TROPICAL PHILIPPINES

Amanpulo, Philippines

2011-07-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

World's Largest Underwater Hotel to Rise in the Philippines

2011-01-15T22:57:00.000-08:00

Asia's first underwater resort hotel to be built off Philippine island

ANN - Sunday, January 16SendIM StoryPrint.Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - The Philippines is all set to embrace a futuristic undersea project to rival those in Maldives, Dubai and Fiji, according to a Filipino team of developer and architects, which is set to build an underwater resort hotel in Palawan.

Dubbed as the Coral World Park, this multibillion-peso project will set the record as Asia's first underwater resort development and the biggest undersea living in the world once the project is completed by 2013.

Picture this: You wake up to a picture perfect view of frivolously swimming manta rays and fishes or hold a meeting in a restaurant submerged in the pristine waters. Say what? All this isn't science fiction according to an all-Filipino team behind the project.

Taking the helm is Singapore-based businessman Paul Monozca, who is known for his advocacies of helping Filipino sports teams and the overseas remittance business. Partnering with Monozca is renowned eco-architect Jose Pinggoy Manosa, who will take charge of the architectural design of the Coral World Park.

It's high time we brought sustainable development underwater because there have been similar projects elsewhere in the world that have been proven successful," Monozca told Inquirer Property in an exclusive interview Wednesday.

He cited global warming and the rising water levels as factors that pushed him to look into the possibility of exploring the readiness of the country for this kind of revolutionary development.

Pegged at some $150 million, the undersea structure takes pride in its 24 undersea suites or pods called "Anemones," which are submerged 60 feet below sea level with a fascinating 270-degree view of the sea. The 15-foot-high Anemones will be built by a US firm that specializes in submarines.

Several units of these Anemones will be open for public viewing at reasonable rates while majority are for ownership. Each 50-square-meter Anemone (the size of two-bedroom condo unit) can be customized per owner's preference. It can be used as a private villa, a receiving or entertainment room that could cater to as many as 15 people.

Filipino ingenuity

How can one move from one pod/suite to another? The Coral World Park will be built with submarine technology. The mode of transport will be through glass bottom mini-submarines to be powered by the first mobile hydropower system, which generates up to 1 megawatt of electricity. This will use a patented water recycling and pressure chamber invented by an all-Filipino team of engineers, Monozca said.

The project will show to the world Filipino ingenuity as 80 percent of the project will be run and manned by Filipinos, from engineers to architects down to personnel," Monozca said. When completed, the proposed underwater habitat will be the biggest in the world.

Also part of the futuristic project is a 50-bedroom onland boutique hotel complete with amenities like casinos, spa, business center and an underwater restaurant to be named �Starfish," which could seat as many as 200 people in its 600-square-meter dining area. A seahorse-shaped science center aptly called �Seahorse Science Center� will be built for tourists and will serve as the park�s marine observatory and conservation center showcasing the richness of marine life in the Philippines.

The project is expected to pour in billions of investments and will help create thousands of jobs for the people in Palawan and neighboring provinces.

Conservation tourism

Funding will come from Monozca's Monaco-based group, which counts investors from the United States, the Middle East and Russia. As an aggressive venture in ecotourism business, the project also aims to replenish the coral reefs in the area and would advocate conservation tourism in the country.

Monozca related that everything has been in the planning stage since last year. He identified a group of islands in Coron as the site for development owing to its perfect geography, clear and cove-protected waters and rich marine life. The islands of Palawan hardly experience earthquakes and are not prone to visiting typhoons that occasionally hit the country.
The construction is set to start soon and will be completed in two years, according to Manosa, who said this would be my biggest project so far in my professional career." Manosa is behind some of the biggest projects like the San Miguel Building constructed in the 1980s and the Brent International School.

I was overwhelmed myself when the project was offered to me. Even my family is excited about this; my grandchildren are asking when they could visit the underwater resort," Manosa said.

The group dispelled fears of security as the whole resort will be tightly guarded. The proponents also envision a cashless system of transaction as everything will be made via specially issued bracelet cards similar to the function of a credit card.

The group promised strict adherence to protect the environment and the biodiversity of Palawan. They said no marine life will be harmed during the course of its construction to its operations.

COPYRIGHT: ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Philippine Island Living

2010-11-09T04:22:00.000-08:00

Tropical living

2010-08-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

The nipa hut also known as bahay kubo, is an indigenous house used in the Philippines. The native house is constructed out of bamboo tied together, with a thatched roof using nipa/anahaw leaves.

Nipa huts were the native houses of the indigenous people of the Philippines before the Spaniards arrived. They are still used today, especially in rural areas. Different architectural designs are present among the different ethno-linguistic groups in the country, although all of them conform to being stilt houses, similar to those found in neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia,and other countries of Southeast Asia.

Subic Tunnel

2010-03-20T20:24:00.001-07:00

sabitang laya

2010-03-07T05:37:00.000-08:00

One of the stone islands of Caramoan with powdery white sand beach. Survivor Israel, Bulgaria and Koh Lanta (French Survivor) all shoot in this island and other islands in Caramoan.

Taal Volcano

2009-11-01T04:13:00.000-08:00

Described as the world's smallest active volcano, Taal is a volcano within a volcano and a lake within a lake. Best view can be had at the viewing deck of Taal Vista Hotel where this photo is taken.

Ninoy and Cory Avenue

2009-11-01T02:49:00.001-08:00

Find out here if you wish to visit the place.

Vigan, Ilocos Sur

2008-09-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Calle Crisologo

2008-08-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Go wakeboarding at Camsur Watersports Complex - the best cable in the world

2008-05-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

Click here for guide on how to get there

Image from Koh Lanta Palawan (French Version of Survivor)

2007-10-27T05:50:00.000-07:00

Interact with Whale Sharks in Donsol, Sorosogon

2007-10-27T03:09:00.000-07:00

(photo credit: timothy willis)

The Philippine Butanding ("big fish" in the Filipino dialect) is a whale shark, or Rhincodon typus. It ia a rare marine specie, a slow filter feeding shark that is the largest living fish species, reaching lengths from 18 to 35 feet in length or 13-14 meters and weighs about 20 tons. When it has a length of 4.5 meters, the weight is about 750 kg.

The Butanding inhabits the world's tropical and warm-temperate oceans. Even though considered as primarily pelagic, seasonal feeding aggregations of the sharks occur at several coastal sites such as Donsol, Batangas and Palawan in the Philippines. The highest concentration of whale sharks to be found anywhere in the world is in the Philippines. From January to May, they congregate in the shallow coastal waters of Sorsogon province (at Donsol), and they were found in the waters around Bohol island and some parts of the Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

Donsol is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. Donsol is a popular tourist destination for the Butanding that can be seen in the bordering seas. It is nicknamed the "Whale Shark Capital of the World", with the largest number of recorded sightings of whale sharks anywhere in the world. It serves as a sanctuary to a group of 40 whale sharks. Swimming with whale sharks was featured as the "Best Animal Encounter in Asia" by Time Magazine in 2004. Whale sharks can be seen all-year round except during typhoons, with presence peaking between February and May. In recent years the number of male sharks have out-numbered female sharks by 20:1. The females that are seen, are generally large mature adults in the 7m ~ 9m range. In 2006 five sharks were found dead on the surface, within 30 miles of Donsol. They had all been shot at close range. One shark had 13 bullet wounds to the head.

More info.

Mt. Pinatubo Crater Lake Adventure

2007-10-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

Conquering World-Famous Mt. Pintubo
An opportunity to relish the peace and quiet of the 2.5 km jewel blue crater lake of Mt. Pinatubo in Botolan, Zambales via Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac; drive on board 4x4 all weather jeep along O’Donnell streambed; hike up to the crater for 3 hours and back.Guided tour (Aeta guides), use of 4x4 all weather vehicle, donation for conservation, certificate of conquest. Options: Day tour or overnight accommodation.

Volcano watching, kayaking, swimming, Aeta community immersion, photo safari, nature appreciation, camping and outdoor living exercises.

Discover Mt. Pinatubo

Calauit Island Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary

2007-10-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

CALAUIT ISLAND. The island, located on the northeast coast of Palawan, is a 3,700hectare game preserve and wildlife sanctuary. This is no ordinary tropical island. The calm and peace of this remote is like a Shangri-La.

Over the 26-year period of its existence, Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary has evolved to become the country’s major conservation showcase. It holds the single distinction as the first successful wildlife translocation experiment in Asia, the second such project in the world.

Calauit Island Game Preserve & Wildlife Sanctuary

PALAWAN VOTED THE BEST BEACH IN ASIA

2007-10-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Conde Nast Traveler, the largest circulated and most popular travel magazine in the United States voted Palawan as a tourist destination with the Best Beaches Overall in Asia in its October 2007 issue. Palawan has been cited for its outstanding attractions like Tubbataha Reef Marine Park and St. Paul Subterranean River National Park, both listed under the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

Tubbataha Reef, a coral-rich marine park is a favorite dive
destination in the country and the world.

The reputable publication noted that Palawan Province's 1,200 miles of sugary beaches wrapped around 1,780 pristine islands have attracted travelers since the Chinese traders crossed now sunken land bridges from Borneo. Tubbataha is a reef ecosystem made up of two atolls that lie on a line of exticnt underwater volcanoes and is a sanctuary for marine life. Located 92 nautical miles southeast of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its outstanding universal value in terms of marine life species diversity and richness.

St. Paul Underground River features an 8.2-km navigable
underground river.

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, otherwise known as the St. Paul Underground River, features a spectacular limestone landscape with an underground river. The area represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation as the site contains a full 'mountain-to-sea' ecosystem and has some of the most important forests in Asia.

El Nido Resorts offer a beyond the usual destination with
fun-filled activities for the family.

Almost as unique as these two Heritage Sites is Miniloc Island Resort; where a private beach leads to crystalline waters rife with damselfish. Sister property of Miniloc is Lagen Island Resort; whose 51 over-water pavilions are indeed one-of-a-kind. Amanpulo, Amanresorts' 40 huts scattered along Pamilacan Island's powdery strand is indeed world-class. It was also included in the best hotels category of Conde Nast magazine.

Lagen Island Resort's over-water pavillions have grown very
popular over the years.

Wherever in the Philippines' 7,107 Islands; more particularly in Palawan, dubbed as the country's Last Frontier, there will definitely be beaches reflective of sheer heaven. As in this province alone, anyone will almost surely fall in love with one of the 1,780 mostly uninhabited islands that constitute this wealth of wonder which is beyond the usual. It was definitely enough for Conde Nast Traveler's October issue of The Great Asian Beach Finder to position Palawan as the Best Beach Overall.

Amanpulo's secluded island offers a wide variety of beach
and water activities.

For more information on Miniloc Island Resort and Lagen Island Resort, please visit www.elnidoresorts.com. For information on Amanpulo, please visit www.amanresorts.com. For more of the best beaches overall, please visit www.cntraveler.com.