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One of our fundamental planning problems is that most of what we now use as residential areas in Metro Manila were parts of floodplains and riverbeds. Subdivision were built on former wetlands, rivers & creeks "forced" to become straight, or cemented over to become roads, or to create more saleable space. People cement over open spaces and natural vegetation, destroying the earth's capacity to drain storm water naturally.Simply put, we are just mostly in the way of the natural landscape processes in our very fragile and geologically young archipelago. Flooding is a natural landscape process. Floods bring nutrients to ecosystems along waterways and make it possible for various forms of life to thrive. Problems start when settlements sprout on floodplains, or when people insist on tampering with the natural shapes of rivers and tributaries. Builders insist on making water travel in a straight line instead of slowing it down by following the river's natural curves. When we cover up the earth with cement, it loses its ability to absorb the water that naturally comes from the sky. It is not only trees that will help us prevent floods; water run-off is also absorbed by the various types of indigenous vegetation, like grass and shrubs that naturally occur along riverbanks. Typhoon Ondoy is a reminder that we've forgotten that rivers have been here before us. It reminds us that we've been remiss with trying to find long-lasting solutions to the problems of our urban settlements. We've simply allowed developers to cover up too many wetlands and cut up too much land. We've also allowed ourselves to buy into their concept of development and be seduced by the idea of the "house & lot" dream home. This dream only made our cities sprawl out, and obliterated natural waterways with the roads that had to lead to them. These very roads made us buy cars so that we could get to our homes out there. This increased pollution, carbon emissions and caused more roads to be built. Subdivisions near the hinterland, and in former agricultural lands or wetlands, displaced rural people, and increased land prices. The images from the aftermath of Ondoy were very telling: roads turned into rivers, houses submerged by mud, and cars being carried away by currents. On the other hand, images of people helping one another in this time of crisis were very inspiring and telling of a resilient people. Perhaps we can harness that community spirit in preventing all this from happening again. We could start by rethinking where we live, and how we live. We could compel the authorities to ensure that those who will tend to settle in marginal land because they want to be near where the jobs are given a chance to live in safer areas. It may mean the end of the practice of gated communities that tend to be homogenous and therefore keep the poor out. It could mean the start of new forms of communities, where rich and poor, middle class and middle poor will live right next to each other so that ALL are out of harm's way. It's not yet too late. There will be more generations that will inherit the earth. If we start now, we will be doing our grandchildren a favor.

5th Philippine Bird Festival-Balanga October 9-10, 2009 People's Center, Capitol grounds Balanga City, Bataan The 5th Philippine Bird Festival, the country's largest celebration of avifaunal diversity and bird lore awareness, is set to take off on October 9 in Balanga City in Bataan. Balanga holds the Philippine record for hosting the largest concentration of wintering shorebirds from the Asian mainland and Japan. Bird watchers, conservationists and nature enthusiasts from here and abroad are expected to flock to the Bataan Provincial Capitol grounds in Balanga City on October 9 and 10 for the 5th annual Philippine Bird Festival, the country's largest celebration of avifaunal diversity and bird lore awareness. The Philippine Bird Festival will mark the arrival from the Asian mainland and Japan of wintering shorebirds with the official dedication of the Balanga Nature and Wetland Park, the first protected wetland park in the whole Manila Bay area. Themed Ibong Dayo, Kaibigan Tayo! (The Migrant Birds: Our Friends), this year's bird festival aims to drum public support for the conservation and awareness of the Balanga wetlands, where more than 15,000 individual birds were on record during the Asian Waterbird Census in January. The wetlands of Puerto Rivas in Balanga City attract one of the largest concentration of migrant shorebirds and waterfowl anywhere in the Philippines, according to the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP), the country's leading bird watching society and organizer of the Philippine Bird Festival. "The Balanga wetlands consistently land in the country's top 5 wetlands with the most number of wintering water birds, which included Candaba Marsh in Pampanga and Olango Island in Cebu," said WBCP president Michael Lu, who participated in the annual survey. These three sites are on the Asian flyway, but the Balanga wetlands located across the Bay from Metro Manila continues to be a surprise. "We hope to bring attention to the need to conserve the entire coastline and waters of Manila Bay," he said. The Balanga wetlands are being promoted as a bird watching destination by the Adventure Philippines campaign of the Department of Tourism and the Recreational Outdoor Exchange, according to Lu. Bird Festival Committee chair Alice Villa-Real said the annual event hopes to raise the bar of awareness about the bird life of the islands, promote public interest in conservation and encourage the creation of more public green spaces. Villa-Real said there are more than 600 species of birds in the Philippines, no fewer than 200 are found only in the archipelago. She also said places like the mudflats and remaining mangroves of the Manila Bay coastline provide a temporary home for migrant birds like the rare Chinese Egret, Grey Heron (talabong), Whiskered Terns (kanaway), sandpipers and plovers (tarinting). This year's Bird Festival will open with the dedication ceremony at the Balanga Nature and Wetland Park in Tortugas, followed by street dancing by local troupes along the route to the new Plaza Mayor de Balanga. The exhibit of bird photos, lectures and film screenings at the People's Center in the capitol grounds will be open to the public free of charge. Organizers said an activity center featuring bird-themed games, arts and crafts, and face painting will be on tap for the young and the young at heart. The Provincial Government is simultaneously staging a trade fair on the Capitol grounds that will feature the best products from 12 towns in Bataan. The Philippine Bird Festival was launched by local bird watching hobbyists in 2005 and has since brought the message of birdlife awareness and conservation to Cebu City and Puerto Princesa in Palawan, two of the country's important bird areas. Similar events take place throughout the world each year, attracting large numbers of bird watchers, scientists and nature enthusiasts. In Asia, some of the well-known events are the annual Taipei International Birdwatching Fair in Taiwan and Malaysia's Raptor Watch Week. This year's Philippine Bird Festival is sponsored by the City of Balanga and the Province of Bataan, Department of Tourism, Team Energy Foundation, Genesis Transport, Primer Group, Recreational Outdoor Exchange (ROX), & Columbia Outdoor Wear. Taiwan's Wild Bird Society of Taipei, Kaoshiung Wild Bird Society and Chinese Wild Bird Federation, the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand, Hong Kong Birdwatching Society, the Nature Society of Singapore and the Malaysia Nature Society have announced their participation in this year's festival. Local conservation organizations Philippine Eagle Foundation of Davao, the Katala Foundation of Palawan, World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines, Isla Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, the Polillo Island Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Pederasyon sa Nagkahiusang mga Mag-uuma nga Nanalipud ug Napasig-uli sa Kinaiyahan Inc. of Dumaguete, Birdwatch Palawan, Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, and Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, the Municipality of Candaba in Pampanga, the City of Bislig in Surigao del Sur and Bataan Artists Society also made known their support for the Balanga event.

Photos taken from the Urban Ecological Restoration Course in Gangwon-do, Korea. More to come from the field trip and fun times. It was a great experience! 감사합니다! Still working on re-ordering the photos... ;)

Last August 19, I had a meeting in Balanga City and was able to drag Nliang so we could do some birdwatching after I finished with business. Guess what, both of us forgot our binoculars! Shame on us so-called birding addicts. Oh the shame! (Shame, shame, shame) But, of course, Mark and I never run out of ideas to entertain ourselves, so after he told me that he had always wanted to see the Pawikan (Sea Turtle) Center in Bataan, I immediately said yes to the possibility. After a few inquiries we figured that we could swing by the Center in Barangay Nagbalayong, Morong after the meeting. And so off we went to look for the center which was just "nearby." (1.5 hours from Balanga via winding picturesque roads) Anyway, there is something about traveling, serendipity, road trips that make us more aware of our dreams. "Ang aking tanging pangarap," as Mark puts it, "ay makakita ng pawikan na nangingitlog sa tabing-dagat." (My "one and only" dream is to see a female sea turtle lay her eggs on the shore) Of course, that is just one of Mark's thousands of dreams. And I quickly make that dream one of my own thousands of "one and only dreams." Of course, it wasn't the right time to see turtles lay eggs (they do it at night and peak season is around October- November) In the meantime, we pay a visit and learn a few things. We met the people who run the center (former poachers) and inquired about what they do, the best times to see turtle activity (laying eggs, and hatching). The Pawikan Center people basically gather the eggs from the shore and keep them inside the center to prevent dogs/people/cats/bayawak from harming them until they hatch. When the little turtles come out around November, volunteers take them out of the enclosures to crawl out to sea. They then go through about 20-30 years of growing up before they are ready to breed. Here are other things I learned: 1. There are 5 species of sea turtles (pawikan) that are found in the Philippines - The Green (vegetarian turtle!), Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, Loggerhead and Leatherback Turtles. 2. Sea turtles always go back to where they were born to lay eggs. They could have been laying eggs on most of the Luzon Western coast. But urbanization, poaching, and habitat destruction could have wiped out either the turtle population or the laying/hatching grounds. 3. It is best for the little ones to immediately go out to sea after they are hatched because they have to swim far away from the shore where their predators could harm them. So, if you are planning to have a photo shoot of yourself releasing turtles, be considerate and adjust your schedule to the turtles' own instead of asking them to wait and "keep" the little ones there until your schedule allows it. 4. Turtles are very important to the marine ecosystem. They "clean" out the corals, and keep the balance by being both predator and prey (except of course the vegan Green Turtle). 5. Last, but not the least, I realized that I am totally addicted to life. And I don't just mean this business of breathing and waking and walking, but I am also addicted to getting to know all forms of life, all these creatures who inhabit this planet together with myself - human, animal, insect, plant. And I am addicted to dreaming. May we all lay and hatch thousands of egg-dreams in our lifetime.

Mark and I went to the Pawikan Center in Morong Bataan after I met with the City Engineering guys in Balanga. Just follow the signs that say "To Pawikan Center" and you will get there.

Walking the Waking Journey Directed by Ferdie Balanag from glenfactor on Vimeo.

Kaya mo yan, sir Felix? Sorry, di ko matiis. Kailangan i-upload. (Peace!)

Light can go through a rock. For more on the PICTURE PERFECT community and this week's theme, click HERE .

The fifth Virgin Labfest comes next month, and there will be a cattle call AUDITION on May 23, Saturday, 5-9pm, CCP - MKP (Bulwagang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) Be ready to read for the directors. Ed Lacson Jr. is still getting the audition requirements from the directors, and watch out for them in his blog ( http://edlacsonjr.multiply.com ).  Audition na!  This year has an exciting repertoire!   Info will be available very soon sa virginlabfest.com

For Jun and Jon. Fight scenes from Zatoichi.

I came across My Pet Skeleton in 2002 I think. I don't know what I was looking for but I found it strangely comforting.

This is my favorite ending from Northern Exposure. I remember watching it and wanting to die. ;)

Baguio's colors January 2009

I love long drives, especially if there's good food, good friends and good news at the end of the trip. Congratulations to the CRIT of San Fernando! We were gratified to see how far you've gone to create a working relationship that's a great foundation for your Local Housing Board! Good job, JVOFI and the CRITURES of SF city! Here are some photos I took last Jan. 27, 2009

The League of Cities of the Philippines is holding its 2nd LCP National Convention of Philippine Cities, with the theme: “Cities at the Crossroad: Development in a Rapidly Urbanizing World,” on February 17-19, 2009 at the EDSA Shangrila Hotel in Mandaluyong City. It is the second gathering of city mayors, vice mayors, councilors and department heads from the 120 member-cities nationwide to discuss pressing issues pertaining to local governments that include climate change, food security, health and population and resource mobilization. It is also a venue for city officials and staff to dialogue with concerned government officials.