Palawan a sustainable national treasure

Image via Wikipedia

n

I was in Puerto Princesa during the first week of December 2011 to attend a conference in online learning. Palawan, situated in the western part of the country, is often referred to as the last frontier because of its relative isolation from the country’s mainstream in terms of geographical location. It is also called such due to the pristine and bountiful natural resources that it possesses.

Significant changes

Prior to that trip, I was in Palawan twice before, first in the mid 80s for a market survey where I had the opportunity to travel the length of the province from up north in Roxas to down south in Brooks Point. Since the roads that time to

the destinations I mentioned were not yet fully cemented, we took the public transport in our survey since the company car of the firm I worked for cannot withstand the arduous travel. I remember taking the bus south to Brooks Point where we stayed for the night and the jeep going up north to Roxas. I also remember us hiring a jeep back to Puerto Princesa from Roxas since we missed the last trip at 2 p.m. owing to the survey activities we conducted.

I had a chance again to re-visit the province for a business meeting in the early 90s, a fly-in and out event to and from Puerto Princesa. Between the two visits, noting much really changed in Puerto Princesa. But my third visit almost 20

years after presented a significant change, both in infrastructure, economic and business activities, as well as the standards of living in the province.

The capital is booming with business enterprises where most major banks as well as national retail stores and brands are present in the city. A lot of hotels have sprouted, testament to the flowering of tourism in the province. And there are a lot more of the ubiquitous tricycles, which are the main mode of transport within the city.

An unforgettable trip

I did not want to leave Palawan without experiencing one of its primary tourist attractions, the Puerto Princesa Underground River, which I did not see in my two previous visits. It was then called the St. Paul Subterranean River since it was located underneath the St. Paul’s Mountain. It did not then call much attention both from local and foreign tourists. With the efforts, however, of the local government, it has come to the consciousness not only of the Filipinos but the world as well and successfully competed for inclusion among the new seven natural wonders of the world.

I was impressed with the logistics set-up the provincial government has put up so tourists mostly coming in through Puerto Princesa can be ferried to and from PPUR efficiently. There was order as well in the transfers from the Saban port to the mouth of the river to the motorized bancas and the efficiency continues with the transfer from the mouth of the river to the paddled bancas which will take the tourists to the 45-minute breathtaking and awe-inspiring ride inside the underground river.

It was an unforgettable trip. The bancas which can carry 8 to 10 tourists were paddled by a single boatman who also acted as tour guides. And they were very good at what they do, not only in steering the bancas well, but also pointing out highlights of the various geologic formations inside the underground river which were formed millions of years back.

The PPUR is a sterling example of a sustainable eco-tourism program wherein a natural wonder can be made accessible to tourists to experience and at the same time provide economic benefits to the various stakeholders in the province–the government, the hotels and tour operators, the tourist stores as well the motorized and paddled banca owners and operators. It is a testament to the creativity as well as sensitivity of the stakeholders not only to preserve a God-given gift but share this particular gift in a sustaining fashion to the rest of the country and the world.

Hail to the Puerto Princesa Underground River!

by Dennis L. Berino The author is a professorial lecturer at the De La Salle University’s Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business. He welcomes comments at [email protected].

Technorati Tags: Puerto Princesa Underground River