Cagsawa Church
Posted on June 20, 2007 - Filed Under Mayon Volcano, Palawan
Cagsawa Church
Do you see the submerged bell church when you look at any post cards of Mayon Volcano? You may have seen it and you may have not. This is because it’s a trivial aspect of the picture. I hadn’t really noticed it before. It was only when I read about the history and other information of the most popular volcano in the country that I have noticed the submerged structure. It was astonishing to know that this was their town’s church long ago and now only the bell tower of the church remained above the surface. It was due to the most destructive eruption of Mayon Volcano on February 1, 1814. At that time, lava flows buried the town of Cagsawa and 1, 200 people perished.
Mayon Volcano “Pacific Ring Of Fire”
Posted on May 19, 2007 - Filed Under Mayon Volcano
Mayon Volcano is one of the great treasures of the Philippines, because of its almost perfectly-shaped cone, i consider it as an addition to the Seven Wonders of the World. As a Filipino (pinoy to my fellow Filipinos) i am proud to have such wonder here in the Philippines, but did you know that Mayon is included in the Pacific Ring of Fire? Yes it is, and below is the excerpt from Wikipedia’s website:
[quote]The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, island arcs, and volcanic mountain ranges and/or plate movements. It is sometimes called the circum-Pacific belt or the circum-Pacific seismic belt.[/quote]
The Philippine’s Tectonic Plate is located just beneath the Pacific Ocean, it’s just east of the Philippines.
Mayon is considered as a composite volcano (stratovolcano).
Mayon Volcano Natural Park
Posted on April 17, 2007 - Filed Under Mayon Volcano, Mayon Volcano Articles
The government is taking a closer look at the country’s most beautiful volcano to drum up tourism.
One of the most famous tourist spots in the country today attracting tourists not only locally but also all over the world is Mayon Volcano. It is considered one of the 22 active volcanoes in the country. Local and foreign tourists thrill at the sight of Mayon’s almost perfect cone, whether seen up close or from a distance.
In the past when Mayon exploded, tourists never failed to flock to Legazpi City to experience this rare natural occurrence. Night visitors particularly were treated to a grand fireworks-like spectacle.
When Mayon erupted in June 2001, business boomed in the area surrounding Mayon Volcano drawing sightseers and boosting tourism. Hundreds of foreign and local tourists trooped near the volcano to catch a glimpse of its red and orange emissions. Most of the hotels and beach resorts of Albay province were fully booked.
Department of Tourism (DOT) records showed that total foreign and local tourist arrivals in the Bicol Region increased every year during the period 2002-2004. In 2002, it was recorded that foreign tourist arrivals reached 12,209 while local tourist arrivals totaled 377,509. The figures increased in 2003 when foreign tourist arrivals reached 20,372 and local tourists also rose to 388,589, and still continued to rise in 2004 when foreign tourists arriving in the region totaled 25,143 while domestic tourist arrivals reached 449,295.
The DOT records further indicated that of the six provinces composing the Bicol Region, Albay province topped in the number of tourist arrivals, even higher than that of Sorsogon where the famous Butanding is located.
Undeniably, Mayon’s box office drama is dampened by the fact that it could cause destruction of lives and property. That is why local and national officials do everything to make sure that nearby residents are given ample forewarning before an eruption.
Nowadays, Mayon is quiet and as beautiful as ever because of the natural formation of rocks and soil that is the result of its past tantrums. Once more, the government is taking a closer look at the idea of mounting a major conservation effort to increase its appeal to tourists and to make local residents more aware of its value as a national resource.
As early the term of President Corazon Aquino, the government has sought to preserve the ecological, aesthetic, recreational, educational and tourism values of Mayon Volcano. Then on November 21, 2000, Proclamation No. 413 was issued mandating the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to protect, manage, develop and conserve Mayon Volcano Natural Park (MVNP).
The MVNP is a 5,458.65-hectare area surrounding Mayon Volcano. It encompasses eight municipalities of Albay, namely, Ligao, Guinobatan, Camalig, Daraga, Legaspi City, Sto. Domingo, Malilipot, and Tabaco.
DENR geologists describe the physical features of the natural park as having scattered fertile plains, consisting of rough and narrow ridges, and deep ravines which serve as passageways of lava flows during heavy rains.
The river systems found within the park include the following: Mangolngol River, Miraya Creek, Sabangan Creek, Cabacab Creek, Angtol Creek, Sidon Creek, Uyanga Creek, Pepe Creek, Ogob Creek, Manadela Creek, Mabalnos Creek, Bulawan River, Bangliwan River, Baranghauan River, Magsapit River, Subangan Creek, Tabiguia Creek, Buang River and Tacopan Creek.
DENR Secretary Michael T. Defensor disclosed that the present physical features and topography of MVNP came about as a result of the past eruptions of Mayon Volcano.
The area is also rich in important flora and fauna. The flora includes narra, dapdap, anonang, anabiong, agoho, balagubang, langaton, tree ferns, tagunguirit, pitcher plants, orchids, abaca, rattan, and lakad-bulan.
The fauna in the area are wild pig, civet cat, singalong, Philippine monkey, wild chicken, Philippine deer, orioles, wild doves, tariktik, kuro-kuro, crow, monitor lizard, owl and tagbaya.
The area also boasts of its facilities and amenities including a bunkhouse, access roads going to reforestation projects, and a reforestation building, nature trails, and the panoramic view of the active Mayon Volcano itself.
There are also scientific facilities maintained by the Philippine Commission on Volcanology near the area to monitor the activities of the volcano.
Land use records of the DENR show that MVNP is mostly an agricultural area with clustered grassland covered with dwarf trees of non-commercial value. Other parts of the park are covered with grasses, shrubs and cogons being used as pasture lands by cattle raisers of Mabini, Legaspi City, Fidel Surtida, Sta. Misericordia and San Fernando, and Sto. Domingo, all of Albay province.
In 1989, the DENR introduced a contract reforestation project covering a little over 100 hectares within the natural park in the side of Buang, Tabaco City. The project has been turned over already to the government.
At present, the department is in the process of formulating a management plan for an area also within the park situated in the side of Barangay Lidong, Sto. Domingo in Albay. A campsite now stands in the area now being developed for ecotourism under a funding from the New Zealand Aid Program.
On August 20, 2002, the DENR and the Provincial Government of Albay (PGA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) entrusting the management of a portion of the MVNP, specifically the part situated at Barangay Buang of Tabaco City, to the latter through a Protected Area Committee.
The MOA, however, is set to expire this coming August 20, prompting Albay Provincial Governor Fernando V. Gonzales to request the DENR to extend the management of the park for another 25 years.
Following the favorable consideration of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) on Gov. Gonzales request, a MOA was signed recently between the DENR and the PGA extending the latter’s management of MVNP for another 25 years.
Under the Agreement, a PGA Protected Area Committee shall be composed of the governor as chairman and three designated representatives of PGA, three from the DENR, and representatives from the Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the local government unit of Tabaco City, as members.
The Agreement provided that the Committee shall prepare the management and operations plan for the utilization, rehabilitation, development and protection of the area; supervise the implementation of the operations plan and protect the existing facilities surrounding the area from squatters and other forms of destruction; assist the DENR in the collection of prescribed fees in accordance with the National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS) and its implementing rules and regulations; supervise the activities of the forest officers deputized by the DENR; and submit periodic report of operation to the DENR through PAMB.
The MOA also stipulated that the entrance fees and revenues collected shall accrue to the MVNP Integrated Protected Area Fund (IPAF), and that the income derived by the PGA from the operation of improvements introduced and similar business activities like the operation of Skyline Hotel shall go to PGA, and that the DENR shall not be liable for any claims of compensation benefits by the officers and personnel hired by the PGA under the Agreement.
The MOA further stipulated that the PGA may solicit contributions or any form of financial assistance and coordinate with other government offices, bureaus and instrumentalities including private persons, firms and entities for the development, maintenance and operations of the facilities and activities under the Agreement and in consultation with the DENR.
The MOA stressed that any improvement, developments, structures constructed and introduced in the area shall become a property of MVNP and shall not be transferred or removed from the area at the termination of the Agreement.
Gonzales said that the extension given to the Provincial Government of Albay in the management and protection of the portion of said Natural Park is expected to boost tourism in the Bicol Region as well as the continued operation of the Skyline Hotel and a planetarium in the area.
« go back — keep looking »