23/09/2016
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1] MOUNT BANAHAW:
Mount Banahaw (alternative spelling: Banahao or Banájao) is an active volcano on Luzon in the Philippines. The three-peaked volcano complex is located between the provinces of Laguna and Quezon and is the tallest mountain in the CALABARZON region dominating the landscape for miles around.
The mountain is considered by many as a "Holy mountain" and is popular among pilgrims along with mountain climbers. It is located in a protected area known as Mounts Banahaw–San Cristobal Protected Landscape covering 10,901 hectares (26,940 acres) of land.
Physical characteristics:
The andesitic Banahaw volcano complex is composed of several mountains with Mount Banahaw, the largest with a maximum elevation of 2,170 metres (7,119 ft) above mean sea level. The summit is topped by a 1.5 by 3.5 kilometres (0.93 mi × 2.17 mi) and 210 metres (690 ft) deep crater that is breached on the southern rim believed to have been caused by the 1730 eruption. Prior to 1730, a lake occupies the summit crater of Mount Banahaw. The resulting flood destroyed the town of Sariaya, Quezon located below the mountain.
Other peaks:
Mount San Cristobal (on the western slope)
Mount Banahaw de Lucban (at northeastern slope)
Buho Masalakot Domes (at southwestern slope)
Mount Mayabobo
Maars: Lake Dagatan and Lake Ticab
Thermal Areas:
Tiaong-San Pablo hot/warm springs
Bakia warm/cold springs
Sampaloc warm springs
Mainit hot/warm springs
Cagsiay hot/warm springs
Rafflesia philippensis
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Rafflesia philippensis is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia that was named by Blanco in his Flora de Filipinas in 1845.
R. philippensis is known only from a mountain located between the provinces of Laguna and Quezon, Luzon where it was first discovered.
Its plant host is Tetrastigma pisicarpum. This species went unnoticed since its first description by Blanco but was rediscovered in 2003 by members of the Tanggol Kalikasan, a local environment conservation group in Quezon province who first saw and photographed the open flower of this species. It was brought to the attention of Manuel S. Enverga University (MSEUF), who formed a team composed of students and faculty to document the newly discovered Rafflesia species.
Morphology:
The mature flower bud of R. philippensis has a diameter of around 13-16 centimeters. Its fully opened flower has a diameter of 29.3-32 centimeters, placing it in a group composed of other small-sized Rafflesia species such as R. manillana, R. lobata, and R. baletei, whose open flowers measure an average of 20 centimeters in diameter. The open flower has 9-10 reddish perigone lobes measuring 9.0-10.5 centimeters with 8-12 white oval or elongated warts fused together along the median part of the lobe. R. philippensis has a distinctive closed diaphragm, same reddish color with the perigone lobes, 3.5-4.0 centimeters thick and measuring 12.5-13.0 centimeters across. The diaphragm’s opening has a diameter of 5.5-6.0 centimeters with an inner white margin lining. The diaphragm’s surface, like the perigone, is blotted with a network of white, thin, elongated and continuous warts.
Distribution:
The species is known to occur as a small single population within the vicinity of Mount Banahaw National Park (14°03.239 N, 121°29.214 E), a protected area located south of the Laguna-Quezon provincial boundary line, between Laguna de Bay to the north and Tayabas Bay to the south. The mountain rises to about 2,100 meters above sea level. The park has been closed to the public since 2003 to allow the forest to recover from the adverse effects of human activities in the area. The population of R. philippensis is located along a trail in Kinabuhayan, Dolores, Quezon province.
Taxonomy:
The taxonomy and nomenclature of this species is complex. The most recent work by Dr. Julie Barcelona and colleagues has documented that the taxon named by Blanco in the mid-19th century is indeed the same as the taxon named by her own research group and that of Dr. Domingo Madulid. Thus, the two later names, R. banahawensis and R. banahaw are synonyms of R. philippensis.
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Francisco Manuel Blanco
(1778 – 1845)
Francisco was a Spanish friar and botanist.
Biography:
Born in Navianos de Alba, Castilla y León, Spain, Blanco was a member of the Augustinian order of friars. His first assignment was in _____Angat in the province of Bulacan in the Philippines. He subsequently had a variety different assignments.
Towards the end of his life, he became the delegate of his order in Manila, traveling throughout the archipelago. He is the author of one of the first comprehensive flora of the Philippines, Flora de Filipinas.
Según el sistema de Linneo (Flora of the Philippines according to the system of Linnaeus) which followed after the work done by Georg Joseph Kamel. The first two editions (Manila, 1837 and 1845) were unillustrated. Celestine Fernandez Villar (1838-1907), together with others including Antonio Llanos, published an illustrated posthumous edition from 1877 to 1883, printed by C. Verdaguer of Barcelona.
Blanco died in Manila in 1845. The botanist Carl Ludwig Blume (1789-1862) named the genus Blancoa of the family Palmae in his honor.
The standard author abbreviation Blanco is used to indicate this individual as the author when citing a botanical name.
Books:References
Flora de Filipinas. Según el sistema sexual de Linneo, Manila: 1837.
Flora de Filipinas. Según el sistema sexual de Linneo. Segunda impression, Manila: 1845.
Flora de Filipinas, según el sistema sexual de Linneo. Adicionada con el manuscrito inédito del. fr. Ignacio Mercado, las obras del fr. Antonio Llanos, y de un apéndice con todas las nuevas investigaciones botanicas referentes al archipiélago Filifino Gran edicion., Manila: 1877-1883
References:
1. "Author Query for 'Blanco'". International Plant Names Index.
Biography at Nationaal Herbarium Nederland
2] Plates from Flora de Filipinas at Wikimedia Commons.
Blanco, Francisco Manuel (1877). "Biografía del R. P. Fr. Manuel Blanco". Flora de Filipinas; Gran edición; Tomo Primero (3 ed.). Manila (Filipinas). pp. XIII–XXIX.
Robinson, C. B. (1906).
"The History of Botany in the Philippine Islands". Journal of the New York Botanical Garden. 7 (76): 104–112.
2] MOUNT MAKILING:
Mount Makiling, or Mount Maquiling, is a dormant volcano in Laguna province on the island of Luzon, Philippines. The mountain rises to an elevation of 1,090 m (3,580 ft) above mean sea level and is the highest feature of the Laguna Volcanic Field. The volcano has no recorded historic eruption but volcanism is still evident through geothermal features like mud spring and hot springs. South of the mountain is the Makiling-Banahaw Geothermal Plant. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) classifies the volcano as potentially active.
Mount Makiling is a state-owned forest reserve administered by the University of the Philippines, Los Baños. Prior its transfer to the university, the mountain was the first national park of the Philippines. Mount Makiling National Park was established on February 23, 1933 by Proclamation No. 552. However, it was decommissioned as a national park on June 20, 1963 by Republic Act no. 3523 when it was transferred to the University for use in forestry education and information.
Now known as Mount Makiling Forest Reserve, it was declared an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2013.
Legend:
Legends surrounding the mountain relates to Maria Makiling, which is said to be the 'Guardian' of the mountain. The contour of the mountain is said to be that of her in a reclining position.
History:
The following are the proclamations, republic acts, and executive orders relevant to the Makiling Forest Reserve (MFR):
Proclamation No. 106 (1910) - Makiling Forest Reserve was established with specific boundaries and placed under the Bureau of Forestry by Governor General W. Cameron Forbes to regulate the use of public forest and forest reserves in the Philippines; Makiling Forest Reserve was set aside for the purpose of establishing a forest school and for silvicultural studies.
Proclamation No. 60 (1920) - The reserved was renamed Makiling National Botanic Gardens and placed under the Bureau of Forestry by Proclamation NO. 60 issued by Governor General Francis B. Harrison primary for scientific studies on plants and animals.
Proclamation No. 552 (1933) - The reserved was renamed the Makiling National Park under the Bureau of Forestry issued by Governor-General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. to serve as game refuge and for other purposes for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.
Proclamation No. 214 (1937) - Calamba Estate block was added to the Park for forest purposes issued by President Manuel L. Quezon.
Republic Act (RA) 826 (1952) - Transfer of the administration of the Makiling National Park form the Bureau of Forestry to the Commission of Parks and Wildlife in order to promote effectual planning, development, maintenance and conservation of all national parks, monuments and wildlife in the country.
Proclamation No. 692 (1960) - Administration of the Makiling National Park was transferred from the Commission of Parks and Wildlife to the University of the Philippines (UP) issued by President Carlos P. Garcia for forestry education and research purposes of the College of Forestry, subject to the condition that said land will be conserved and preserved as a national park.
Republic Act (RA) 3523 (1963) - The Makiling National park was disestablished and then ceded, transferred and conveyed to UP issued by Pres. Diosdado Macapagal to serve as the land resource for carrying out a program of public education and information in forestry, with end goal of promoting general public appreciation of forest values.
Executive Order (EO) 224 (1987) - Complete jurisdiction, control and regulation of watershed areas including the Makiling Forest Reserve was given to the National Power Corporation (NPC) issued by President Corazon C. Aquino in support of the country’s major program of energy development.
Republic Act (RA) 6967 (1990) - Administration of the Makiling Forest Reserve was finally transferred to UPLB by President Corazon C. Aquino primarily as a training laboratory for the advancement of scientific and technical knowledge on the preservation, conservation and development of forest, flora and fauna and natural resources.
Executive Order 121 (1994) - created a Presidential Commission on Laguna Lake and Mt. Makiling Development to address urgent problems affecting the resources and to formulate a master plan for the development of the lake and the reserve which are seen as integrated ecosystems.
Places of interest
View of Mt. Makiling's north face as seen heading south on South Luzon Expressway's Exit 50 - Calamba Interchange.Makiling National Scout Reservation, a campsite at the foot of Mount Makiling adjacent to U.P. Los Baños, which is being managed by the Boy Scouts of the Philippines this is the site of the 10th World Scout Jamboree in 1959 and 26th Asia-Pacific Regional Jamboree in 2009 and 2010.
Mud Springs, which were known as Natugnos, are widely accepted albeit erroneously as the volcanic crater of Mount Makiling
National Arts Center, a patch of land at the foot of Mount Makiling adjacent to U.P. Los Baños, which is being managed by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the site of the Philippine High School for the Arts, a special school for young artist scholars
Pook ni Maria Makiling, an eco-tourism site adjacent to the Jamboree Site, National Arts Center and U.P. Los Baños
University of the Philippines, Los Baños
The CCF Mt. Makiling Recreation Center (known as MMRC), is a Christian recreation camp and retreat center owned by CCF and operated by RHI, located at Santo Tomas, Batangas on the slopes of Mt. Makiling. It is the prayer mountain and retreat center of Christ's Commission Fellowship.
Geographical features
Rivers and creeks:
Munting River — Santo Tomas, Siam-Siam Creek — Calamba
Sipit Creek — Calamba, Pansipit Creek — Calamba
Pansol Creek — Calamba, Dampalit River — Los Baños
Saran Creek — Los Baños, Pili Creek — Los Baños
Molawin Creek — Los Baños, Maitim River — Bay, Calo River — Bay
3] SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAIN RANGE:
The Sierra Madre Mountains is the longest mountain range in the Philippines.
Running in the north-south direction from the provinces of **Cagayan to the north and **Quezon to the south, the mountains form the eastern backbone of Luzon Island, the largest island of the archipelago. It is bordered by the ****Pacific Ocean to the east. The Pacific coast of Luzon along the Sierra Madre is less developed as the lofty and continuous mountains forms a bold and an almost inaccessible shore, exposed to the full force of the northeast monsoon and the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Some of communities east of the mountain range and along the coast are so remote they are only accessible by plane or boat.
The Quezon Protected Landscape is situated at the southern part of the range.
Geography:
The Sierra Madre is the longest mountain range in the Philippines. In the north, the range starts in the province of **Cagayan and ends in the south in the province of **Quezon. In the province of **Nueva Vizcaya, the Caraballo Mountains connect Sierra Madre Mountain range with the Cordillera Central range. Quezon City near Tera Building
The mountain range serves as a typhoon barrier, attenuating incoming typhoons from the Pacific Ocean before reaching the central mainland.
Remote communities:
Some coastal communities east of the Sierra Madre Mountains, especially from Palanan, Isabela heading north to near the northernmost tip of mainland Cagayan, are remote and isolated with no roads connecting them to towns west of the mountain range. Towns like Palanan and Maconacon, Isabela can only be reached by plane from Cauayan City or a boat ride from Aurora province, south of Isabela.
Highest elevation:
The range's highest point is unclear, and several peaks are attributed as the highest. Mount Anacuao in Aurora province stands at 6,069 feet (1,850 m), while Mount Cetaceo in Cagayan is of similar altitude. However, an expedition in April 2012 to Mount Guiwan (Nueva Vizcaya) preliminarily measured an altitude of 6,283 feet (1,915 m) on the summit.
Ecoregions in the range are in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (lower) and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests (higher) biomes.
National parks:
Aurora Memorial National Park
Biak-na-Bato National Park
Fuyot Springs National Park
Other protected areas:
Amro River Protected Landscape
Casecnan Protected Landscape
Dinadiawan River Protected Landscape
La Mesa Watershed Reservation
Magapit Protected Landscape
Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park
Peñablanca Protected Landscape and Seascape
Quezon Protected Landscape
Quirino Protected Landscape
Simbahan-Talagas Protected Landscape
Talaytay Protected Landscape
Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape
Active volcanoes:
Cagua Volcano an active volcano in Cagayan province that last erupted in 1907
Endemic species:
In the forest, in April 2010, the endemic lizard species Northern Sierra Madre Forest monitor lizard - Varanus bitatawa (common name: Butikaw) was described to science, although the Aeta and Ilongot indigenous peoples have known and used it as a food source.
