Giant crocodile caught alive in the Philippines (Video)

A giant crocodile suspected in attacking several people has been captured alive in the Philippines after 21 days of hunt.

Giant crocodile caught alive in the Philippines | Video courtesy of Associated Press

It took about 100 men to pull the huge saltwater crocodile, which is 21 feet long, from a river in Barangay Era in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur Sunday morning. Weighing 2,370 pounds (1,075 kilograms), the crocodile was the biggest to be caught alive in the Philippines in recent years.

The effort to capture the giant crocodile has been intensified after several residents have reportedly gone missing for months now. Residents had also reported witnessing the crocodile preying on their carabaos (water buffaloes).

Shortly after midnight Sunday, villagers and veteran hunters set up trap made of wood and steel cables which trapped the crocodile as he went for the bait. It took them at least 4 hours to successfully pull the giant croc out the river.

The crocodile has been placed in a fenced cage in an area where the town plans to build an eco-tourism park.

"It will be the biggest star of the park," Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde told Associated Press.

Elorde added that his village was happy that the dangerous crocodile would be turned "from a threat into an asset."

Despite the giant croc's capture, villagers were still warned on venturing alone at night since several crocodiles still roam the outskirts of their farming town, Elorde said.

Philippine Arena: 'world's largest domed arena' to rise in the Philippines

Korean builder Hanwha Engineering and Construction Corp. has signed a contract with Filipino Christian group Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) to establish the world's largest domed arena in the Philippines, Korea Herald reported Thursday.

A miniature model of the Philippine Arena 

To be called the Philippine Arena, the 50,000-seater indoor performance hall will soon rise at a 74,000-square-meter area near the Philippine Capital, Manila. The ground breaking ceremony was already held this week and was attended by the Hanwha and INC officials.

Ciudad de Victoria in Bulacan, the location of the Philippine Arena

The soon-to-be largest domed arena in the world is expected to be finished in 30 months or by 2014 and will reportedly cost INC a whooping $175 million!

Another Philippine Arena model showing its inside facilities

Philippine Arena is said to be Iglesia ni Cristo's "centennial project" since the Christian organization is going to celebrate its 100th founding anniversary in 2014.

Wow! Will the next Olympic games be held in the Philippines after its completion? Hmmmmm... :D

Photos courtesy of PEX and to their respective owners.

Cong. Gloria Arroyo to undergo emergency surgery

This is just in! St. Lukes Medical Center has just released a medical bulletin with regards to the emergency operation of former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo tomorrow. A titanium implant previously fitted in Arroyo's spine was said to have been "dislodged," causing pain at her right arm.



On TV Patrol, Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes, Arroyo's attending physician, said the "revision of surgery" is scheduled on Wednesday morning and will last for at least 5 hours.



Arroyo underwent a cervical spine surgery because of “a damaged cervical spine with multilevel cervical spondylosis” last week. After discharged from the hospital 2 days ago, she has been staying at her residence in La Vista, Quezon City, to rest per doctor's advise. She sought medical check-up Tuesday after experiencing pain.

Trans-Asia ship sinks off Negros (Video)

M/V Trans Asia Malaysia, a passenger-cargo ship from Cebu and bound for Ilo-ilo, sank off coasts of Cadiz, Negros Occidental and Ajuy, Iloilo, Sunday morning.

The 107 passengers and 35 crew members of the said vessel were safe and transferred to other ships and boats after the ship captain issued an abandon-ship order at 6 a.m. before the vessel sank (at around 8:50 a.m).

The Philippine Coast Guard is still investigating the reason behind the sinking.

Operated by Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc., M/V Trans Asia Malaysia left Cebu at 6 p.m. Saturday and was scheduled to dock in Iloilo at 8 a.m.

Here's a video of the ship just before it sank (courtesy of "airgrouppcg"):