Do you enjoy taking cruise around the Carribean or along the Gulf of Mexico? This year, Boracay Property Holdings Incorporation will be launching the very first Philippines Luxury Cruise ship around the famous destinations in the Philippines... apparently, this will be called "7107 Islands Cruise", based on the number of islands around the Philippines.
“(The)Ang destination (is)ay from Manila to Puerto Galera. We move to Boracay and then to Coron(Palawan). Coron is the new place to discover," according to Al Borromeo, general manager of 7107 Islands Cruise.
This cruise can accommodate about 400 passengers in its 137 rooms. Each room has its own TV, refrigerator and bathroom. The cruise ship has a gym, spa, piano bar, pool and is internet ready also. You can choose the number of days you want to stay on the cruise. You can get on board or get off at any location where the cruise ship will dock. The cruise ship will be staying for about 1 to 2 days on each island.
As of now, the destination will be directed to Coron, Palawan because of the current weather situation in the country. The management is hoping to start their full operations by September of this year.
Currently, the rate for the cruise is at Php5,500/pax per day with a full board meal
information based from GMA7 News
Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, at the intersection of the borders of the provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga. Ancestral Pinatubo was a stratovolcano made of andesite and dacite. Before 1991, the mountain was inconspicuous and heavily eroded. It was covered in dense forest which supported a population of several thousand indigenous people, the Aeta, who had fled to the mountains from the lowlands when the Spanish conquered the Philippines in 1565.
The volcano's eruption in June 1991 produced the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century.[2] The 1991 eruption had a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6, and came some 450-500 years after the volcano's last known eruptive activity (estimated as VEI 5, the level of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens), and some 500-1000 years after previous VEI 6 eruptive activity.[3] Successful predictions of the onset of the climactic eruption led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the surrounding areas, saving many lives, but surrounding areas were severely damaged by pyroclastic flows, ash deposits, and later by lahars caused by rainwater remobilizing earlier volcanic deposits: thousands of houses and other buildings were destroyed.[2]
The effects of the eruption were felt worldwide. It ejected roughly 10 billion metric tons of magma, and 20 million tons of SO2, bringing vast quantities of minerals and metals to the surface environment. It injected large amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere—more than any eruption since that of Krakatoa in 1883. Over the following months, the aerosols formed a global layer of sulfuric acid haze. Global temperatures dropped by about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F), and ozone depletion temporarily increased substantially.
The area since 1991
Following the climactic eruption of June 15, 1991, activity at the volcano continued at a much lower level, with continuous ash eruptions lasting until August 1991 and episodic eruptions continuing for another month. Activity then remained low until July 1992, when a new lava dome began to grow in the caldera.
This dome appeared to be composed of fresh lava from the deep magma reservoir beneath the volcano, rather than material 'left over' in a shallow reservoir from the 1991 eruption. Thus, volcanologists suspected that further violent eruptions could be possible, and some areas were once again evacuated. However, the eruption did not become violent, perhaps due to outgassing from the deep reservoir reducing the explosivity of the lava reaching the surface. Since 1992, the volcano has been dormant.
The Aeta people were the hardest hit by the eruption. The total destruction of many villages by pyroclasts and lahar deposits meant that many Aeta were unable to return to their former way of life. After the areas surrounding the volcano were declared safe to return to, those whose villages had not been destroyed moved back, but most people moved instead to government-organized resettlement areas. Conditions on these were poor, with each family receiving only small plots of land, which were not ideal for growing crops. Many Aeta found casual labor working for lowland farmers, and overall Aeta society became much more fragmented, and reliant on and integrated with lowland culture.
After eruptions ended, a crater lake formed in the 1991 caldera, with the 1992 lava dome forming an island. At first, the lake was small, hot and highly acidic, with a minimum pH of 2 and a temperature of about 40 °C. Abundant rainfall cooled and diluted the lake, lowering the temperature to 26 °C and raising the pH to 5.5 by 2003.
The lake increased in depth by about 1 metre per month on average, until September 2001, when fears that the walls of the crater might be unstable prompted the Philippine government to order a controlled draining of the lake. 9,000 people were once again evacuated from surrounding areas in case a large flood was accidentally triggered. Workers cut a 5 m notch in the crater rim, and successfully drained about a quarter of the lake's volume.
Ecotourism
As of 2007, Mt. Pinatubo is a popular tourist destination in Central Luzon. Tour operators offer a whole-day package which includes a 4x4 jeep ride that starts off at Capas, Tarlac, taking tourists across the barren plains. A 2-3 hour trek then commences on a trail that leads to the crater lake. There, facilities include a viewdeck, cottages, and kayaks. Swimming in the lake is allowed although it is restricted to the proximal banks.[7]
article c/o Wikipedia
photos by: JayJay Lucas
The colorful Pahiyas festival that we have known for years dated as far back in the 16th century when Catholicism is on the rise in Quezon province. As many have told, it started as a way of thanksgiving for a good harvest. And the bountiful offers were given to the Franciscan missionaries who brought Catholicism in the 1500s.
Since then, it already begun as a tradition among the Lucbanins until 1595 when the construction of the wooden church paved the way for the locals to bring their harvest to the church. It was believed that this rite must be done by the farmers in order to avoid bad luck, drought and famine. But this is actually done to celebrate the feast of San Isidro, patron saint of farmers. Through the years, they were showered with many blessings and harvest continued to be in uprising. Such time came when people have thought of displaying their harvest in front of their houses where the priest would come and bless them. Each year, the route of the priest blessing the harvest, vary for everyone to get a chance to participate.
So, get ready with your sneakers and rubber shoes as you trek the old streets of Lucban during this season. First thing one would notice is the “kiping.” This is a wafer made of rice and shaped into a tree leaf. It comes in colors of pink, green and yellow matched with richness of their harvested fruits that are then lined-up as decoration in front of a participating house. Another thing that can be made out of “kiping” is a chandelier that is also placed in each house. But what keeps you looking back at these creations is not just the color but the ingenuity and creativity of the people who keep reinventing concepts year after year.
Next best thing are the floats that are also seen in other towns of Quezon in celebration of San Isidro Festival. Fresh fruits and vegetables are everywhere and it has been a tradition that people pick them once they pass along your area.
Presently, the Pahiyas Festival has become the pride not only of Lucbanins but all Quezonians for consistently keeping the culture and religion alive. The bright colors of “kiping” transcend the beauty if this town, not to mention the friendly smiles and greetings you get to receive from one street to another.
Lucban is one of the most-visited places in Quezon Province especially during summer. It has continued to be the undeniable Summer Capital in Southen Tagalog for its inviting and cold weather. It was told in the myth that five men found Lucban Quezon during the 16th century in the persons of Marcos Tigla, Lucas Guimba, Lucas Galandang, Lucas Nanawa and Antonio Manduman. And it was in fact, Marcos Tigla who became the first “kapitan.” A year later, people flocked in this town not only because of its weather but also its places. One particular site is its church. It was built in 1630 by the order of Kapitan Lucas Martin. But in 1732, a huge fire hit this Roman Catholic church and none was left except for the convent. But years later, it was rebuilt and has remained to be sure spot for tourist until now for its nostalgic façade.
c/o Toni de Villa -www.discoverquezon.com