarge view)

Photos of Sky Garden of SM City - North EDSA and the Rotunda of EDSA, North Avenue and West Avenue.

2009-07-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

You can enlarge the photos by double clicking it with your PC mouse.

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Photo Journal of Sacobia and Paradise Ranch in Clarkfield

2009-07-12T02:49:00.000-07:00

For those who love nature and a little adventure near Clarkfield Pampanga.

(Please click the photos to see an enlarge view.)

SM - Mall of Asia photo journal

2009-06-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

The SM Mall of Asia (MOA) is a shopping mall owned by the SM Group of SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall developer and owner in the Philippines. SM Mall of Asia is the 2nd largest shopping mall in the Philippines after SM City North EDSA. It has a land area of 42 hectares and has a gross floor area of an approximate 410,000 m². The mall is located at Bay City, Pasay City, Philippines just near the SM Central Business Park and the Manila Bay. The mall attracts a daily foot traffic of 200,000 people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM_Mall_of_Asia

(you may double click the photos to enlarge it.)

WEST SIDE OF SM MALL OF ASIA FRONTING THE MANILA BAY

EAST SIDE OF MALL OF ASIA COMPLEX

VIDEOS OF MALL OF ASIA

SM MALL OF ASIA website :
http://www.smprime.com/smprime/index.php?p=508

60th Anniversary of Philippine - Thai Diplomatic relations.

2009-06-20T02:49:00.000-07:00

Celebration of Philippines and Thailand Diplomatic Relations held at Rizal Park, Manila last June 14, 2009.

A delegation from Thai Embassy waiting for Thai Ambassador to lay wreath of flowers in the Rizal Monument.

Mayor Lim and the Thai Ambassador and party, and members of Thai community of Manila.

Mayor Lim of Manila, officials from Philippines DFA, the Thai Ambassador and members of Thai community in Manila.

Mayor Lim giving speeches about the close diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Thailand.

Mayor Lim of Manila and the Thai Ambassador.

Thai Cultural Dance.

Thai Cultural Dance.

Exhibition of Thai Martial Arts

Philippine Cultural Dance - from Muslim Mindanao.

Photos of Japanese Ports

2009-06-19T14:23:00.001-07:00

111th Anniversary of Philippine Independence

2009-06-17T05:02:00.000-07:00

Rizal Park, Manila - June 12, 2009

(You can see an enlarge view by clicking the image)

Kalayaan Islands Group and the Spratly Islands

2009-05-26T02:25:00.002-07:00

THE PHILIPPINES KALAYAAN ISLANDS GROUP ( KIG )
AND THE ADJACENT SPRATLY ISLANDS GROUP.

A group of more than 600 islets, coral reefs, sand bars, and atolls in the South China Sea. The islands are located to the northwest of Brunei, the Malaysian state of Sabah, and the Philippine island of Palawan. Ownership of some or all of the Spratlys is disputed between China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

The largest of the 12 main islets is Itu Aba, with a total area of 36 hectares (90 acres); none is permanently inhabited. The most significant types of local wildlife are seabirds and turtles. Geological surveys indicate that the Spratlys lie atop avast oil and gas reserves, perhaps greater than any previously discovered. The islands also lie along important shipping lanes. The Spratly Islands were controlled by France from 1933 to 1939, by Japan during World War II (1939-1945), and after the war China established a garrison on Itu Aba, which Taiwan retained following its split with mainland China in 1949.

All the competing claimants except Brunei maintain military installations on one or more of the islands. There are periodic armed clashes in the region; in 1988 more than 70 people were killed during a confrontation between China and Vietnam. The Spratly Islands are regarded as a potential flashpoint for regional conflict, especially because China has so far resisted submitting the dispute to international courts.

The Philippine’s Kalayaan Islands Group of which the biggest island is the Pagasa Island (former name Thitu Island) is located more than 200 miles from the main island of Spratly, and not a part of the so called Spratly group of island. Furthermore the Kalayaan Islands Group is inside the Philippine’s Exclusive Economic Zones as defined in the United Nation’s Law of Sea Conference. It allows each coastal nation to exercise sovereignty over a territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles (22 km/14 mi) wide and jurisdiction over resources, scientific research, and environmental protection in an exclusive economic zone up to 200 nautical miles (370 km/230 mi) offshore; beyond this zone, seabed minerals development.

While the claims of China and Taiwan was based on the 2,000 years old maps and records of ancient Chinese Dynastic Kingdom that the islands of Spratly was visited by Chinese fishermen and hence became part of China. However on that mentioned maps the Malay Peninsula and the Philippines was mentioned also as part of the Chinese kingdom which is ridiculous and absurd.

The new Philippine Baselines Law and the Spratly conflict.

The government of the day has decided to push the envelope in its territorial dispute with China over the comparatively small region of the Spratlys off northwestern Palawan.
http://www.american.edu/TED/spratly.htm
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo must have felt she was caught between the proverbial devil and the deep blue sea in terms of meeting a supposed May 13, 2009 deadline set in the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea for nations to file claims defining their extended continental shelf, and of not ruffling Beijing’ feathers

The rich mineral resources believed nesting under the Spratlys which some have estimated to be worth upwards of 20-billion dollars certainly factors into the dispute given how expanded continental shelves are reckoned compared to other parameters in the definition of a nation’s boundaries.

But China’s immediate protest of Mrs. Arroyo’s decision to sign the new Philippine Archipelagic Baselines Law cannot but raise renewed concerns.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/11/content_7569668.htm

Executive Secretary Eduardo asserts the position of Manila quite boldly:
We are sending the message to the whole world that we are affirming our national sovereignty and protecting our national interest. This is the right thing to do. “Whatever problems we may have [on the contested territories], whatever action will have to be contested, will have to be done with the code of conduct agreed upon by the [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] and China

Ermita is apparently referring to this key stipulation in the Code:
4. The Parties concerned undertake to resolve their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force, through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea;5. The Parties undertake to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability including, among others, refraining from action of inhabiting on the presently uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, cays, and other features and to handle their differences in a constructive manner.

http://www.aseansec.org/13165.htm

Taking Malacanang’s position at face value, it may be that Mrs. Arroyo is convinced fully that she has done the right thing.

I will grant her that, given that she still has 4 months left in her term.
But as an ordinary Filipino I am asking myself what will happen if China, given its previous wrangles with other countries who also claim parts of South China Sea (notably Vietnam and Taiwan), takes military action against the Philippines?

http://www.american.edu/TED/spratly.htm

PRESS RELEASE

Information BureauCommunist Party of the Philippines
Arroyo's new baseline is a sellout to China--CPPFebruary 20, 2009
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today slammed the 2009 Baseline Bill, saying that it kowtows to the demands of the Chinese government for the Philippines to surrender its claim of sovereignty over the Kalayaan Islands (Spratly Islands, in international nomenclature) and nearby Scarborough Shoals. The bill was approved Wednesday by the Senate and House of Representatives and will soon be signed into law by Arroyo.

"This is nothing but a sellout to China in exchange for the largesse that Gloria and Mike Arroyo have been receiving from corrupt Chinese bureaucrats and big compradors," said the CPP. "Since Gloria Arroyo began entering into numerous anomalous deals with Chinese officials and corporations, she has been pressing for the outright elimination of the Kalayaan Islands and Scarborough Shoals from the Philippine baseline in order to give way to the claim of the Chinese government of sovereignty over the islands."

While formally maintaining "territorial jurisdiction" over the Kalayaan Islands and Scarborough Shoals, the new baseline bill decisively downgrades the Philippine claim of sovereignty over these through their recategorization as a "regime of islands."

The recategorization, supposedly in recognition of claims by other countries, upsets the old baseline bill that was passed into law as Republic Act 3046 (in 1961) amended by Republic Act 5446 (in 1968) and which includes all areas covered by the archipelagic theory, the surrounding 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and all other areas covered by international treaties since 1898 and presently under the jurisdiction of the Philippines. The old national baseline includes the Spratly Islands, which are only 25 kilometers from the southern tip of Palawan and currently under the jurisdiction of the provincial government of Palawan and garrisoned and occupied by Philippine military forces.

Interest in the Spratlys was heightened after the first major Philippine natural gas discovery in 1976 occurred within the scope of the islands, which now accounts for 15% of all petroleum consumed in the country. The Spratlys, a cluster of islands, shoals, islets, cays and reefs at the edge of the South China Sea, and their surrounding waters harbor rich mineral and oil reserves and other natural resources.

With the recategorization of the areas as a "regime of islands," albeit supposedly "under Philippine sovereignty", the Philippine government has surrendered its exclusive claim over the group of islands and its waters, thus decisively weakening the Philippine claim. In response, China has reiterated its absolute and exclusive claim to the islands. Despite the watering down of the Philippine claim, the Chinese government has formally objected to the wording of the new Philippine baseline bill which still posits a token claim of national sovereignty over the islands.
Aside from the Philippines and China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei are also claiming ownership over the Kalayaan Islands in part or in whole. "The new baseline bill is the pound of Philippine flesh that the Arroyos are paying back to big Chinese bureacrats and corporations in exchange for the millions of dollars in bribe monies Gloria and Mike Arroyo have accumulated from highly overpriced government contracts, including the anomalous NBN-ZTE deal, North Rail and South rail projects, Cyber-education projects, Mount Diwalwal mining deal and other bribery and corruption-ridden deals with Chinese corporations," the CPP stated.

The CPP said further that "The Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) which Arroyo signed with Chinese officials in 2004 was a particularly heinous act of national treachery. The deal allowed China to undertake exclusive seismic exploration and data acquisition in and around the Spratlys, resulting in the Philippines' loss of valuable pieces of information regarding the natural wealth in the disputed area." After the study was completed by the end of 2005, China's Geology and Mineral Resources Ministry had estimated that the Spratlys area holds oil and natural gas reserves of 17.7 billion tons, much bigger than the oil reserves of Kuwait, which has the fourth biggest oil reserves in the world. "None of this information has been shared with the Philippines," said the CPP.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/cgi-bin/statements/releases.pl?date=090220b;refer=kr;lang=eng

OCCUPIED ISLANDS BY OTHER CLAIMANT

Vietnamese controlled islands in Spratly Group and Kalayaan Islands Group

Malaysia's occupied island in the Spratly Group

Chinese Taiwan occupied island in the Philippine's Kalayaan Islands .

Some of China's occupied islands in the Spratly Group and Kalayaan Islands Group.

Articles about Spratly islands, Kalayaan Islands Group, and the Philippine Baseline Law

The New Philippine Baseline Law and the Spratlys Dispute

http://filipinovoices.com/the-new-philippine-baselines-law-and-the-spratlys-dispute

PGMA signs RP Archipelagic Baseline Law

http://www.positivenewsmedia.net/am2/publish/Main_News_1/PGMA_signs_RP_Archipelagic_Baseline_Law.shtml

Arroyo's new baseline is a sellout to China

http://www.pinoypress.net/2009/02/22/arroyos-new-baseline-is-a-sellout-to-china-cpp/

THE BASELINE ISSUE
A position paper By: Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV

http://baselineissue.blogspot.com/

Bickering over the Spratlys

http://midfield.wordpress.com/2008/04/06/bickering-over-the-spratlys/

UP LAWYER: SPRATLYS DEAL WEAKENED RP CLAIM

http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/pe/pe004395.htm

The Spratly Islands Dispute in the South China Sea:
Problems, Policies, and Prospects for Diplomatic
Accommodation

http://www.southchinasea.org/docs/Joyner,%20Spratly%20Islands%20Dispute.pdf

The Spratly Deal - Selling out Philippine sovereignty.

http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=2249

Palace eyes U-turn on Spratly Deal 2

http://www.ellentordesillas.com/?p=2287

Spratly Islands

http://my.opera.com/hotrungnghia/blog/show.dml/1816516

VIDEOS OF KALAYAAN ISLANDS GROUP AND THE SPRATLY ISLANDS

Philippine Baseline Law

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBL8DsqZ6jM

Philippines For Sale - part 2 of 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgrJw95Pp2A

Philippines for Sale - part 3 of 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?Philippines For Sale - part 1 of 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S70xq-v=rFpIp_lqc4s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdImiG0lFgk

View of Batanes Islands from the Sea

2009-05-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

View of Batanes Islands Province from the sea.

The below photos of Batanes were courtesy of friends from Friendster who visited the town of Basco in Batan Island.

View of Batanes Islands Province on our voyage south-bound from Osaka Japan to Subic Bay

Philippines.

Videos of Batanes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4vE9ZH2v5o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6YlzDMd4ow

Photos of Subic Bay and Approaches

2009-05-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

Photos of Sublian Festival in Bauan Batangas (page 1 of 4)

2009-05-02T23:39:00.000-07:00

Photos of Sublian Festival in Bauan Batangas (page 2 of 4)

2009-05-02T19:59:00.001-07:00

Photos of Sublian Festival in Bauan Batangas (page 3 of 4)

2009-05-02T18:16:00.001-07:00

Photos of Sublian Festival in Bauan Batangas (page 4 of 4)

2009-05-02T16:43:00.001-07:00

Anilao Beach - Mabini Batangas

2009-05-01T22:27:00.001-07:00

Keppel Batangas Shipyard at Barangay Bolo, Baun

2009-05-01T15:58:00.001-07:00

View of Port of Manila

2009-04-26T16:35:00.001-07:00

View of Subic Port from the sea.

2009-04-26T14:42:00.001-07:00

Photos of Cebu City

2009-04-26T14:21:00.001-07:00

Photos of Cagayan de Oro City

2009-04-26T08:32:00.001-07:00

Ciudad Murada : Intramuros de Manila

2009-02-19T21:58:00.000-08:00

CIUDAD MURADA, means Walled City or within the walls.

At the tip of the tongue of land that was Maynila, Rajah Soliman had built a fort facing the mouth of the river and the sea. A palisade of logs (the trunks of coconut trees) was meant more to deflect gunfire than to enclose, since it was easy to pass between the logs, planted in the ground about a foot from each other. The fortification proper consisted of narrow mud walls mounted with a dozen pieces of artillery, mostly small-caliber cannon.

The town itself was a mass of nipa huts huddled around Soliman’s palace. There is no mention of a mosque. The palace was a big house with a lot of porcelain and blankets; a number of wooden tanks filled with water; and rich stores of copper, iron, wax, and cotton. Beside the palace was an arsenal. Nearby was a forge where cannon were made under the direction of a Portuguese armorer.

Maynila was considered a great city because it had a population of 4,000. Government was in the hands of two men. Apparently the previous king, Rajah Laya, had, because of old age, abdicated in favor of his nephew Soliman. But the young king kept his uncle on as adviser. So the old Laya held the position of elder statesman and was known as Rajah Matanda.

Maynila was not ignorant of white men; the Portuguese were already active in the Philippines. Still, the summer that brought the whites in large numbers to Manila Bay was epochal. With that summer, the history of Manila begins to have dates. We have entered the calendar of the West.

One day early in June, 1570, Soliman heard that a ship of the palefaces had entered the bay at sunset and anchored off Kawit. The palefaces were Kastila, not Portuguese. An evening conference with his uncle, Rajah Matanda, would have enlightened Soliman on the Kastila.

The old king would remember how, some forty years ago, there had been rumors of these palefaces coming to Cebu and converting the court to their religion. But when their leader was killed on Mactan, the palefaces had fled in terror.

Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the Pasig River, is the oldest among the districts of the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Its name, taken from the Latin, intra muros, meaning "In the walls" also describes its structure as it is surrounded by thick, high walls and moats. During the Spanish Period, Intramuros was considered Manila itself.

The site of Intramuros was originally a large and prosperous Malayan Muslim settlement named Maynilad. The name came from may nilad, nilad being a water plant whose star-shaped flowers clustered in abundance along the low-lying riverbanks. The strategic location of Maynilad, being on the Pasig River and the Manila Bay, made it an ideal location for the locals to trade crafts and produce with other peoples of the then pre-Hispanic Philippines and other Asian countries, especially with ethnic Chinese merchants. Maynilad was also the seat of power for native chiefs who ruled the area before the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil.

In 1570, Spanish conquistadors led by Martín de Goiti, Juan de Salcedo and Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Manila. Goiti and Legazpi's men waged war on the Muslims and indigenous tagalog peoples before they were able to take control and establish a permanent settlment in the area. In 1571 after the Spaniards were victorious in battle, Legazpi made a peace pact with the native muslim rulers, who, in return, handed over Manila to the Spaniards. Citing the rich resources, strategic economic, political and military importance of Manila, Legazpi declared Manila as the new capital of the Spanish colony in the Philippines on June 24, 1571.

CIUDAD MURADA, means Walled City or within the walls.

The King of Spain, delighted at the new conquest achieved by Legazpi and his men, awarded Manila a coat of arms and declared it Insigne y Siempre Leal Ciudad ("Distinguished and ever loyal city"). The planning of the city of Manila was commenced by the Captain General - Governor, Miguel López de Legazpi, who established forts, roads, churches and schools. The plans for Intramuros was based on King Philip II's Royal Ordinance issued on July 3, 1573 in San Lorenzo, Spain. Its design was based upon a medieval castle structure and covered 64 hectares of land, surrounded by 8 metre thick stones and high walls that rise 22 metres.

Fort Santiago

Intramuros Plan - 1700

Intramuros Plan 1762

Intramuros Plan 1800

Intramuros Plan 1851

Intramuros Plan 1898

Intramuros was completed in 1606 and it served as the center of political, military and religious power of the Spaniards during the time that the Philippines was a colony of Spain. Inside Intramuros there are several Roman Catholic churches, like the Manila Cathedral and the San Agustin Church, convents and church-run schools such as the University of Santo Tomas, Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Ateneo Municipal, which were usually being run by religious orders such as the Dominicans, Augustinians and Franciscans.

The Governor's Palace, the official residence of Spanish Viceroyalties to the Philippines was originally in Intramuros before it was officially moved to Malacañang Palace and Fort Santiago. Only Spaniards and Mestizos were allowed to take part on political issues and take residence inside the walled city, Christian natives and ethnic chinese were also allowed inside, but Spanish officials prevented them living there. The vast majority of the natives and ethnic Chinese residents lived outside the walled city.

During World War II, much of Intramuros was damaged by bombings from both Japanese who occupied it and used it as their headquarters and prison and by U.S. forces who besieged the Japanese.

Present Day

In the 1980's, under the direction of former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos, the Intramuros Administration restored the city and at present the walled city is the only district of Manila where old Spanish-era influences were retained. Much of the development of present-day Manila occurred outside the gates of Intramuros, leaving the old walls, streets and churches of Intramuros minimally touched by modernization, although outlets of Jollibee, McDonald's and Starbucks now sit alongside distinguished educational institutions within its walls. The old moats that surrounded Intramuros have been filled up and transformed into a golf course where locals and foreign nationals play the sport. The garrison that was Fort Santiago is now a tourist spot where visitors can enjoy the nostalgic romance of a bygone Spanish era within it's gardens.

Navy Sonar may have caused Whales stranding in Manila Bay

2009-02-16T00:12:00.000-08:00

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Stranded-Whales-In-Philippines-Returned-To-Sea-After-Underwater-Disturbance/Article/200902215220301

More than 200 Whales stranded in Manila Bay.

Large pods of distressed whales were spotted off the Bataan peninsula, west of Manila. Three were found dead alongside the seaside towns of Pilar and Abucay and authorities raced against time to get the others back into deep water.

"This is an unusual phenomenon," an official has said, explaining the mammals "could be reacting to a heat wave or disturbance at sea such as a possible major underwater earthquake".

The mammals were at first thought to have been dolphins, but experts then identified them as melon-headed whales.

Vet Mariel Flores said this type of whale can be "easily mistaken for dolphins because of their size and their teeth, which resemble those of dolphins".

The mammals have ears that are sensitive to large changes in pressure underwater, she said. "If their eardrums are damaged they become disorientated and they float up to the surface," the vet explained.

Small pods of dolphins had beached themselves elsewhere in the Philippines previously, but this was the first time so many mammals had done so at the same time and place, she said.

Government marine biologist Rizza Salinas said a possible cause for the whales getting stranded could have been illegal dynamite fishing in the area. Another theory was that they reacted to a major underwater earthquake.

The mammals were said to be heading back into open water, although one was taken to a nearby marine park to be looked at by vets.

As per newspaper reports between 250 to 500 melodn-headed whales had strayed into the shallow waters of Bataan coast in Manila Bay. Bureau of Fisheries officials reported that it was very strange and unusual as they appeared disoriented.

There were many reasons for that disorientation as follows:
1. They strayed in the area due to an undersea quake, rapid changes in water pressure created by underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or seismic testing may damage the sinuses and middle ears of whales, preventing them from diving and feeding. This may then lead to illness and navigational error causing them to strand.
2. They maybe following a sick or injured leader.
3. Boat noise, such as sonar, can disrupt a whale's or dolphin's ability to communicate, feed and navigate. Ships can run into them, and fishing nets can trap them.
4. And industrial waste and litter pollute the sea, including plastics that dolphins and whales can swallow.

However there is also a big possibility that the reasons for the whales disorientation is that either the naval vessels of PLA Navy of Peoples Republic of China or the U.S.Navy were operating mid-frequency active sonar somewhere in the South China near Luzon coast to look for opponent submarines. Below were the incidents in the United States about Navy Sonar being harmful to whales and dolphins.

NOAA blasts U.S. Navy over whale-killing sonar
Powered by CDNN - CYBER DIVER News Network
by MARC KAUFMAN
WASHINGTON (18 Feb 2006) -- The civilian agency in charge of marine issues has sharply challenged the Navy's plans to build an underwater sonar training range in the Atlantic Ocean, saying that the military significantly underestimated the danger posed to whales and other marine mammals and that the science the Navy used to reach its conclusions is flawed.

In a technical letter to the Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the Navy had neglected to address the likelihood that its mid-frequency sonar would kill some whales and that the highly endangered right whale makes its annual migrations near the proposed site off North Carolina and could be threatened. But most telling, the NOAA letter said that the Navy had used a measure for allowable noise 100 times as high as the level recommended by the agency.
The sonar testing range is a high priority for the Navy, which says that it needs an Atlantic Ocean site to train sailors to detect foreign submarines that come near American shores. But it is trying to get the project approved at a time when scientists have become increasingly convinced that the loud blasts of active sonar have caused whales to strand themselves and die.

The NOAA letter, which is a formal comment on the Navy's environmental impact statement regarding the sonar range, is the most public indication so far of what agency insiders have described as friction between NOAA and Navy officials regarding the sonar issue. In the past, NOAA has generally supported the Navy's plans with reservations, but the most recent letter makes little effort to hide significant disagreements.

NOAA, for instance, wrote that the Navy predicted only lower-level "harassment" of whales by the sonar, despite recent fatal and near-fatal mass strandings in Hawaii and elsewhere that many scientists think were caused by Navy sonar.
"NOAA believes the Navy should seriously reconsider the potential for mortality of [whales] due to strandings related to activities" in the proposed sonar testing range, the letter said.

NOAA officials did not respond yesterday to requests for comment about the specific issues raised in the letter, which was sent on Jan. 30. A Navy official said the service would like to respond, but that it could not until the letter was reviewed and a formal response prepared.

A representative of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group which has sued the Navy over its sonar programs, said that the NOAA letter was remarkable, given the pressure the civilian agency was known to be under.

http://www.cdnn.info/news/eco/e060218.html

Deafeningly loud sonar is a proven danger to marine life, but its use throughout the world's oceans is spreading. This powerful movie makes plain what sonar does to whales caught within its range, and explains how whales, dolphins and other marine animals can be protected from deadly sonar. Watch the short movie, then follow the link below and demand action.

http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/sonarvideo/video.asp

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The Navy vs. Whales
Tuesday January 29, 2008
It seems like whales can’t get a fair break these days. Not only do they have to deal with the constant attention of Japanese whaling fleets (all in the name of research apparently) but now they seem to have made enemies of the US Navy and even George W. Bush.

The US Navy began conducting exercises using mid-frequency active sonar off the coast of California last year. Mid-frequency active sonar is used to search for submarines, but unfortunately has the side effect of causing permanent injury or death to whales and dolphins. After a series of legal battles it was decided that in order to protect the endangered species that live along the California coast the Navy should not use the sonar in close proximity to the coast or near whales. This decision was recently overturned by George W. Bush himself, in the interests of national security of course.

Unfortunately, the argument seems to have become one of protecting whales vs. national security, an argument that isn’t really based in reality. The Navy has only been asked to avoid using the potentially harmful sonar in the vicinity of whales and dolphins during training exercises, not during actual defense operations. This doesn’t really seem like a matter of national security to me, or many other people involved. It’s too bad that the Navy and the President don’t seem to agree. The situation is yet to be resolved but it’s expected that tomorrow a Federal judge will rule in favor of the whales.

http://scuba.about.com/b/2008/01/29/the-navy-vs-whales.htm

Whale, large mammal that lives its entire life in the water. Whales have a fishlike body; however, their tail fins, called flukes, are horizontal rather than vertical, and they have paddlelike front limbs, called flippers. Their skin is smooth and glossy and, depending on the species, may be black, white, or a variety of colors and patterns. Beneath the skin is a thick layer of fat, called blubber, which provides insulation and serves as a source of stored energy.

Whales resemble fish in many ways, but they are not fish. Fish are cold-blooded and breathe underwater using gills; whales, on the other hand, maintain a warm and constant body temperature of about 37°C (about 99°F) and breathe air with lungs. Unlike fish, which move their vertical tail fins from side to side when they swim, whales move their horizontal tail fins up and down to propel themselves through the water.

Whales belong to the mammalian order Cetacea. Scientists classify whales into two groups. One group, known as the Odontoceti, or toothed whales, have jaws lined with pointed teeth that they use in hunting fish, squid, and other prey. Toothed whales also include dolphins and porpoises. The other whale group, called the Mysticeti, or baleen whales, lack teeth. These whales use giant, flexible combs of a material called baleen to filter small fish and tiny crustaceans from the water.
Whales are found in all the world's oceans and even in a few rivers. One species of dolphin, the pink river dolphin, lives only in the Amazon River and its larger tributaries. Some whales, including the blue, fin, humpback, and gray, undertake some of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom, traveling between the tropics in winter and subpolar waters in summer. Other whales do not migrate long distances or, like the killer whales, wander without specific migratory routes.

BODIES OF WHALES

Whales are enormous in size compared to all other animals. The blue whale is one of the largest animals that has ever lived, reaching a length of over 24 m (80 ft) and a weight of 150 metric tons. Its heart is as big as a Volkswagen Beetle, and its body is almost as large and about as heavy as that of the largest known dinosaur.
Whales have a streamlined, rounded body tapering in the rear to a pair of broad horizontal tail flukes that provide the main propulsive thrust for swimming. They have paddle-shaped flippers that help stabilize and steer the whale while swimming. The bones of the flippers resemble the jointed limbs and digits of land mammals. Many whales have a dorsal fin located at or behind the center of the back.

Sense Organs

The eyes of most whales are well adapted for life underwater. Strong muscles surrounding each eye change the shape of the eye’s lens. This enables whales to focus their vision both underwater and above water. Whale eyes can withstand high pressure when the animal dives to great depths, and the tear ducts shed oily tears that enhance underwater vision and protect the eyes from the effects of salt water.
The streamlined bodies of whales do not have the external ear structures called pinnae that land mammals use to gather airborne sound. But whales still have excellent hearing and can perceive a wide range of sounds, many of which are not audible to humans. For toothed whales that commonly hunt for food in the dark depths of the ocean, hearing is often enhanced by echolocation, in which the animals emit clicking sounds that bounce off objects. The returning echo is used as a sonar image of the underwater surroundings. Toothed whales share this ability with bats, shrews, and a few kinds of birds.

Baleen whales have a poor sense of smell, and toothed whales lack smell entirely. Some whales, such as dolphins, can taste different chemicals in water to differentiate between sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, but in general the sense of taste in whales is limited.

Echolocation, use of sound by some animals to perceive surroundings. By emitting sounds and listening for their echoes, animals are able to find prey, avoid obstacles, and navigate without using vision. Echolocation is used at night or in environments that are perpetually dark, such as inside caves, underground, or in the deep sea. Four groups of animals use echolocation: cetaceans (whales and dolphins), bats (see Bat: Echolocation), birds, and shrews.

Sounds are vibrations that travel through air, water, or solid objects. The number of vibrations per second is known as the frequency, and it is measured in units of cycles per second, or hertz. Sounds with higher frequencies are heard as higher tones. Tones higher than the limits of human hearing, usually above 20,000 hertz, are called ultrasounds. When a sound strikes an object, the sound bounces back, or reflects. The returning sound is called an echo.

By careful interpretation of returning echoes, animals can gauge an object’s distance, size, and whether the object is moving away from or toward them. The length of time between when a sound is emitted and when it returns as an echo indicates how far away an object is—echoes take longer to return from objects that are farther away. The loudness of an echo is determined by the size of the object, its distance, and its texture. Echoes from an approaching object are compressed, returning at a higher frequency than when they were sent (see Doppler Effect). For an object moving away, the effect is the opposite. Echolocators create a very precise image from the echoes they hear. Studies have shown that killer whales can distinguish between cod and salmon, and bats can avoid very fine wires while flying at full speed.

Toothed whales and dolphins emit sounds for echolocation that span a wide frequency, from the lower tones used in human speech (around 250 hertz) to ultrasounds (around 220,000 hertz) that are way beyond the limit of human hearing. Other echolocating animals emit sounds within a narrower range.

Short bursts of high-pitched sounds are most effective for echolocation. The sounds are pulsed, leaving silent pauses during which the animal listens for echoes. As hunters close in on their prey, the sounds emitted increase from 1 to 5 pulses per second to as many as 200 per second in bats and 500 per second in killer whales. In order not to deafen itself while the pulse is produced, the hunter uses muscles to immobilize the small bones that transmit sound from the eardrum to the inner ear.
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Wednesday February 4, 4:38 AM

China increases submarine patrols - report
WASHINGTON (AFP) - China nearly doubled the number of patrols by its fleet of attack submarines last year, surpassing Russia but still far behind the United States, the Federation of American Scientists reported Tuesday. The report, based on declassified information provided by US naval intelligence, said Chinese attack submarines conducted 12 patrols in 2008, compared to seven in 2007, two in 2006 and none in 2005. "While the increase in submarine patrols is important, it has to be seen in comparison with the size of the Chinese submarine fleet," said Hans Kristensen, director of the organization's nuclear information project. "With approximately 54 submarines, the patrol rate means that each submarine on average goes on patrol once every four and a half years," he said. The patrols may have been carried out by just the most modern and capable types of submarines in the Chinese fleet, the report said, noting that a new class of nuclear-powered Shang-class attack submarines is replacing the aging Han-class.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/090203/afp/090203203818asiapacificnews.html

There is a also strong possibility that the Chinese PLA Navy were engaged again in
an unannounced big scale naval maneuvers / exercises in the South China near our territorial water in the South China Sea off Luzon and the Kalayaan Islands Group, in which they may be using mid-frequency Sonar for tracking other Submarines.

As per studies in United States by both Naval authorities, Conservation societies, and NOAA, it was discovered that mid-frequency Sonar used for detecting Submarines can be very harmful to Whales and Dolphins which can lead to their death. Sonar waves from Naval vessels that were hunting submarines can damaged the whale's eardrums and disoriented them. They will lost their sense of directions that may lead them to propellers of big ships or may strands them in shallow water.

VIDEO LINKS :

President Hu Jintao inspects PLA Navy Warships in Hainan

THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY NAVY: THE CHINESE ARMADA

Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy - Submarine Fleet

VIDEO LINKS from U.S. Conservation Society :

Lethal sounds

http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/sonarvideo/video.asp

Sound Judgement

http://www.nrdc.org/multimedia/video/nbc_sound_judgement.htm

Earth Justice
Navy sonar and whales

http://www.earthjustice.org/news/multimedia/video1/navy-sonar-whales.html

VIDEOS OF STRANDED WHALES IN MANILA BAY :

Other Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZncG6BKidsI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgDbkFtkLCs

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090613/ts_nm/us_china_usa_submarine

China sub collides with array towed by U.S. ship: report

Fri Jun 12, 9:21 pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Chinese submarine accidentally collided with an underwater sonar array being towed by a U.S. military ship, CNN reported on Friday, quoting an unnamed military official.

The incident occurred on Thursday near Subic Bay off the coast of the Philippines, according to the CNN report.

The destroyer USS John S. McCain was towing the array, deployed to track underwater sounds.

"The John S. McCain did have a problem with its towed array sonar. It was damaged" on Thursday in Subic Bay, a Pentagon spokesman told Reuters in a telephone interview.

The spokesman, who asked not to be identified, would not confirm other details of the CNN report, including whether the array collided with a Chinese submarine. He said the U.S. destroyer was not damaged and was not hit by another vessel.

The U.S. Navy does not view the incident as a deliberate move by Beijing to harass military ships operating in the region, CNN reported.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Peter Cooney)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090613/ts_nm/us_china_usa_submarine

Submarine activities were quite high in west coast of Luzon near Manila Bay and Subic
Bay, no wonder the whales lost their sense of directions.

http://www.timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=17671.105

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Newest addendum to this topic of Whales and Submarines.

Playing Tag With The Chinese

June 17, 2009: On June 11, the American destroyer USS John McCain, while training off Subic Bay in the Philippines, had its towed sonar array collide with a Chinese submarine. The U.S. Navy did not reveal if the American ship had detected the sub before the collision. If the array was not activated, its sound (sonar) detectors would not have detected the sub. The Chinese admitted the sub was one of theirs, and the boat was apparently following the American ship unaware that a sonar array (which usually operates over a hundred meters beneath the surface, and two kilometers behind the ship towing it) was there.
The Chinese sub was probably a diesel-electric sub, which is a lot quieter under water than one of their nuclear powered models. The incident brings up memories of similar incidents with Russian subs during the Cold War. Some of these collisions were believed to be intelligence operations, an effort to grab portions of the American sonar array for examination (and reverse engineering.)

U.S. anti-submarine forces (subs, aircraft and surface ships) are increasingly playing tag with Chinese subs. As was done with Russian subs during the Cold War, the American sailors want to hone their skills at finding Chinese subs. All this effort is kept quite secret, as any information about American successes or failures, can be useful to the Chinese.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htsub/articles/20090617.aspx

http://www.timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=17671.150

2nd Day of the 14th Philippine International Hotair Balloon Fiesta

2009-02-13T14:28:00.000-08:00

Friday the 13th of February.

This is the 2nd day of the 14th Philippine International Hotair Balloon Fiesta
held at the Clark Special Economic Zone, Angeles City, Pampanga.

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