This is very timely especially since the Philippines is re-launching its new tourism campaign. I am not against mining per se, but mining in an archipelago — one of the centers of the world’s biodiversity — is like taking away our core competence when in fact eco-tourism is so scarce nowadays we’re one of the few countries that the world is willing to spend $$$ on to get here. And when I say “here” it’s not Manila. It’s the islands.
What happens to the signatures? It will be sent to PNOY as they finalize the deliberations for the future of the economy. If you’re pro-tourism, then the Philippines has a special type of tourism tied to its environment.
On Wednesdays, we dive with Manta Rays (Taken in Tubbataha, 2011)
“I was born a century too early. I’ll never travel to outer space.”
My greatest regret was something I had no control over. And that’s why I decided to take up SCUBA. In essence, it’s pretty much follows the same principle: you float around space and discover strange, new things that man wasn’t meant to see. Being underwater is the ultimate rebellion. Man isn’t supposed to be there. But we’re there. Swimming around. Nonchalantly.
With over 120 logged dives over the past two years I slowly got sucked into that deep underwater goldmine that most of us Filipinos have ignored for decades. If any hope for the country exists, it’s down there. It’s too rich to ignore and the sad part is, our by-products from the faraway cities are destroying it.
For those interested, there will be a huge symposium this August on the Philippines and biodiversity. Dr. Kent Carpenter director of the Marine Biodiversity Unit of the International Union for Conservation of Nature will be talking about the Philippines as the epicenter of biodiversity, and thus follows our country being potentially one of the biggest hotspots for adventure tourism in the world.
The title of the talk is rather long, but not long enough to beat a Carlos J. Caparas film title. “Scientific Discovery and the Urgent Need for Conservation at the Philippine Epicenter of Marine Biodiversity” will be held on Wednesday August 24 2011 at 6:00PM at the Intercontinental Hotel Grand Ballroom, Makati. Everyone is invited!
August 24 2011
6:00 PM
Intercontinental Hotel Grand Ballroom
Makati
RSVP Penelope Uy 0918.915.5045 / events (at) jewelmer (dot) com
Our NUDI group will be there as well as we’re installing an underwater photo exhibit to complement the theme of the symposium. If you want to learn more about biodiversity and economics, this is the rare chance to see it!
Probably the best investment I made this year was for a decent underwater video camera. I accumulated over 42GB worth of raw underwater footage and I must say that documenting my dives is easily the most rewarding experience this year, perhaps ever! As a volunteer for WWF Philippines I also donate all my videos to their coral triangle efforts.
So here they are, my top diving vids for 2010:
*Viewing advice*
Watching all of these videos could take a while. If you have time to spare, do grab a bag of chips and a drink. Enjoy!
