Japanese Cool Bussan Festival 2015: Networld Hotel Nov. 20 and 21

Excellent Japanese food and winning - these are two things that entered my mind when I got the invite for the Japanese Cool Bussan Festival 2015 that was held at Networld Hotel, Spa and Casino, located at Sen. Gil Puyat corner Roxas Blvd., Manila, Philippines.

The hushed and subdued interior of Networld Hotel was welcoming, as always. From the smiling, welcoming guard outside, to the one who ushered me in, it felt good, as I was transported out of the hustle and bustle of the city into a place where winners abound.

Memories flooded my mind about the many times my father, Engr. Alonso Dominguez, who was known as "Boss Al" and one of his best friends, David So, used to go to Networld Hotel to play at the Networld Hotel casino. David So expressed his preference of the place because it was more quiet than other casinos. And, we played there often, it was because we frequently won at baccarat, and since we all loved great food, especially Japanese food, and the sushi platter at Networld was fantastic. To attend the Japanese Cool Bussan Festival provided me a way to take a trip down memory lane, as my father and David So have passed away, and I am glad to note that my expectations was not only met but surpassed.

The Event

The Japanese Cool Bussan Festival was held at the 2nd floor of this hotel. It is a 2-day event. For Nov. 20, the event started at 5 pm and lasted until 8 pm. For the second day, which is Nov. 21, the event will start at 1 pm and end at around 6 pm. This event by JDR Marketing showcases various Japanese business opportunities with selected participants that only have the very best to offer.

Japanese products are known for excellence. The attention to details is there. I was excited to attend the event - and was worried that I might not make it as the road block for APEC was enforced on that date, Nov. 20, but then it was lifted by 4 pm and I was able to get to the venue before dark. I was able to attend both days of the event, and was glad that on the second day, Che Lejano, a professional media man accepted my invite, did interviews, and took video footage for future release upon request of the client.

The first business opportunity was that of making Japanese halo-halo with a kind of milky-flavored ice that is shaven, then topped with different kinds of powders such as green tea, cafe latte, and soy bean, and fruits such as strawberry and mango. This same company offers a unique kind of jelly that is plated with soy bean powder which has health benefits and a rich caramel. Both food products were absolutely delicious.

The next product was a invigorating Japanese health drink made from acai berries. This health drink tasted like wine and I felt my blood circulation improving immediately after drinking it from a shot glass. This health drink is very popular and has been featured in many Japanese magazines. This health company also has a vegetable supplement, a great aid in the lack of proper nutritional intake, and one that is packed with the goodness of 'greens'.

There was a sushi area, in which was featured sushi making machines that can aid in the creation of up to 600 sushi rolls in one hour, and new kind of sushi wrappers that can substitute the usual Nori (seaweed) wrapper. These Japanese products truly demonstrated how the art of automation can be perfected by this people of this country. The finish products are what I can only describe as "heavenly". Aside from the typical ingredients of a sushi, such as cucumbers and crab sticks, the other new ingredients that were used to create these, made the texture of some of the sushi have a dimension of crunch. 

Another table had a Japanese chef who is a teacher in the art of making soba. As he prepared the soba by hand, to demonstrate how the special soba flour product featured is used even without their new high-tech soba-making machine that will soon arrive in our country. There was a count-down timer to inform us that the hand-made soba would be served after a few minutes. The soba flour can be used to make a variety of soba, and the sample that I had was simply delicious - served with only a touch of wasabi, chopped green onions, and soba sauce - and it is one of the best that I have ever tried.

And yet another company that was included in the festival was a Japanese advertising company, that has products such as a Mobile LED truck, billboards, and indoor LED wall. This company was the one who had the raffle, of which I won second place. My prize was a beautiful, tall, slim, light green Japanese vase, with slight decor etching.

With the owner of the Japanese advertising company and Ver Garcia 

And, there is one Japanese company that was included in the Japanese Cool Bussan Festival that is ready for franchising, and this is Takoyaki Michael. The takoyaki making process was demonstrated, and the recipe use had new and unique ingredients such as finely ground pork and cabbage, to be served with Japanese mayonnaise and the secret Takoyaki Micheal sauce. The cost of this franchise is at PhP 200,000 which includes training.  

For more information about these Japanese products, you may contact 

Jeff of JDR Marketing via cellphone +639194927986 

or send to an email jeff.jdrmarketing@gmail.com

Author's note:  This post was made to thank JDR Marketing for the event invite. I wanted to attend this event because it was held in Networld Hotel because I love the place and love Japanese food, and this event is worth sharing. 

Send me an email at lucindadominguez@gmail.com if you want more detailed product reviews such as these:

Tateh AquaBiz: New Free App Makes Planning and Running an Aquaculture Business More Profitable 

Lancris Residences: A Delightful Wine and Dine Night

For the Benefit of the Island Rescue Organization: 2nd Team Kovu Dog Sport Cup on Nov. 28, 2015

This press release is a charity post and I greatly urge all dog owners to attend. All material in this post has been provided by the event organizers. I was invited to the afternoon presentation at Friday's BCG and after which we were fed a heavy snack. I would like to note that:

- the obstacles are made from bamboo and eco-friendly.
- the man who conceptualize this event loved his dog so much, that the passing away of Kovu made him push to bring to reality the original concept of man and our canine friend doing sports together
- that it is a fun event, and if my little toy poodle, Bailey, was still alive, I could have joined with her, as I could lift her over the hurdle and there are no minus in points
- that the registration fee is highly affordable
- that this kind of event provide a challenge for both owner and dog
- that this event is a venue that will aid in creating unforgettable bonding moments for us and our canine friends

2nd Team Kovu Dog Sport Cup Press Release


Bacoor, Cavite (November 15, 2015) - Team Kovu would like to invite the local dog community to come out and join the first ever human and dog outdoor adventure challenge happening on the “2nd Team Kovu Dog Sport Cup” event for the benefit of the Island Rescue Organization (IRO). This is set to happen on November 28, 2015 (Saturday) at the Greenfield City Sports Field in Paseo Center, Sta. Rosa, Laguna from 8am to 7pm.

Image Provided by Event for this Charity Press Release

Now on its second year, the chosen event benefactor IRO, is a non-profit animal welfare group based in Cebu. Its Executive Director, Ms. Nena Hernandez will be coming all the way from Cebu to share awareness on their advocacies and the assistance that the local dog community in the metro can extend to their noble cause on the south side of the country. Aside from being a fund-raising event, the “Team Kovu Challenge” will be launched to the public as the main event!

This will be the first ever human and dog outdoor adventure challenge in the country and it was designed and conceptualized entirely by Team Kovu.

Most of the obstacles that the challenge will have are made of bamboos and were based or derived from the real-life obstacles that Team Kovu have already faced on their outdoor adventures. There is no rigid dog training experience needed to overcome each obstacle to win the challenge. The strength of the human and dog’s bonding, together with how well their teamwork is will be the key factors to win. In its introductory year, the challenge is easy enough for a child with a well-bonded dog to complete and enjoy!

The challenge is open to all dog breeds of all sizes that are already six (6) months old and above and if the human participating is below thirteen (13) years old, he/she needs to have his/her parents or guardian present on the event. Aside from the Team Kovu Challenge, the following activities are also set to happen on that day:

•Philippine Canine Sports Alliance (PCSA) Official Agility Trials
•Beginner’s Fun Challenge
•All American Bulldog Show
•Photo Contest

Aside from getting some gifts from the event sponsors, which are Royal Canin, EzyDog, Vitality, and Pet Discount, the top winning participant will take home the coveted Team Kovu Crystal Cup trophy. Percentage of the registration fees for all the activities on the event will go to IRO. Through this event, Team Kovu is staying true to their campaign of promoting an active human and dog lifestyle! For more information on all the activities happening on the event, please visit the Team Kovu Website.

About Team Kovu

TeamKovu Enterprises was legally established in March 8, 2012. However, the concept before its legal formation started a year earlier in February, 2011 when Carl Michael G. de Leon and his personally trained American Bulldog named Kovu passed the qualifying trial to compete in the official Philippine Mondioring trials. The “Carl and Kovu” tandem was already a known duo to the local dog community since 2007 as they usually participate in key dog events happening in and around the metro. Team Kovu’s reputation was built not only to be known as competitors in the different dog sport events in the country, but also by doing adventure activities like climbing mountains together, river trekking, and exploring different beach getaways that are dog-friendly. Backed by nine (9) years of professional dog training experience, media attention such as TV guesting and magazine features came along the team’s way. Also, aside from holding dog training classes, the team also gets invited often to do seminars on how to properly communicate with dogs. The Team Kovu brand aims and continuously promotes an active human and dog lifestyle by providing new and exciting venues on which they can spend quality time together and further bring their relationship to new heights.

CONTACT: 
Carl Michael G. de Leon +63 (915) 574-6632 
admin@teamkovu.com 
www.teamkovu.com

Fruit Magic Pure Nectar Juices: Nutrition and Weight Loss Solutions

When I wrote my ebook ReFresh: The Liquid Diet Guide, which is available at all online bookstores such as Amazon, I did not create recipes for it. What is in the eBook are what beverages on can drink to achieve healthy weight loss including how to loss weight by drinking water.

From a nutritional angle, fresh fruit and vegetable juices do greatly aid in our having a balanced diet. If one has a hectic lifestyle and works in the city, the food options are delicious - such as fried chicken, French fries, and hamburgers. If we want to eat healthy, this is not easy to do as what is readily available and affordable are food items that do keep us full yet are not adequate for us to have a balanced diet.

If one is feeling unwell, and like some of the elderly who have difficulty eating, it is possible to address the nutritional needs with fruit and vegetable juices, in the same manner that these beverages can greatly help a person who works in the city and does not have a balanced diet.

Our common beverage choices include soda, coffee, tea, canned, and powdered juices. Most of these are laden with sugar, and even if the soda has no sugar, it provides not much nutritional value. Though I love drinking Coke and other sodas, have coffee daily in accordance with the caffeine limit, do take energy drinks, my family and I make it a point to drink one of the many Fruit Magic juices as often as possible, as it does work to address health concerns, and because these are thirst-quenchers.

And, recently, what was good about Fruit Magic was made even better with their new line of bottled fresh fruit and vegetable juces. These are called Pure Nectar.

Fruit Magic Pure Nectar has the concentration. It is pure juice without the addition of extenders such as water or ice or other ingredients like milk. It is fresh, and some of the juices have to be shaken as there is settling at the bottom of the fruit or vegetable purée. Some are clear, depending on the kind of fruit or vegetable used.

Credits: Fruit Magic Facebook Page

Fruit Magic Juices and the new Pure Nectar Juices provides nutritional and weight loss solutions thanks to their delicious and healthy beverages.

Fruit Magic juices are easy to consume and can be drank by people such as the elderly who need that nutritional boost. It can be a way to get the vitamin intake needed for cold relief, the natural way. There are no undesirable ingredients such as preservatives and sugar.

During my recent interview with Dr. Alvin Rae Cenina of the Memory Loss Center of the Brain Wellness Center of Asian Hospital, he said that we need a balanced diet to address the health concern of memory loss, among other things. He also said that taking health supplements was not necessary if we have a balanced diet.

A balanced diet includes an intake of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Taking supplements such as those from ATC HealthCare is possible as this health supplement company has natural supplements -yet we also can have that fresh fruit and vegetable intake with an enjoyable beverage such as the ones available from Fruit Magic.

I greatly recommend that you try any of the Fruit Magic Pure Nectar juices and take home a few bottles to your loved ones. It's great for kids, teens, adults, and the seniors, to quench the thirst and take in the essential vitamins and minerals. The positive results are felt almost immediately as these juices are assimilated by the body, fast. Fruit Magic products are packed with healthy goodness.

Having a balanced diet is nearly impossible when one has a hectic lifestyle. I remember how is was when my father was ill, and had difficulty eating, and it was easy for him to sip a beverage with the use of a bendy straw. He loved certain fruit juices and would not turn down his favorite fruits such as pineapple, mango, and coconut. My youngest daughter, Allison, had the Cold Defense and even while she was drinking it, she already felt the results, getting relief from her cold almost immediately.

Have the correct fresh fruit and vegetable intake and get targeted results by taking one of the many Fruit Magic juices and their new Pure Nectar. These are available at their many branches such as the ones located at Shangrila Food Court, Landmark Trinoma, Glorietta 4, and SM Aura.

For more information, like the Fruit Magic Facebook page .

Cebu Lechon: Filipino's Favorite Party Food

For Filipinos, a feast is not complete without lechon. 

Lechon is a cooking term, and in the traditional Filipino way of naming food, the dish is to be identified by the cooking term and then followed by a noun. To "lechon" means to cook meat or poultry that has been placed on a spit over hot coals while this is being continuously turned to ensure even cooking, and this is similar to the cooking procedure of roasting, though many roast made in the oven are not rotated.

Though lechon is a cooking term, it also is commonly used to identify a roasted pig which is lechon baboy. There are other lechon food items such as lechon manok which is roasted chicken and lechon baka which means roasted calf.

The cooking process of lechon is not easy. It takes hours as from the moment the pig is slaughtered, nearly all parts are to be used and these must be placed aside. These parts include the blood, the innards, the lungs and other internal organs, and these are used to make other Filipino dishes such as dinuguan, bopis, and chicharon bituka. The pig has to be cleaned and the certain herbs and spices are placed inside to add and enhance the flavor.

The golden brown unbroken crunchy skin of the best kind of lechon is difficult to achieve, as the pig has to be brushed constantly with either oil, water, or the secret formulation of the one who makes the lechon. It also has to be placed on the spit perfectly and to roasted for hours.

The size of a lechon matters. It is standard for feasts and parties to have one, two, or three lechons of the table, depending on the number of guest. There are different sizes and these are bought according to weight. There is also the roasted suckling pig which is known as "lecho de leche". This small lechon has softer meat, thinner skin and the amount of fat that it has is minimal.

The texture of the lechon starts with the crispness of the skin, to the tenderness of the fat, to the soft meat in the nape down the spine, to the strong meaty part near the ribs, until the legs that has the chewier dark meat.

The style of cooking lechon is the same all over the Philippines. This is the reason why lechon baboy should actually be the National Food instead of adobo, a vinegar-based dish, as the ingredients vary, and the cooking procedure may entail it being fried, boiled, or both. When it come lechon baboy, it is the same procedure, and the ingredients placed inside the lechon to flavor it vary only slightly differently, yet that difference does make a lechon tastier. And, the lechon is identifiable Filipino, is the centerpiece of nearly all special occasions all over the country, so I firmly believe there should be a change made to our National Food, and for it to be "lechon baboy",

And that is what makes the Cebu lechon difference, as this is the regional lechon from that province located in the Visayas, Though what is used must be top secret, the flavor of the meat is enhanced magnificently. While there are some lechons that I have tasted which are bland, there is a certain Cebu lechon which has excellent flavor and texture.

Cebu lechon enhances the food triggers for Filipinos, and not by just the appearance. It has the texture and taste that is so-well loved. What is sought-after with Cebu lechon is the dimensions in flavor, making it one of the best kinds of lechon in the Philippines.

Ordering Cebu lechon for any and all occasions is a practical decision. For the price, you'll get to feed a lot of people and for sure there will be leftovers that can be made into paksiw, which is a stew made from the liver sauce, vinegar, pepper, and bay leaves. Leftover lechon may also be reheated and even fried with an addition of salt, pepper, or soy-based sauces like liquid seasoning.

If you want to have lechon as one of the highlights of the dining table for your next gathering, it's good to know that one of the best to order lechon baboy and lechon baka (roasted cow/calf) is Manong's Cebu Lechon.


For your Cebu lechon needs, you may contact Manong's Lechon Cebu @ (632) 4756875, Sun mobile 0932-8805600, Globe 0927-7839920.  They deliver door-to-door within Metro Manila for a minimum fee.  Look for Roland Panares and ask for the delivery charges. 

For more information, visit the Manong's Lechon Cebu website.

Baga Manila: Nov 13, 14 & 15 BeerbecuersFest -It's the Chill Atmosphere

Fantastic. Baga Manila last night was a grand success and there are 2 more nights of this BeerbecuersFest. 

Baga Manila 

This is an annual food festival that has the Chill atmosphere that makes one feel free of the stressors of city life. Baga Manila has a lot of food and beverage stalls, and the items are highly affordable and delicious.

The lighting of the eating area tents makes the place so dramatically flowing, like embers - astonishingly wonderful.

There was another seating area in the Baga Manila Lakefront venue, and these provided picnic tables with mats to sit on. 

The first dish that I got to try was from Vizcaya that specializes in Ilocano cuisine. Their Dinakdakan was so flavorful, that I just had to go back to try their Sarabasab, which has a slightly spicy taste with hints of authentic Ilocano vinegar. The Bopis was the real thing, and so finely chopped - and my favorite Papaitan was superb. Vizcaya accepts orders and you may text them at 099882300846.

This food festival has bands playing the whole night. There were also various activities such as the longest barbeque eating contest and beer drinking contest, of which, the female at the utmost left, who so kindly allowed me to take and post this picture of her and her friends, won second place. As you'll see, they hanged out on a mat, and totally enjoying this chillax BeerbecuersFest.

Tonight, Nov. 14, at Baga Manila Lakefront which is right at the side road of the express way of Sucat where Posadas is - there will be a Boodle Fight and Beer Pong tournament, and it will be Reggae night. Maybe the fire dancers will perform again tonight and tomorrow - but I can assure you that if you attend this food festival, you'll have a lot of fun and the food prices are highly affordable.

Baga Manila is on it's 4th year. Join the celebration of this outdoor food festival! Bring the entire family and your friends, to hangout the whole night! 

Asian Hospital Brain Wellness Center Launched: Free Primary Memory Screening

Memory can be sharpened, enhanced, and the loss can be slowed down with proper treatment. There is "no magic pill", said Dr. Alvin Rae Cenina, the head of the Memory Wellness Program of the Brain Wellness Center of Asian Hospital and Medical Center which was launched on Nov. 9, 2015.

The Asian Hospital Brain Wellness Center, which is the only one in the South, has the individual and group session programs for Memory Wellness. Soon, there will be programs for Stroke Prevention, Movement Disorders, and Neuro-developmental (Pediatrics).

In line with the Asian Hospital Brain Wellness Center launch, for a very limited time, one can take a Free Primary Memory Screening test.  Once assessed, the causes of memory loss that are detected - which isn't just aging, and may include fatal illnesses such as meningitis, and other causes like improper nutrition, lack of brain exercise, and lack of social activity, and many more, the program will cater to the needs, to the point that even targeted MRI's may be conducted.

The Memory Wellness Program can bring about results such as slowing down memory loss for patients with Alzheimer's, as it can, in many cases, and it is not just limited to Alzheimer patients or those suffering from dementia or mild cognitive impairmen. The results are achieved by maximizing the cognitive potentials and by decreasing the risks of future cognitive decline in a clinical manner.

How much are our memories worth? 
Is there a need for brain wellness treatment? 

Some of the warning signs of memory loss include:

• forgetting important dates
• repeatedly asking the same question
• needing to rely on memory aids such as reminder notes
• forgetting names but remembering them later
• having difficulty concentrating
• tasks like computing taking longer with more errors than before
• finding it difficult to complete familiar tasks
• trouble understanding visual images
• having problems finding the right words
• calling things by the wrong name
• misplacing things and losing things often
• confusion about what day it is of the week
• withdrawal from social activities
• feeling weary of work, family, and social obligations
• feeling confused, anxious, suspicious, depressed
• easily irritated when routine is disrupted

We take care of our bodies and sometimes, blame the aging process for our memory loss, thinking that it is normal. We take medicine to treat our illnesses an diseases, do therapy, and are aware of the fact that for overall Wellness, we must have a healthy lifestyle. What are we doing for our brain wellness starting with our memory?

Many things in life can be DIY like maintaining and repairing a car - but when it comes to our brain, it is not just the mental health, but it could also the physical health that brings about concerns such as memory loss.

Early diagnosis provides the best opportunity for treatment, support, and future planning. There is hope for us and our loved ones to our treasured memories, and for our brains to be sharper. 

The Brain Wellness Center of Asian Hospital is an integrated, patient-centered facility that will provide care, from prevention to early recognition and management for general brain health and various brain disorders, and one of which is dementia. There is a team of specialist which include neurologists, neurosurgeons, rehabilitation medicine specialist, physical and occupational therapists, nutritionists, psychologist, and psychometricians. The Memory Wellness program evaluates the patient's memory function and identify the risks of memory decline.

The time is now to take the first step in Brain Wellness for you and your loved ones. Contact or drop by Asian Hospital to find out if the Free Primary Memory Screening is still being offered and to learn more about their other services such as vascular risk screening and what the Brain Wellness Center in Asian Hospital and Medical Center can do for you and your loved ones to have a better quality of life.

How much indeed are our memories worth?

Brain Wellness Center
4th Floor, Lifestyle Medicine Center, Tower 1
Asian Hospital and Medical Center
2205 Civic Drive, Filinvest City
Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Tel. (632) 771-9000 local 844
eMail bwc@asianhospital.com





 Click this link to visit the Asian Hospital and Medical Center Website 

Zoobic Night Safari is Here Again!

Stay awake, hear your heartbeat pounding, blood in your veins rushing as the rising excitement heightened in the night’s summer breeze. Zoobic Safari brings back the much awaited “Night Safari”, packed with more thrill and excitement. Discover your braver side and tour around this exotic sanctuary at night, the first of its kind in the Philippines, all Saturdays starting this October 24 up to January 1 & 2, 2016.


Gear up your nocturnal senses and prepare for a series of roaring nights of fun in visiting Zoobic Safari’sclassic attractions, Serpentarium; a wild encounter with snakes, lizards and iguanas, Zoobic Park, a walk-through petting zoo, Tiger Safari, an enclosed safari jeep ride that will take you to the tigers’ natural habitat, Croco Loco, a crocodile lair where you will have a chance to feed them. Take a walk together with the greyhounds and follow the night trail in Greyhound Walk.. Enjoy a different and bolder show specially prepared for the night’s entertainment; expect an explosive presentation that will surely growl your mind away.

Anticipate a wilder quest as Zoobic Safari offers you its latest feral attraction, the Lion Safari on a day adventure. Witness these ferocious Kings of the Jungle up close and more intimidating.


RATES
Package 1: Entrance Only

Php 695  -  Adult
Php 595  -  Kids 4 ft and below, FREE - Kids 3 ft and below                          
Inclusions:

Night Safari Tour (Zoobic Park, Serpentarium, Zoobic Cave, Forbidden Cave, Tiger Safari Ride, Greyhound Walk, Croco Loco) for approximately 2 hours.
Zooper Tram
Nigh Safari Jungle Show

Package 2: Entrance with Set Meal

Php 895  - Adult
Php 795  - Kids 4 ft and below, FREE - Kids 3 ft and below
Inclusions:

Night  Safari Tour (Zoobic Park, Serpentarium, Zoobic Cave, Forbidden Cave, Tiger Safari Ride, Greyhound Walk, Croco Loco) for approximately 2 hours.
Zooper Tram
Night Safari Jungle Show
Set Meal

Package 3: Entrance with Accommodation

Php 1,990  - Adult
Php 1,290  - Kids (4 to 6 years old)
Inclusions:

Overnight Stay at Tiara Hotel on a sharing basis (located at Crownpeak Area, only 15 mins drive away)
Night Safari Tour (Zoobic Park, Serpentarium, Zoobic Cave, Forbidden Cave, Tiger Safari Ride, Greyhound Walk, Croco Loco) for approximately 2 hours.
Zooper Tram
Breakfast
Registration starts at 5pm and tour starts at 6pm. This is a guided tour of about 2 and a half hours.

 Experience the wild nights and see the other side of time of the animal kingdom. For inquiries you may contact us at 09166299381 or visit our website at www.zoomanity.com.ph. TAG Media and Public Relations handles Zoomanity Group for Marketing, Branding, Public Relations, Events and Promotions.

Payoneer Joins Asia E-Commerce Expo 2015 #AECoE

About Payoneer

Payoneer empowers global commerce by connecting businesses, professionals, countries and currencies with its innovative cross-border payments platform. In today's borderless digital world, Payoneer enables millions of businesses and professionals from more than 200 countries to reach new audiences by facilitating seamless, cross-border payments. Additionally, thousands of leading corporations including Google, Airbnb, Elance-oDesk and Getty Images rely on Payoneer's mass payout services.

With Payoneer's fast, flexible, secure and low-cost solutions, businesses and professionals in both developed and emerging markets can now pay and get paid globally as easily as they do locally. Founded in 2005 and based in New York, Payoneer is venture-backed, profitable and ranked in the top 100 of Inc. 5000's Financial Services companies.

WWF: A Hunt For Marine Treasure in the Philippines

The Philippines

A hunt for marine treasure

By WWF

In

Causes and Nature

July 18th, 2014

Photos by WWF Photographers Jürgen Freund and Gregg Yan

This tale is fraught with sharks and treasure, pirates and poachers, with strife and solutions.

Surrounded by marine life 65 feet below the eastern face of Apo Isle in the Philippines’ Occidental Mindoro, I am on a quest to find the true ‘jewels’ of the deep. Not real jewels, of course – but whatever makes this area unique.

An impossibly huge school of yellow-dashed fusilier (Pterocaesio randalli) appears from beneath. I try to estimate their number but simply cannot – they coalesce into a single mass that fills my field of vision. In a moment, they are gone, and I am left looking down into the blue.

Source of Life and Legend

Apo Reef lies at the northern tip of the Coral Triangle, a 5.7 million square-kilometer region that spans the seas of six countries: the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. The Coral Triangle is home to a quarter of the world’s islands and at least 500 species of reef-building coral.

Like the Bermuda Triangle, the area has also spawned a folkloric menagerie. Enchanting mermaids, wailing sirens, ship-tearing kraken and all manner of sea monsters featured in the tales of Age of Sail pirates and privateers.

In actuality, the region is an enormous undersea food factory, whose produce directly benefits half a billion people each year. A single square kilometre of healthy reef can produce over 30 metric tonnes of grouper, oyster, tuna and other forms of seafood annually. The potential of our seas to sustain life is vast, but fragile.

Paradise Assailed

Today, paradise lies troubled. For over a century, coastal development, destructive fishing practices, coral mining, sedimentation, overfishing and chemical pollution have chipped away at the ocean’s health. Add to that climate change consequences such as ocean warming, acidification and coral bleaching, and we have an undersea war against marine resources. Faced with this problem, many countries within the Coral Triangle have established Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), to conserve what’s left.

Today the Philippines hosts about 10 per cent of the world’s MPAs – over 1,000. Established largely through local government initiatives and maintained through the blood, sweat and tears of coastal communities, these undersea enclaves are scattered throughout the archipelago to provide safe havens for marine life, as well as enticing destinations for a growing number of eco-conscious tourists.

Sadly, many MPAs are plagued by a lack of funding. Mismanagement is rife, and it is estimated that little over 100 MPAs are properly administered. The rest are dubbed ‘paper parks’ – protected in name only. Since the 1990s, WWF has worked with partners to advance scientific research, policy reform and protected area management in the Coral Triangle. Our Philippine office has pioneered the establishment and upkeep of MPAs in some of the country’s best-known and most productive coral reefs.

Two of the country’s jewels are Apo Reef and the Tubbataha Reefs off the Sulu Sea.

A Pearl of the Pacific

Hailed as the Jewel of Mindoro and a former world-class dive site, 30 years of destructive fishing has left much of Apo Reef in an abysmal state. In October 2007, WWF and the local government spearheaded the total closure of Apo Reef – the country’s largest at 34 square-kilometers – for fishing. What followed were alternative income programmes and a robust ecotourism drive designed to keep livelihoods afloat while allowing the reef time to recover.

Giant fish aggregation devices, locally termed payaw, were installed to provide alternate fishing spots for coastal communities. The crude but effective contraptions feature a buoy, counterweight and anywhere from 10 to 20 giant coconut fronds. Algae growth on the decomposing fronds attracts herbivores such as surgeonfish and rabbitfish, which then draw in larger predators.

Fisherman Elmo Bijona testifies to the effectiveness of the devices, “A single payaw can daily yield maybe 15 kilogrammes of good fish per boat. You can land mackerel, skipjack tuna and even yellowfin tuna on any given night.” The steady rise in the size and number of fish has been matched by an upsurge of tourists to the recovering reef, proving that ecological stewardship can go hand in hand with profit.

Even more dramatic results are evident in other model sites. From 2004 to 2005, the world-renowned Tubbataha Reefs off Palawan doubled the yearly catch per square kilometre – a yield seven times more productive than a typical reef. Of course, there are no fences around MPAs, so the fish that spawn and grow on Tubbataha’s fertile reefs may end up feeding a family in an entirely different region.

Such results don’t come for free. The innovative work on Apo and Tubbataha has been supported by Cebu Pacific passengers who voluntarily offset the ecological impacts of their flights by donating to the upkeep of the reefs.

Finding treasure

Back in Apo Reef, a shadow approaches. Gradually it morphs into a white-tip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus); I tense up and check for my dive knife. Then I notice what attracted the shark, and it’s not me. The fusiliers – thousands upon thousands of them, have returned. The shark dives into the mass.

As I watch the fascinating interplay between predator and prey, I notice, as if for the first time, the fusiliers’ gleaming hues of cobalt, ruby and gold, gloriously illuminated by morning rays.

As with the grandest treasure tales, fortunes really do lie sunken beneath the blue. We must realize that the sea’s greatest treasure is its ability to provide – but that shall only continue when we learn to protect the bounty at hand.

Sources: WWF Philippines- Photos by WWF Photographers Jürgen Freund and Gregg Yan