Tourism underworld

Philippine Daily Inquirer

 0share12 12

Fireworks in Puerto Princesa City greeted recently the news that the Palawan Underground River had been named among the world’s new seven wonders of nature. Although the election owes partly to Filipinos’ online savvy, it is also true that the underground river, with its “cathedral” of stalactites and stalagmites, really deserves the honor. It is truly an awesome wonder of nature.

But the list of winners is considered provisional because the votes are still being checked, validated and independently verified, according to the Swiss-based New7 Wonders Foundation, which organized the global survey. The final list will be made early next year, but Mayor Edward Hagedorn said he and other Palawan officials are confident that the Philippines’ entry will stay in the final seven. The other six natural wonders on the list are Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, South Korea’s Jeju Island, Indonesia’s Komodo Island, Vietnam’s Halong Bay, South America’s Amazon rainforest and South Africa’s Table Mountain.

Believed to be the world’s longest, the 8.2-kilometer Underground River winds through a cave before flowing directly into the sea, with caverns and limestones that look like the vaults and domes of cathedrals and with natural rock formations that look like colossal sculptures. The subterranean river is a treasure trove of information for scientists studying how the Earth evolved. At least 11 minerals have been found in the Underground River, stunning experts who said that only a few caves in the world have more than three or four minerals.

The Underground River likewise supports one of the major biodiversity areas in the country. “The Almighty wrought this masterpiece of nature,” said Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, who was the national campaign manager of the government’s push for the listing of the Underground River. To that, we say, “Amen.”

But there are risks now that the Underground River has moved from being a “local to a global jewel,” as Paje rather triumphantly put it. The main risk was unwittingly mentioned by deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte when she quite naively declared that the listing would trigger a tourism boom for the country. The optimism flies in the face of historic efforts of Hagedorn and Puerto Princesa officials to regulate tourism lest it degrade the Underground River and Palawan’s great biodiversity.

Be that as it may, the expected tourist influx would be a “welcome problem,” according to Hagedorn. “We are up to the challenge,” he added. “We view the Underground River’s recognition as a perfect opportunity to again showcase our commitment to preserve our natural environment as our legacy to the whole world.”

But there’s really cause for worry. Philippine management of eco-cultural sites has been woefully poor. The Banaue Rice Terraces, declared by the Unesco as a World Heritage Site, are crumbling not only because of floods and giant earthworms but also because of official neglect and communal abandonment. What the ancient Ifugaos carved and tilled for thousands of years are expected to be lost in the next decades by a new generation of Cordillerans lured by white-collar professions in Manila and alienated by the agrarian grace of old. The so-called stairway to heaven is expected to crash down to earth sooner or later.

No image sends the message across that Banaue is a beautiful fiction and soon a beautiful dream more than the sight of the Ifugao dressed in traditional loincloth and costume, offering himself to be photographed for tawdry tourist snapshots or postcards for a few dollars more. In short, tourism, which, lest we forget, is a form of marketing, has debased and trivialized just about every cultural community or practice and just about every natural site. The real wonder of wonders is tourism, its sheer power at gimmickry and crass commercialism.

But Philippine tourism is its own worst enemy. The Philippines proclaims itself as a nation of hospitable people but the country is hardly hospitable to either tourist or local. Our international airport terminals are dirty, dangerous and hardly tourist-friendly. Our streets and tourist parks are mean, grimy and fatal—a dozen foreign tourists were killed in the park named after the national hero in 2009. Loose firearms have abetted shootings in shopping malls and the killings of European Catholic missionaries in Mindanao. Palawan has its great underground river but the rest of the country is an underworld.

Seven New Wonders, a hundred million votes, one underground river

Seven New Wonders, a hundred million votes, one underground river

By JACKY LYNNE A. OIGA

August 21, 2011, 10:56am

Exploring the seemingly boundless wonders of the Underground River.

MANILA, Philippines -- Stretching 32.7 kilometers, Palawan’s Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) is currently regarded as the longest underground estuary in the world. On November 11, 2011, it could be known as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature (N7WN) – if every Filipino cell phone user would be willing to send a mere P2.50 text message to vote.

Located 50 kilometers north of Puerto Princesa City and nestled underneath St. Paul Mountain, the underground river passes through glistening formations of limestone rocks, melancholic chambers, cathedral-like cavern, stalactites, stalagmites and aesthetically unique speleothems.

From 440 natural sites nominated in 2007, the list was trimmed down to 28 finalists based on unique beauty, diversity and distribution across the globe, ecological significance and historical legacy. PPUR, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the only finalist from the Philippines competing against 27 other sites in the global poll.

Texting campaign 

To maximize the advocacy towards a strengthened public awareness campaign in the domestic and international fronts, President Benigno S. Aquino III recently signed Proclamation No. 182 “Declaring a National and International Promotion Campaign for PPUR as one of the N7WN”.

Under Proclamation No. 182, a PPUR-N7WN Campaign Task Force was created to vigorously promote and push for the declaration of PPUR among the N7WN. The task force will also formulate and undertake an aggressive voting campaign at the national and international levels, especially among overseas Filipinos and nationals of other countries.

“There are 80 million cell phone users in the Philippines, sending two billion messages a day. If we need a billion votes to win, that’s only half a day,” said President Aquino during his declaration speech.

In an estimation of telecommunication companies, Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn said Filipinos could easily generate 180 million votes until November, “That’s actually more than enough. If we get to a hundred million we can already secure a spot in the Magic 7.”

Hagedorn continued, “PPUR has consistently made it to the top list when it comes to voting trends. We know a lot of our fellow Filipinos have already voted. But their support doesn’t stop there. We also need everyone to campaign.”

Tri-media and global promotion

The next two months are expected to be crucial in the promotion and advertising activities of the PPUR before the announcement of winners on November 11. To maximize the opportunities for promotion, the government is tapping the media to yield greater public appreciation and awareness of the Underground River.

The Department of Tourism (DoT) was designated as one of the lead agencies tasked with the promotion and implementation of advocacy campaigns in the tri-media and the domestic and global travel trade.

The DoT – Southern Tagalog Region, through its Regional Director, Louella Jurilla, is tasked to promote the advocacy program and develop a series of activities that will encourage public support for the PPUR.

“We have been hosting familiarization visits to Puerto Princesa City for media practitioners and media launches in the Visayas and the Mindanao region,” said Jurilla. “In fact, we just had a successful Cebu launch where Cebu stakeholders pledged their support to PPUR.”      

According to the DoT, over the last eighteen months, outgoing Secretary Alberto Lim has carried out active promotion of the PPUR in the global market projects implemented in Canada, United States, Germany, France, Russia, and Australia.

New discoveries

On the average, 200 visitors traverse the Underground River onboard a small paddled boat a day. Equipped with a handheld searchlight to see through the dark cavern, the boat slices through calm waters amidst stunning limestone formations, a swarm of swallows and sleeping bats.

Only one kilometer of the river is open to the public during river tours which usually take an hour, back and forth. However, from February to March 2011, a group of scientists and explorers from the La Venta Esplorazioni Geografiche, an Italian research group which processes, organizes and manages geographical exploration projects, came to Palawan and discovered that there are more hidden gems in the dark recesses of the underground river.

According to the official declaration of the La Venta delegation, “while the main active branch of the river has a total of 8.7 kilometers from the main entrance of tourists, the total exploration has mapped out 32.7 kilometers of total development of the underground system.”

Along these galleries, distinctive calcite helictites or crystal formations were discovered, demonstrating the exceptional karst system of PPUR. The scientists also found a small underground river within the PPUR that can only be reached by foot, a bat burial site and an astounding well-preserved fossil of a sea mammal of the Miocene Age, confirmed by paleontologists as a Sirenia or sea cow.

Tourism boom

For such an elite search, there are no monetary prizes for the seven winning host countries. However, the economic value of being voted as one of the N7WN has been estimated at one billion US dollars over five years. The projection is based on an independent impact report released by Grant Thorton, an international organization of chartered accountants and management consultants.

Thorton’s projections were based on the campaign to choose the man-made New 7 Wonders of the World that culminated in 2007, in which 100 million votes were cast. Its report stated that the ‘measurable’ results were seen at sites which made the top seven shortlisted in the said campaign.

Likewise, Hagedorn said, since the nomination of PPUR in the prestigious search, tourism influx in Puerto Princesa has grown by leaps and bounds. “Since N7WN, both local and foreign visitor arrivals have doubled. In fact, there was even a time we had 1,200 visitors in the underground river in just one day, record breaking ‘yon.”

Puerto Princesa City had an overall total of 417,593 tourist arrivals in 2010. This year, from January to May, tourist arrivals have already reached 207,806. Good thing the PPUR is highly sustainable because of its high-thermal equation location that gives out enough energy to offset the effects of high-impact tourism.

Voting can be cast by logging on to www.new7wonders.com or through text by typing PPUR and sending it to 2861 (for all networks in the Philippines).

To vote via SMS in other countries, type PPUR then send to the following: Canada (77077), Australia (19788555), United Arab Emirates (3888), South Korea (001-1588-7715), South Africa (34874), Poland (write Puerto and send to 7155), Taiwan (type N7WPPUR and send to 55123).

 

Traveling A-Z: Palawan

By JACKY LYNNE A. OIGA

August 18, 2010, 1:04pm

Underground River

With an astonishing mix of pristine dive sites, vertiginous cliffs, and idyllic islands and beaches, Palawan is considered to be the Philippines’ last frontier and the country’s biggest province. It includes 1, 169 islands and islets, most of which have irregular coastlines that make excellent harbors.

There are several stories regarding the origin of the name Palawan; some contend that it was derived from the Chinese words pa lao yu meaning ‘Land of the Beautiful Harbors’ though popular belief has it that Palawan is a corruption of the Spanish word paraguas or umbrella, the main island being shaped like a closed umbrella. 

Palawan’s charm, although difficult to penetrate with thick jungle mountains and strikingly sharp limestone rock faces, boasts of ecotourism sites such as: El Nido and its towering marble cliffs and white sand beaches; the Underground River in Puerto Princesa where tourists can take a boat trip under limestone cliffs and sepulchral chambers along a subterranean river; Cayangan Lake in Coron, a hidden lagoon where you scramble uphill to a dazzling volcanic lake; and the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park.

However, many areas in Palawan are still relatively untouched by tourism, such as the friendly little fishing village of San Vicente and nearby Long Beach, one of the finest stretches of sand anywhere, yet rarely visited by tourists.

Fast facts:

Local Dialect:

Native dialects spoken are Cuyuno, Pinalawan, Tagbanua, Cagayano, Agutayano, and Batak. The non-native tongues are Tagalog, Ilonggo, Cebuano, and Muslim dialects.

Must see:

El Nido - Towering midnight cliffs that jut thousands of feet above mirror flat emerald waters are El Nido’s most distinguishing features. This interplay of somber darkness and ethereal light provide the dramatic backdrop for several luxury resorts and dozens of moderately priced diver lodges on the islands.

The Underground River in Puerto Princesa - Take a boat trip under limestone cliffs and through sepulchral chambers, the Palawan Underground River has also been continually in the top list of the New7Wonders of Nature online poll, and is now officially the country’s bet for the final stage which will be held in 2011.

Tubbataha Reef Marine Park – The country’s largest marine habitat, it hosts giant manta rays, sea turtles, and hundreds of reef fish species. Located at the heart of the Sulu Sea, the marine park is 33,200 hectares of coral atoll, barely emergent islets, and open water, and constitutes a unique complete open ocean ecosystem. It is inscribed in the World Heritage List as “rare and superlative phenomena as well as formations, features, and areas of exceptional beauty.” It is located some 98 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa and is a premier diving destination.

The Bacuit Archipelago – It is essentially a cluster of countless limestone islands and islets of all kinds of shapes and sizes that are sprinkled across the ocean in northern Palawan.

Must do: 

Animal Safari in Calauit Island Wildlife Sanctuary - The Calauit Island Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area of 3,700 hectares and is home to both endemic and African animals. The imported giraffes, zebras, impalas, waterbucks, and gazelles, among others, have successfully bred and graze the preserve undisturbed. They share the land with endangered endemic animals like the Calamian deer, Palawan mouse deer, bear cat, leopard cat, tarsier, Palawan peacock pheasant, scaly anteater, porcupine, and monitor lizard. Safaris can be arranged with the park rangers. Modest accommodations are available for overnight stay.

Backpacking in Port Barton – Port Barton is a laid-back and friendly beach town with simple accommodations and rustic nightlife. The town has been known as a backpackers’ haven because of its cheap accommodations. It offers a variety of sporting and leisure activities from snorkeling, sailing, hiking, and diving.

How to get there:

Palawan can be reached within an hour and five minutes’ flight from Manila to the capital city of Puerto Princesa or a 20-hour trip by sea.

Published in Manila Daily Bulletin August 18, 2010.