Talk of Pangasinan tourism and the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP) in Alaminos City instantly comes to mind.
After all, the Hundred Islands is this province’s premier tourist attraction - a diverse ecosystem of overgrown corals that compose the 123 islands and islets and where the sand, sea and sun work together to bring about a variety of beautiful flora and fauna and a relaxing ambience.
Every year, the 1,844-hectare HINP attracts thousands of visitors and picnickers who want to enjoy this wonderful gift of nature. But each year, too, the threats to its ecological beauty become real that, unless the authorities strengthen their resolve to protect and conserve it, this country’s first national park may just go to seed. Read more
Filed under
environment by Yolly Sotelo Fuertes.
Looking for “Nemo?” Find him and hundreds of his kind in a fish sanctuary in the island town of Anda, Pangasinan – a place where they have found refuge from collectors of aquarium (decorative) fishes.
“Nemo” is a clownfish, a character in the animation movie Finding Nemo that introduced moviegoers to the fascinating undersea world.
It was also the movie that inspired the fisherfolk here to gather clownfishes scattered in the different areas of the 50-hectare marine protected area (fish sanctuary) off the shore of this island town.
Read more
Filed under
environment by Yolly Sotelo Fuertes.
Asked friend Jose Almendares, the provincial agriculturist, what preparations his office was undertaking to mitigate the effects of La Niña to agriculture.
“We’re actually preparing for El Niño,” he said, straight-faced. You never know when this guy is joking or if he is, yes, joking. He’s a serious worker, but he’s always a happy guy. Read more
Filed under
Uncategorized,
environment by Yolly Sotelo Fuertes.
The ugly episode that happened in St. Bernard in Southern Leyte is almost fading from the pages of newspapers. But I hope our collective memories of the landslide which obliterated a village and buried about a thousand people in minutes, will linger and drive the authorities to prevent similar catastrophes from ever happening again.I just read in the Inquirer (http://www.inq7.net) a report written by Nestor Burgos Jr. about an Iloilo village closely being watched for landslides. There have been continuing occurrences of minor landslide in Umingan village in Alimodian town, Burgos reported.Closer to home, at least two villages in eastern Pangasinan could be victims of landslides, too.Wendy Co, community environment and natural resources officer of eastern Pangasinan, said she has asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Mines and GeoSciences to study the geologic formation of the mountains and land in Tacnien, a sub-village of Sand Domingo in San Manuel town. Read more
Filed under
Uncategorized,
environment by Yolly Sotelo Fuertes.
As a human being in charge of a household composed of two kids, a helper, three dogs and two cats, I carry big responsibilities on my shoulders.
One such decision I have to make is whether to use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or charcoal for cooking. I have always used LPG – from the student days when a 11-tank costs much below P100 until now when it has zoomed to more than P500. Imagine, an LPG tank costing more than half a thousand pesos?
Read more
Filed under
Uncategorized,
environment by Yolly Sotelo Fuertes.
Ten days. These are the number of days given to the Asian Shipping Corporation to tow away its barge that has been stuck for three months off Agno town.
The barge was cruising along the South China Sea when the towing hawser connecting it to a tug boat snapped last December 18. It was carrying at least 4.6 metric tons of coal.
Read more
Filed under
Uncategorized,
environment by Yolly Sotelo Fuertes.
The provincial board's public hearing on the coal spill in Agno is set on March 15, Wednesday, and not on March 10 as I blogged. My apologies!
Filed under
Uncategorized,
environment by Yolly Sotelo Fuertes.
Dagupan, a city yearly devastated by floods, has been selected as one of the five Asian project sites for the Program for Hydro-Meteorological Risk Mitigation in Secondary Cities in Asia (Promise) by the United States Agency for International Development.
The Promise, which seeks to reduce the vulnerability of urban communities through enhanced preparedness and mitigation of hydro-meteorological disasters, is to be implemented by the Center for Preparedness Foundation Inc.(CDP) at a cost of $100,000 (P5.2 million) from February 1, 2006- January 31, 2008. Read more
Filed under
environment by Yolly Sotelo Fuertes.
Finally, the Pangasinan’s provincial board will tackle the coal spill which occurred more than two months ago in the western Pangasinan town of Agno.
Nick Melecio, a consultant on the provincial government, told me that he had asked Provincial Board Member Alice Pulido to conduct a legislative inquiry into the matter. Then I received a text message from Lydia Colobong saying the inquiry will be held on March 10, Friday, at the Capitol in Lingayen.
Manong Nick told me that coal have affected about half of the coastal area of sitio Talisay in Macaboboni village. Read more
Filed under
environment by Yolly Sotelo Fuertes.
What Pangasinense does not love buro? Yes, that salty, tangy concoction of rice and freshwater fish fermented into perfection? And yes, specially if it comes from central
Pangasinan town of Bayambang?
But sorry folks, the buro industry has been badly affected by lack of freshwater fish sourced from the Mangabul Fisheries Reservation. Read more
Filed under
environment by Yolly Sotelo Fuertes.
