Monday, June 23, 2008 Mongaya: World class natural attraction By Anol Mongaya Panahom
PUERTO PRINCESA - Heavy rains failed to prevent a group of Cebu journalists from exploring the depths of a subterranean river in this city in the forest that is now a contender in the worldwide search for the seven new wonders of nature.
We arrived in Palawan Thursday afternoon on board a Bombardier Q400 turbo-prop place of the new low fare PAL Express service for a familiarization tour hosted by PAL’s Rolly Estabillo and Jun Canton. After spending some time in the plush island report of Dos Palmas Friday, we left early Saturday for the adventure at the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.
After a two hour and a half ride on vans from the city proper, we braved huge South China waves on board four pump boats to the location of the world renowned underground river within the boundary of the country’s biggest city in terms land area, bigger than Davao City.
The pump boats landed on a small sandy cove hidden by a rock formation that protruded out to the sea. The group disembarked on a fine white sand beach, walked through a wooded area populated by bayawak (monitor lizard) and monkeys, transferred to smaller canoes paddled by guides, and rowed over a kilometer deep into the 8.2-kilometer subterranean river under the mountain of St. Paul.
Despite the stench and drips of bat guano and water pouring on our heads, the guide rowed slowly into the dark cavern asking Jun Canton of PAL Cebu who was in front to point the flashlight on unique rock formations, crevices, stalactites, and stalagmites.
The earlier drizzle turned into heavy rain when we made our way back to the floating platform that served as a mini pier for the canoes. The rain spared no one as we ate lunch “kinawboy” style before braving again bigger waves back to the staging area where the vans were parked.
A proud Mayor Edward Hagedorn talked of the underground river and the Tubbataha Reef that make Puerto Princesa a paradise for adventure and nature lovers. Still, he expressed hesitance on embarking on a massive marketing drive as he acknowledged the lack of infrastructure that the locals are still working on.
“The mayor knows where he is going and what he wants to do. The city will develop faster than others in the Philippines,” I told myself after Mayor Hagedorn’s brief Powerpoint presentation over sumptuous dinner at the Legend Hotel Palawan capped by a short cultural presentation that extolled love and protection of the environment.
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While writing this column, I cannot help myself comparing Mayor Hagedorn with some mayors in Cebu.
Mayor Tomas Osmeńa may have his faults but he has his grand visions for the South Reclamation Project. Mayor Arturo Radaza, despite the complaints of businessman Efrain Pelaez under the cloak of the Visayas Ombudsman logo, got an excellent rating from the Asian Institute of Management and other credible agencies.
In the new southern industrial city of Naga, Mayor Val Chiong wasted no time in unveiling and carrying out his Vision and Leadership 2020 development program.
However, I cannot grant the same praise for Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes who should have pursued the projects started by the previous administration in addition to initiating his own.
After a year in office, Mayor Cortes contented himself with fighting the council majority led by Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna and undoing a project of the Ouano administration, the plaza in front of City Hall.
If Mayor Cortes wanted to lord it over Mandaue City for a long time, he should have not wasted his first year that was marked by the absence of any significant development initiative. Complaints about mistakes and shortcuts of the previous leadership won’t count anymore today. At a time of dynamic mayors who are competing who will develop their own localities first, the complaints of Mayor Cortes smacks of a lack of vision and incompetence.
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Typhoon Frank had passed Cebu by the time we arrived back from Puerto Princesa. But reports from Northern Cebu said the destruction it left behind was worse than what typhoon Ruping wrought in the early ‘90s. However, I believe Cebuanos are more than ready to recover faster like what we did before.
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