by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 4, 2019 | Travel
With 7,107 islands, the Philippines offers bodies of water, with highly diverse marine wildlife and seascape, for all kinds of divers and dive enthusiasts to explore. This is making the country a popular major diving hub in Asia.
The Philippines has countless diving spots suitable for divers of different skills – from beginners who are simply looking for fun recreational activities, to intermediate divers seeking new underwater challenges to hone their skills and experts in search of new adventures.
Anilao, Batangas
At the top of the list are Anilao in Batangas and the Tubbataha Reefs in Palawan, with its impressive marine biodiversity and awe-inspiring vertical reef walls dropping to over 100 meters in depth. The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park was declared in 1993 a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for its high density of marine species and the different kinds of birds and marine turtles.
Tubbataha Reef photo credit to Trip or Treats
Anilao and Tubbataha Reefs diving spots, favorites of deep and open water divers, host different types of sharks, schools of fish, turtles and colorful corals.
Philippine diving map credit to scubadivingfanclub.com
For adventure-seekers and history junkies, the Philippines also has many exciting seafaring stories and countless sunken ships to explore such as World War II vessels, including Japanese freighters and gunboats that have now become homes to various marine species.
The country has ideal training spots to sharpen the skills of neophyte divers. Cebu has underwater caves, passageways and terrains teeming with marine life. Night diving is even possible in a few areas. The open water in El Nido in Palawan and in Cebu are favorite haunts of nocturnal creatures that look majestic in the moonlight.
The Philippines has the most number of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Heritage Parks and has been declared a Flyway Network Site, this refers to the network of important sites used by migratory waterbirds throughout the flyway.
The Philippines truly has so much to offer new and experienced divers, from Subic and Batangas in Luzon; to central Philippines – Cebu, Bohol, Negros Island and Palawan; and Mindanao – Davao and Camiguin, as well as points in-between.
Divers of varying skills will enjoy amazing underwater discoveries underneath the crystal clear waters of the Philippines. The Filipinos’ innate warmth and hospitality, as well as unique Filipino offerings, will make the experience more fun.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 18, 2019 | Events
It is Zooper Summer once again and we have relaunched the only theme park night activity at Zoobic that has received good reviews from patrons.
Why stay indoors at your home or hotel watching movies when you can view and interact with the animals in the only night safari in the Philippines, at Zoobic.
The Zoobic Night Safari opened its doors to visitors this year on March 2, 2019, but has been an annual summer offering for several years. It has wowed patrons since.
Go classic
Gear up your nocturnal senses and prepare for a series of roaring nights of fun while visiting Zoobic Safari’s classic 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.
Go bold!
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.
How can we get tickets /make reservations for the Zoobic Night Safari?
Walk-in guests are always welcome and the regular rate will apply. But if you are interested in getting a discount, your best bet will always be to go to the official website and purchase your tickets there. Click on the link HERE to be brought directly to the reservation page.
How much is the entrance fee?
- P695 for adults and children above 4 feet (121.92 cms.) tall
- P595 for children from 3 feet (91.44 cms.) to 4 feet (121.92 cms.) tall
- Free for children below 3 feet
You may also check out affiliate sites such as Klook and Metrodeal for special discounted rates
Do senior citizens and persons with disability (PWD) get a discount?
I’m assuming so but don’t take my word for it yet. I will get back to you on that once I receive an answer myself. 🙂
How do we pay?
You may make payments via the following methods:
- Over-the-counter payment at BDO
- Credit card
- ATM / Debit card
- PayPal
What are part of the Zoobic Night Safari Tour?
The Zoobic Night Safari Tour includes the following (in alphabetical order):
- Butaan Museum
- Croco Loco
- Enchanted Forest
- Forbidden Cave
- Greyhound Walk
- Serpentarium
- Tiger Safari Ride
- Tram Ride
- Zoobic Cave
- Zoobic Night Safari Show
- Zoobic Park
When can we visit the Night Safari?
The Zoobic Night Safari is only open on Saturdays starting March 2 up to May 25, 2019. Guests are allowed to enter between 6pm to 8pm only and the Night Safari show starts at 8pm. To get more value for your money I would recommend going their early (like at 5pm) so that you can enjoy all the inclusions.
A visit to the Zoobic Night Safari promises to be a night you won’t forget! See you there! Roar! 🙂
Zoobic is part of the Zoomanity Group, the leading company in the theme park industry under the Yupangco Group of Companies.
Zoomanity envisions world class, innovative and enjoyable facilities from Northern to Southern Philippines by providing the best tourist destination and nature educational experiences with the facilities that are uniquely designed to provide enjoyment to visitors of all ages.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 26, 2019 | Business
Willie J. Uy, President and CEO of 8990 Holdings
8990 Holdings, listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange under the symbol “HOUSE” and one of the fastest growing real estate developers in the Philippines, rounded up 2018 hitting its full-year revenue target of Php 11.5 billion. It is eyeing Php 13 billion for 2019. The company is also guiding a net income of Php 5.2 billion.
“We had a strong fourth quarter given the increased interest in our housing projects throughout the country. This means we will have another banner year as our unaudited revenues hit our target of Php 11.5 billion in 2018. This is already double of what we did a mere six years ago,” said 8990 Holdings president and chief executive officer Willie J. Uy.
In 2019, the company expects to grow revenues to Php 13 billion with more than half coming from its projects in Luzon — particularly from its largest project to date, Urban Deca Homes Manila in Tondo.
Urban Deca Homes Manila
Situated in an 8.4-hectare property, Urban Deca Homes Manila is a 13-tower residential complex offering over 13,000 units with an estimated sales value of Php 20 billion. Targeting residents of Tondo and those living in the Port Area, Intramuros, Divisoria and the Camanava (Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela) area, Urban Deca Homes Manila addresses the housing needs in the most densely-populated area in Metro Manila.
According to Uy, “We have been in business for more than a decade. Our success in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao is testament to our belief that housing should be within reach of every Filipino. The market will always be receptive if you provide homes that are within secure communities and make it within reach.”
“Tondo is a good example. Urban Deca Homes Manila is the first large-scale development in the area. We provide Tondo residents and those living in nearby locations, who have been living with relatives or renting, a viable housing alternative in the area. With the completion of the 18,000-square meter Deca Mall, we will surely not only provide housing but a new kind of lifestyle for Tondo,” he added.
Deca Mall recently partnered with the SM Group, making SM Hypermarket as its anchor tenant. SM Hypermarket will occupy 3,073 square meters of the mall, offering a wide array of food and non-food products.
* The 2018 year-end results indicated herein are unaudited and no guarantees are given (nor should any be relied upon) that these results will not be subject to change or adjustments upon audit. These reported results are not meant as any form of guidance or recommendation to the public.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Nov 29, 2018 | Advocacy
Waste disposal is reaching crisis proportions in the Philippines. Landfills and rivers are overflowing with garbage. Piles of garbage obstruct sidewalks or are dumped on vacant lots, left to rot until they smell and attract hordes of flies.
We know that this is an existing concern in our country. What many of us do not know is that this massive garbage problem is, in fact, a P73 billion industry.
In 2016, 40,000 tons of garbage were collected every day. This totaled 14.6 million tons of garbage per year. If each kilo only cost P5 for disposal, the total cost in waste disposal for 2016 was an outstanding P73 billion.
The money is used to pay the local government, the garbage haulers and the gate fee at landfills. It has even increased this year because the usual P5,000 cost per truckload of garbage with five cubic meter capacity is now P8,000.
The yearly volume of waste generated is expected to increase from 13.48 million tons in 2010 to 16.63 million tons in 2020. In Metro Manila, averages of 9,000 tons of garbage were collected per day from 2012 to 2016. In just five years, daily garbage collection in Metro Manila has reached 93.8 million cubic meters. This is due to rapid urbanization, economic growth and development, changes in lifestyles and consumption patterns.
Aside from the massive amount of garbage generated, there are also the problems of improper disposal and lack of landfills.
Metro Manila Landfills
There are more than a hundred garbage hauling operators in Metro Manila but only three landfills – the Quezon City Sanitary Landfill, Navotas Sanitary Land Fill and Rizal Provincial Sanitary Landfill. New sites are hard to find and are much farther away from Metro Manila. The nearest available landfill is in Montalban, Rizal and it has already reached its maximum carrying capacity, way before 2022 when it is supposed to reach its limit.
Uncollected garbage, about a third of the solid waste generated in the cities, often ends up in drains, causing flooding and an increase in the population of rats, mice and other pests. The urban poor suffer most from the health problems resulting from poor management of solid waste.
The government has the main responsibility for ensuring waste is properly disposed of to avert health and environmental problems. But every Filipino can and should help by properly segregating garbage and by reducing, reusing and recycling.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Nov 28, 2018 | Advocacy
The Philippines is expected to move further towards urbanization as it grows and develops. Unfortunately, its solid waste infrastructure is unable to keep pace with the economic and population growth. Inadequate, over-filled dumpsites and landfills are causing various health and environmental problems.
Some of the serious environmental risks caused by waste overflow landfills are ground and surface water contamination, flooding, greenhouse gas production, air pollution, exposure to toxins and spread of disease. Many disposal sites across the country contain infectious material, threatening sanitation workers and waste pickers and, eventually the general public.
Tests of liquid runoff or leachate from Rodriguez and Payatas dump sites were found to contain high levels of contaminants. Most of the leachate seeps untreated into groundwater sources of drinking water and flows to the Marikina and Pasig River systems and Manila Bay. Landfills and dump sites, despite government’s efforts to situate them in areas far from population centers, still pose a threat to the health and the environment.
A lot of wastes, about one-third of solid waste generated in the cities, are often dumped indiscriminately and often end up clogging the drains, causing flooding and increase in the populations of rodents and other pests. The urban poor suffer most from life-threatening conditions resulting from uncollected garbage.
In this age of digitalization and technology, one of the innovative solutions for solid waste management is decentralization using pyrolysis technology. Pyrolysis is coined from the Greek terms pyro or fire and lysis or separating. It is the industrial process of breaking down large molecules of waste such as agricultural residues, scraps, tires, and non-recyclable materials into smaller molecules of gas, oil and carbon black. One of the by-product of pyrolysis technology is ash which can be mixed with aggregates for construction purposes.
Most importantly, people should realize that they play a huge role in solving the massive garbage problem in the Philippines. It should be the country’s goal to create an environment free of garbage, minimizing of waste disposal to landfill, educating the community and make them aware of their roles and responsibilities, and to involve the business community in solid waste management.
It is Zooper Summer once again and we have relaunched the only theme park night activity at Zoobic that has received good reviews from patrons.
Zoobic is part of the 
Situated in an 8.4-hectare property, Urban Deca Homes Manila is a 13-tower residential complex offering over 13,000 units with an estimated sales value of Php 20 billion. Targeting residents of Tondo and those living in the Port Area, Intramuros, Divisoria and the Camanava (Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela) area, Urban Deca Homes Manila addresses the housing needs in the most densely-populated area in Metro Manila.
Waste disposal is reaching crisis proportions in the Philippines. Landfills and rivers are overflowing with garbage. Piles of garbage obstruct sidewalks or are dumped on vacant lots, left to rot until they smell and attract hordes of flies.
In 2016, 40,000 tons of garbage were collected every day. This totaled 14.6 million tons of garbage per year. If each kilo only cost P5 for disposal, the total cost in waste disposal for 2016 was an outstanding P73 billion.
The government has the main responsibility for ensuring waste is properly disposed of to avert health and environmental problems. But every Filipino can and should help by properly segregating garbage and by reducing, reusing and recycling.
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