Environment : Rising Sea Level Submerging Island Nations

An article about some island nations was given minor importance and placement in a newspaper, but its subject matter was far from being minor or insignificant. The article was specifically about island nations submerging in to the sea because of the rising sea level. In the near future these island nations would cease to be nations and countries, because they would become landless and without any territories to call their own. Their island nations swallowed by the sea.

The article mentioned above is not fiction, it is a true story. In fact, some of these islands have started sinking into the sea.

Some countries are fighting over territories, others are talking about their economic development and exports, others are concerned with attracting tourists to visit their countries. Trivial concerns compared to the concern of these island nations worrying about how long would their countries exist as visible landmasses on the surface of the earth.

People from these islands nations are pleading for help because soon they would be drowning and would be totally annihilated as a people or nation. Some of these island nations have already made arrangements with other countries to repatriate their nationals to these host countries. For the past years, New Zealand has been accepting "climate refugees" from the island nation of Tuvalo in the Pacific, which is just about three feet above sea level and is expected to soon disappear under the sea.

Climate change or global warming are taken for granted by many people. Some people think these matters are not of immediate concern, just products of over imaginative minds, or just mere theories of paranoid scientists. But the fact is, we have been experiencing the effects of climate change and global warming for the past decades. And the effects have been getting worst through the years. Climate change and global warming are real phenomena that we can not ignore, and have to deal with them with urgency.

We Filipinos should be very much concerned with climate change and global warming. We have been experiencing its effects for the past several years with much destruction and loss of lives. Super typhoons, erratic weathers, extended periods of heavy of rains, drought and rising sea level are just some of the effects of these phenomena in our country. Our country, being a part of this so-called island nations, have the possibility of losing its smaller islands and low-lying coastlines. In fact, this is already happening in some parts of the country. A portion of a coastal barangay in the town of Aringay in La Union province had already submerged into the sea, partly because of soil erosion and the rising sea level.

Fortunately, we have bigger islands in our country to go to if our smaller islands go underwater, unlike these submerging island nations who have no other option but to flee to other countries.

It's time for  the nations of the world to get their acts together to fight, stop or minimize the effect of  climate change and global warming. Hopefully now, while we are still above the water.

Island nation of Nauru

With the rising sea level the picture above would soon be a common scenario
specially on so-called island nations or republics.

Related News Links :
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/49323/time-running-out-for-island-nation-of-kiribati-as-seas-rise-mass-relocation-eyed
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/04/world/asia/nauru-ocean-danger/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Alaskan village to disappear under water in a decade :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23346370

Places : La Union Province - The Next Big Thing

Welcome to La Union

La Union is one of the most scenic and progressive provinces in the country. A major gateway to Region 1 ( Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur )  and the Cordillera Autonomous Region. Its capital city of San Fernando, is also the capital of Region 1, where all the important  government offices are located. Region 1 is mainly the  Ilocano-speaking region of the country.

With the on-going construction of the new  Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway ( TPLEX )  and rehabilitation of the old PNR railway (North Luzon Railway project)*,  and with both projects terminating in La Union,   future developments are expected in the province. Residential, hotel/resorts, commercial and mall developments, BPO/Call Center facilities and transportation transit terminals are expected to rise in the areas around and near the north-end train terminal station of the North Luzon Railway project, and likewise, where the TPLEX  Rosario Exit ends.

In San Fernando City where Poro Point is located, the BCDA is presently developing the former  American Military Base-into a prime mixed-use tourist/recreation/resort/gaming, a special economic  and free-port zone. 

With the  closing of the Laoakan Airport in Baguio City, more passengers and increase in air traffic  are expected of the San Fernando Airport, also in Poro Point. It would soon become a major domestic airport in Northern Luzon. But San Fernando Airport should be rehabilitated and improved, and the runway upgraded to accommodate bigger aircrafts. This development would be a big advantage to  the province and would have the potential of making San Fernando City the air transportation hub of Northern Luzon. 

Poro Point could also provide the port infrastructure for the province.

Complementing the economic infrastructure and the geographical advantage of La Union province, are the dynamic developments in the neighboring provinces of  : Pangasinan, Ilocos  Norte and Ilocos Sur and   nearby Baguio City/Benguet. These provinces are basically tourist magnets where major tourist destinations are located e.g., Alaminos-Hundred Islands, Manaoag, Bolinao, San Fabian, Vigan City, Laoag City, Pagudpud, Fort Ilocandia , etc. La Union itself is the Surfers' Mecca of Northern Luzon, and is now becoming a resort/entertainment/gaming haven with the construction of Thunderbird Hotel and Casino at Poro Point. La Union being a coastal province has beautiful beaches with scuba diving, sailing and surfing facilities. It also has many historical sites and old churches, and other  attractions for tourism.

Real estate developments are also booming in the region. Major developers are presently putting up residential, condominium and mall/commercial projects in different parts of the region with developers like Robinson Land Corp, Villar Group and SMDC leading these developments.

With all modes of  transportation infrastructures (road, air, railway and sea) available, expect La Union province to grab a bigger share of future investments and developments in the region. It has all the necessary components for a big economic boom, including the very important human resources. La Union and Baguio City being educational centers with good schools to boast, could provide the educated and skilled human resources needed by companies and business locators.

The proximity of Hongkong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and China to La Union/San Fernando City would be a big factor in making it an international travel and business destination in the near future, like Cebu. 

If all the necessary infrastructures would soon be completed and upgraded, particularly the airport and the roads, my fearless forecast : La Union is the next big thing!

*Note : 
The North Luzon Railway Project was stopped and  later cancelled in March 2011 due to some anomaly in the contract. 

Region 1

Picture Sources :

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/23563804

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

Related Link :

http://www.launion.gov.ph/e107_files/business/business_reasons.php

http://www.idcworld.com/poropoint1.htm

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

http://business.inquirer.net/134941/la-union-breathes-new-life-to-freeport-development

Project Review : Ground Breaking of Thunderbird Condotel at Thunderbird Resort, Poro Point, La Union

The Thunderbird Resort at Poro Point had the groundbreaking ceremony last April, 29, 2012 for the Thunderbird Condotel portion of the resort. This starts the construction of the 51-unit Thunderbird Condotel which is part of the resort expansion development. The condotel units  will be sold to private investors (Note: a lot of the units are already sold), but these investors can have the opportunity to enroll the units they purchased as part of the condotel rental program. In this program, their units will be rented out as part of the hotel rented accommodations. And in return, they will be earning income, while they are not using their units.

Click photos to enlarge

Master plan of Thunderbird Resort development

Thunderbird Condotel at Thunderbird Resort (enclosed with  yellow line is the condotel portion) 

Groundbreaking of Thunderbird Condotel

Below is an excerpt from a Manila Bulletin article on the event :

Last April 29, 2012  was the groundbreaking ceremony of TRPP’s three-storey Thunderbird Condotel. Thunderbird is set to build 51 additional rooms in the Condotel, to add to the existing 41 rooms at TRPP, with a total investmentof R200 million for the expansion project. To date, TRPP has pumped in a total of R1.2-B investments in the country since it started five years ago.

The  April 29 groundbreaking had the following key officials (see photo) in attendance: (from left) Wilson Tieng, corporate partner of Thunderbird Resorts; Felicito Payumo, BCDA chairman; Fausto Liriano, TRPP operations director for construction; David Chong, TRPP project manager for real estate; Shaun Thomsen, Thunderbird Resorts chief gaming officer; Arnel Casanova, BCDA president and CEO; Florante Gerdan, PPMC president and CEO; and Yves Remondeulaz, TRPP hotel general manager.

Related Links :
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/361699/groundbreaking-of-thunderbird-condotel-and-other-expansion-plans

http://business.inquirer.net/64015/santorini-inspired-la-union-resort-dotted-with-villas

http://theprojectreview.blogspot.com/2012/02/project-review-thunderbird-residences.html

Project Review : The Thunderbird Residences Condotel at Thunderbird Resorts Poro Point La Union

There's a beautiful and new place to visit in the North : The Thunderbird Resorts Poro Point

The Thunderbird Resorts is a 65 hectare beachfront development at the Poro Point Special Economic and Freeport Zone in San Fernando City, La Union in the North. Poro Point used to be the location of the US Military Base-Wallace Air Station. The resort boasts  a 5-star hotel,   facilities and amenities like : a golf course, a beautiful infinity pool by the sea, a spa and wellness center, fine dining restaurants, a casino and a creamy white-sand beach. The resort complex is perched on a cliff overlooking the China Sea. The resort buildings' architecture are Greek and Mediterranean-inspired which makes it stand-out in its location by the sea. This resort development is definitely a big tourism boost in the Ilocos region.

Incorporated in the resort and hotel development are the Point Residences, a residential village (where lots and villas are being sold) and the  Thunderbird Residences, a condotel. The Thunderbird Residences Condotel is being offered as an income generating investment package.

The Thunderbird Residences privately-owned condotel units will be pooled together as part of the hotel managed properties and whatever income that is generated from the renting out of a condotel unit will be shared by the two parties (i.e unit owner and hotel management). On income sharing, seventy(70) percent  goes to the condotel unit owner and thirty(30) percent goes to the hotel management. Even if the unit is not rented out, a condotel unit owner still gets an income from the use of the common areas facilities.  It seems to be a very good investment indeed.

I hope that more developments of this type will sprout in the northern part of the Philippines. Having visited many provinces of the country, comparably, Ilocos ( Region 1) is one of the most scenic and historical region in the country. Add to that the hospitable and friendly Ilocanos of the North, this new resort development will indeed be a beautiful place to visit, live and invest in.

Click pictures to enlarge

The beachfront

The resort infinity pool and hotel on a cliff 

The Thunderbird Resorts and Condotel complex

Please click here to see more pictures of the Thunderbird Residences Condotel :

http://www.pinspire.com.ph/p14Gg6J9501l/the-Thunderbird-Residences-Condotel-at-Poro-Point


Related Link :
http://theprojectreview.blogspot.com/2013/05/update-thunderbird-residences-condotel.html
http://theprojectreview.blogspot.com/2012/09/places-la-union-province-next-big-thing.html
http://business.inquirer.net/134941/la-union-breathes-new-life-to-freeport-development

For those interested to know more of the Thunderbird Residences Condotel Investment package,  please email List and Sell Realty Group at   lands.phl@gmail.com