“Puerto Princesa…where nature begins and never ends!” Reading this city’s tagline from the brochures, I conk myself on the head for not having taken the time to do a comprehensive tour of this capital city and the rest of the province.
The very first time I visited Puerto Princesa was about four decades ago when I was still the director of sales at the Hyatt Hotels in the Philippines. Part of my duty was to promote the city’s premier hotel, the Hyatt Rafols. It was a hotel way ahead of its time. It offered all the modern conveniences and facilities of today’s world-class accommodations, even though Palawan was not yet the tourist destination it is today.
The second time I made a trip to Palawan was about twenty years ago when I joined some friends for a weekend visit. Since we didn’t have much time, our group had to choose which tourist attraction we preferred: the Underground River or Honda Bay/Starfish Island. Since I’m claustrophobic, I chose the latter, which is only a 25-minute ride from Puerto Princesa.
Honda Bay is on the eastern shore of the province. It has a pristine white sand beach, and the sea is ideal for snorkeling. One of the small islands near it is Starfish Island, which gets its name from its abundant supply of starfish. I remember when we went to this island, we had to walk precariously along the beach so that we didn’t step on the many starfish. It was surreal to see that many!
Fast forward to my visit last week to Puerto Princesa, I was there for work. My Philippine Retirement Authority team and I signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Provincial Government of Palawan to embark on collaborative efforts to take care of the more than 300 foreign retirees who have chosen to spend the rest of their golden years in Palawan.
My team and I were accorded a very warm welcome by the employees of the Provincial Government through a very colorful tableau of Filipino dances at the Provincial Capitol’s lobby. I have to say, there is nothing warmer and more delightful than a traditional Filipino welcome. Our brand of hospitality is always the first reason our foreign retirees point out when I ask them what made them choose our country as their retirement home.
After the MOA signing with the provincial government, represented by its tourism promotions and development officer, Maribel Buñi, I met with the president of the Palawan Tourism Council, Rix Rafols. We agreed to work together to make the province’s tourism establishments, which are members of the council, easily accessible to our Palawan-based foreign retirees.
After these official tasks were done, I had about an hour left before calling it a day. So, on my way back to the hotel, I asked the driver to take me around the nearby spots that visitors, like me, would find interesting.
First, we passed by Kilometer Zero, from where all distances in the province are measured. I managed to snap a photo of it, despite the many vehicles going around it.
The driver then brought me to the Baywalk. This is a long stretch of promenade, similar to what we have along Manila Bay, but this one in Puerto Princesa has cleaner air because no vehicles are running adjacent to it, and the fresh sea breeze is continuously blowing. It looks deserted during the day, but I learned that it is packed with locals and visitors at night, patronizing the many food stalls and bars that open when the sun sets. This is also where the popular Ironman events are held.
Our next stop was at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral. This 153-year-old cathedral has very impressive Neo-Gothic architecture and is the biggest church in the province. Naturally, it is also the westernmost cathedral in the country. Its very unique interior has a row of wooden arches over it, from the main door all the way to the altar, where the statue of the Blessed Mother is flanked by two beautiful and attractive stained-glass windows.
Beside the cathedral is the Plaza Cuartel, which is very rich in history because it used to be a military base during World War II. What makes it significant is that, during the Japanese Occupation, around 150 American Prisoners of War were burned to death by the Japanese soldiers. A few survivors managed to swim to Iwahig, which is approximately 16 kilometers away. The remains of those who died were eventually brought to St. Louis, Missouri, and interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
I’m glad I saw a few more attractions during this latest visit to Puerto Princesa. I’m looking forward to discovering more of them…in my next working visit, perhaps?
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YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE:
The word “queue” shows exactly what it means—it’s just a letter “Q” with a bunch of silent letters waiting in line.
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