USGS: Open File Report 2006 - 1063

The Republic of the Philippines Coalbed Methane Assessment: Based on Seventeen High Pressure Methane Adsorption Isotherms

U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Colorado
Philippine Department of Energy
Metro Manila, Philippines

Catanduanes Coal District

The coal sample in the Catanduanes coal district was collected from the Eocene Hitoma and Payo Formations. The formations consist of carbonaceous shale, siltstone, sandstone, and coal beds. The coals are in distinct beds, 0.3-1.5 m thick, and in stringers; those in the carbonaceous shales were deposited in a paralic environment. The coal measure is in a northeast-trending basin bounded by two northeast-trending faults. The beds are steeply dipping to almost vertical, having been deformed by faulting along both northeast and northwest trends (del Rosario and Pastor, 2005a).

Catanduanes is an island, part of a group of islands in a southeast-trending peninsula of Luzon.

Coal districts of the Philippines containing lignite to semi-anthracite coal (rank determined by GRCDD using ASTM classification) in strata ranging from Eocene to Pleistocene in age. The coal samples (indicated by blue arrows) from 10 coal districts were re-analyzed for their apparent rank by the U.S. Geological Survey. The coal resources for each of the districts are indicated in million metric tonnes (MMT). Modified from Balce and others (2005).

Photograph of a dipping coal-bed outcrop in Catanduanes coal district. Hammer handle is about 30.5 cm long. From del Rosario and Pastor (2005a).

Photograph showing trenching at an outcrop in Catanduanes coal district for collecting coal samples. From del Rosario and Pastor (2005a).

Photograph illustrating the preparation of a coal sample, immediately following collection, for shipment to laboratory. Preparation consisted of double bagging the coal sample, putting wet tissue in the plastic bags, and wrapping for shipment. From del Rosario and Pastor (2005b).

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Will Northern Catanduanes Be Another Semirara? - Coal mining operation in the Philippines
• Philippine Mining Act of 1995 - Philippine Mining Act of 1995
• Make Your Stand and Be Heard - A call to public officials of Catanduanes
• Responsible Mining Easier Said Than Done - About responsible mining in Catanduanes

Duplicating Puerto Galera

A suggestion I received a week ago, from a foreigner wishing to see a Puerto Galera style tourism development in our island. It's a good idea to start with because we have an almost similar geographic features with Mindoro.

Puerto Galera is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. It is the northwesternmost municipality in Oriental Mindoro.

This coastal town is well known among tourists for its numerous pocket beaches and many snorkeling and diving spots. The area was designated a Man and Biosphere Reserve of UNESCO in 1973 and has some of the most diverse coral reef diving in Asia. The marine environment has benefited in recent years from the influx of tourist dollars. This has seen a huge reduction in the number of fishermen in the area, as they gain higher revenue from tourists.

Puerto Galera is a listed by the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays In The World, and is the only bay in the Philippines to be listed there.

Among the famous beaches in Puerto Galera are Sabang Beach and White Beach, which have an active nightlife with numerous bars and restaurants. Both beaches also have an array of first-class and economy-class accommodations.

Sabang beach is the main destination for foreign tourists, while White Beach remains popular with local travelers. Since 2001 White beach has seen uncontrolled development. New restaurants and places to stay are rapidly encroaching on the beach itself and little remains of the once charming beach. Puerto Galera town is a pleasant but sleepy Philippine town with few attractions. It has a large central catholic church and a Pier area, with a selection of bistros and cafes.

Behind the beaches are the huge and generally unexplored mountain ranges of central Mindoro. A particular local attraction is the nine hole golf course perched on the hillside above White Beach which commands spectacular views over Puerto Galera's natural harbor and the Verde Island Passage. Mangyan tribes are scattered over the mountains sides - some of the more remote tribes have no contact with the outside world. Of the eight tribes on Mindoro, the Iraya are the largest. They are based in the Puerto Galera area.

Puerto Galera has become the top diving destination in the Philippines. Excellent diving is found less than 5 minutes from the Sabang area. The diving generally focuses around the areas either side of Escarceo Point which is famous for its current rips. Strong currents are a feature of the diving in Puerto Galera and it is good advice to employ the services of an experienced local guide or dive centre. There are upwards of thirty dive sites all within a 5-10 minute banca ride from Sabang Beach. Marine life is highly diverse. 180+ species of nudibranchs are found in the area and most species of fish can be seen A variety of wrecks have been sunk over the years in addition to the one genuine wreck of an engine of a WWII Japanese patrol boat.

Puerto Galera is also one of the main (technical diving) destinations in Asia. Technical Diving International - (TDI) has many dive centers in the area, offering the full range of TDI courses from Basic (nitrox) to Advanced (trimix).

RELATED LINKS:

• Japanese Retirement Village in the Philippines - The Philippines is being eyed as a prime medical, health care and retirement destination for Japanese. According to studies, one out of four people in Japan will be aged 65 by 2020...
• Must-See Sights in Catanduanes - Popular travel destination among local and foreign travelers.
• Sights in the Northern Part - Lesser known attractions located in the northern Catanduanes.
• Usual Sights Around the Island - Rural activities captured by visitors around the island.

Post Retirement Blues

There were many stories about our beloved school teachers being harassed or verbally abused by GSIS personnel.

In 2002, I confronted a desk personnel at Legazpi branch for being rude when I asked her to explain over an issue that I don't understand. What she did was, she gave me a copy of R. A. 660 and asked me to read it. Whew... I left instead and sent an email to their head office in Manila and immediately their Vice President clarified the matter to me.

When I speak to her again, she was apologetic, restless and perspiring profusely inside the air conditioned room. Her superior came over and asked for the documents. And within a week time my transaction was over.

Rural Public School Teachers Score GSIS "Harassment"

Business Mirror
Written by Manly Ugalde / Correspondent
Tuesday, 18 November 2008 00:51

VIRAC, Catanduanes—Public- school teachers here assailed the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for alleged cheating, harassment and negligence over their alleged unfounded accountabilities.

GSIS members who have recently retired or are in the process of retiring complained that the state pension fund has been warning them to settle their alleged unpaid salary loans that they have paid in full.

Others said they were not paid the full amount of their matured policies allegedly because they have still unpaid loans that they also did not apply for.

Oscar Uchi, a newly retired high- school teacher at the Tambogñon National High School in the coastal town of Viga, said the GSIS claimed that he has not paid his salary loan of P84,200 showed in the GSIS database when his pay slips, as well as records of the Department of Education, show that his salary deductions had been remitted to the GSIS.

Uchi explained that the GSIS does not also approve succeeding salary loan applications unless the old loan has been settled.

Another teacher of the same school, Gregorio Villaray, lamented that he is retiring by January next year but the GSIS is forcing him to pay his salary loan of P74,500, which his records showed has been paid in full.

Maria Salome Tosic and Maria Filipina Liveta, also teachers of the said school, claimed they had not obtained loans from the GSIS but when their policies matured, the pension fund refused to pay them alleging that the proceeds due their policies were made to cover for their loans.

Avelino Tumala, also a teacher, said his P60,000 GSIS insurance policy has matured but he was informed by the GSIS that its proceeds were used to pay his unsettled loans.

“I don’t have a single unpaid loan,” Tumala said.

The teachers said despite the problems confronted by public school teachers with the pension fund before are nothing compared to their problems now. If at all, there were minor problems before, the teachers added.

Salvador Manlangit, a retired agriculture technician at the Gigmoto local government, said he was required by the GSIS to fill out forms for his e-card at the GSIS extension office in the capital town of Virac in June and was assured that he would receive the e-card in 15 days.

Until now, Manlangit said he has not received the e-card which is the instrument for the withdrawal of his monthly pension. “Kelan darating iyong pension ko? Kung patay na ako?” Manlangit lamented.

GSIS members here also complained that even the educational policies for their children could not be collected when their children reach college. They said some beneficiary-students have already graduated and the GSIS policies remain uncollected.

Uchi said his salary loan of P84,200 obtained in 2003 was settled fully in 2006. He said, however, that his insurance policy of P75,000, which matured this year was found to have been wiped out when its proceeds were used by the GSIS to pay his already long full-paid loan.

The teachers appealed to the government and the GSIS to save teachers from this kind of mess, saying poor as they are, and yet they are retiring poor only to become victims of injustices from the state-owned GSIS. This is double jeopardy, the teachers said, adding that their counterparts in the private sector never encountered similar injustices from the Social Security System.

RELATED LINKS:

• 2008 Wishlist - Suggestions to Catanduanes local executives for rural development initiatives.
• We Also Want Change - Change is the law of life and those who only look in the past or present are certain to miss the future.
• Where Are You From? - Our province is undergoing a difficult period but eventually we will be someday be proud of Catanduanes in its true self and not as a copycat.

Have You Ever

This promotional video was taken by World Team missionary Bryan Martin from California, USA and now based in Panganiban, Catanduanes.

World Team exists to glorify God by working together to establish reproducing churches focusing on the unreached people of the world.

Second Look At Tidal Power Development

For several months now since I posted a blog about tidal power development in our province. I noticed that there were a number of visitors on my site coming from the tidal power industry and enthusiasts. As well as fellow Catandungans of course, whom many of them are working and residents of US and UK, where the concern for environment is high.

Tidal power is one cheap source of energy that is sustainable and renewable in the long run. Many would ask how can it be sustainable when the cost of putting up a tidal power plant would cost million of dollars? Well, we need to look at other alternative industries that relies heavily on power to operate, like a cable transport system and cold chain facilities. With a stable supply of power we can operate a cable car system that would run from the bicol mainland up to the northernmost town of Pandan only in a few hours, to bring in and take back passengers, tourists and cargoes. No need to construct a very expensive bridge just to link us to the bicol mainland that would take years to be built.

The tidal power alongside with a cable car system and cold chain facilities would boost our island economy and create enough employment in tourism, deep sea fishing and aquaculture.

RELATED LINKS:

• Energy Dep’t Finalizing Deal to Develop Deep Ocean Power - DoE data indicate 16 possible sites in the country for ocean power development, including Davao Oriental, Camarines, Northeastern Samar, Bataan, Surigao, Catanduanes, Siargao, Tacloban, Ilocos Norte, Babuyan Island, and San Bernardino Strait.
• Catanduanes Skyway - Wild suggestion to connect Catanduanes to mainland Bicol through cable cars.
• Catanduanes Gets a Break from Wind - The provincial government of Catanduanes plans to harness “nasty winds” for power generation, according to a solon.

Tourism: The Catandungan Way

In less than two months from now, will be the start of year 2009 and in three months, will be the onset of summer in the Philippines. At this time of year would be a good start to review our tourism goals of promoting Catanduanes as an alternative destination.

Everybody knows that our island have a number of tourist attractions; surfing, beaches, resorts, rainforest, hotels, lodging houses, rivers, old churches, seafoods and friendly people.

What we probably lack then are, marketing, coordination and logistical capabilities to run our tourism industry like a well-oiled machine.

For marketing, we can advertise and sell our tourism destination online because obviously our provincial tourism council have no budget to buy an airtime in the national television. We can capitalize on our local talents to do a music video.

We can also capitalize in our student and alumni organizations as marketing arm by giving out flyers, leaflets and through social networking sites. In return, the organization with the highest number of tourist invited, will be given a reward and citation.

As to lodging, the council should start issuing an accreditation to some locals who wish to rent out their bedrooms and bathrooms as an alternative for backpackers. They can also provide a designated and secured boot camp in the 11 municipalities for those who wish to sleep on tents and sleeping bags.

Finally, the council should also issue stickers to accredited vans, boats, tricycles and public vehicles to prevent overcharging of fares, which would tarnish our image for a long time. Without much ado, let's do tourism the Catandungan way.

RELATED LINKS:

• Making Catanduanes a Tourism Destination - Suggestions to tourism development in Catanduanes.
• Int'l TV Channel to Produce Documentary on Catanduanes - Living Asia Channel to produce documentary on Catanduanes
• First Half of 2009 Tourism Destinations - Catanduanes made it to top 15 tourist destination during the first semester of 2009
  

Payonhons Raising Funds For Rectory Construction Project

Residents of Panganiban here and in the other parts of the world are in the midst of a fund-raising campaign for the rectory construction project which was launched in late July. Read more...

Town Fights Quarrying For Iron

BAGAMANOC, Catanduanes – Late in October, opposition from residents and the Catholic clergy in this province has prompted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) to issue a cease-and-desist order (CDO) against the magnetite (iron ore) extraction activities of Chinese firm Shun Fong Transport Co.

Bagamanoc

The CDO was based on findings of DENR-MGB investigators, who after conducting interviews with residents and company workers, determined that Shun Fong was engaged in the illegal extraction of black sand, locally known as “amargaja”, from Babaguan Bay along the coast of the two towns of Panganiban and Bagamanoc towns, located about 60 kilometers from the capital town of Virac.

The controversy erupted in the first week of September when concerned Bagamanoc residents noted the arrival of the Chinese firm, which began constructing a barge on the beach just a hundred meters away from the municipal hall.

They grew alarmed when they saw that the boat was going to be equipped with a suction pump and a magnetite processor, which workers said would be used to suck black sand offshore.

Wave erosion

Bagamanoc seawall

Days after the arrival of Shun Fong in their community, I-Care Bagamanoc, a nongovernment organization led by Fr. Juan Tejerero held a public assembly at the parish church where municipal officials led by Mayor Odilon Pascua were roundly criticized for allowing the mining activity despite the dangers posed to the environment.

During the last decades, the unprotected shoreline of Bagamanoc has been receding due to wave erosion, with the poblacion losing two streets to the sea so far. Current and past municipal administrations have been trying to extend a sea wall but the dearth of funds has prevented its full completion.

In an interview at his capitol office, Gov. Joseph Cua confirmed he has invited Henry Sy of Shun Fong Transport (with offices located in Greenhills, San Juan) to conduct preliminary reclamation work for planned reclamation projects in some coastal areas of the province.

The projects would pave the way for the construction of commercial and fishing ports in the municipalities where it is feasible.

Citing budgetary constraints of the provincial government, Cua said he asked Shun Fong to conduct surveys at no cost to the province, to determine the depth of the shoreline, the total area of the reclamation site, and the volume of earth fill needed.

He cited Bagamanoc and Panganiban towns as the priority sites.

Boat load of iron ore

He added that the firm could have been in the process of conducting sedimentary sampling of the black sand, which is a raw material used for the production of metal, when the opposition to its activities grew.

He said that in magnetite mining, wherein black sand is siphoned off the sea floor and the magnetite removed by a magnetic separator aboard a vessel, only 6 percent of the sand is taken, with the 94 percent returned to the sea floor.

This unwanted quantity, the governor said, could be used in reclaiming the considerable land area that has been lost by Bagamanoc town to the advancing sea.

In an interview with the Inquirer early in October, Mayor Odilon Pascua shared the governor’s view and stressed that no magnetite extraction occurred on the shores of the coastal town.

The Sangguniang Bayan, headed by Vice Mayor Juan Velchez Jr., however, was opposed to Cua and Pascua’s views and asked Pascua to stop any illegal mining activity.

Velchez affirmed that as early as Sept. 8, they had invited the Chinese firm to shed light on the issue.

Pascua told the municipal officials that he had already relayed the request to Cua, who asked for some time to allow Shun Fong to finish construction of its barge.

At the end of September, Shun Fong towed its barge to Panganiban town and began extracting black sand from the shallow sea of Babaguan Bay prompting local fishermen to complain that the activity resulted in turbid waters and harmed fishpens in the area.

The town mayor, Gregorio Angeles, said he would not oppose magnetite mining within the territorial jurisdiction of the town, provided it is done offshore.

In an interview, he said the Chinese group is just conducting a survey of possible magnetite deposits before undertaking any mining activity.

In case mining takes place offshore, he added that the sand washed out of the magnetite separation process could be used to reclaim part of Panganiban’s shallow shore for the proposed commercial port.

Open letter

Historical and Nautical Archaeology Foundation (HNAF)

The views of the local government officials on the mining activities of Shun Fong, however, did not sit well with the Catholic leadership and clergy in the province.

After two days of intensive discussion, Bishop Manolo A. delos Santos and 29 priests of the Diocese of Virac wrote an open letter addressed to the public officials.

The letter demanded immediate cessation of the mining activity off the shores of Panganiban and Bagamanoc pending a full-blown investigation and public consultation on the already controversial issue.

Critics have brought their case to cyberspace via Youtube where a video dubbed “Amargaha” was uploaded while a group of Panganiban residents citing environmental concerns and transparency placed a half page ad in a local newspaper.

The clergy asked for pertinent information, especially on the possible environmental and socio-economic repercussions of the mining activity of Shun Fong.

They demanded that the results of the probe be made open to the stakeholders at the earliest possible time.

The bishop himself, accompanied by other parish priests, traveled to the company’s magnetite processing site in Barangay San Antonio in Panganiban last Oct. 25 to check the claims made by I-Care Bagamanoc.

Insiders said the bishop would bring a copy of the open letter to Malacañang to personally appeal for the intervention of President Macapagal-Arroyo.

When it received the manifesto of the clergy, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan promptly referred the matter to the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources headed by provincial board member Francisco “Jun” Camano, Jr.

Camano said he has yet to have a copy of the DENR order but will proceed with the investigation of the controversy anytime this November.

The local Catholic clergy had requested a copy of the DENR-EMB’s CDO order against Shun Fong from the provincial capitol but were told only that it was in the hands of special projects consultant Cham de Garcellanosa.

Capitol employees said the consultant had worked for the Lafayette mining company in Rapu-rapu, Albay before he was employed at the capitol.

In a chance interview at the provincial capitol, Shun Fong project coordinator Arnie Mesia said that in the aftermath of the controversy and CDO order, the company would lease a local boat to tow the barge used in the extraction to Virac and then to Sorsogon where he said local people are engaged in small-scale on-shore magnetite mining. However, rough seas have stranded the barge in Panganiban.

Mesa said the company would probably apply for a permit to explore and subsequently extract magnetite from a mountain-sized deposit located along a river somewhere between Barangays Hinipaan and Bacak.

By Fernan Gianan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:28:00 11/06/2008

Japanese Retirement Village in the Philippines

The Philippines is being eyed as a prime medical, health care and retirement destination for Japanese. According to studies, one out of four people in Japan will be aged 65 by 2020, from one out of six in 2000. Now is the best time to set up the retirement village for Japanese as baby boomers will start retiring in 2007.


Several notable Japanese companies have already initiated building medical and retirement havens in the Philippines. These include Sanyo Emeritus Co. Ltd., a joint venture between Sanyo Electric and Emeritus Corp. of Seattle, which provides "assisted living" services in the US and Canada; as well as Tokushukai Medical Corp., Japan's largest hospital chain, which is putting up a $100 million, 1000-bed hospital in the Philippines, targeting elderly Japanese citizens.

The Philippines is highly regarded because of its mild climate enjoyed by Japanese, its close proximity to Japan, the high quality of the Philippines' healthcare workforce, and the significantly lower cost of living.

Cost of living in Japan is 60 percent higher than in the Philippines. This means the retirees can enjoy their pensions more than those staying in Japan. By moving to the Philippines, they can spend half of what they would pay for rent at home in Japan and live in seaside resort mansions with guards, swimming pools, tennis courts and spacious bedrooms.

We are currently looking at developing our 100-hectare premium property into an exclusive Japanese retirement village. The property is located right beside a premier golf and leisure estate having four (4) 18-hole championship golf courses designed by the world renowned golfers, Isao Aoki, Andy Dye, Nick Faldo, and Greg Norman and is frequented by many Japanese executives and businessmen.


The prime property is only 15 minutes away from two major commercial malls as well as leading universities. It is conveniently located midway between Makati, the financial and urban center of the Philippines, and popular tourist destinations such as Tagaytay, Batangas and Laguna. Retirees will be half an hour away from the cool highlands of Tagaytay which overlooks the famous Taal Volcano and Taal Lake; an hour away from the beaches and famous diving spots of Batangas; as well as the mountains, hot springs, and lakes of Laguna.

We envision the Japanese retirement village to be a place where retirees can keep an active, meaningful, and fruitful lifestyle with modern houses and amenities, sports and recreational facilities, medical, health and care-giving services, educational, training and business centers. The retirees will be able to participate in many programs and activities such as gardening, cooking, ballroom dancing, pottery making, painting and other activities.

We are looking for a Japanese partner who would like to go into a joint venture to develop our property into an exclusive Japanese retirement village. We are looking for a partner who can handle the sales and marketing of the project in Japan and who would provide conceptual designs and specifications according to the preferences of the Japanese market.

Interested companies/investors may send their letter of intent and company profile to us. Please see "More Info." for our company profile and contact details.

Source: Japan External Trade Organization

RELATED LINKS:

• About Geotourism - Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents...
• Duplicating Puerto Galera - Puerto Galera is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. It is the northwesternmost municipality in Oriental Mindoro...
• Smiling At Life In Catanduanes - Peaceful, remote, laid back and rustic. Inhabitants of this small communities often are relatives and have kins working overseas or perhaps migrated in other places...

Boses Nin Catandungan

If I remember it right, Musika Tanog Bikol was a fund raising drive for typhoon victims in Catanduanes. I was still in college back then, the first concert composed of Catandunganon talents at the then popular hip venue in Greenhills, San Juan.



RELATED LINKS:

• Is There an English Equivalent Word for Pantomina? - Pantomine is it?
  
• Usual Sights - Take a photo tour of Catanduanes.
  
• Must See Sights in Catanduanes - What makes the island unique? Check this out.

Smiling At Life In Catanduanes

Possibly, many are wondering why am I posting maps of not often heard remote villages in our island. Peaceful, remote, laid back and rustic. Inhabitants of this small communities often are relatives and have kins working overseas or perhaps migrated in other places.

What makes these characteristics interesting to me is, these villages and municipalities can be a potential retirement destination for both foreign or local retirees, once promoted and develop as a retiree's haven. It is projected that this retirement program would be a US$40B industry by 2015.

Retirees often are in the twilight of their years and would pose no harm to our security, people and environment. And could be of help in our community by hiring caregivers, drivers, gardeners and househelps. They would not crave for expensive and heavily calorie laden foods, but instead, more on organically grown fresh vegetables and fishes, to which our friendly farmers and fishers can provide.

Maybe, there are some former residents who migrated and wishing to start smiling at life in Catanduanes.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Barangay Manambrag - This is Manambrag, a barangay of San Andres (Calolbon) Catanduanes. I never gone to this place yet but it looks like a small peaceful village. According to August 2007 Census, she has an overall population of 2,582.
• The PRA Business Guide - As a general rule, anyone regardless of nationality may invest in the Philippines. However, foreign nationals enrolled in the Retirement Program are, under the Authority’s existing Implementing Investment Guidelines, permitted after a holding period of 30 days