Our first official visit this morning was to the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), an organisation which resembles most closely our Catchment Management Authorities and/or the Murray Darling Basin Authority.
The LLDA has broader powers than its Australian counterparts, including the ability to block developments, remove squatters that are blocking flood mitigation channels, and to charge a levy on polluters. However in reality the power of the sheer number of votes from squatters, or the cash flow generated by developers, generally mean the will is not present to address the problems.
Lake Laguna is facing huge environmental issues - a combination of deforrestation, causing landslips and extreme water shedding, pollution from mines sites, and over population and pollution from industry in the metropolitan areas. A further challenge is the amount of groundwater being taken for industry that is generating subsidence.
The issues is Lake Laguna are terrifying for the food security of the people and the viability of the ecosystem.
We where then driven up the mountain side for a view over Lake Laguna - with lunch poolside at the Thunderbird Resort and Casino. We were also joined by the most of the host management committee and enjoyed a pleasant chat over coffee.
The afternoon saw us in the Angono arts district and a tour of a local artists gallery, workshop, and soon to be opened cafe.
Many of the paintings have a naive quality about them, often representations of important Filipinos or religious scenes - a style of art that seems to have developed largely from the Spanish and US colonial background, and suggested to me later as perhaps reflecting the type of propaganda that may have been popular during colonisation.
Wooden sculptures & carvings are perhaps more representative of a more native or indigenous art.
The artist's gallery also featured a two story concrete sculpture of a mermaid, which was explained as being representative of the local people's connection to Lake Laguna.
The evening was our first formal club meeting with RC Parnaque East. This was a bit of an eye opener for the Australians. This club ran their meeting very formally, with each member introduced and their achievements announced before moving on to the next, and formal motions to introduce or do away with club business and meeting procedures. Somewhat different to an Australian informal "hi, how ya going".
Another hour and a half of Manila traffic and back to Ed & Amore's excellent hospitality for us all, but to Frank & Jo's disappointment, no Karaoke.
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