Watch GMA7 TV's "Born to be Wild" feature about Palawan entitled Palawan, the Last Frontier
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Born to be Wild takes you to the country's last nature frontier. Considered a haven of biodiversity and the environment's strong hold, Palawan Island is slowly threatened by various issues.
Romi Garduce and Doc Ferds Recio go on an adventure to discover what truly makes this island worthy of its title, "The Last Frontier." While many other parts of the country have denuded forests, exploited mineral reserves and grave degradation of the environment, Palawan boasts of lush mangroves teeming with wildlife and green forests home to hundreds of species, many of which can be found only in the island.
Romi explores Puerto Princesa's subterranean area and finds a truly awesome underground river and nature preserve which is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But what makes this geological wonder remarkable is that it serves as home to native wildlife, including a very playful endemic bird which has taken a liking to Romi!
Palawan's beauty lies not only in its geology and rich wildlife, but also in its pristine seas! Doc Ferds goes underwater to prove why Palawan's waters hold some of the most well-preserved marine ecosystems in the country. He takes a boat ride along the rich mangroves that make up Palawan's waters and marvels at how lush these fish sanctuaries really are.
But as Doc Ferds and Romi discover, Palawan also faces peril with the arrival of new environmental threats. Its rich sediments and minerals are the target of industrial progress. While some see Palawan as a source of energy and resource for the rising demand of the population, environmental groups caution that Palawan should remain untouched and unexploited. As the last remaining environment frontier, they believe that island must be preserved for future generations.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Born to be Wild: Palawan: The Last Frontier
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Nominees in the New 7 Wonders of Nature
Other sites from the Philippines that made it to top 20 are the Chocolate Hills in Bohol and Mayon Volcano in the Bicol Region.
As of this writing, however, these places were down from their previous higher rankings.
- Tubbataha reef now at rank number 5, down from number 4.
- Underground river at number 8 from 6.
Support and vote for these great places! Truly nature's masterpieces.
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world's longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.
Tubbataha Reef is an atoll coral reef in the Sulu Sea that belongs to the Philippines. It is a marine sanctuary protected as Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park. The reef is composed of two atolls, North and South Reefs. Each reef has a single small islet that protrudes from the water. The atolls are separated by a deep channel 8 kilometers wide. Over one thousand species, including many that are endangered, can be found at on the reef. These include manta rays, lionfish, tortoises, clownfish and sharks.Sunday, July 6, 2008
Trailer of animated film "Urduja"
Here is the trailer of the animated film "Urduja" created by Palawan artists/animators.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Ka Luie Resto
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Palawenos are World-Class Animator
Palawan is not only blessed with nature's wonder but also with talented people.
Yesterday, the first full-length tagalog animated movie, Urduja, was shown in Metro Manila. Various movie critics acclaimed that the animation was world-class.
The movie is about a legendary warrior-princess named Urduja who is recognized as a heroine in the province of Pangasinan. The movie features the voices of Actors Eddie Garcia, Johnny Delgado, Allan K, Michael V, Cesar Montano, and Actress/Singer Regine Velasquez. Brought to us by APT Entertainment, Seventoon and Imaginary Friends production.
And guess where was this animated movie made? Yes, it is in Palawan , by Palaweno artist.
Click here to watch the trailer
Friday, June 13, 2008
Palawan Wonders
Pictures speaks louder than words..
Sharing with you some of Palawan's Nature wonders and some of famous resorts
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Got Deers in Palawan!
Pilandok: World's Smallest Hoofed Mammal
South of Palawan, lies the Balabac Island, home of the world's smallest hoofed mammal - the Philippine mouse deer. Locally known as Pilandok (Tragalus nigricans), this ruminant stands only about 40 centimeters at the shoulder level.
In Balabac, the Pilandok is hunted for its meat.
In other countries, it is called chevrotain, or simply mouse deer. Contrary to its name, pilandok is not a member of the deer family. It belongs to the family Tragulidae in the mammalian order Artiodactyla. The male species has no antlers like those of a real deer. Instead, it uses its large tusk-like canine teeth on its upper jaw for self-defense; in the same way a deer uses its antlers.Aside from the Pilandok, other mouse deer species include the Malay mouse deer or napu and the African water chevrotain. They are found in Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, and India.
While the mouse deer are widely distributed across Asia, their dwindling population has alarmed the World Conservation Union, which declared them as endangered in 1996.
The Calamian Deer
Calamian Islands, north off Palawan province, keep a species of deer that cannot be found elsewhere. Scientists referred to the hog deer in the islands as Calamian deer in order to distinguish them from other hog deer in the world.
An ordinary Calamian deer measures 105 to 115 centimeters in length and 60 to 65 centimeters high at the shoulder and weighs about 36 to 50 kilograms. It is said to have longer and darker legs, compared with other hog deer.
From a relatively large number in the 1940s, the population of Calamian deer dropped to "dangerously low levels" in the 1970s. By 1996, its population further declined to only about 900, prompting conservationists to declare it as an endangered species.
