Marinduque Confused with Martinique

The two islands name is almost spelled alike, but Marinduque is in the Philippines and Martinique is in the Eastern Caribbean. Both islands however are tourist's destination because of their natural beauty, white beaches and tropical climate.




Martinique (French pronunciation: [maʁtinik]) is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,128 km2 (436 sq mi). Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is one of the twenty-seven regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic. The first European to encounter the island was Christopher Columbus in 1502.

As part of France, Martinique is part of the European Union, and its currency is the Euro. Its official language is French, although many of its inhabitants also speak Antillean Creole (Créole Martiniquais)



Marinduque (Filipino: Marinduke pronounced [mɑrinˈduke]) is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region in Luzon. Its capital is Boac. Marinduque lies between Tayabas Bay to the north and Sibuyan Sea to the south. It is located south and west of Quezon, east of Mindoro, and north of Romblon. It is only about 30 minutes from Manila by air.

For details about Marinduque visit: http://marinduquemyislandparadise.blogspot.com

Happy Fathers Day-Bluebirds in My Backyard-Start of the Summer Season

It is already Father's Day in the Philippines. Here in Northern California Fathers Day will be tomorrow and the next day will be the official first day of summer. However, since mid-May this year six Blue Jays have been frolicking with abandon in my backyard. Two are the parent birds and four are the babies. I have been feeding them with bread crumbs and rice morsels, and faithfully replacing their bird bath and water every day.

Now for a short history on the Blue Birds in My Back yard!-Posted last year about the middle of July.

"For the last four years from Spring To Fall I have bluebirds residing in my back yard here in Northern California. They nest and play in the Holly and Pyracantha Shrubs planted as screens for the small swimming pool in my backyard.

Are blue jays common in my neighborhood ? I know my yard is the only one with four or more residents of blue jays that enjoys the water and food that I give them every day. Sometimes, I forget to give them bread crumbs or rice. They will remind me by their loud chirping, jumping and coming closer to the patio. They are getting so tame, that they stay only a few feet from their feeding station when I go out to give their daily bread crumbs or rice morsel. As soon as I put the food in the feeder, they would happily consume the food and bring some to their nests for their babies. If I gave them too much food, the leftover is welcome by a couple of residents squirrels in the yard.

My neighborhood is a subdivision of older homes from 30 to 40 years old. But I do not see too many birds in the neighborhood. Our house is still very close to the mall, shops and and schools which are populated with a lot of people during the day. However, my yard is the only one with two big maples trees and one oak tree that give a lot of shade during summer.

This week has been perfect weather wise. The temperature from 12 Noon to around 6:00 PM is in the low 80's. However, as soon as the sun sets, the temperature goes down to a comfortable low 70's. By early morning, when you wake up, it is cool with temperature in the mid 60's. The temperature slowly rises, so by 12:00 noon it will be in the 80's. Today the “High” was only 83 degrees F. This morning “Low” was 65 degrees with a gentle wind, which feels very comfortable. This temperature pattern will last the whole summer, except that there will a week of three digit temperatures later in mid July or early August. When Fall comes in September, the normal Low and High in this area will be around 55 degrees and around 78 degrees respectively. By late October, my blue birds will be gone. I will not see them until the middle of April next year. I am not sure where they spend their winter months, probably in Southern California or Mexico(definitely not in the Philippines, as Macrine and I do).


The blue jays are also a favorite of my grand daughter,Carenna. When she visits us, the first thing she would ask is if she could feed the birds. I consider these birds my pets. We have pets in the Philippines, one dog, two cats and several chickens. But here in Northern California, our only pets are these blue jays that reside in my back yard during spring, summer and fall in this beautiful Northern California neighborhood every year. Do you have pets in your back yard?

Latest News on Mining Disaster in Marinduque

The following article titled "SC issues writ vs Placer Dome for Marcopper Disaster"
was written by Ina Reformina, (ABS-CBN News) and posted on March 9, 2011.

"The Supreme Court issued a writ of kalikasan on Tuesday in favor of three residents of Marinduque province who filed a petition for the issuance of the writ against Placer Dome, Inc. and Barric Gold Corporation for the Marcopper mining incident in 1996.

The writ is a remedy available to persons, people's and non-government organizations, and public interest groups whose constitutional right to a balanced and healthy ecology is violated or threatened by private or public entities involving environmental damage that prejudice the life, health or property of inhabitants in two more more cities and provinces.

Eliza M. Hernandez, Mamerto M. Lanete and Godofredo L. Manoy, in their 60-page petition, said Placer Dome should be held liable for expelling some 2 million cubic meters of toxic industrial waste into the Boac river when a drainage plug holding toxic mining waste from its operations ruptured.

Placer Dome is the parent corporation of Marcopper Mining Company, owning 39.9% of the shares in Marcopper. From 1964 to 1997, it operated and managed mining operations in Marinduque.

Barrick Gold Corporation is a foreign corporation that merged with Placer Dome in May 2006.

Binding contract with FVR
Petitioners, represented by their counsel, Fr. Joaquin Bernas, alleged that Placer Dome, despite a "binding contract" with no less than former President Fidel Ramos, failed to rehabilitate the waters of Marinduque, Quezon, Batangas, and Romblon.

The petition quoted a letter dated April 11, 1996 of then Placer Dome President and chief executive officer John Wilson to Ramos which stated the mining firm's commitment to "rehabilitate all areas impacted by the tailing flow" and engage in a program "which will result in the mitigation of the environmental impact."

"Fifteen years from the mining disaster, the industrial waste continues to sit on the rivers and environs of Marinduque, likewise potentially if not actually, spreading and contaminating the rivers and streams of neighboring areas of Mindoro, Quezon, Batangas and Romblon," the petition read.

Petitioners expressed dismay at how five lawsuits against Marcopper failed to prosper.

"...all of these cases are mired in the courts. After 15 years of litigation, none of them have (sic) even reached the trial stage," the petition read.

Following the mining accident, Placer Dome divested its shares in Marcopper, which eventually went bankrupt.

Mine tailings disaster
The petition also cited the dumping of mine tailings by Marcopper into Calancan Bay wherein petitioners alleged that "in a period of sixteen (16) years, approximately two hundred (200) million tons of mine tailings was (sic) deposited at the sea surface level of Calancan Bay."

"In 1997, medical professionals from the Department of Health and the University of the Philippines conducted medical tests on the people living in close proximity to Calancan Bay. of the one hundred eight (108) residents tested, twenty-two (22) children were found to have elevated lead and mercury content in their blood," the petition read.

"The health studies were conducted within the same year and the results showed that all the fifty-nine (59) children tested have unacceptable lead contents in their blood. Twenty-five (25) of these children have blood cyanide in their system," the petition read.

Grounds for writ of kalikasan

Thus, the petition cited the following grounds as basis for the issuance of a writ of kalikasan:

•violation of the constitutional rights of petitioners to a healthful and balanced ecology is in the nature of a continuing offense;
•the act of polluting the rivers and bays of Marinduque did not end with the dumping of pollutants but merely launched and triggered the natural and continuing capacity of these pollutants to do damage;
•new damage is caused by the "natural activity" of Marcopper's pollutants released by Placer Dome to neighboring bodies of water that serve as fishing grounds for residents of Marinduque, Batangas, Quezon and Romblon; and,
•daily, continuing damage is caused by these pollutants as a "natural continuation" of the dumping activities.
"While Placer Dome continues to mine internationally and earn vast wealth, the residents are left to contend with the toxic mining waste that remains behind. This toxic industrial waste continues to stay in their rivers, and seas, killing fishes and other marine life, choking the coral reefs, and polluting their food sources," the petition read.

According to the Rules of Procedure of the Supreme Court for environmental cases, Placer Dome has only 10 days to file a verified return upon receipt of the writ of kalikasan.

The return shall contain Placer Dome's defenses in the form of witnesses' affidavits, documentary evidence, scientific or expert studies, and if possible, object evidence.

The high court may then call for a preliminary conference and execute its judgment on the petition within 60 days from the time the petition is submitted for decision.

Reliefs under writ of kalikasan

The reliefs which may be granted under the writ are:

(a) directing respondent to permanently cease and desist from committing acts or neglecting the performance of a duty in violation of environmental laws resulting in environmental destruction or damage;
(b) directing the respondent public official, government agency, private person or entity to protect, preserve, rehabilitate or restore the environment;
(c) directing the respondent public official, government agency, private person or entity to monitor strict compliance with the decision and orders of the court;
(d) directing the respondent public official, government agency, or private person or entity to make periodic reports on the execution of the final judgment; and,
(e) such other reliefs which relate to the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology or to the protection, preservation, rehabilitation or restoration of the environment, except the award of damages to individual petitioners.

This petition involving Placer Dome/Marcopper is the second case elevated to the high court since the court's Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases took effect on April 29, 2010, the first being the petition of residents of West Tower Condominium, Makati against First Philippine Industrial Corporation for the Makati oil leak incident.

Sunsets from Different Angles

A Picture is worth more than a Thousand Words!





I found these unusual photos of sunsets from www.hongkiat.com. Enjoy!

Fire Dance Exhibition in Torrijos, Marinduque

At the Bikini Open Festivities called "Huling Hirit Sa Taginit" " (LAST FLING OF SUMMER")* held last June 3, 2011 in Poctoy White Beach, Torrijos, Marinduque, there was a Fire Dancing Exhibition. The fire dancing team were from the neighboring island of Mindoro from the town of Puerto Galera. The following is the 7 minutes video of their performance. It is mesmerizing and indeed very entertaining. I wish I was there during the performance. However, I am happy to relay their performance via YouTube. Enjoy!

*I am not sure if my translation of Huling Hirit sa Taginit is correct. So all you tagalog speaking natives please correct. My original dialect is Ilonggo.


Do not forget the related videos on this set if you like bikinis and beautiful young bodies of both genders.

Additional List of Towns with Unusual Names in US

Photographer and author Gary Gladstone traveled 38,000 miles through 40 states looking for these tiny towns to find out the fascinating tales of how they got their names. And then he put it all in a book called "Passing Gas: And Other Towns Along the American Highway." Here's an excerpt from his book.

How Some Towns Got Their Names

Gas, Kansas: People in tiny Gas, Kansas warn others not to blink or they'll pass Gas. And that's how the book got it's title, too.

Scratch Ankle, Alabama: Church people passing by in their carriages noted that scratching mosquito bites seemed to be the primary pastime of the townspeople as they sat on their porches in the summer.

Intercourse, Alabama: Named for the crossroads where the general store sits. True story: A sign was posted outside the town's meeting hall promoting the local ladies' sewing instruction group. It read, "Intercourse Lessons Wednesday Night." After several car crashes at that intersection, the good ladies were asked to remove the sign. ( I have a posting on Intercourse, Pennsylvania, just a couple of days ago)

Suck-Egg Hollow, Tennessee: When a local farmer realized some critter was eating his hens' eggs, he shot every animal that came close to the henhouse. Then he figured out it was black snakes sucking down the eggs. Because of this story the town got its name of Suck-Egg Hollow.

Toad Suck, Arkansas: Ferryboat captains sucked down moonshine whisky in between runs until they "swole up like toads." Hence, the name.


Peculiar, Missouri: Way back when, the townspeople submitted various names to the mail district for their town. Three times the name they selected was not approved because it was already being used by another town. Finally, officials sent town officials a message urging them to choose a name that was "peculiar, meaning unique."

Dynamite, Washington: Named for the old stone storage shed once used by Chinese laborers who handled explosives.


Hell, Michigan: Named when an important person spurned the place, and as he was storming out of town was heard to say, "You can call this place Hell for all I care." And so they did.

Sweetlips, Tennessee: So named for the Civil War soldiers who stopped for a drink at the stream.

Stinking Point, Virginia: So named when the bodies of Civil War soldiers washed up on shore.


No one remembers why these towns were named this way:

Purgatory, Maine
Tightwad, Missouri
Nothing, Arizona
Zero, Montana
Panic, Pennsylvania

Towns That Made the Headlines
No one remembers how the Pennsylvania towns of Rough and Ready and Fearnot got their names, but in the 1930s there was a newspaper headline announcing a wedding: "Fearnot Man Marries Rough and Ready Woman."

Nice, California made Jay Leno's headline bit on "The Tonight Show": "Nice man arrested for beating wife."