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China blocks Philippine military supply boat in disputed waters (VIDEO)
Manilla and Beijing have traded accusations over a naval incident near the Spratly Islands Chinese patrol boats used water cannons on Saturday to disrupt an attempt by the Philippine military to deliver supplies to a reef in a disputed part of the South China Sea, where the Philippine Navy intentionally grounded a tan.....»»
China blocks Philippine supply run in disputed waters
Manilla and Beijing have traded accusations over a naval incident near the Spratly IslandsChinese patrol boats used water cannons on Saturday to disrupt an attempt by the Philippine military to deliver supplies to a reef in a disputed part of the South China Sea, where the Philippine Navy intentionally grounded a tank landing ship over two decades ago.The incident occurred near the Second.....»»
China blocks Philippine military supply boat in disputed waters
Manilla and Beijing have traded accusations over a naval incident near the Spratly IslandsChinese patrol boats used water cannons on Saturday to disrupt an attempt by the Philippine military to deliver supplies to a reef in a disputed part of the South China Sea, where the Philippine Navy intentionally grounded a tank landing ship over two decades ago.The incident occurred near the Second.....»»
China blocks Philippine supply run in disputed waters (VIDEO)
Manilla and Beijing have traded accusations over a naval incident near the Spratly Islands Chinese patrol boats used water cannons on Saturday to disrupt an attempt by the Philippine military to deliver supplies to a reef in a disputed part of the South China Sea, where the Philippine Navy intentionally grounded a tan.....»»
China blocks Philippine military supply boat in disputed waters (VIDEO)
Manilla and Beijing have traded accusations over a naval incident near the Spratly Islands Chinese patrol boats used water cannons on Saturday to disrupt an attempt by the Philippine military to deliver supplies to a reef in a disputed part of the South China Sea, where the Philippine Navy intentionally grounded a tan.....»»
China blocks Philippine supply run in disputed waters
Manilla and Beijing have traded accusations over a naval incident near the Spratly IslandsChinese patrol boats used water cannons on Saturday to disrupt an attempt by the Philippine military to deliver supplies to a reef in a disputed part of the South China Sea, where the Philippine Navy intentionally grounded a tank landing ship over two decades ago.The incident occurred near the Second.....»»
China blocks Philippine military supply boat in disputed waters
Manilla and Beijing have traded accusations over a naval incident near the Spratly IslandsChinese patrol boats used water cannons on Saturday to disrupt an attempt by the Philippine military to deliver supplies to a reef in a disputed part of the South China Sea, where the Philippine Navy intentionally grounded a tank landing ship over two decades ago.The incident occurred near the Second.....»»
Red tide alert up in VisMin areas
Harvest and consumption of shellfish in eight areas in the Visayas and another in Mindanao are prohibited due to the presence of algae that produces red tide, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources......»»
Maynilad sets up new algae control equipment
West zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. has set up new algae control equipment in Laguna Lake......»»
Metro’s clean water supply at risk as Laguna Lake status worsens
Industry stakeholders warned that Metro Manila’s clean water supply may be in peril if the deteriorating water quality of Laguna Lake, the country’s largest lake and a major source of potable water, worsens. West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc., which sources at least 300 million liters per day from the lake, said Tuesday it has laid out interventions to help prevent the situation from worsening that may trigger water interruption. Among others, Maynilad had installed ultrasonic algae control equipment and upgraded its silt curtain. However, despite the efforts, the water company admitted that the prolonged high turbidity in Laguna Lake makes it harder for treatment plants to process water before supplying it to the customers. “Laguna Lake has become shallow to as low as two meters due to siltation that strong gusts of wind can easily stir up sediments in the lake bed — making the raw water highly turbid,” it explained. Maynilad began tapping Laguna Lake as an alternate source of raw water in 2010. It is currently in the process of constructing its third treatment facility, which will be completed by the end of the year. Based on the latest data from the state-run Laguna Lake Development Authority, there is currently a high concentration of blue-green algae in the lake — a form of bacteria that adversely affects both water quality and the filtration system in the lake. Although algae are fish food, the LLDA warned that the buildup can also cause fish kills. To date, around 80 percent of bangus and tilapia supply in Metro Manila comes from Laguna Lake. Thus, the LLDA, for its part, said it deployed more than a hundred solar-powered paddle wheels to prevent the growth of the algae. Separately, Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon on Tuesday pointed out that it is imperative to protect the lake from pollutants to keep its quality stable and avert any water interruption that the poor water quality may cause. “For Laguna Lake to become a truly viable source of drinking water, it has to be protected. It is important to develop and implement programs and projects for the lake to ensure that its water quality is maintained at standards intended for its use,” Biazon said. “And with climate change and rapid urbanization putting undue stress on existing raw water sources, additional sources must be developed,” he added. To recall, Biazon, when he was part of the 18th Congress, filed House Bill 737 to call for the enhanced protection of Laguna Lake, given its deteriorating quality and increasing use as a drinking water source. The post Metro’s clean water supply at risk as Laguna Lake status worsens appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Why we need to save our coral reefs
“Coral damage feared as vessel grounded,” said the headline of a recent issue of Daily Tribune. “Extensive damage to the coral reefs that serve as a marine habitat is feared with the incident raising concerns anew about the environmental impact of mining in the country,” the news report stated. Three days after the sinking of the MT Princess Empress tanker off Naujan, Occidental Mindoro in February this year, the resulting oil slick reached the shores of the coastal towns of Naujan, Pola and Pinamalayan. “Among the coastal sites that may be at risk are several marine protected areas, including but not limited to the reefs in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, amounting to some 1,100 hectares of coral reefs,” said the bulletin issued by the University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Science Marine Science Institute. According to the United Nations Environment Program, oil, a complex mixture of many chemicals, can kill corals, depending on species and exposure. Once soil comes into contact with corals, it can kill them or impede their reproduction, growth, behavior and development. Various threats Oil spills are not the only incidents that threaten the country’s coral reefs. Most of these threats are caused by human activities. As marine scientist Don McAllister, who once studied the cost of coral reef destruction in the country, lamented: “Nowhere else in the world are coral reefs abused as much as the reefs in the Philippines.” Sedimentation — the process of soils settling to the bottom of the sea — is said to be the most important single cause of reef degradation. Sediments that wash over reefs have a number of negative effects on corals, marine scientists claim. Deforestation is the most common source of sediments. “When trees are cut down and the underbrush burned, the mountainsides become bare and the soil are defenseless against strong wind and rain,” said the Coral Research Project of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. “During rains, runoff carries eroded soil down to the rivers that deposit it in the sea.” On its website, the BFAR singled out destructive fishing techniques as among the largest contributors to reef degradation. “Muro-ami, a technique that involved sending a line of divers to depths of 10-30 meters with metal weights to knock on corals in order to drive fish out and into waiting nets, was extremely damaging to reefs, leading to its ban in 1986,” the BFAR reported. But that’s just one. “Rampant blast fishing and sedimentation from land-based sources have destroyed 70 percent of fisheries within 15 square kilometers of the shore in the Philippines, which were some of the most productive habitats in the world,” the BFAR said. Cyanide fishing, employed since 1962 to collect aquarium fish, is another destructive fishing method, while coastal development, farming, aquaculture and land-cover change have also threatened the country’s coral reef ecosystem. Aside from human activities, natural causes of destruction among coral reefs also occur. These include extremely low tide, high temperature of surface water, predation and the mechanical action of currents and waves. Climate change is increasing the ocean’s temperature. The result: Coral bleaching. Explains John Ryan of the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute: “When subjected to extreme stress, they jettison the colorful algae they live in symbiosis with, exposing the white skeleton of dead coral beneath a single layer of clear living tissue. If the stress persists, the coral dies.” Marine rainforests Coral reefs are the marine equivalent of rainforests and considered one of the planet’s essential life-support systems. These “biological wonders,” as American environmental author Don Hinrichsen called them, are among the largest and oldest living communities of plants and animals on earth, having evolved between 200 and 450 million years ago. The Philippines holds one of the most extensive coral reefs in the world with a sprawling area of 27,000 square kilometers strategically located in Palawan (37.8 percent), Sulu (27.8 percent), Visayas (21.7 percent), Northern Luzon (7.6 percent), Central and Southern Mindanao (3.2 percent) and the Turtle Islands (1.7 percent). There are about 400 species of reef-forming corals in the country, comparable with those found in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Coral reefs provide habitat for a large variety of marine life, including various sponges, oysters, clams, crabs, sea stars, sea urchins and many species of fish. They are also linked ecologically to nearby seagrass, mangrove and mudflat communities. Coral reefs are so valued because they serve as a center of activity for marine life. The World Atlas of Coral Reefs, compiled by the United Nations Environment Program, reported that 97 percent of reefs in the Philippines are under threat. And Reef Check, an international organization assessing the health of reefs in 82 countries, stated that only five percent of the country’s coral reefs are in “excellent condition.” These are the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park in Palawan, Apo Island in Negros Oriental, Apo Reef in Puerto Galera, Mindoro and Verde Island Passage off Batangas. “Despite its high biodiversity, the Philippines’ reefs are very badly damaged. It’s one of the worst-damaged in the world, on average,” said George Hodgson, founder of the California-based organization. The Philippine government has introduced many laws in an attempt to protect and save coral reefs from annihilation. But the government cannot do it alone; help from individuals is also needed to save the coral reefs. “We are the stewards of our nation’s resources,” Guerrero said. “We should take care of our national heritage so that future generations can enjoy them. Let’s do our best to save our coral reefs. Our children’s children will thank us for the effort.” The post Why we need to save our coral reefs appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»