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Station BALANACAN: The Story of a Geodetic Datum Origin*

....On the highiest hill at the northwest points of Marinduque Island.  Salvaria Island in the entrance to Looc Bay bears N. 9 E., distant 3 kilometers, and the highiest point of the western one of the two San Andres Islands bears 80degree E., distant 3 kilometers.It is on the northwest end of the hill, 10 meters northwest of the highiest point, and is in a commanding situation, seeing a hundred miles of the coast of Luzon, much of the north and west coasts of Marinduque, the coast of Mindoro and other islands. Station mark is the center of a hole 1.5 centimeters in diameter and 6 centimeters deep, drilled at the center of a triangle 16 centimeters on a side, cut in a hard rock. Reference mark is on a hard, white boulder of about one cubic meter in volume, standing 80 centimeters aabove the ground and 90centimeters deep, at the center of a cross cut on the top of this stone. From the station, the reference mark is in azimuth 326degrees 34' and is distant 18.85 meters.

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-Description of Station BALANCAN in the report The Triangulation of the Philippine Islands, Volume I

   The institutionalization of Station BALACAN as geodetic datum origin is traced to the surveying and mapping activities in the Philippines of then United states Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS). With the new territorial claim of the USCGS grew which included the conduct of various scientific and cartographic initiatives in the Philippine Islands beginning 1901.

   Coast and geodict surveys involved the charting of insular waters and harbors and the development of a geodetic network that "had to be begun from scretch." The initial surveys would have been the expansion of a genera; scheme of triangulation which utilizes a network of interlocking triangles to determine positions at survey stations. Military and commercial factors were however considered.

   The military telegraph and cable line system aided the establishment of astronomical stations such as those in Legaspi, Vigan, Ormoc, Tacloban, Iloilo, Balanacan Island, Cagayan Sulu Island, Davao, Iligan, Misamis Oriental, and Zamboanga. Each having its own datum, the 39 foundation stations were used to

Historical Background

*This article was published on pages 18-19 and 22-23 of the July 2011 issue of the Informapper, a NAMRIA publication on surveys, mapping, and resource information

technology.

start surveys in various localities. These stations made possible the publication of charts but the projections from the positions did not match. The Vigan datum of 1901 eventually connected them and was used for a period of time.

     Efforts to establish a new and single geodetic datum were exerted due to the inadequacy of the Vigan Datum to extend the triangulation to the central and southern parts of the country. The components of a geodetic datum are (1) the specifications of an ellipsoid with a spherical coordinate system and an origin and (2) a set of surveyed points and lines. E. R. Frisby, chief of the Computing Division of the USCGS Manila Field Station from 1902 to 1921, was tasked to formulate the substitute scheme with Clarke's Spheroid of 1866 as the model for the interpolations. The work in 1911 converged in a geodetic network based in the island of Luzon which was later expanded throughout the archipelago. The new datum established became the primary geodetic reference of all surveys in the Philippines.

      The Station BALANACAN (Latitude 13degrees 33' 41".000 North, Longitude 121degree 52' 03.000 East) in the Province of Marinduque defined the datum origin of the Luzon Datum of 1911 with Clarke Spheroid of 1866 as reference ellipsoid. While a datum is a reference value to which other measurements are referred, a geodetic datum is the adopted standard position (latitude and longitude) of a given station, together with the adopted standard azimuth of a line from that station. The Station BALANCAN had for its azimuth mark the Station BALTASAR (azimuth:9degrees 12' 37".00) located in the western Tres  Reyes Group of Islands also in Marinduque Province. O.W. Ferguson established both stations with H.D. King as Chief Of Party. The historical document on the triangulation of the Philippine islands gives the establishment of Station BALANACAN as 1906.

     All surveys in the Philippines from 1901 to 1937 were corrected and based on the position of this station. Thus, a geodetic station is said to be in the Luzon Datum if it is connected by continuous triangulation from the Station BALANACAN. The formed triangulation network spanned vast distances with stations that were located on high mountain peaks and far across straits and channels. The platforms for the triangulation surveys were wooden tower structures unli the portable Bilby steel tower named after its designer was started to be used in 1927 to minimize the costs of materials and labor. The towers were necessary to provide clear lines-of-sight in the conduct of surveys. Second- or lower-order grade geodetic operations were conducted to control charts; to provide geographic positions, elevations, distances and azimuths; and to determine the earth's figure. The data gathered were essential in defining property boundaries, extensive mapping such as topographic survey, delimiting political boundary subdivisions, and surveying for an area improvement or a city plan.

     The USCGS developed the Philippine Geodetic Network(PGN) until 1946. The PGN consisted of narrow chains of triangulation stations concentrated along the coastal areas for topographic and hydrographic surveys. By 1950, the Philippine Bureau of Coast and Geodetic survey(BCGS)assumed the establishment a geodetic control points following the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1946. The BCGS was one of the four agencies that were merged to form NAMRIA in 1987. From 1988 to 1991, the PGN was upgraded into the Philippine Reference System of 1992 (PRS92)under the Geodetic Component of the Natural Resources Management and Development Project, an Australian-assisted project of the DENR. The standard reference system of all survey and mapping activities in the country,PRS92 consists of a national network of geodetic control points (GCPs)marked by survey monuments or mojons established using the Global Positioning System. To date, the Station BALANACAN is the datum origin.

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Preserving the "Mother of All Mojons"

   A NAMRIA team went to the Province of Marinduque in 2007 to conuct reconnaissance survey of the Station BALANACAN.After a century, the station established and marked on a hard rock is intact on a hill locally known as Mataas na Bundok in the Municipalty of Mogpog. It still stands, including its nearby reference marks, surviving time and the elements.

   The year 2007 was also the time when the PRS92 Project was implemented to complete the densification of and maintain the national geodetic network. The project also aimed to integrate all old surveys and maps into the new network for sustainable management and development of the country's natural resources and to establish more accurate spatial positioning for infrastructure and other activities. As thelead agency, NAMRIA undertook activities and strategies to ensure the successful implementation of the project.

   One of these strategies was the Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) component to generate PRS92 awareness and support from stakeholders and the general public and to create a pool of national experts in geodesy and allied fields. is a nationwide initiative for the sustainable utilization of PRS92 through the adoption of its GCPs in different localities by stakeholders. The program aims to enlist the participation and support of the local government units, people's organizations, and the general public in the establishment and preservation of mojons and to advocate the significance of GCPs to resource management and land administration.

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Preservation Initiatives

   In view of the significance of Station BALANACAN in Philippine surveying and mapping, efforts to preseve it were initiated through an interagency collaboration. The preservation efforts also aim to develop the station as a domestic tourism site in order to ensure stewardship for its maintenance and protection and to create a high-impact drive to generate awareness among the various stakeholders and their support to the "Adopt-a-Mojon" program of the PRS92 project. The initiatives are the (1) National Recognition of the Station BALANACAN, Luzon Datum Origin

Observation in 1903 on station San Nicolas Beacon using Wild T-3  (courtesy of the NAMRIA Library and Doctumentation Services)

Typical tower for triangulation measurement (top left picture observing angles at Station Tamba in 1926 (bottom picture), and the old geodetic  network (right picture)[A pictures courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration United States Department of Commerce]

Typical GPS station set up (top left picture), zero-order network observation conducted in Palawan in 2009 (bottom left picture), and zero-order network of the Philippines

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through a Historical Marker; (2) Issuance of a Presidential Proclamation reserving a parcel of land of the public domain and site for the Luzon Datum Origin National Historical Landmark ecotourism development, and for other purpose; and (3) Development of the Station BALANACAN, Luzon Datum Origin Site.
  

 With the increasing concern to protect Station BALANACAN and to preserve its usefulness in surveying and mapping, initial coordination at the national government level was made after the reconnaissance survey. In 2008, a detailed site inspection at the triangulation stations BALANACAN and BALTASAR and coordination with the provincial and municipal government officials were conducted. The NAMRIA Task Group BALANACAN was created during the year to, among other functions, undertake research and data gathering; coordination and maintain strong linkages with other stakeholders; and conduct resource assessment, demarcation surveys, and information campaigns.

The Interagency Task Group BALANACAN was organized in 2009 to expedite the technical and complete staff work (CSW) for the issuance of the Presidential Proclamation. The interagency group is composed of representatives from NAMRIA which laid down the groundwork, and the DENR Regoin IV-B Office, including the Marinduque Provincial and Community ENP Offices. It works closely with the Provincial Government of Marinduque and the National Historical Commision of the Philippines (NHCP) in carrying out the preservation initiatives.
 

Historical Marker
   Also in 2009, the then National Historical Institute (now NHCP) was requested to grant national recognition to the Station BALANACAN as gaving a significant role in the history of Philippine surveying and mapping. Ocular survey, research, and documentation were conducted subsequently. In 2010, the NHCP issued a certification recognizing the national significance of the Station BALANACAN "in the history of land surveying in the Philippines"through a national historical marker. This year 2011, the NHCP Board affirmed the station's historical value during its meeting for the month of May.
 

President Proclamation

In order to ensure the full

preservation of Station BALANACAN, the issuance of a Presidential Proclamation was initiated in 2008. The initiative undertaken with the DENR Region IV-B Office involved the preparation of the requirements for the Presidential Proclamation and its processing. The requirements include the (a) request for reservation by reservee; (b) comments and recommendations from the Department of Health and the Department of Public Works and Highways; (c) survey of the land to be reserved duly approved by the concerned DENR Regional Technical Director for Lands; (d) approved pland; (e) verified and certified correct technical descriptions; (f) certified photos or visual documentations showing the panoramic view.
 

of the subject area of the proposed proclamation and the adjacent vicinitied; (g) land classification of the proposed area for proclamation and land uses of the proposed area and the surrounding areas within a two-kilometer radius; (h) narrative report of investigation endorsed to the DENR Secretary by the Regional Executive Director (RED) through the Undersecretary for Field Operations; and (i) CSW containing the justification, legal bases, agencies involved and coordination made, and potential problems in the approval or disapproval of the request.
   Milestone events in 2009 for this initiative were the presentation of the Station BALANACAN preservation efforts during the join session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Marinduque-Sanguniang Bayan ng Mogpog; the passage of Resolution Number 630, a joint resolution requesting the issuance of a Presidential Proclamation reserving a certain parcel of land of the public domain situated at Barangays Hinanggayon and Argao, Municipality of Mogpog, Province of Marinduque as site for the Luzon Datum Origin National Landmark, for ecotourism, and for the other purposes; the creation of an interagency committee to determine the most appropriate area for proclamation (amended in 2010); and the first indorsement of the joint resolution from the Office of the President to the DENR Secretary for comment and recommendation and in turn to the concerned DENR RED for evaluation and submission of the CSW.
  The completion of the technical and staff work was on the upswing in 2010, including the filing of a petition at the Department of Agrarian Reform Region IV-B Office for the cancellation of the Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) involving parcels of land located in Barangays Hinanggayon and Argao in Mogpog, Marinduque. The request for the cancellation of CLOAs was granted on 22 November 2011.

The Presidental Proclamation was drafted

in May 2011 following the tenets of the CSW and the mandates of the Office of the President and the DENR. The draft proclamation reserves a parcel of public domain land covering an area of 281,817 square meters. The parcel of land reserved
  

shall be non-alienable and not be subject to occupation,entry,sale,

lease, or other modes of disposition. It shall be comanaged by DENR Region IV-B office, NAMRIA, and the Provincial Government of Marinduque. The Lands Management Bureau reviewed the draft issuance and the supporting papers. As of this writing, the documents are being evaluated by the Office of the DENR Secretary, through the Undersecretaries for

Plan of the Station BALANACAN, Luzon Datum Origin Site

Field Operations and Staff Bureaus and Project Management for eventual transmittal to the Office of the President.

Site Development

   The initiative covered the physical development of the 1,000 square meters out of the total area of the parcel of land proposed to be reserved. It took inspiration from the Geodetic Center of North America, the Australian Geodetic Datum 1911 and the Japanese Geodetic Datum Origin. The development aimed to spruce up the site of the Station BALANACAN with it is marked and the obstruction of the horizon around NAMRIA and the Provincial Government of Marinduque sign a Memorandum of Agreement in March 2011 to implement the component. The work included the provision of access road the site; the installation of the historical marker; the landscaping of the area within a three-to four-meter radius from the Station BALANACAN; the fencing of the perimeter; and the construction of a visitors' resting area, a view deck, and the stairways to Station.

Alone No More

   The Station BALANACAN stands as a mute witness to the history of Philippine surveying and mapping. It is a testament of the determination and dedication of our forebear surveyors and mapmakers to complete the surveys that are the bedrock of our nation's spatial reference framework. The geodetic station truly needs protection to preserve its usefulness in surveying and mapping.

    After so long a time, the Station BALANACAN has finally secured the recognition it greatly deserves. With the preservation project, it is no longer a desolate orphan in the forest whose size belies the big role it plays in surveying and mapping. The national historical marker with an inscription in the national language will be unveiled on 09 August 2011. The ceremony is timely honor centenary year of the establishment of the Luzon Datum of 1911 and as NAMRIA counts down for its silver anniversary in 2012. A Certificate of Transfer will be inked between the NHCP and the Provincial Government of Marinduque to ensure the protection upkeep, and maintenance of the marker. The signing will be witnessed by NAMRIA and the Municipal Government of Mogpog. Hopes are pinned of the signing of the proclamation by President Benigno S. Aquino III in order for the ancient legacy and national edifice to last another lifetime.

   The work to preserve Station BALANACAN actually never ceases. May there be more concerned and dedicated souls for this.

Postscript

    In a separate briefing in June 2011, the Geodetic Engineers go the Philippines, Inc. and the Embassy of the United States of America in Manila have expressed their support for the Station BALANACAN Preservation Project. The participation of other stakeholders such as the academe and the general public is encouraged to fully realize the objectives of the undertaking

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