Intense quakes, seismic activity could mean Taal Volcano eruption — Phivolcs

MANILA, Philippines — State volcanologists on Saturday morning said that continuous volcanic earthquakes and other seismic activity could be signs of an impending eruption of the Taal Volcano.

Since the volcano's phreatic (steam-driven) eruption on Sunday afternoon, a total of 666 volcanic earthquakes were recorded by the Philippine Seismic Network. one hundred seventy-four of these were felt, registering magnitudes 1.5 to 4.1. and ranging from Intensity I (scarcely perceptible) to Intensity V (strong).


Between 5:00 a.m. today and yesterday, 32 volcanic earthquakes were plotted with magnitudes between 1.5 to 3.3.

Meanwhile, the Taal Volcano Network tallied 876 volcanic earthquakes including six tremor events and 20 low-frequency earthquakes.

“Such intense seismic activity likely signifies continuous magmatic intrusion beneath the Taal edifice, which may lead to further eruptive activity,” state volcanology bureau Phivolcs said in its 8:00 a.m. volcano bulletin on Saturday.

Phivolcs also reiterated that the Alert Level 4 (hazardous eruption imminent) is still in effect meaning "total evacuation of Taal Volcano Island and high-risk areas as identified in the hazard maps within the 14-km radius from Taal Main Crater and along the Pansipit River Valley where fissuring has been observed."

For the past 24 hours, the volcano's main crater has steadily emitted steam. It has also seen infrequent weak explosions that formed white to dirty white ash plumes as tall as 600 meters and dispersed ash southwest.

“Civil aviation authorities must advise pilots to avoid the airspace around Taal Volcano as airborne ash and ballistic fragments from the eruption column pose hazards to aircraft,” the state volcanology bureau said.

It also advised residents to continue protecting themselves from the effects of heavy and prolonged ashfall.

source: philstar.com

Making a splash in Aquaria

MANILA, Philippines -  It was a great idea for me and a few friends to go to Aquaria — the new leisure resort in Playa Calatagan in Calatagan, Batangas. I heard a lot of good things about it from a friend but I never expected the place to be so cool. When I saw that giant water slide — they told me it was three storeys high — I knew that I had to conquer it.

The trip to Aquaria conveniently took only a short time — in less than three hours we were already at the entrance. Wow, I could not help but get awestruck by Aquaria’s amenities — the place is really first class.

After we settled down with our things in the cabana that we rented — there are several cabanas around the place, usually near the cove pools and the beach — we went around to see Aquaria’s amenities. It turns out that the giant pool slide is located amid several cove pools. There’s even a sunken pool bar.

The sun loungers with their yellow, oversized umbrellas shone like giant sunflowers. There were hammocks! I swore that I would enjoy that hammock big time later.

Even though the trip to Aquaria from Metro Manila was short, we had worked up an appetite. So we had a truly delicious lunch of  grilled  lobsters, prawns, and squid. The best place to enjoy seafood is really at a resort like Aquaria. My Filipino-French friend Alex Dieudonne of band Line of 7 and I ordered a refreshing the frozen margarita: it was perfect for the noonday heat.

We ended up eating a lot, so we decided to get at least an hour’s rest before hitting the pool and the beach. My manager Chris Cahilig and the rest of our group went back to our cabana but I could not wait to use that hammock. It’s the best way to enjoy the sea breeze blowing through the beach.



I found out that Aquaria is a 1.2-hectare property that is designed to be a world-class leisure destination. It’s both a water park and a beach resort — I think it’s the perfect alternative to Boracay. For only P400 for adults and P200 for kids, you can already enjoy the world-class pool and the white sand, the clean, clear blue sea without having to book a flight or take a boat to an island. This makes Aquaria a perfect place for day-trippers who want to enjoy a resort vacation without spending a lot of money and taking a lot of time.

While resting from the heavy lunch, I watched the Aquaria guests, mostly families and groups of friends, enjoying the various activities: soccer, volleyball and Frisbee, and even water sports like kayaking, wind surfing, boating and jet skiing. At the time we were in the resort, there was even a tutorial on stand-up paddle (SUP) boards.

Finally, it was time to hit the beach and try out that giant slide. Whoo! We could not wait to get into the water. The giant slide was a rush! Pretty soon we were laughing and enjoying ourselves. It’s great that there’s both a water park and a beach — we felt like we were getting two resort vacations for the price of one. We went boating and wind surfing, too.

When in such a beautiful place like Aquaria, we just have to take photos. So here I’m sharing some of the shots we took. Hopefully, you’d get an idea how awesome the place looks by looking at the background. These photos are going to be part of my best summer mementos.

Summer will last several more weeks, so I suggest you check out Aquaria for yourself to enjoy this season to the max. It’s going to be worth your while — hope you enjoy it as much as we did!


For reservations and more information on Aquaria, call Landco Pacific Corp. at 836-5000.

source: philstar.com

Bel-Air Residences rises in Lipa

MANILA, Philippines - Lipa City, a first class city in the province of Batangas, is now home to Bel-Air Residences, one of the more prominent housing developments in the area which has caught the fancy of those who want a good and sustainable lifestyle.

“Bel-Air Residences is a 14-hectare subdivision right in the heart of the city. Its prices range from P1.5 million to a little over P3 million… it’s a middle end for provincial settlers so we are targeting entrepreneurs, professionals, OFWs, and those who want to live a comfortable life away from the bustle of the metropolis,” says George Siy, director of Convergence Realty and Development Corp., the developer of Bel-Air Residences.

The project’s main draw is its proximity to the business centers, recreational hubs, religious and industrial sites, and educational establishments like De La Salle University, the San Sebastian Cathedral (seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lipa), Mabini Academy, which was founded in 1922, the Carmelite Convent, Robinson’s Place Lipa Mall, Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club, Summit Point Golf and Country Club and SM City Lipa Mall.

“Within the two-kilometer radius of our project are 18 schools and universities. This project is of such good value, the location is 15-minute walk away from the mall, 10-minute from the city hall, very close to public and private schools including Kolehiyo ng Lipa.   Malarayat Golf Club is just down the same street; hospitals are five minutes away. It so good for retirees as well because they don’t have the distraction of the city, it’s like a university town where everybody is almost familiar with everybody,” Siy adds.

He stresses that what makes this project unique and even better than other developments is the fact that Lipa City is a business center but remains bucolic and resort-like, making it even better than Tagaytay.

Before taking on this project, Siy made sure he was on the right track. What he did was made a survey and an extensive feasibility studies not only on the location but also on his potential market



“If we look at it, the Philippines is undergoing so much restructuring in a sense that so many people are becoming OFWs and when they come back, they don’t want to return to where they started. Usually when they go abroad and return they fear that they will return to where they started but after working for about six years or so, they realize they don’t want to go back to where they started. They look for a new lifestyle, which is normally not available from where they came. And we feel that if they will be given a choice, Lipa is one the best options they can have in Luzon.”

One thing he discovered is that a lot of people from Lipa  are working in Europe, particularly in Italy. They are the ones who want to live happily when they return from a long and tedious “vacation” in Europe.

“If you acquire properties in the city you may have to contend with the prices but if you’re purchasing outside the city like the speculative properties or those for end users, there has never been a better time than now and everybody should consider it, because never has interest rates been that low for the Philippines, never have the loans been allowed for such a long period here in the country and because of the worldwide recessions except in the Philippines, that means the prices are fixed now, which used to go up every year but not for a long time now so these combinations mixed together, then look for an affordable property. But if you wait till later, and the economy booms again, every thing will go up too, including interest rates,” he notes.

“Because of these reasons, considering the development is southwards, we’ll continue what everybody does, build not only quality houses with complete amenities and facilities but build a community that will be occupied by people who are yearning for better dwelling paces,” Siy adds.

For more information about Bel-Air Residences Lipa call 0922-8733060 / (043)7574210 or visit www.belairresidenceslipa.com.

source: philstar.com

Landco opens Aquaria leisure tourism resort in Batangas

MANILA, Philippines - Upscale leisure resort developer Landco has launched Aquaria, a 1.2-hectare leisure and entertainment destination within its 12-hectare Playa Calatagan Leisure Tourism Estate.

The Playa Calatagan Leisure Tourism Estate is Landco’s playground for innovative resort living experiences and concepts — all meant to cater to local and foreign tourists, families, and corporate guests.

With Aquaria, Landco moves closer to its goal of making Playa Calatagan and the rest of the province (where Landco has four other premier residential and agri-tourism projects) one of the country’s most preferred tourism, leisure, and recreational destinations. Landco also plans to put up a world-class seaside condominium near Aquaria, just a few steps away from the beach.

Landco recently treated a select group of guests for them to experience what Aquaria leisure resort has to offer. These lucky guests did some all-day partying in the world-class beach resort, enjoying various beachside activities like soccer, volleyball and frisbee. They also participated in water sports like kayaking, jet ski, wind surfing, stand-up paddle (SUP) boards, and boating.

All these activities naturally made everyone very hungry, so by lunchtime they were served grilled dishes, including lobsters, prawns, squid, chicken legs, beef kebab, and pork belly — these were perfectly matched with refreshing lemon grass tea, freshly squeezed fruit juices, and liquor from the bar right beside the Sands restaurant by the beachfront.

The guests enjoyed the fresh sea breeze, retired to strategically located hammocks where they either read a book or simply daydreamed amid the peaceful, serene atmosphere.



Those who could not wait to enjoy the swimming pools and the beach proceeded to the air-conditioned locker rooms (there are separate areas for ladies and men). Beside the locker rooms are individual showers with adjoining dressing areas and toilets.

Upon leaving the shower rooms, the guests passed through a series of coved pools. One is a kiddie pool with overhead sprinklers; another is a sunken pool bar; the highlight is the main pool with a three-story giant pool slide. There are also wooden cabanas and cove pool cabanas all around. The pools are equipped with a lot of floaters to assist swimmers. Even those who don’t swim can very well enjoy the pools with these floaters helping them stay above the water.

Aquaria charges P400 per head for adults and P200 per head for children. These fees let visitors stay at the resort for the whole day. The smaller cabanas cost P1,000 for whole-day use while bigger ones that are good for 10 people cost P1,500 per day.

For now, Landco allows families to bring in foodstuff and their own barbecue equipment, provided that they keep the beach and the facilities clean. Meals can also be bought from the Sands dining pavilion since the company has a restaurant concessionaire. Liquor and non-alcoholic beverages can also be bought from the square-shaped open bar beside the restaurant.

Chairs and tables are available for rent by families and groups of guests, so they can eat right along the spacious beachfront. Sunbathers can have a lovely time at the sun loungers’ area, which has jumbo umbrellas; when things get too hot, they can easily refresh themselves at the pool bar. 

For reservations or more information on Aquaria, call Landco Pacific Corp. at 835-5083. Other leisure resort developments by Landco include Peninsula de Punta Fuego, Leisure Farms, Hacienda Escudero and the Playa Series-Playa Calatagan, Playa Laiya in Batangas, and Playa Azalea in Samal Island, Davao.

Landco Pacific Corp. develops high-end leisure communities, resort-inspired condominiums and luxury home communities. For more than 20 years, the company has made its mark in Philippine real estate, and is widely acknowledged as one of the leading leisure developers.

source: philstar.com

Christopher de Leon to run for Congress in 2013 elections

Hindi lingid sa kaalaman ng marami na plano ni Christopher de Leon na tumakbo bilang congressman ng lalawigan ng Batangas sa susunod na halalan sa Mayo 2013.

Ang aktor ay kasalukuyang nagsisilbing senior board member ng Sangguniang Panlalawigan o Provincial Board ng ikalawang distrito ng Batangas.

Ang pagtakbo ni Christopher—o “Boyet" sa kanyang mga malalapit na kaibigan—ay nabanggit na rin ni Batangas Governor Vilma Santos sa nakaraang panayam ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal).

Sinabi ni Governor Vi sa interview na nagsabi na sa kanya si Boyet na nagbabalak itong tumakbo bilang congressman sa 2013 elections.

Parehong kabilang sa Liberal Party sina Governor Vi at Boyet, na isa rin sa itinuturing na pinakasikat na tambalan sa Philippine showbiz.

Sa press conference ng ikatlong yugto ng GMA-7 primetime series na Luna Blanca nitong Martes, Setyembre 4, sa Imperial Palace Suites, Tomas Morato, Quezon City, hindi itinanggi ni Boyet ang intensiyon niyang tumakbo bilang 2nd District Batangas representative.

Bagamat ayaw pa niyang magbigay ng detalye bago ang kanyang pormal na paghahain ng kandidatura sa unang linggo ng Oktubre, sinabi ng aktor na pabor sa kanya ang resulta ng survey.

Matatandaang unang tumakbo si Christopher bilang representative ng ikalawang distrito ng Batangas noong 2007 ngunit natalo. Sinubukang muli ng aktor ang kanyang kapalaran sa pulitika nang tumakbo siya bilang board member ng Batangas noong 2010, at sa pagkakataong ito ay nagtagumpay na siya.

Sa nakaraang dalawang taon ng pagiging public servant niya, naging isa sa mga prayoridad ni Boyet ang kalikasan.

Kuwento ng actor-politician sa PEP, “Yun ang ginagawa ko ngayon. I do mga resolutions, ordinances.

“I’m coming up with the first environmental code of the province of Batangas."

Isusumite raw niya ito sa susunod na Miyerkules, Setyembre 12.

Pinangungunahan ni Boyet ngayon ang Provincial Environment Committee na tumututok sa mga problema sa polusyon sa tubig at hangin.

Binanggit ng actor-politician na talagang hiniling niyang pamunuan ang environment committee.

“It’s closer to God. I mean, taking care [of the environment], being stewards to God’s creation," wika nito.

Balak ni Boyet na mas “diinan" pa ang ang mga proyektong pangkalikasan sakali mang tumakbo at manalo siya sa susunod na taon.

“It is a national concern, e. But I will focus on Batangas."

ON POLITICS. Nang tanungin ng PEP kung dumarating ba talaga sa punto ng career ng isang artista ang desisyong sumabak sa pulitika, ito ang unang sinabi ni Boyet: “Serve."

Paliwanag niya, “The actors are very ano, e, very… Well, one is we are influential, yes. We are all known.

“[But] not all actors can be that, but it’s… we also deal with more people often, with the fans. So, we just extend that a little.

“And then you reach out to the people, ask people what they need, and [eventually] help in your own small way."

Nabanggit din ng aktor na ang pagpasok sa pulitika ay paraan upang mas lumawak ang kanyang kaalaman.

“You learn more, you learn a lot.

"Aside from the people, aside from the needs of the people, you learn more about the law.

“You study about the law, you learn about the process, how to preside over meetings, learn how to make a resolution, ordinance.

"And that’s fun, that’s fun… it’s really fun!

“I mean, it’s a different horizon. At the same time, you deal with people—magaling kami diyan!" natatawang sabi ni Boyet.

Nabanggit din ng aktor sa PEP na hindi niya planong pumasok sa pulitika noon. Sumagi lamang ito sa isip niya nang alukin siyang tumakbo.

“It [just] rubbed in when they offered me. And then there’s what you call a… political bug that rubs on you.

“You look for it. I don’t know what it is. It’s more of ‘Will I win?’ It’s more of a challenge."

Handa raw ang loob ng aktor sa mga posibleng mangyari sa muli niyang pagtakbo.

“Hopefully, if God willing...

“If this doesn’t push through, it’s okay.

"But since they’re ready, I might as well grab it… take the opportunity."

Ang kasalukuyang kongresista ng second district ng Batangas ay si Hermilando “Dodo" Mandanas, na tumalo kay Boyet noong 2007 elections.

Nasa ikatlo at huling termino na si Mandanas kaya hindi na sila magkakalaban ni Boyet sakaling tumakbong kongresista ang aktor sa 2013.

Ilan sa mga dating naging kongresista sa naturang distrito ay ang mag-amang Hernando "Nani" Perez (1987–1992; 1992–1995; 1995–1998) at Francisco Perez (2001-2004). -- Abby Mendoza, PEP

source: gmanetwork.com