March 13, 2008 Photo of the day of National Geographic was taken by Mr. Tim Laman on assignment for NG last 2002. The photo of the tiny orange crab on a leaf was taken in Panay Island, Philippines.

Panay Island is located in the Visayas region. Panay comprises of 4 provinces: Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo (including neighboring Guimaras). The area is quite popular for tourists and adventurers because of its natural beauty inland. The island in itself is also surrounded by the different seas on all sides. Sadly, there was an oil spill from an oil tanker last of October of 2006 which polluted the Guimaras area, affecting the wildlife there severely.

“In August 2006, M/V Solar 1, an oil tanker chartered by Petron, sank off Guimaras’ shores, spilling 2.4 million liters of oil and contaminating 1,000 hectares of mangrove areas. The massive oil spill threatened species such as dugong and rare sea turtles. At that time, environmentalists called the accident the worst oil spill in the country’s history and estimated the cleanup to take at least a year.”

Alexander R. Bautista
Manila Standard Today
May 8, 2008