Metro Manila floods

Only a few thousand hectares of Metro Manila land, which is equivalent to the area of one town, is expected to suffer from flooding during this rainy season, Chairman Bayani Fernando of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Monday.

Fernando said the MMDA expects only 2,000 hectares of Metro Manila to experience intermittent flooding during the rainy season, down from the 13,000 hectares that is usually flooded in the past.

Fernando said the MMDA worked all throughout the dry months to rid the floodgates in Metro Manila of garbage, boulders and other debris. Blocked canals and waterways have also been cleared, he added.

He said the agency has also finished fixing five flood pumps in the Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) area.

Read the full article>>

Nature Reserve

WOLONG, China - Six rare giant pandas were evacuated Friday from the famed Wolong breeding center in southwest China due to food shortages and damage caused by last week's earthquake, staff said.

The endangered animals were trucked to another nature reserve in quake-hit Sichuan province, following eight others that were removed on Thursday in a departure planned before the earthquake, staff members told an AFP journalist.

"They left today. They are already gone," said one of several staffers at the now largely-deserted site to look after the roughly 46 pandas left there.

Three other pandas remained missing following the quake, staff said.

Read the full article>>

Three injured in Cotobato bus terminal explosion

Three people were injured after a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) went off at the Weena Bus terminal in Cotabato City Monday evening.

The bomb was placed near the gate of the bus terminal at Jose Lim Street in Cotabato City at around 7 p.m. Monday.

Security guard Leopoldo Cabanyog, a tricycle driver identified only as "Ismael", and Weena bus driver Nestor Bayog were injured by the explosion. Most of them suffered feet injuries.

Initial reports said an aircon bus arriving from Davao City was entering the terminal when the explosive went off.

The Army's 6th Explosive Ordnace Disposal unit Commanding Officer Capt. Ramon Torres said initial findings point to an IED consisting of bomb chemical, TNT, placed inside a container, with a cellular phone used as triggering device.

Based on recovered pieces of evidence, investigators said these materials were similar to the bomb used at the April 26 Weena Bus bombing in Midsayap, North Cotabato.

Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Fishermen

The crew of the MV Maria Beatriz of Montenegro Lines rescued brothers Cesar 34, and Cipriano Espinosa Jr. 29, in the waters of Guimaras at 7 a.m. Friday after being cast off from their boat due to bad weather.

Cesar told ABS-CBN Bacolod huge waves destroyed their pumpboat while they were fishing.

They were stranded at sea for more than 19 hours without food and water.

They left their house in Barangay Balangigay in Pontevedra, Negros Occidental at 6 a.m. Thursday.

Cesar said they decided to go to sea because the weather seemed fine.

After catching more or less 10 kilos of fish, they decided to return home but were stopped by big waves.

Around 7 a.m. Friday, the MV Maria Beatriz was passing along Navalas Point in Guimaras when its crew saw the stranded fishermen waving.

Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Oil hits record

LONDON - Oil prices hit a record high above 126 dollars on Friday, driven into uncharted territory by speculative interest amid concerns about tight global energy supplies, analysts said.

New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for June delivery, spiked as high as 126.20 dollars per barrel in London trading hours.

London's Brent crude contract hit an all-time high of 125.90 dollars.

Sucden analyst Michael Davies said there was "keen interest in the oil market by the (investment) funds, which are currently being attracted by oil's rapid price appreciation this year.

"This probably explains the move higher over the last few days," he added.

Read the full article>>

Ponce Suites

The Ponce Suites is a unique hotel which displays an array of visually-stimulating art pieces and you cannot miss the place because from the outset you can see gigantic, tribal-inspired cemented sculptures guarding the perimeter of the hotel.

We have single, double, twin and suite rooms which all have air-conditioning, television, bathroom with hot shower and a telephone.

We have a bar, an open terrace, a BBQ area, luggage storage, an art gallery and much more.
Our hotel is truly one of a kind and offers a one on a lifetime, price-less experience.

Source: www.google.com

Mango

Sarangani Province - Mango farmers in the province plan to increase their production this year as China allows eight companies in the country to export mango starting this month.

"This is a new opportunity for mango farmers here to produce quality fruits for export," said Benjamin Figueroa, president of Mango Growers Association in Sarangani Province.

The association of mango growers here is currently surveying mango plantations in the province to assess the potentials for the target production this year.

In 2007, they only harvested around 250 tons of mango fruits in 3,500 hectares of mango plantations which are mostly located in Malungon town. The target production is set at four tons per hectare this year.

"We are optimistic to meet the demand now because financiers are coming in the province," added Figueroa.

Read the full article>>

Flash floods

Flash floods brought by a sudden downpour on Friday isolated a village in Malita, Davao del Sur.

On Friday afternoon, heavy rains poured down Sitio Malionaw, Barangay Macol in Malita, causing Macol River to overflow.

The floods destroyed farmlands of corn and coconut in the village, and according to Macol barangay chairman Josie James Rillo several livestock were also killed by the floods.

Read the full article>>

Tagaytay

With an altitude of 2,250 feet above sea level, Tagaytay City enjoys a cool climate all year round.

This city perched on a ridge is located in the province of Cavite, some 56 kilometers south of Manila. It overlooks Manila Bay on the north, Taal Lake and Taal Volcano on the south, Laguna Bay on the east and the China Sea on the west. The city is linked to the Metropolitan Manila and the province of Batangas by the Aguinaldo Highway.




Among its attractions is the Tagaytay Picnic Grove where one can get an unobstructed view of Taal Volcano, which lies within a lake. Taal Volcano, which rises 406 meters from the lake, is reputedly the world's smallest volcano.

Taal Lake itself is an immense body of water formed when the old crater collapsed and the walls of the larger volcano caved in and sank.

A visit to the Volcano Island can be arranged through the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in Quezon City which maintains a monitoring station on the island.

For visiting tourists, support facilities are readily available in this idyllic city. Tagaytay is the "sister" city of Las Vegas and Nevada, U.S.A; Tainan City, Taiwan; and Bankstown City, New South Wales, Australia.