#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Philippine Forum >  >  Lake Laguna de Bay

## forreachingme

Exploring and gathering infos about my new area of living, here some facts about the biggest lake found in the Philippines...

Some informativ cut and past, allow me a few weeks and pics of the site will follow...
 This from worldlakes.org

*Physical Characteristics*
                                                                Description                       Laguna de Bay has 21 major river tributaries, and a single outlet into Manila Bay through the Napindan Channel. Source: Oledan, T. (2001)                                                                  
                                                                                  Volume                       2.25 km3                                                                  
                                                                                      Surface Area                       900.00 km2                                                                  
                                                                                      Depth                                                                             Mean depth: 2.5 m
                                                   Maximum depth: 7.0 m                                                                                                                
                                                                                      Residence Time                       0.7 years                                                                  
                                                                                      Origin                       Volcanic                                                                                         
                                                                                      Type                                                 Saline
Permanent
Natural                                                                                         
                                                                                      Catchment                        Catchment size: 2,920.00                          km2
                        Catchment/surface area ratio: 3:1                                                                                *Socio-Political* 
                                                               Economic Value                       Rice paddies, sugar cane fields, coconut plantations and other agricultural fields make up large portions of the catchment area.

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## forreachingme

Well, scary stuff...

Issues                       Laguna de Bay's watershed has experienced extensive urbanization and industrialization, especially on the western edge of the lake. Sewage flows freely through surface waters and in the Pasig and Marikina rivers. Aquaculture is another cause of extensive nutrient pollution. Deforestation is resulting in accelerated erosion rates. Water diversion for irrigation, although decreasing due to urbanization, is still serious.                                                                  
                     					                                             Other Issues                         		Point source pollution
Polluted runoff
Sediment contamination
Toxics
Fisheries
Watershed habitat alteration

                     					                                             Specific Contaminants                         		Industrial
POPs/PCPs/Endocrine Disrupters

                     					                                             Monitoring                       

                     					                                             Monitoring Programs                                                 _In-Lake_
Water Quality
Biological Resources and Habitats

*Biodiversity Conservation* 
                                                                Description                       Declining fish productivity, diminishing phytoplankton community composition, and high heavy metal levels in lake biota are all evidence of significant pollution and significant stressors on Laguna de Bay's aquatic life.  Native fish species include Manila catfish, freshwater eel, goby, Indonesian bard, Common carp, Thai catfish and gowary.

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## forreachingme

This taken by Philstar.com

             MANILA, Philippines - About half a century ago, then young fisherman Fel Santos lived in bountiful times by just fishing at the southwestern rim of Laguna de Bay.
 The fishing net that he cast into the then clear and clean waters of the 90,000-hectare lake scooped such catch as dalag, hito, kanduli, biya, ayungin, and carp.
 National Hero Jose Rizal who was born in Calamba in 1861, used to sit on the lakes shore and wondered what was out there on somnolent Talim Island in the middle of the enchanted lake.
 Those times are past. Now, only a few hardy fish types survive its heavily polluted waters.
 Laguna de Bay is well on its way to its ecological doom.
  Santos, now a government employee, said that if you cast your fish net in Laguna de Bay today, chances are, you will rake in coconut husks, opened cans of milk or sardines, empty plastic containers, and other wastes.
 Over the decades, Laguna Lake has degenerated into a cesspool from tons of toxic wastes, industrial effluents, sludge, and sewage dumped into it by the thousands of families and hundreds of industrial factories in Metro Manila and the provinces of Rizal and Laguna that surround it.
 Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) general manager Edgardo Manda admitted in his State of Laguna de Bay speech at a forum in Pasig City that the lake has virtually become the biggest septic tank of human and industrial wastes from Metro Manila.
 Manda attributed the lakes sordid state to the combined forces of waste dumping, deforestation, resource extraction, land conversion, biological pollution, intensive fishing, population growth, urbanization, and industrial expansion.
 Fish kills have also become common occurrences in the lake, particularly in its southwestern flank straddling Muntinlupa City and adjacent Laguna towns.
 The fish kills were caused by infestation and algal blooms. When algae respire, oxygen depletion occurs leading to the death of fishes, Manda explained, as reported by *The STARs* Sandy Araneta.
*Toxic metals* Researchers from the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) have found traces of toxic metals, including lead, zinc, copper, and chromium, in the polluted lake.
 UPLB experts said that fortunately most of the metals accumulate in the inedible parts of the fish that humans do not eat, which means that mudfish, tilapia, milkfish, shrimps and mollusks are within the allowable consumption level and are still safe to eat.
 In excess, however, these metals can cause metabolic changes in human bodies and result in various ailments, including cancer. For instance, high doses of copper may lead to liver damage while too much lead can cause brain damage, convulsions, and even death, the UPLB said.
 In the face of Laguna Lakes march toward ecological doomsday, government agencies could offer only lip service.
 Lately, LLDA and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have been engaging in verbal tussles.
 But, of course, there are good plans and programs on how to save the lake.
 Former senator Leticia Ramos Shahani once said that Filipinos are the best when it comes to preparing programs and projects but the worst when it comes to implementing them.
 One only has to look at Laguna de Bay  particularly the untouchable illegal fish pens  to be convinced of Shahanis contention.
 Politicians and local leaders ride on the Save Laguna Lake projects. And never mind if it is but a matter of time before Laguna de Bay  once pristine, picturesque, enchanted, and Southeast Asias biggest freshwater body of inland water  will soon be nothing but a malodorous swamp, as fetid as grandstanding politicians, where only deadly mosquitoes, leeches, rats, and other pests thrive in abundance.
*Illegal settlers* At least 400,000 illegal settlers blocking key drainage channels of the giant lake need to be uprooted to fix Metro Manilas flooding crisis, Manda said.
 The squatters are among one million people living on the shorelines of Laguna de Bay that will be flooded for up to five months unless drastic action is taken, he said.
 I have made a strong recommendation to remove these people from the danger zones and not allow them to go back, Manda said of the 400,000 squatters that are living mostly on what were once marshy wetlands.
 The authorities would probably need to erect barricades and station sentries in these areas, he added.
 The dramatic recommendation comes as large parts of eastern Metro Manila remain flooded 12 days after tropical storm Ondoy dumped the heaviest rains in more than four decades on the city, killing at least 295 people.
 Manda and other officials have acknowledged that chaotic urban planning, or no planning at all, exacerbated the crisis, particularly around Laguna where shantytowns, factories and housing developments have overtaken farms.
 However, Manda said he realized that removing illegal settlers from the lake would be a political decision that may not sit well with politicians so close to national elections in May next year.
 In the polls, national and local executives will be chosen.
 About 300,000 of the illegal settlers are living in and around an illegal open garbage dump on wetlands that block two connecting rivers, which are meant to channel excess water from the lake into Manila Bay to the west.
 The channel is constricted, Manda said, adding the best remedy for the drainage problems was to clear the squatters and garbage from the wetlands.
 About 100,000 other illegal settlers live in houses on stilts on the lakeshore to the south, he added.
 Aside from the one million people living near the immediate shoreline, which is likely to remain flooded for many months, at least one million others live in adjacent districts of eastern Metro Manila that are also still under water.

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## sabang

Does Freddie Aguilar still live there?

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## forreachingme

The lake has the shape of a W and one large island is found on it...

The island is home of the breast mountains, a couple of peaks... 

Lots of Bamboo growing over there, furniture making is one of the activity going strong there...

some more positive infos about the serene and beautifull trpical lake found here:

Laguna de Bay, Laguna | Philippine Travel Blog - The Travelers Guide to Philippine Destinations

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## forreachingme

Yep, Freddie is there in the Nipple house on letf breast mountain...


Dunno but he normally plays live in the dwarf house weekly for decades now...


I've asked a few Pinas to sing me Magdalena few weeks back in Bangkok and they told me, to old song, they dunno!

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## forreachingme

OK, sorted the problem of posting pics, Firefox has some issue, explorer does it fine...

To go to Laguna the Bay Island, TALIM ISLAND, here the how and where to:

Pic above is Caigin Harbour with all the modern facilities like cold drinks available for a couple of Pesos...

Caigin Sta Rosa, is the second harbour to reach Talim, the main harbour would be located at BINANGONAN located above the Island, more boats,nearer from Manila...



Here above we have a modern vessel called Banca, small type here, unloading at the CAINGIN docks one load of Bamboo furniture made on Talim Island...



Once the furniture is off, the new load of pasaheros is loaded. The water is very shallow and quite filthy, being the canal from Sta Rosa city, that is over populated and eeeehm quite poor.

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## forreachingme

Depending on water level, season, the small bancas have to be boarded to reach the bigger Bancas anchored half a mile away in the lake...



A view from inside the bigger banca that takes us across the lake...
In the horizon, the first fish pond where they grom Tilapia and other fish.



Fish ponds reached, they are located Talim Island side. 
People live throuhout the year on those houses above the water to watch the fish grow and eventually repair the nets.

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## forreachingme

Some fish ponds are huge! 
At the horizon we can see part of Manila's buildings. Prolly 30 km norht from here.

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## forreachingme

Water lillys, plenty recover the Lake de Bay

Once we reach this beetween ponds way, only 20 minutes left to reach SAPANG, our destination on Talim Island, the island on the lake on the island.

That pic is actually showing the way back to Sta Rosa.

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## forreachingme

Island on view! Talim is recovered with Bamboo, thetrained eye will recognise this on that picture.
Here a view of Malcaban. No car and no motorbikes here, almost no road.
We will continue to the next village 2 miles north, Sapang. In Sapang few motorbikes and almost a road, but no there are no cars on Talim Island.


SAPANG, view of half village. This place was washed by cyclone Ondoy in 2009.
There is one arch over the quai, water reached 2.5 meter higher then what is seen in this picture.
Lots of houses vanished.


A bamboo house in the bamboos
The bamboo found there is growing at the impressive rate of 1 meter per day!



Some happy kids

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## forreachingme

Some samples of what is produced in Sapang.
more to come soon...

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## bobo746

> Does Freddie Aguilar still live there?


Jesus mate i hope thats not your taste in music

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## splitpin100

Thanks great pics and insight to a part of the world i may never go

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## bobo746

Nice mate been all over the philippines looks like it might be worth going whats it like living there  the locals look friendly lived in the province in iba many moons ago that was nice and quiet.Good luck there enjoy

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## Cujo

Thanks, interesting.

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## forreachingme

A banca passing by


View of Sapang village on Talim Island
No roads over there, nice and quiet...

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## forreachingme

And here to see where this is



Manila is on the north west, top left of map...

Sapang village is at the foot of the volcanic mount named Mt. Tagapo.
The journey by banca is straight from left to middle of the Talim Island

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## forreachingme

The jetty, not sure i think it is Malacaban



Small narrow roads of concrete, lot of greenery



If you look in the properties, this will be it!

In each and every house the bamboo production goes on



They work all manually with the cisel, quite accurate job, the furniture is for the local market

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## forreachingme

A bench made in Talim, in the show room


The QC team, each piece is well tested before delivery (sorry cannot rotate)



A view of Sapang City




Time to head back, enjoyable visit, just a few miles from Manila. A ride to cross the lake would be 5 Pesos for the small banca, double this as you will need it on the return as well and 2 x 35 Peos per trip, a total of 80 Pesos.

I asked the guy with Obama on the shirt what he think about the guy on his T-shirt, he answered no idea about that guy ! I told him it is Obama, he said yes, and still did not know who that would be...They have other concerns prolly over there

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## ossierob

Thanks for the pics and story...i love the Phils..

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## Cujo

Nice pics

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