Philippines Natural ResourcesPrepared by:Raul R. SandovalThe Philippines, Pearl of the Orient Seas, is very rich in natural resources. Filipinos are by nature creative and intelligent. The richness of the environment is an advantage for their livelihood.With a coastal ecosystem stretching almost 20,000 m, the Philippines is liely to become one of the earliest victims of rising ocean temperatures and levels. !enturies"old coral reefs are dying almost overnight, and the destruction is being #itnessed not only by divers in remote spots. $egional marine science studies estimated in the middle of %&&& that the Philippines' magnificent under#ater #orld #ould be gone by around 2%00. $eports say that increased sea temperatures #ere causing (mass coral bleaching events( in the #orld's best coral reefs. Something has to be done to reduce global #arming caused by the burning of oil, coal, and gas.For smaller bodies of #ater, the Philippines has e)tensive but small river systems and streams, #hich are mostly depicted by the mountain ranges. The fluvial system of *u+on is made up of ,%- $io .rande de !agayan and its tributaries ,a stream that flo#s into a larger body of #ater-, #hich drain the !agayan /alley0 ,2- the 1gno .rande #hich drains 2enguet and the valleys of 3ueva 4ci5a, Pangasinan and Tarlac.,6- the 1bra $iver system, #hich receives its tributaries from the !ordillera and drains *epanto, 2ontoc, and the 1bra0 and ,7- the $io .rande de Pampanga and its tributaries, #hich drain the fertile valleys of 3ueva 4ci5a, Pampanga, and 2ulacan.BODIES OF !"ERThe Philippines boast of many different inds of natural #ater forms, such as bays, rivers, laes falls, gulfs, straits, and s#amps. 2ecause it is made up of islands, the country's coastline, if laid end"to"end, #ould measure around %8.9 thousand ilometers. The Philippines is blessed #ith e)cellent natural harbors for ports lie :anila 2ay. Other e)cellent harbors #ith port potentials are found in ;locos, Pangasinan, /isayas, and :indanao.RIO #R!NDE DE $!#!%!N TheCagayanRiver,alsoknownastheRioGrandedeCagayan,isthelongestandlargestriverinthePhilippineArchipelago.ItislocatedintheCagayanValleyregioninnortheasternpartofL!onIslandandtraversestheprovincesof"evaVi!caya,#irino,Isa$elaandCagayan. TheCagayanRiverpassesthroghoneofthefewre%ainingpri%aryforestsinthePhilippines. Therivertraversesforprovinces&"evaVi!caya,#irino,Isa$elaandCagayan.Theseprovinceshaveanappro'i%atepoplationoftwo%illionpeople,%ostlyfar%ersandindigenostri$es%en. TheI$anagpeoplederivetheirtri$e(sna%efro%CagayanRiver(sancientna%e,)annag.TheGaddangtri$elivedinthepperrichesoftheCagayanRiveranditstri$taries. Theriverdrainsafertilevalleythatprodcesavarietyofcrops,incldingrice,corn,$ananas,cocont,citrsandto$acco. Thereareda%sintwooftheriver(stri$taries,the*agatandChicoRivers,andtherearealsoseveral%iningconcessionsinthe%ineral+richCordillera*ontainsneartheheadwatersofthetwotri$taryrivers. Theprovincialgovern%entsalongtheriverhavealsodevelopedtoris%progra%sthatofferactivitiesontheriver,particlarlywhitewaterrafting.RIO #R!NDE DE &IND!N!O RI'ER!#(S!N RI'EROther notable bodies o) *ater in ter+s o) si,e(nder-round River.!#(N! DE B!%1side from rivers, the country also abounds #ith laes. 4asily the most famous is the heart"shaped *aguna de 2ay.;t is the largest lae in the Philippines located east of :etro :anila bet#een the provinces of *aguna to the south and $i+al to the northThe lae is shaped lie a styli+ed 'W', #ith t#o peninsulas 5utting out from the northern shore 2et#een these peninsulas, the middle lobe fills the large volcanic *aguna !aldera. ;n the middle of the lae is the large island of Talim, #hich falls under the 5urisdiction of the to#ns of 2inangonan and !ardona in $i+al province.The lae is one of the primary sources of fresh#ater fish in the country. ;ts #ater drains to :anila 2ay via the Pasig $iver.The lae is a multipurpose resource. ;n order to reduce the flooding in :anila along the Pasig $iver, during heavy rains, the pea #ater flo#s of the :ariina $iver are diverted via the :anggahan Flood#ay to *aguna de 2ay, #hich serves as a temporary reservoir.The lae has been used as a navigation lane for passenger boats since the Spanish colonial era. ;t is also used as a source of #ater for the