ARK AVILON 2009

Ark Avilon

AVILON had its un seeming beginnings when Mr. Jake Gaw, an avid animal hobbyist who,at the age of four had his first encounter with animals while staying at his grandpa’s farm in Sta. Ana,Manila (still quite rural then) mingled among goats, cows, pigs and chickens at the farm. This initial encounter would make such a lasting impression on young Jake that he carried his interest in animals from then on. Thus, from guppies and budgies, Jake over the years extended and expanded his interest and collection to arapaimas and eagles and lions and macaques, pythons,etc.

Mr. Jake Gaw – owner of Avilon zoo

There are two, so to say, crossroads in the history of AVILON. The FIRST was when Jake had to transfer his pet lion to a new home, because his neighbors were concerned about the presence of a full-grown male lion living amongst them inside a subdivision. This search for a new home to house IO led Jake to the scenic countryside of San Isidro, Montalban (later to be called Rodriguez) in the Province of Rizal where he decided to build a weekend place for his family and, of course,home to his other pets. It was 1992.

By 1994, the land within AVILON had been leveled and the concrete hollow block perimeter walls finished. Several man-made lagoons and ponds were then excavated, and the Big Lagoon where the Pavilion now stands is the largest, comprising an area of 3,000 square meters. Construction of animal exhibits followed, starting off with the Corrals where hoofed animals are being kept, the Multi-Purpose Building (now the Herpetarium) and the Hexagonal Birdcages (now the Avian Exhibit), followed by the Crocodiles and the Hornbills enclosures,and many more.

Avilon had also a big collection of exotic palms, orchids, bromeliads and trees aside from the animals from all over the country and the world.

PROPERTY DEVELOPER Ortigas & Co. Ltd. Partnership has added a zoo as one of the newest attractions in its children’s corridor in Frontera Verde, Pasig.

Ortigas Chief Operating Officer Rex C. Drilon II said “The zoo is meant to add to the wholesome family oriented experience Frontera Verde was built to offer.”

Mr. Drilon said the P24 million, two-storey ark-shaped structure sits on a 2,000-square-meter lot, which is home to over a dozen of animal species.

“The idea of the ark/mini zoo was born here,” in an interview, Zoo Administrator Jake Gaw said.

giant gourami

“The Ortigases were trying to come up with innovative developments for Frontera [Verde]. The original idea was to have a mini zoo and since I had Avilon Zoo in Montalban, I said, ’why not build an ark?,’” he added.

Mr. Gaw said that the Noah’s Ark-inspired structure was born out of a collaboration with Ortigas Technical Planning Manager Art Alcantara.

Avilon Zoo contact information:
Ms. Teena Gaw at 0917-8311224 or call 9418393 and 9489866
Bo. San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal
Tel. Nos.: (632) 941-8393 * (632) 948-9866 (63917) 899-5126
Fax: (632) 941-8530
Entrance Fee: Php208.00 or $5.00/person

Ark Avilon
Weekdays 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Weekends & Holidays 10:00 am to 7:30pm

Frontera Verde Ortigas Avenue Corner C5, Pasig City
Telephone Nos. (+632) 706-2992/ 706-2993

(oct 13,2009)

CRESENT MOON CAFE AND GALLERY 2009

This is an ideal place to find relaxation, appreciate nature, various art works and pottery collection can be bought.

A selection of different types of potteries

The gallery also conducts pottery lessons in this little nook along Ascension road in Antipolo. The 5,000 square-meter lot was transformed into a beautiful secret garden with café and a restaurant using its own pieces of pottery pieces to showcase house specialties like the Alagao lumpia. Visitors can buy pottery and other items in the cafe souvenir shop. The gallery was established in 1981.

The company clientele includes some hotels, restaurant chains, posh homes and accepts bulk wholesale orders.

Koi pond

The place an interesting waterfall , a kois pond and a turtle area . Old mango trees are draped with native ferns and orchids .

The place is owned by Ms. Lanelle Abueva – Fernando the niece of national artist Napoleon Abueva.

She graduated from the University of the Philippines- Diliman where she took Visual Communication Fine Arts from 1973 to 1977.

Her impressive credentials included apprenticeship in Hachijo- Jima, Japan, A silver medal award in Japan Amateur Ceramic Competition in 1981, a bronze medal in Japan Competition in 1981. She also had several exhibits of potteries around the Philippines.

For bookings and reservations:

Address: Sapang Buho ,Ascencion Road, Barangay Dalig, Antipolo City

Telefax: 630-58-54

Residence: 658-38-66

Cellular Phone : (0917)523-2356

(orig post date September 19,2009)

PACEM ECO-PARK 2009

PACEM is a short acronym for Peace And Care For Earth Ministry . The PACEM Eco-Park was established in 1994 inside Assumption College in Antipolo City as a place for retreat and a rescue center of both animals and plants.

Assumption College – Antipolo entrance arch

There was an aviary and eagles were on the ground not in a cage! There was even a big bird,the Cassowary, monkeys,deers , bantam chicken , silky chicken, native chickens, Kabir chicken, parrots, parakeets, snake , pigeon, bear cats a walk through butterfly garden.There’s also an herb garden, a big fountain and fish pond with kois in it.

It has a trail that you have to go to in order for you to check the whole place and the animals can be pet like the snakes , rabbits and exotic birds. It was a breath of fresh air in the city after a nights work in an enclosed work place confined to a cubicle, talking to people half way accross the globe….

collection of preserved beetles

There is also a fine collection of mounted butterflies from different parts of the globe , shell collection, insect collection like mounted walking sticks, beetle, moths , flies , dragon flies etc… According to the guide this was mostly donated by private individuals, DENR Region IV rescued animals, who donated their collections to the center. The center served as a rescue center for all the live plants and animals.

collection of butterflies from Asia

There is also an audio visual center where a short film regarding nature was shown to the group.

stick insect

The staffs and the crew were very friendly and had given the members of the Philippine Orchid Society tour group a special discount when the group visited the place last September 19, 2009

a gaggle of geese

In return the organization through POS president Mr. Carlos Valeriano C. Lazaro donated a healthy Aerides quinquivulnera to the manager of the center.

The center had a small Orchidarium area where various orchids like Dendrobium anosum, Dendrobium aphyllum , Hoyas , native ferns , Cattleya hybrids, Dendrobium hybrids , Vanda Hybrids are gown and nurtured by the staffs. The center accepts donated plants and orchids.

Various components of PACEM Eco-Park, such as the Eco-Center, the Wildlife Sanctuary, the Butterfly Garden, are open for visits as follows :

From Monday to Friday, from 8.00am to 3.30pm

On Saturdays from 8.30am to 12.00noon.

For inquiries pls write or call:

********PACEM*********

Center for Peace and Ecology

Assumption Antipolo

Sumulong Highway, Antipolo City

Tel.(+63-2)696-3274 or 697-2354

(original publish date on WP @september 23,2009)

MERALCO MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP CENTER FOUNDATION 2009

MMLDC is short for Meralco Management & Leadership Development Center located in  Kilometer 27 Sumulong Highwayin Antipolo, Rizal province.

But to thousands of others that have benefited from its programs, there is so much more to the 10-hectare expanse.

MMLDC started as an internal training facility for the 6,000- plus workforce of Meralco, including contractors, partners and managers. The utility was then undergoing a spate of transformation coming out of the 1980s and 1990s.

Before , Meralco conducts  a lot of out-of-town training; practically every week we were doing team building, living out of our suitcases . Then the management decided to  set up our own center to make it more convenient for the employees and the participants.

Manuel L. Lopez tarpaulin

On August 9, 1999, MMLDC was formally established, with the Academic Hall as the first structure to be opened. By 2000, the buzz was out about the new training center, with people from other companies requesting to rent the venue for their own training activities.

group photo

Social responsibility

As an educational foundation, MLDC’s stated vision is to create a brighter future through institutions and individuals who manifest and promote social responsibility through its five advocacies: ethical leadership, quality management, technical excellence, environmental stewardship, and safety and wellness practices.

In 2006, the corporate training and academic services programs were beefed up to complement the teambuilding programs, considered the centers bread and butter.

The big compound had old mango trees with huge Platycerium grande, bromeliad, tillandsias , orchids mounted on living trees in landscaped garden setting.

There were a lot of exotic bird  collection like parrots, budgerigars , peacocks, pigeons . There is a (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), or Hyacinthine Macaw or Hyacinth Macaw which is reputed on e of the rarest bird in the world which is endangered in the wild .

me with a common green parrot

The Hyacinth Macaw is an endangered species due to over collection for the cage bird trade and habitat loss. Annual grass fires set by farmers can destroy nest trees, and regions previously inhabited by this macaw are now unsuitable due to cattle-ranching, forest destruction , pet trade etc…

There was a short bird show which was duly reserved for the visiting POS members . The captive parrots and their trainers entertained the visitors . At the end of the bird show – the handlers let the visitors handle the parrot.

The group also went to a small museum and a gift shop within the compound.The foundation is ideal for social functions like seminars, filed trip, corporate parties etc…

tranvia replica

Contact information:
Location : Km 27 Sumulong Highway,Antipolo City , Rizal
Telephone 632-8111/696 -3051
Telefax 696-1027/26

(SEPTEMBER 24, 2009)

JARDIN DE MIRAMAR 2009

Jardin de Miramar is situated on a three-hectare property in San Jose Extension in hilly Antipolo, a quiet, genteel area. Little used now by the family, the property was converted into a garden-like venue for parties, and welcomed its first visitors this Christmas season- There is a special house called Casa Santa Clause which housed the vast collections of the owner Ms. Edna Del Rosario accumulated since the late 1990’s . Their were over 1,500 pieces of Santa collections from different parts of the world.

The family decided to convert the place into a party, event, venue place . The property was divided into different themed areas. The family decided to open the place to the public in 2006 and various movie outfit, television stations, morning shows , magazine , travel channels and BLOG sites had already featured the place.

Jardin de Miramar—as the place is called—hosts parties, receptions and other functions in its lush multi-level gardens landscaped by Tony Leano with stately royal palms and serenity waterfalls. Hammocks strung between tall trees tempt visitors to laze an afternoon away with a good book or a nap, lulled by the soothing sounds of water and the wind rustling through the trees.

Galleon replica

A unique feature is a 30-foot boat, reconstructed from an actual 50-year-old fishing boat used by the owner’s family in their deep sea fishing business- The Angelica was retired and some of its wood was used to build the “Noah’s Ark” in the Galera section of the garden, which also features a lighthouse, totem poles and a marine-themed metal sculpture by Eduardo  Castrillo. Dramatic lighting was done by renowned lighting designer Shoko Matsumoto, who also designed the Santa House.

House of Santa

The rest of the wood from the boat Angelica was used for the trellises, benches and other accents throughout the garden.

Behind the Santa house is an area called Intramuros, a mini version of Manila’s old walled city. Featuring adobe walls with an aged look, it is reminiscent of turn-of-the-century Spanish architecture.

This season—and anytime of the year—visit Santa and all his relatives at this very special venue, and put some ho-ho-ho into your life. Likewise enjoy the rest of the place and you’ll surely have a memorable day of your life!

(September 25,2009)