Brown Superman

 

A coindiver - coindiving being defined as the act of retrieving coins purposely thrown into the sea by tourists or travelers; the latter doing it for amusement, while the coindiver for his/her livelihood.

Coindiving is now a common sight in many seaports around the Philippines especially where there are docked passenger ships and ferries readying for voyage. It used to be that this was an almost exclusive activity of the Badjaos of Mindanao (probably an extension of their more traditional coral and pearl diving enterprise) and that one seldom encounters coindiving scenes in ports outside of Mindanao or in places where there are no Badjaos or any sea-faring indigenous peoples nearby. Today, not only have coindivers become multi-ethnic; they are now found in all major ports in the country, and have devised new approaches to egging travelers to throw in their spares. In this photo, a coindiver at the port of Lipata in Surigao City, opted to dive off the top deck of a docked ship for a 5-peso coin.

Pikoy

The Red-vented Cockatoo, Cacatua haematuropygia, is a species of cockatoo that is endemic to the Philippines; hence it is also known as the Philippine Cockatoo. Called by many names locally (e.g. Abukay, Agay, Kalangay, Katala, etc), this bird used to be found in wild abundance throughout the country's coastal mangrove and lowland forest areas; until the 1980's when its number started to conspicuously decline.

Cage-bird trade and the wanton destruction of its natural habitat are the main culprits of the Philippine cockatoo's diminishing population which is now pegged as just about 1,000 individuals (from a 'high' of 4,000 in the 1990's) found mostly in Palawan, and a few in Masbate, Mindanao and Tawi-tawi.

The Philippine cockatoo is listed as a critically endangered species by the IUCN; and is protected by Philippine law under the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act (Republic Act 9147).

The photo above was taken at the mini zoo and aviary of the Durian Garden Resort in Polomolok, South Cotabato.

Another day in paradise

Sunset as viewed from Kiamba, one of the underrated destinations in southern Mindanao, Philippines. Located in the western half of Sarangani Province about an hour's drive from General Santos City, Kiamba is largely an agricultural and fishing community and is home to the pristine waterfalls of Badtasan, Bokay-el, and Nalus; and the Tuka Marine Park, a premium site for diving and snorkeling. Recently it has also become the official home of professional boxing world champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao.

Just this February, the 6th Timpuyog (Unity) Festival was held to celebrate Kiamba's 62nd founding anniversary as a municipality.