THE picturesque port city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan became the idyllic site of the historic and record-breaking staging of the International Canoe Federation Dragon Boat World Championships.
From Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, over 20 countries and close to 2,000 paddlers from all over the world – both all-time highs – descended on the Palawan provincial capital for four days of action-packed competition celebrating the centennial jubilee of the world body.
Not only were the participants lured by the famed Filipino hospitality in one of the country’s top tourist attractions but also by the fact that the championships served as a major qualifying meet for the World Games where the sport was to make its debut in the 2025 edition held in Chengdu, China.
Making this all possible was the successful collaboration of the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragon Boat Federation led by Leonora “Lenlen” Escollante and Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron, who has made it his calling to transform the city into a premier Philippine sports tourism hub.
Of course, private and non-government institutions also greatly contributed to the success of the event, including the Tingog party-list headed by representative Yedda Romualdez.
Conscious of the lush environment in and around Puerto Princesa, Escollante and Bayron launched the “Paddle Together for Climate Action” as the overall slogan of the event.
“The ICF Dragon Boat World Championships have contributed to our economy. Puerto Princesa will benefit from it as we invest more funds to save the planet,” Bayron stressed in an interview that was posted on the ICF website.
“This will inspire the locals to work with us so we can make the city the leading sports eco-tourism destination.”
One of the most visited attractions by the foreign participants was the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP), one of the most important protected areas in the Philippines.
The park features a spectacular limestone karst landscape with one of the most complex cave systems in the world. Its highlight is an 8.2-kilometer underground river that flows directly into the sea. The lower half of the river is brackish and influenced by ocean tides, a rare natural phenomenon.
Recognized globally, the Puerto Princesa Underground River has been declared one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on December 4, 1999. This recognition highlights the park’s remarkable conservation and ecological integrity.
BAYWALK
The world-class course overlooking the Puerto Princesa Baywalk was the centerpiece of the competition, getting high marks both from no less than ICF president Thomas Konietzko of Germany and ICF Dragon Boat Committee chairman Dr. Wai-Hung Luk of Hongkong.
From the moment the participants of the ICF World Dragon Boat Championships descended at Puerto Princesa until the last day of the meet, Mayor Bayron made it a point that they would be in for a memorable, enjoyable, definitely unforgettable, and festive experience.
The Mayor’s Night held at the massive Puerto Princesa Garden Hotel ballroom gave the contingents from all the globe a glimpse of what to expect from the warm and cordial Palaweño hosts.
They were treated to a sumptuous buffet of native cuisine and delicacies while being serenaded by the local choir on top of being entertained with a variety of colorful native dances from all over the country such as the Maglalatik, Pandanggo sa Ilaw, and Tinikling.
While the dates of the championships fell on All Saints and All Souls Day, when most Filipinos paid their respects to their departed loved ones, there was still sizeable crowds at the Puerto Princesa Baywalk course daily to inspire and root for the paddlers all four days of the meet.
PINOY PADDLERS SHINE
The Philippine paddlers also greatly benefited from Puerto Princesa hosting of the ICF Dragon Boat World Championships, bagging the overall crown with a glittering harvest of 11 gold, 20 silver and 16 bronzes.
“We practically made history every day so I am very proud of our national paddlers and how we organized this big event sanctioned by the International Canoe Federation,” Escollante pointed out.
To punctuate their triumphant stint on home shores, the Filipino campaigners booked their ticket to the World Games by placing eighth overall based on the cumulative times of the 200, 500, and 2000-meter mixed small boat events.
The Philippines will thus be joining Southeast Asian countries Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia that will see action when dragon boat makes its maiden appearance in the World Games scheduled Aug. 7 to 17 in Chengdu, China.
For an encore, Mayor Bayron treated all of the competition’s participants to a lavish farewell dinner at the sprawling Puerto Princesa City Coliseum, complete with a lively pop band to add to the fun and so they could dance the night away.
Without a doubt, Puerto Princesa’s staging of the ICF Dragon Boat World Championships has left an indelible mark on all those who were present and experienced the grand sports event, making it difficult for the next host, Regina, Canada, to top it two years from now.
