Vista Pinas

Datu Andal Ampatuan’s Mansion

2009-11-24T15:03:21Z

Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. and his son, Zaldy Ampatuan, current governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, are plastered prominently in the news because they were tagged as the mastermind behind the horrific massacre in Maguindanao. The Vice-mayor of Buluan, Datu Ismail “Toto” Mangudadatu, planned to file his candidacy for the provincial governorship position. The Mangudadatu clan is a political rival of the Ampatuans. On November 23, his wife was en route to the capital to file on his behalf when their entourage, which included several relatives and quite a number of journalists, were ambushed and then killed by around 100 armed men.

This gruesome massacre brought to the national spotlight the problem of warlordism in certain parts of Muslim Mindanao. The Ampatuans have Maguindanao and surrounding areas in their hand and several members of the family hold key positions in the local government.

Thanks to BernieMack, I was made aware that Datu Andal Sr.’s mansion is visible in Google Maps and here I now present it. This sprawling mansion is found in Shariff Aguak, the capital of Maguindanao. What’s pretty unique about this residence is that it has a mosque inside the grounds—it’s that white square-ish building that you can see on the satellite image thumbnail. According to Wikimapia, Zaldy’s mansion is found just to the east almost across the other side of the road. The opulence of these two men’s mansions only serve to highlight the fact that Maguindanao is one of the country’s poorest provinces.

If you want to learn more, and to see ground-level pictures of the mansion, check out BernieMack’s blog post of when he traveled through Maguindanao, and this special report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

White Island (Camiguin)

2009-11-02T03:33:55Z

One of the most popular tourist attractions in the Mindanao island of Camiguin is Medano Islet, popularly known as White Island. This island is actually just a sandbar with fine white sand (hence the name) and its shape changes with the constantly-shifting currents. In fact, what you can see in the high-res satellite imagery (and in the thumbnail) are two curves forming a sort of McDo-style ‘M’. Zoom out in Google Maps until you see the default low-resolution Landsat satellite imagery and you can now see a large inverted ‘C’.

White Island is located off the coast of Mambajao, Camiguin. Most online sources say that it is located 2 kilometers away from either Barangay Agoho or Barangay Yumbing, but Google Maps places it at a closer 1.5 kilometers. (Maybe the island has shifted closer to land?) Anyway, the island can be reached via a short boat ride from Yumbing. The suggested itinerary is to go to the island in the morning and during low tide so that more of the sand is exposed. The island does not completely submerge at high tide but it’s more dangerous then.

Photo by Bing Ramos. (CC)

The island is uninhabited and is devoid of vegetation. Travel guides advise that those with sensitive skin avoid going to the island since there is no shade, but I think the boat people can put up temporary shelters as shown by this photo. Well, if you zoom in in Google Maps enough, you can see what appears to be tent structures all over the southern part of the island.

From Camiguin, White Island looks like a white sheet of paper floating on the blue sea. The island is also very picturesque, having the majestic Mount Hibok-Hibok as its backdrop. Interestingly, it appears that White Island is the only place in Camiguin having (off) white sand beaches since the beaches on Camiguin itself have gray volcanic sand.

Baguio Cathedral

2009-10-18T00:48:05Z

Here in Vista Pinas, we’ve already seen two cathedrals so far. One is the Manila Cathedral and the other is the Antipolo Cathedral. These two are the seats of the Archdiocese of Manila and the Diocese of Antipolo respectively. So let us now “go” to Baguio and check out the Baguio Cathedral which is the seat of the Diocese of Baguio, which itself is under the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. Like the Manila and Antipolo cathedrals, the Our Lady of the Atonement Cathedral, the official name of the Baguio Cathedral, is a major tourist attraction and is one of the most photographed buildings in Baguio City.

The distinct twin spires of the Baguio Cathedral is a familiar sight among Baguio tourists. The church is easily seen from many parts surrounding the downtown Baguio area since it is situated on top of a hill which was named “Kampo” by the natives and then as “Mount Mary” by the missionaries. The campaign to build a church on this hill started in 1919 and after the construction, the church was consecrated in 1936.

Photo by jekert gwapo (CC)

I’ve been to Baguio many times and I’ve attended Sunday mass at the Cathedral. But I prefer going to the St. Joseph’s Church at Pacdal Circle (near the Wright Park) because it is more secluded, surrounded by more trees, and just a tad bit less crowded than the Baguio Cathedral. But that’s just me. :-)

If you want more information about Baguio Cathedral, go check out the official website, the Wikipedia article, or the City of Pines feature page.

Apo Reef

2009-10-15T14:11:47Z

I’ve decided to participate in Blog Action Day for the first time this year. Blog Action Day is a collective action among the world’s bloggers to talk about one important topic on October 15 of every year. For 2009, the topic is climate change. This is a timely topic since Typhoon Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng recently ravaged the Philippines with record-breaking (and heart-breaking) effects, which many meteorologists and scientists are attributing to climate change. In addition, the world’s leaders will be meeting in Copenhagen to discuss this topic, so collective voices are needed worldwide to guide the leaders on a suitable course of action.

Photo by stiffler meister (CC)

So for my Blog Action Day post, I’ll be presenting Apo Reef which is located between Mindoro and Palawan within the Mindoro Strait. Why Apo Reef? Well, global warming is widely believed to be the primary change that is happening to the climate and as oceans and seas warm, coral reefs are the major casualty. Most coral species live within a very narrow range of temperature. When the water get hotter than normal, the corals start to die in a process called coral bleaching. This is a bad thing since corals sustain marine life and without corals, there will be less fish and marine biodiversity. Apo Reef is the largest coral reef system in the Philippines—even bigger than the popular Tubbataha Reef.

Apo Reef is said to be the second largest contiguous coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. I don’t know if that claim is true, since the Mesoamerican Reef is the second largest reef in the world though there is no “contiguous” word there. Anyway, there are three islands in the reef: Apo Island (not related to the one in Negros Oriental), Apo Menor (Binangaan), and Cayos del Bajo. Apo Island is covered with mangroves and has a small lighthouse. The whole reef covers an area of around 34 square kilometers (comparable to the size of the City of Manila) and was added in 2006 to the tentative list of places to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Fishing is banned in the area and the reef system has been designated as a protected natural park.

Unfortunately, there is still no high-resolution satellite imagery of Apo Reef in Google Maps yet, so we have to make do with the low-resolution Landsat imagery for now. (The thumbnail shows Apo Island.)

You might also want to check out these other somewhat climate-change-related posts here in Vista Pinas:

Renewable energy: CEPALCO 1-MW Photovoltaic Power Plant, the largest solar power plant in Southeast Asia
Renewable energy: Mahatao Wind Farm in Batanes, the first wind farm in the Philippines
Impact of global warming: Provident Village, one of worst-affected areas by Typhoon Ondoy.

Ateneo de Zamboanga University

2009-10-10T08:59:46Z

Since I’ve already blogged about Xavier University and the Ateneo de Davao University here way, way before, I figured, why not complete the trio of Mindanao Jesuit schools and feature the Ateneo de Zamboanga University? The main campus of the university is in downtown Zamboanga City while the Tumaga Campus, which houses the High School, is located further upland. The University was founded in 1912, making it the second oldest Jesuit school in the Philippines after the Ateneo de Manila University. It started as the Escuela Catolica before being renamed as the Ateneo de Zamboanga in 1916. ADZU then became a college in 1952 and in 1976 started offering graduate courses. Finally, it was granted university status on August 20, 2001 by the Commission on Higher Education including full autonomy status, the only such university in Western Mindanao.

Photo from the ADZU website.

Looking in Google Maps, the university is unmistakable due to the bright blue colors of the roofs of its buildings. As you should know, blue is the official color of the Ateneo schools. Visible in the satellite imagery are the Grade School, High School, and College Buildings, the gymnasium, the chapel, and the Jesuit’s residences. You can correlate the satellite image with this campus map at the Ateneo de Zamboanga website. As always, you can check out its Wikipedia article to get a quick rundown of facts.

Lucena Grand Central Terminal

2009-10-01T09:08:12Z

If you’re going to Bicol from the Manila area or to other towns of Quezon province further from Lucena City, then the Lucena Grand Central Terminal should be a stopover in your itinerary. Located along the Diversion Road, the terminal is a huge building catering to commuters from all over southern Luzon. From here, you can go to the northern towns of Quezon like Lucban and Infanta or to the Bicol Peninsula. I think tricycles and/or jeepneys can also take you to the city proper of Lucena about 2 km to the south.

Photo by Lucentino over at SkyscraperCity forums.

The terminal also contains several restaurants like Chowking, Jollibee, and Goldilocks. Aside from those, the Grand Riviera Hotel was put up nearby to cater to travelers who need a comfortable place to sleep.

When my family went to Bicol for a summer vacation years ago, we stopped at the Grand Central Terminal both on the way from and to Manila. If I remember correctly, I think I was the one who drove from the house to this terminal were we had our breakfast. That was definitely the farthest distance I’ve ever driven, about 110 kilometers worth!

Provident Village

2009-09-28T05:29:25Z

Provident Village is an upscale residential subdivision in Marikina City that is one of the most devastated by flooding due to Tropical Storm Ondoy (international name: Ketsana). If you look at the satellite thumbnail image, it’s easy to see why. Provident Village is located right at the corner of one of the two major zigzag bends of the Marikina River, which is that dark curve at the bottom. The village is just a few meters above the normal water level of the river and it definitely is no match for the record rainfall that Ondoy brought. Most one-story houses became submerged under the quickly-rising flood waters and residents were forced to seek shelter on the roofs of their neighbors who have two-story houses.

One of these residents is my friend Ed Garcia. He is a diving and GPS enthusiast who runs WaypointsDotPH, the largest Filipino repository of GPS waypoints, and his site is one of my major sources of research for Vista Pinas. His family lives in a bungalow and he sent word yesterday that he and his family are thankfully safe though their house got completely submerged in the flood and damaged all their belongings.

I hope all of you are safe and if you wish to help out the victims (if you haven’t already done so), the easiest way is by SMS. Just send “RED (space) (amount in pesos)” to 2899 for Globe and 4483 for Smart. Valid amounts are 5, 25, 50, 100 and 300 and each text will be charged 1 peso. The donation will be sent directly to the Philippine National Red Cross. I guess the donation is charged against your line credit or prepaid load.

For those abroad who have PayPal accounts, the easiest way is to send it through the NGO TXTPower (an SMS consumer-rights group). All proceeds will be handed to the Red Cross too. As of yesterday, TXTPower managed to collect almost 100 thousand pesos and has reached more than half a million pesos now. You can also donate to the Red Cross directly if you prefer to avoid middlemen. And for other donation means, check out this Tumblr post by Manolo Quezon, which contains up-to-date information on ways to help.

Iglesia ni Cristo Central Temple

2009-09-25T15:38:08Z

This year has brought some prominence to the Iglesia ni Cristo denomination. First they celebrated their 95th anniversary last July 27 prompting President Arroyo to declare that day as a national working holiday. Next is the death of their Executive Minister Ka Erdy Manalo last August 31. Just like with the funeral of Pres. Aquino, Arroyo declared September 7, the date of Manalo’s funeral, as a national day or mourning and a non-working holiday. I guess it’s only fitting that I now feature their Central Temple.

Photo by Richard Köhl. (CC)

The Central Temple is the centerpiece of the INC’s headquarters which occupies a large tract of land along Commonwealth Avenue just north of U.P. Diliman. Among the other buildings on the site are the six-storey Central Office building, the Central Pavilion (with a capacity of 30,000 people), the Tabernacle (that big white rectangular building just to the west of the temple where Ka Erdy’s father and INC’s first Executive Minister Felix Manalo is buried, and where Ka Erdy will eventually be interred), the New Era University, and the New Era General Hospital. In fact, the INC Central Complex is practically coterminous with Quezon City’s Barangay New Era. I guess the “state religion” of this barangay is Iglesia? :-D

The INC Central Temple epitomizes the distinctive spired architecture present in all of their temples. It has a capacity of 7,000 people and I guess it’s a popular place to attend mass from adherents all over. I also guess that it’s a dream wedding location as evidenced by these photos in Flickr.

Balicasag Island

2009-09-22T07:56:13Z

Situated about 6 kilometers west-southwest of Panglao Island in Bohol is Balicasag Island. This 35-hectare round island is quite popular among scuba divers since it is ringed with glorious coral reefs. The island is inhabited, and located at the western end is the Balicasag Island Dive Resort, the only resort on the island.

Photo by Allan Chatto (CC)

The portion of the coral reefs southwest of the island has been designated as a marine sanctuary. Based on this photo of the marine sanctuary banner, no fishing, mooring, diving, snorkeling, and swimming is allowed. In short, humans are off-limits in that area. But there’s plenty of other coral walls left to see. Based on this map there are the following diving spots: Cathedral, Royal Garden, Turtle Point (has turtles), Diver’s Haven, and Black Forest (with unique black corals).

Aside from the coral reefs and the resort (which has a restaurant), the only remaining attraction of the island is this funky-shaped lighthouse: a broad cylindrical base with a narrow spire holding the lantern atop.

To get to Balicasag Island, you just need to rent a boat which takes off from Alona Beach on Panglao Island, which itself is easily accessible from Bohol’s airport.

Cape Bolinao Lighthouse

2009-09-19T00:16:01Z

I mentioned last year that I once went to Treasures of Bolinao resort in western Pangasinan and that I would’ve visited the Cape Bolinao Lighthouse had I known that it was nearby. Well, Google Maps shows that this landmark is actually quite near, much less than a kilometer east of the resort. This lighthouse is notable because it’s the second-tallest lighthouse in the country after the one in Cape Bojeador, Ilocos Norte.

Photo by Anne Jimenez. (CC)

This lighthouse was constructed in 1905 and marks the Punta Piedra Point in Barangay Patar, Bolinao, Pangasinan. I’m guessing its location is so that passing sea vessels know where Pangasinan’s peninsula is jutting out into the South China Sea forming the Lingayen Gulf. I’m not sure but I think ships can see the lighthouse’s lantern from within Lingayen Gulf.

The lighthouse stands 101 feet (~31 meters) tall and its lantern stands about 250 feet (76 meters) above sea level making it visible from up to 44 kilometers away at sea. The staircase to the illumination room has 140 steps and the room features a spectacular view of the rocky coastline with pockets of off-white sand and rolling hills.

If you want to learn more then you should read the 2006 PDI feature article about the lighthouse that is mirrored in the Heritage Conservation Society blog. According to that article, the lighthouse’s lantern has not been operating since 2004. I’m not sure if that has been fixed by the Philippine Coast Guard already.

You can also check out the WaypointsDotPH narrative about the lighthouse which also contains pointers on how to get there. Curiously, one of the photos on that page shows the marker plate of the lighthouse bearing the coordinates. Plugging this into Google Maps shows a different spot about 150 meters to the northwest and this is probably because the coordinates on the plate uses the Luzon datum, not the international WGS84 datum that GPS (and Google Maps) uses. If you mess around with GPS units, then you probably understand all of this. :-)