Mount Apo:Mindanao Island,Philippines

25/09/2016

https://www.facebook.com/1092131280818253/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1206915449339835

In the Philippines, Regions (Filipino: rehiyon, ISO 3166-2:PH) are administrative divisions that serve primarily to organize the Provinces (lalawigan) of the country for administrative convenience.

Currently, the archipelagic republic of the Philippines is divided into 18 regions (17 administrative and 1 autonomous). Most government offices are established by region instead of individual provincial offices, usually (but not always) in the city designated as the regional center.

The regions themselves do not possess a separate local government, with the exception of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which has an elected regional assembly and governor.

The Cordillera Administrative Region was originally intended to be autonomous (Cordillera Autonomous Region), but the failure of two plebiscites for its establishment reduced it to a regular administrative region.

History:

Regions first came to existence in on September 24, 1972, when the provinces of the Philippines were organized into 11 regions by Presidential Decree № 1 as part of the Integrated Reorganization Plan of President Ferdinand Marcos.
NCR:
National Capital Region.
Metropolitan Manila(Filipino: Kalakhang Maynila, Kamaynilaan), commonly known as Metro Manila or simply Manila, the National Capital Region (NCR) of the Philippines, is the seat of government and the most populous region of the country which is composed of Manila, the capital city of the country, Quezon City, the country's most populous city, the Municipality of Pateros, and the cities of Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, San Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela.

25/09/2016

MOUNT APO:
Mount Apo is a large solfataric, potentially active stratovolcano in the island of Mindanao, Philippines.

With an elevation of 2,954 metres (9,692 ft) above sea level, it is the highest mountain in the Philippine Archipelago and is located between Davao City and Davao del Sur province in Region XI and Cotabato province in Region XII.

The peak overlooks Davao City 45 kilometres (28 mi) to the northeast, Digos City 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the southeast, and Kidapawan City 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the west.

The first two attempts to reach Mt. Apo’s summit ended in failure: that of Jose Oyanguren (1852) and Señor Real (1870). The first recorded successful expedition was led by Don Joaquin Rajal in October 10, 1880.
More expeditions followed. These and more are described in colorful narrations by Fr. Miguel Bernad, S.J.

On May 9, 1936, Mount Apo was declared a ====national park by President Manuel L. Quezon.

On late March 2016 onward, due to the extreme effects of El Niño, massive patches of forest fires and Bushfires appears on the slopes of the mountain, causing the hikers on the mountain to halt their ascent and tourism in the region is threatened due to massive haze engulfing the slopes of the mountain.

___Mount Apo Natural Park___

On May 9, 1936, Mount Apo was declared a national park with Proclamation No. 59 by President Manuel L. Quezon, followed by Proclamation No. 35 of May 8, 1966, then Proclamation No. 882 of September 24, 1996. On February 3, 2004, the approval of Republic Act No. 9237 established Mount Apo as a protected area under the category of natural park with an area of 54,974.87 hectares (135,845.9 acres); with two peripheral areas of 2,571.73 hectares (6,354.9 acres) and 6,506.40 hectares (16,077.7 acres) as buffer zones, provided for its management and for other purposes.

Although a declared a Natural Park, the current climbing trails are littered with rubbish by irresponsible climbers, opening paths for soil erosion across the already denuded mountain sides. Some mountain and social climbing groups conduct climbs after the Holy Week/Easter, the peak climbing season, to clean the affected areas.

UNESCO World Heritage list:

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) submitted Mount Apo on December 12, 2009 for inclusion in the UNESCO world heritage list. The mountain is considered by DENR as the center of endemism in Mindanao. It has one of the highest land-based biological diversity in terms of flora and fauna per unit area. It has three distinct forest formations, from lowland tropical rainforest, to mid-mountain forests, and finally to high mountain forests.

A portion of the eastern slopes are also within the scope of the UNESCO Hydrology Environment Life and Policy (HELP) Network. The Davao HELP Network is focused on building collaboration among watershed stakeholders.

In March 2015, it was taken out from the UNESCO List of Tentative Sites due to the dramatic changes (such as logging, intrusion of companies and urban and agricultural landscape, exploitation, and poaching, among others) it experienced which does not constitute the UNESCO documents that describes the park. Better conservation and a change in the content of documents was recommended by UNESCO.


Mt. Apo generally enjoys tropical rainy climate. It falls under the Type IV climate under the modified corona's classification wherein rainfall is relatively distributed throughout the year. Mean monthly temperature ranges from a low 26.4 °C (79.5 °F) during January to 27.9 °C (82.2 °F) during April. Monthly relative humidity ranges from 78% during March and April and 82% during June and July.

Flora and fauna:

The mountain is home to over 272 bird species, 111 of which are endemic to the area. It is also home to one of the world's largest eagles, the critically endangered Philippine eagle, which is the country’s national bird.

Bodies of water:

Lakes - There are four major lakes in Mt. Apo . Popular of these are Lake Agco, used to be called "The Blue Lake" and Lake Venado, a well-known mountaineers camping site and a stopover towards the peak. Lake Macadac and Lake Jordan are found in the summit grassland.

Rivers - Mt. Apo has 19 major rivers and 21 creeks draining its 8 major watersheds (PASAlist.1992). Out of the 19 major rivers, only two has studies as reported by SEA-BMB consultants for the Mt. Apo Geothermal Project Environmental Impact Assessment 1991. According to the report, there are two river ecosystems draining the geothermal site namely: (1) Marbel-Matingao river ecosystem- characterized by narrower river channels at highly elevated areas, much faster water flow, clearer water and rock boulder-rich water beds. The aquatic organisms in the area have expectedly lower biological productivity and species diversity. The report also concluded that this river ecosystem provides much less economic and commercial value for its biological production. The study identified 12 species of fish caught in the area; (2) Kabacan River- Pulangi River ecosystem- characterized by a much wider channels at flat areas, relatively much slower water flow, highly turbid waters and sandy mud river beds.

Waterfall the Tudaya Falls Davao del Sur, in Mindanao in the Philippines. At 100 metres, it is the tallest waterfall in Mt. Apo Natural Park. This waterfall flows into the Sibulan River, which flows to the Davao Gulf.

Biological features:

Grasslands - The grasslands are characterized by the dominance of Cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica) and Saccharum spontaneum. Other grasses and ferns also thrive, especially along banks of creeks, streams, and rivers and on steep slopes.

Geothermal energy:

The Mt. Apo 1 and Mt. Apo 2 geothermal plants, each possess a rated capacity of 54.24 megawatts. Owned and operated by Energy Development Corporation (EDC) the power plants were commissioned in February 1997 (Mt. Apo 1) and June 1999 (Mt. Apo 2) respectively, under a build-operate owner contract arrangement. Located in Barangay Ilomavis, Kidapawan City, North Cotabato is the Mindanao Geothermal Production Field with a power output of 108.48 MW, currently the only power plant of its kind in Mindanao.

The Philippine National Oil Company geothermal plant supplies electricity to Kidapawan and its neighboring provinces, its completion boosted the city's economy.

Watershed and hydroelectric plants:

The Tudaya Hydropower Plants, located near the foot of Mount Apo on the Davao side (Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur), is composed of two run-of-river type plants that will contribute to the energy needs of Mindanao by early 2014.

The Sibulan Hydroelectric Power Plants have been generating 42.5 MW of clean and renewable energy for Davao since 2010. The first of two cascading plants, Sibulan A Hydro produces 16.5 MW and the water it utilizes is re-used in the Sibulan B Hydro to produce 26 MW.

Sibulan A was completed and commissioned on December 26, 2010. Local residents who are mainly engaged in abaca and fruit farming have since benefited from the use of 44 kilometres (27 mi) of farm-to-market roads which were developed as access to the plants.

Indigenous peoples:

Six indigenous groups, the Manobos, Bagobo, Ubos, Atas, K’Iagans and Tagacaolo, live in the area of Mount Apo. They consider the mountain to be sacred ground and a place of worship. A number of genealogies of Lumad leaders in South Central Mindanao trace their roots to Mount Apo. For the Lumads, the term "Apo" was coined from the name of their great grandparent Apo Sandawa.

25/09/2016

25/09/2016

2015, ''The ring of Mount Apo".

21/09/2016

http://slideplayer.com/slide/5723540/

08/06/2015

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.235557343182311.56311.133917056679674&type=3

__________Heritage__________

*****Tecson, Ticzon (Ticson): Family of the *Philippines.
Descendants of *****Tek Sun (Son Tek) 3 brothers from:
GUANGZHOU, CHINA

==============================

GENERAL MANUEL TECSON YAN SR.

Manuel Yan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manuel T. Yan, Sr.

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
In office: 1968–1972

Personal details
Born: Manuel Tecson Yan
January 24, 1920

Died: December 5, 2008 (aged 88)
Pasig City

Spouse(s): Amelia Yan, Eloisa Fernandez
Children- 5

Military service

Allegiance
Philippine flag Philippines

Service/branch
Philippine Army

Years of service
1941–1972

Rank
General General

Commands
Chief of Staff,
Armed Forces of the Philippines
Chief of the Philippine constabulary

Manuel Tecson Yan, Sr. (January 24, 1920 – December 5, 2008) was a Cabinet Secretary of Ramos and Estrada administration, World War II veteran and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from 1968 until 1972. He holds the singular Philippine Government Record of continuous longest serving public Officer from April 1937 to January 2001 or a total 63 years and 9 months spanning twelve Philippine Presidents.

Military life
PMA Cadet
Yan entered the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) after graduating in the Arellano High School in 1937 and became a part of the PMA Class of 1941.

On graduation day, Manuel Yan received the Presidential Sabre. This is a symbol of superiority in both academic work and military training, from Vice President Sergio Osmeña, the commencement speaker. In finishing at the top of his class, Manuel Yan became one of the few to accomplish this feat as a high school graduate. Many young boys who join the PMA do so after one, two or even three years of college work.

Military service
He joined the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 1941. In 1942, he survived the Pantingan River Massacre, which took place during the Bataan Death March.[3]

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines

After serving as the Chief of the Philippine Constabulary, Yan was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. In the AFP's history, Yan (at the age of 48) was the youngest military personnel who held this position. However, Yan resigned his post in 1972 because he did not want to be involved with the implementation of Martial Law.

Post military service
He served the foreign service from 1972 to 1992 in various capacities as first Ambassador to Thailand up to 1981, then Ambassador to Indonesia up to 1986, after which he served as Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs up to 1990 and finally as Ambassador to the United Kingdom up to 1992.

From 1992 - 1994, he was appointed GRP chairman negotiating with Moro rebels.

In 1994, President Fidel V. Ramos appointed him as the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process which he retained until the overthrown from presidency of Ramos' successor, Joseph Estrada.

Among his notable achievements as the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process was engineering a peace pact with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed the agreement with government in 1996.

He was awarded on February 2008 an honorary degree by De La Salle university Manila, a degree of Doctorate of humanities honoris causa for being the longest serving government official serving eleven presidents from Manuel Quezon to Joseph Estrada. he served 63 continuous years from 1937 to 2001 a record which has not been broken to this date.

Personal life
Yan was married to Amelia Yan (deceased) and remarried Eloisa Fernandez. His children are : Manuel Jr., Beverly, Roby, Sita, Egay, Mawie Aglipay, Mina, Joy, Raul and Lou. He is the grandfather of the late actor and matinee idol Rico Yan (1975-2002) and TV host and former San Juan councilor Bobby Yan.

Death
Yan died on December 5, 2008 in a hospital in Pasig City.[1]

References
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d "Peace deal architect Manuel Yan dies".
2.Jump up ^ "Gen. Manuel T. Yan, soldier of peace".
3.Jump up ^ Mariano Villarin, We remember Bataan and Corregidor: the story of the American & Filipino defenders of Bataan and Corregidor and their captivity (Gateway Press, 1990), 176.
4.Jump up ^ "Rico Yan".

See also
List of AFP Chiefs of Staff

Categories: Chiefs of Staff in the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Filipino generals
Filipino military personnel of World War II
1920 births
2008 deaths

===========================
By Ramon J. Farolan............Philippine Daily Inquirer...First Posted 03:21:00 12/08/2008...Filed Under: People, Obituary LAST Saturday, necrological services were held for Gen. Manuel T. Yan, soldier, diplomat and peacemaker.

The following is part of my remarks at the services that evening:

Of his more than 88 years on this earth, Manuel Tecson Yan devoted 63 of those years entirely to the Filipino people: 35 years in the military organization, where he rose to become, at the age of 48, the youngest AFP chief of staff; 21 years in the foreign service, becoming undersecretary of the Department after foreign assignments in ******* Thailand, Indonesia and the United Kingdom; and seven years? involvement in the peace process with our Moro brothers, resulting in the signing of a peace accord in 1996 with the Moro National Liberation Front, an agreement which resulted in the establishment of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Only declining physical health in the last few years prevented the dedication of his entire life in service to his country.During his most active years, he turned down all offers to run for public office, even when full financial support was assured. Business was completely alien to him, and because he turned a blind eye to the lure of politics and business, he was able to devote? with complete integrity and sincerity?all his energies and efforts for the welfare of his country and people.

Manuel Yan started his military career as a young high school graduate from Arellano High School, joining the Philippine Military Academy, class of 1941.

At the PMA, he was a ?star? man during his second and first class years, the five-pointed star on the collar of his dress uniform an emblem of academic excellence. As a senior cadet, he served as the chairman of the Honor Committee and was also the editor in chief of the Corps Magazine, two positions which I also held during my cadet days some 25 years later.
On graduation day, Manuel Yan received the Presidential Sabre, symbol of superiority in both academic work and military training, from Vice President Sergio Osmeña, the commencement speaker. In finishing at the top of his class, Manuel Yan became one of the few to accomplish this feat as a high school graduate.
Many young boys who join the PMA do so after one, two or even three years of college work.The First Captain of the class, or Baron, was cadet Abelardo Mondonedo. He would receive the Chief of Staff sabre, while cadet Luis Magallanes won the athletic sabre. Antonio Romero would take the Equestrian Sabre for horsemanship. Incidentally, Abelardo Mondonedo would be followed as First Captain by his younger brother Augusto from the class of 1942.

As AFP chief of staff, Manuel Yan was known to be a considerate boss who was concerned with the personal health of his assistants. Last September, the PMA alumni association tendered a testimonial luncheon in his honor. At this gathering, his aide de camp Captain Emiliano ?Mitch?
Templo related how on one occasion when suffering from gastrointestinal problems, he decided to call in sick. Hours later, General Yan was on the line inquiring about his health and recommending complete rest. Templo was so embarrassed he decided to report for duty the following day even though he still felt weak. How many superiors take the trouble of personally looking into the physical welfare of their immediate subordinates?

In a service that is more commonly known for tough-talking men using all kinds of cuss words like ?goddamit? or ?bu****it,? Yan was the exception.
When he was upset by the failures and stupidities of subordinates, the harshest words from him would be ?By golly!?
On one occasion, while visiting the troops in the South, he was made to wait by the late arrival of a member of his party. Not a word of reprimand was uttered by Yan. Of course, we know that silence can sometimes be more painful than a good bawling out.Yan?s tenure as head of the armed forces was marked by widespread student activism as well as the emergence of the New Peoples Army?

He was probably the last chief of staff to display 4-star license plates on his official vehicle as he moved around the capital region?a tribute to the respect and esteem in which he was held by all sectors of society..Upon retirement from the armed forces, General Yan started his foreign service career as ambassador to Thailand. This was followed by another stint as ambassador to ******* Indonesia.

When President Cory Aquino sent me to Jakarta following the Edsa Revolution, I found myself in the difficult position of following in his footsteps. Considering that prior to General Yan my father was also the ambassador to Indonesia, it was like stepping into the shoes of two giants. I lived in their homes; I used their offices and I quickly realized that they had something in common?they were loved by the community they served. When I presented my credentials to President Suharto at Merdeka Palace, he inquired about General Yan and when I informed him that Yan was the deputy foreign minister (now undersecretary), Suharto commented that ?we soldiers continue to serve our country even when out of uniform?

Last February, De La Salle University of Manila honored him with a Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa, in recognition of his outstanding achievements as a military man and a government servant and his dedicated service to the Filipino people. In response, Manuel Yan spoke of the lessons and insights that he gained as a peace negotiator.He said that, first, peace negotiations are not necessarily bargaining processes all the time, but a mutual search for solutions to problems and concerns that affect not just the rebel groups but the government and country as a whole. We should look on them as problem-solving, rather than bargaining processes.

The second lesson is that we must keep in mind that at the core of every peace process is the issue of trust, and it must begin with each side developing a common understanding of each other?s positions.
The third lesson is that the peace process must be supported by an effective method of consultation with the people. These consultations must be continuously held, so that those whose lives are affected will have a stake in the outcome. He added that such has been the subject matter of his toil and inspiration.

In the end, he said, ?this is the only country that we have; we must take care of it through a perpetual search for peace.?

* * *In his own remarks,
President Fidel V. Ramos quoted the Beatitudes: ?Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.
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PHILIPPINE ARMED FORCES:
GENERAL MANUEL TECSON YAN SR.
[1968 - 1972].....Under Philippine President: Diosdado Macapagal

Youngest General to serve, age 48.

2nd Philippine Republic [Japanese Occupation]
3rd Republic [1946 - 1971]

08/06/2015

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Apo

Mount Apo is a large solfataric, potentially active stratovolcano in the island of Mindanao, Philippines. With an elevation of 2,954 metres (9,692 ft) above sea level, it is the highest mountain in the Philippine Archipelago and is located between Davao City and Davao del Sur province in Region XI a…