Exploring the Largest Cave System in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



ThePhilippines has over 3100 known caves. Featuring 12 chambers over its seven kilometer span, the Langun-Gobingob Cave in Samar is the king of them all. Discovered by Italian Guido Rossi in 1987, it was opened to the public in 1990.

We recently explored it to celebrate the Year of the Protected Areas or YOPA, which aims not just to convince people to conserve the country’s 246 protected areas, but to encourage them to visit the sites themselves.

Caves are underground chambers, usually situated in mountains, hills or cliffs. Generations of imaginative fear-mongers have made them the home of everything from treasure-hoarding dragons to a whip-wielding Balrog. In reality, caves are special ecosystems which need our protection, particularly from unscrupulous miners who would break apart tons of rock for a handful of precious stones.

Unique But Threatened Biodiversity



Samar Island, overshadowed by more popular places like Palawan and Boracay, isn’t usually considered a top tourist destination, owing to its long history as a hotbed for insurgencies and a punching bag for typhoons. Though the Philippines’ third largest island exudes rugged beauty, its real value as an ecotourism destination lies beneath the earth.

“Samar is unique because it is a karst landscape made primarily of limestone. Millions of years of weathering has created numerous caves and sinkholes on the island,” explains Anson Tagtag, head of the Caves, Wetlands and Other Ecosystems Division of the DENR. “Caves are special ecosystems which harbor highly-evolved fauna, most of which have adapted to darkness.”

Birds, bats, spiders, snakes, crickets and even blind cave fish thrive inside the Langun-Gobingob Cave. The lack of light confines plants to entrances, but mushrooms and other types of fungi cling to life as discreet denizens of the dark.

“The speleothems or rocks in caves are in a very real sense ‘alive’ – they just grow and move at timescales difficult for people to comprehend,” explains Dr. Allan Gil Fernando, a professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences in UP Diliman. “The constant dripping of water for instance leaves minute traces of minerals like calcite. Over time these traces pile up to form hanging stalactites and their inverted kin, stalagmites. It takes about a century for a stalactite or stalagmite to grow one inch.”

It is because of their surreal beauty that many caves are sundered.

“People used to enter the Langun-Gobingob Cave to break apart and mine stalagmites plus white calcite rocks for collectors,” says Samar Island Natural Park (SINP) Assistant Superintendent Eires Mate. Our guide Alvin confirms this. “Locals used to mine the cave for Taiwanese businessmen, who paid a paltry PHP7 for a kilogram of rock. Balinsasayao or swiftlet nests were plucked out too, to be shipped to Chinese markets.”

The cave was finally declared a protected area in 1997. “Thank God for legal protection. Mining was effectively stopped,” says Eires. The Langun-Gobingob Cave is just one of many natural systems benefiting from the country’s protected area system.

“Declaring key biodiversity sites as protected areas is one of the best ways to ensure that future generations can continue enjoying their beauty,” says United Nations Development Programme Biodiversity Finance Initiative (UNDP-BIOFIN) Manager Anabelle Plantilla. “Visitors should positively support local communities but be mindful of the environmental impacts of their travels. They should for instance, avoid taking wild plants or leaving trash in tourist sites.”

 

Year of the Protected Areas

Launched in May of 2022, YOPA hopes to generate funds from tourists to ensure the continued management of protected areas hard-hit by COVID-19 budget cuts.

The Langun-Gobingob Cave is part of the Samar Island Natural Park (SINP), one of YOPA’s six highlighted parks, the others being the Bongsanglay Natural Park in Masbate, Apo Reef Natural Park in Occidental Mindoro, Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park in Negros Oriental, Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in Davao Oriental, and Mt. Timpoong Hibok-Hibok Natural Monument in Camiguin.

The country’s caves are now open for tourism, but visitors should know what not to do inside them. “Cave tourism should be well managed and there are cave do’s and don’ts,” says Buddy Acenas from the GAIA Exploration Club, a Manila-based caving and exploration group. “A comprehensive assessment should be conducted before a cave is opened for tourism. Trained guides and set trails should be used to minimize human impacts. Like so many of our fragile wilderness areas, caves must be stewarded by those visiting them.”

For its part, the Philippine government is doing what it can to promote responsible tourism. "Our caves, mountains, beaches and other protected areas are now open for tourism. We invite both Filipinos and foreigners to come and visit, but to do so in an environmentally-responsible manner," adds DENR-BMB Director Natividad Bernardino. “By practicing responsible and regenerative tourism in PAs, we’re helping our national parks flourish and recover from the economic blow they suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

From running shoes, robots, and magical creatures, here are Solana games you can explore

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Blockchain-based games are more popular than ever. According to a recent report by DappRader and BGA Games, blockchain-game playing activity has increased 2,000% since the first quarter of 2021, now making up over half of all blockchain activity.

A big part of the reason behind blockchain gaming’s recent popularity is the rise of the play-to-earn model enabled by non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on popular blockchains like Ethereum. In many of these games, players collect in-game NFTs that are tradeable to cryptocurrency and fiat currency. In the Philippines, it’s not uncommon anymore to find all sorts of people supplementing their income by playing these play-to-earn games.

Of course, new blockchains are emerging to offer an even wider selection of fun play-to-earn games. The Solana blockchain, for example,  supports a wide variety of titles, from classic first-person shooters to open-world adventures in deep space.

 

Below are some of the Solana games just waiting to be played.

STEPN

This Web 3.0 lifestyle app rewards players to move and get fit.

How it works is that players will first have to download the STEPN app and buy an NFT sneaker, which the game uses to track a player’s daily movement. By walking, running, or jogging, the players receive a reward token called Green Satoshi Token, or "GST".

Depending on the type of sneaker you get (options range from a walking sneaker to one for dedicated runners) and the amount of movement each session, the user is rewarded with in-game tokens. On top of GST, STEPN  also offers its GMT governance token that can be used to upgrade/customize NFT sneakers. Both GST and GMT tokens can then be traded for stablecoins such as USDC, which can then be converted to fiat using crypto exchanges like PDAX. Being able to trade these tokens adds an extra incentive for users to get fit.

Aurory

One of the biggest titles on the Solana blockchain, this role-playing game takes players on a rollercoaster of action and fantasy while still enabling them to earn.

In Aurory, players must capture cute animated creatures called Nefties. Nefties are stored as NFTs in a player's wallet and battle against other Nefties. The game has two modes: Player Vs Environment where players capture Nefties for rewards and Player vs Player weekly and monthly battles that rank players on a leaderboard and give rewards according to rank.

The game rewards players with its token AURY, which can be used to buy and customize Nefties and buy NFTs. These tokens can be exchanged on a number of exchanges, as well as Aurory’s in-game marketplace.

Starbots

The first-ever playable robot battle NFT game on the Solana blockchain, Starbots revolves around battling cartoon robots and earning new parts for your robot. Players will use each of these robot parts (such as a weapon, gadget, body, or wheel) to upgrade their avatar. Starbots promises to challenge a player’s strategic acumen, making battles progressively harder to win as players move on up in the game.

Through winning battles, earning new robot parts, and completing missions, players can earn GEAR tokens and collect NFT items. Additionally, players can also earn its governance token BOT. BOT can be used to vote for new in-game features and upgrading bot parts at different milestones in the game.

Starbots adds a new dimension of playability to the tried-and-tested concept of battling robots. By leveraging the Solana blockchain and adding tokens and NFTs to the mix, Starbots proves you can still have fun with a classic gaming formula.

Genopets

Genopets centers around creatures also called genopets and sets itself up as another move-to-earn game. How it works is that the game tracks the user's movement and this is linked to your genopet, a spirit animal that evolves and increases in value the more active you are. How much you move controls your pet’s appearance, talents, and moves.

Players earn KI tokens as they explore the Genopets world and their pets evolve. They can also earn the game’s governance token GENE. These tokens can be used to speed up a pet’s evolution, add to their attributes, and even trade with other players. All in all, Genopets does a brilliant job of allowing players to earn while forming a bond with their virtual pets.

Ev.io

Ev.io takes the concept of a regular first-person shooter game and incorporates the blockchain. The free-to-play, browser-based game is easily accessible: one only needs to go to the game’s official site to begin playing. 

The gameplay is also quite simple. Players explore a virtual world and begin shooting at opponents, sometimes teaming up with others and playing in a tournament format. To begin earning, players must first purchase an Ev.io NFT with a Solana wallet. Owning this NFT enables the game to track a player’s progress and discern who deserves a reward.

Players with the most kills are ranked on a leaderboard by the end of a match, and there is also the possibility of earning SOL, the native token of the Solana blockchain, per kill. How this works is that each kill in the game gives you a higher score, which can be used to acquire “e”, the game’s off-chain virtual currency. “E” can then be converted to SOL, with the conversion rate depending on the game’s sponsors and the USD to SOL exchange rate.

While the game’s premise is deceptively simple, Ev.io promises hours of fun.

Star Atlas

This space-based roleplaying game offers players the chance to explore a vast galaxy, mine resources, and conquer lands all in exchange for fabulous rewards.

Set in the year 2620, Star Atlas takes place in a world where three factions struggle for power: androids called Usturs, the ONI alien race, and humans called the MUD. Players must first pick which faction they want to play for, as they’ll later help this faction build cities, win wars, and explore unknown lands.

As they accomplish missions, players earn the in-game currency called ATLAS to buy in-game NFTs and equipment. A governance token called POLIS can also be earned for game-based decision-making purposes.

Decimated

If the words “open-world post-apocalyptic survival game” sounds appealing to you, Decimated has exactly what you’re looking for.

Players have the option to play as either a human survivor or a cyborg cop. The objective is to outwit and even battle a host of characters threatening your survival, ranging anywhere from cannibals to mutated creatures. More than just battling, a player’s success will depend on how well they fortify shelters, collect bounties, ambush, loot or trade. As players collect resources and beat enemies, players can earn the game’s DIO token and NFTs to trade.

DeFi Land

Agriculture-based DeFi Land is a cute, easy-on-the-eyes title where players complete minigames to earn rewards. Minigames center around activities like farming, fishing, tending to livestock, etc. Players can craft different tools and items, trade, and also play against one another in these minigames.

Like most games, DeFi Land has its native currency called DFL and a utility token called GOLD. DFL can be used to craft tools (for the minigames), trade, and even mint NFTs. GOLD, on the other hand, can also be used to trade goods and pay for player vs. player battles.

Though DeFi Land is based on the Solana blockchain, what’s interesting is that it is a multichain project. This means it can integrate with other blockchains like Binance Smart Chain, Avalanche, Ethereum, and Terra. This means players can buy, sell, and trade different tokens and NFTs directly across a multitude of chains.

The future of Solana games

The sheer number of games now available on Solana is a sure indicator that the blockchain is surely coming into its own. Whereas people today still compare it to more popular blockchains such as Ethereum, it may not be long before Solana is rightfully appreciated for its own merits.

It helps that the Solana blockchain and SOL are more accessible than ever. Local cryptocurrency exchange PDAX launched SOL as one of the four new tokens available on its platform alongside XLM, Sushi, and BNB all of which are easily tradeable with the Philippine peso and other major cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether.

With PDAX readily available on Apple App Store, Huawei Store, and Google Play, all Filipinos need to do is download the app, create an account, and cash in to begin buying, selling, and trading SOL and a host of other cryptos. This easy way of acquiring SOL is crucial for Filipinos looking to take advantage of the play-to-earn games available on Solana (STEP, for example, requires players to purchase an NFT sneaker with SOL before playing).

Indeed, it isn’t hard to imagine a game-crazed nation like the Philippines fully embracing Solana’s play-to-earn offerings. With easy access to SOL and the continuous evolution of the Solana blockchain, it’s only a matter before everyone you know is playing at least one of the games listed above.

DISCLAIMER: The statements in this article do not constitute financial advice. PDAX does not guarantee the technical and financial integrity of the digital asset and its ecosystem. Any and all trading involving the digital asset is subject to the user’s risk and discretion and must be done after adequate and in-depth research and analysis.

 

Mandatory Online filing of retirement claims to also cover Self-Employed Members age 60 to 64 years old starting July 1

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


Social Security System (SSS) President and CEO Michael G. Regino said the coverage of the mandatory online filing of retirement benefit claims through the My.SSS Portal will be extended to self-employed members who are 60 to 64 years old starting July 1, 2022.

This is in addition to all employee-members, voluntary members, land-based Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) members, and self-employed members aged 65 years old and above at the time of retirement who were required to file online effective July 2020.


“As early as 2015, we have made this online facility available to our members who have reached their technical retirement age of 65 years old. With the onset of the pandemic, we have continuously enhanced this online facility to provide our members with a simpler and more convenient mode of application without physically going to our branches. All they need to do is to access their My.SSS account, click Apply for Retirement Benefit under the Benefits section of the E-Services tab, fill out the required information, and submit the required supporting documents,” Regino said.


Members with the following special cases on retirement benefit claims should still file manually at any SSS branch or foreign representative office:
With outstanding Stock Investment Loan Program (SILP)/Privatization Loan Program/Educational Loan/Vocational Technology Loan balance;
With dependent child/children under guardianship;
Wherein member is incapacitated, under guardianship, or confined in an applicable institution such as penitentiary, correctional institution, or rehabilitation center;
With Application of Portability Law or Bilateral Social Security Agreements;
With adjustment or for re-adjudication of claim; and
With the unclaimed benefit of a deceased member.The retirement benefit is a cash benefit granted to a member who can no longer work due to old age and has reached the prescribed retirement age. It can be in the form of a monthly pension for those who have paid at least 120 monthly contributions prior to the semester of retirement or a lump sum for those who have paid less than 120 contributions. The qualifying conditions for the retirement benefit program can be accessed at https://crms.sss.gov.ph while the guidelines and policies on the online filing of said benefit claim through the My.SSS Portal can be found at https://bit.ly/SSSCI2021-021.