Palawan Community News Ltd

17/07/2024

Stuff you don’t normally know or see in

11/07/2024

https://fishy-waters.ghost.io/13/

By Sara Grambs This is a series on how the modernisation of harbours in India is changing the lives of fishers in relation to the politics of their livelihood, and overall well-being. This story, written by guest author Sara Grambs, a social science researcher at the University of Amsterdam, follows

15/05/2024

UPCAT ONLINE APPLICATION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO MAY 31, 2024.

26/04/2024

Good neighbor. There is no military station in Mavulis Island (the Philippines’ northernmost island in the Itbayat Group of Islands). The reinforced concrete structure in the area is just a fisherman’s shelter with two helipads for emergencies and logistical support for operations in the area. Fortunately, our neighbor at this part of the archipelago is our friend Taiwan.

Itbayat, Philippines

13/03/2024

UP Geologists Discover Evidence of Gas Hydrates in Manila Trench

By Harvey Sapigao

(MANILA, Philippines) Much like carbonated drinks are water infused with carbon dioxide, gas hydrates are ice mostly infused with methane, a natural gas used as fuel. Gas hydrates are ice-like substances that usually only form beneath the seafloor, where the pressure is high and the temperature is just below the water’s freezing point of 0°C.

Elisha Jane Maglalang, Dr. Leo Armada, Madeleine Santos, Karla May Sayen, and Dr. Carla Dimalanta of the UP Diliman College of Science National Institute of Geological Sciences (UPD-CS NIGS) discovered that gas hydrates may be abundant in the Manila Trench, west of Luzon. Their study is the first to investigate these substances in Philippine trenches, pioneering gas hydrate research in the country.

Because gas hydrates contain huge amounts of carbon and methane, they can be a great alternative energy source. “The western Philippines has vast potential for this unconventional energy resource,” the researchers said. They discovered that a total area of around 15,400 square kilometers in the Manila Trench, or about the size of Palawan, could contain gas hydrates. They estimate these substances might be around 200 to 500 meters below the seafloor.

However, gas hydrates can be a geologic and environmental threat. Because gas hydrates are unstable solids, they will dissociate and melt when the conditions in which they form change, usually during earthquakes. Worryingly, the Manila Trench is an active margin, responsible for numerous earthquakes in Western Luzon. When gas hydrates melt, it will agitate the seafloor, possibly triggering submarine landslides and tsunamis.

Moreover, methane can harm the environment when released into the atmosphere. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, and just one cubic-meter block of gas hydrate contains as many as 160 cubic-meter blocks of methane in its gas form. This is equivalent to 14% of an average Filipino’s methane emission in 2021.

“Therefore, it is essential to determine the distribution and stability conditions of gas hydrates offshore of the Philippines,” the researchers emphasized.

To determine their location without drilling through the seafloor, scientists rely on sound waves. Similar to how a pond reflects sunlight, gas-bearing substances like gas hydrates reflect sound waves. These seismic reflections, called bottom-simulating reflectors (BSRs), indicate where gas hydrates might be present. By analyzing existing seismic data in the Manila Trench, the UP geologists were able to map out BSRs and, consequently, deduce possible locations of gas hydrates in the region.

The researchers note, however, that while BSRs are tell-tale signs of gas hydrates, they are not definitive. “Future drilling of offshore targets will be instrumental in confirming methane hydrate occurrence,” the researchers said. “These investigations offer a vital opportunity to develop our indigenous energy wealth,” they added.

To move forward, the researchers are conducting additional investigations in other offshore places in the Philippines to expand our geophysical dataset. Moreover, the team is spearheading efforts to foster marine geophysics in the country. ”These efforts will contribute not only to the advancement of scientific knowledge but also to the development of the expertise of Filipino geoscientists in marine geophysics,” they concluded.

15/02/2024

06/02/2024

Sunog na naman sa Quito area ng Puerto Princesa.

22/01/2024

NEWS UPDATE | CIDG Palawan nabs ex-CCJE dean

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) had arrested a former Dean of Palawan State University-Tiniguiban Campus Monday afternoon, local media reports say.

Dr. Vilma Venus Andoy, once known to handle the College of Criminal Justice Education (CCJE) has been accused of "grave oral defamation," CIDG has said.

She is now under police custody.

It can be remembered that she has been accused of corruption by former CCJE alumni in a radio interview.

20/01/2024

Dear PALECO at NAPOCOR,
Maalon po ba today? Malakas pa rin po ba ang amihan? Bakit po parang tumatawid sa Linapacan channel ang boltahe ng kuryente today? Taas baba, taas baba. Hilong-hilo na po ang mga appliances naming kabibili pa lang nitong nakalipas na Kapaskohan. Hilong-hilo na po talaga. Parang awa niyo na po.

13/01/2024

https://youtu.be/KYfG58bkQM8?si=TITIQyjIhuRcPraE

Barbie Girl in 5 Styles | Sandaru SathsaraOriginal Artist - AquaNew Music Arrangements, Mixed and Mastered - Sandaru SathsaraDOP - Kaveesh Medagangoda00:00 -...

04/01/2024

Matapos ang dalawang mis-approach sa paliparan ng Puerto Princesa, flight 5J 647 ng Cebu Pacific mula Maynila patungong Puerto Princesa ngayong gabi, bumalik ng Maynila. Ang Airbus A320 na eroplano ng Cebu Pacific ay lumipad mula Ninoy Aquino International Airport ngayong 10:14 ng gabi at nakatakda sanang lumapag sa Puerto Princesa 11:10 ng gabi nitong Huwebes. Ang diverted na eroplano ay lumapag sa NAIA dakong 12:35 pasado ng hating gabi ngayong Biyernes.

22/11/2023

Admirer?

13/11/2023

Ang bagong beauty standard sa Palawan.

10/11/2023

Good weather over Puerto today.

01/11/2023

At the chapel of the old Catholic Cemetery of Puerto Princesa City on October 29, 2023.(Warning: Some images in this album may trigger nausea.)

25/07/2023

2D plot of 24-hour rainfall forecast for Palawan July 26, 2023. Via Clime Weather Radar Live.