Episode 7: Camp Q, Bgry. Tadlac, Los Baños, Laguna

Tadlac Lake, also colloquially known as Alligator Lake, is a freshwater volcanic maar lake located in Barangay Tadlac, in the municipality of Los Baños, Laguna. The lake-filled maar is located along the southern shore of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines, with Tadlac Lake protruding out of the shore of the larger lake. If not for its slightly-elevated crater rim, Tadlac Lake would be wholly engulfed by Laguna de Bay. Starting 1986 the hill on the northern edge of the lake was quarried by its private owner and sold as building material for home construction. The destruction continued unopposed by the lax management of LLDA, and the local government of Los Baños recognized the activity as the right of the landowner to develop his property. This was back when the Philippine Environmental Impact Assessment System was not yet fully established. In the end, about 7,000–8,000 m2 (75,000–86,000 sq ft) of earth & rocks were removed and the land was leveled leaving a “cut” on the crater rim, destroying the natural look of the lake. From 1986 until the late 1990s, the lake was heavily used for aquaculture until a massive fishkill occurred in 1999. Through the collaborative efforts of the local leaders and the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), aquaculture was stopped saving the lake from further deterioration. #DayoffTravel #TadlacLake #laguna #losbaños #dayoff #camping