The Puerto Princesa Story

THE

PUERTO PRINCESA STORY

WALFRIDO R. PONCE DE LEON Ph. D. 2004

Published by The City Government of Puerto Princesa under the leadership of City Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn PHILIPPINE COYPRIGHT, 2004 Dr. Walfrido R. Ponce de Leon, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, except brief quotations for a review, without permission in writing from the author.

PCPM Certificate of Registration No. A 2004 - 2036 Photos provided by: Puerto Princesa City Mayor’s Office Writers Pool & Special Events Division City Tourism Office Ramon Palanca, Jr. Archivo Recoleto de Filipina Bob Ocampo Layout by: Nanie Gonzales Printed by: Dolmar Press, Inc. 898 Champaca Road Extension UPS-IV Parañaque City 1700 Philippines Tel. No.: +63 (02) 776 5761 to 62 Fax No.: +63 (02) 824 5093 to 94 E-mail: dolmarpinc@pldtdsl.net

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City Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn

DEDICATION to Edward Solon Hagedorn Ma. Elena Clark Marcelo Puerto Princesans

MESSAGE Republic of the Philippines CITY MAYOR’S OFFICE Puerto Princesa City

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HE PUERTO PRINCESA STORY is our story, Puerto Princesans. It is the story of our only home, blessed with life-support system, so ingenious that they are self-renewing, so massive and limitless to supply our needs. But all these years from its founding on March 4, 1872, these gifts of God, have been taken for granted.

On my assumption as City Mayor on 30 June 1992, I found out the contrary. I therefore declared to turn Puerto Princesa City, “A Model of Sustainable Development.” To reverse the trend of ecological imbalance, I launched three-pronged development program: KALINISAN, KATAHIMIKAN, KAUNLARAN. The results are so amazing that Puerto Princesa City earned honored place in the Hall of Fame, recipient of numerous awards and plaques of recognition besides improving its finances. More importantly, it developed amongst us the spirit of “one body, one soul” to make it, “the city We love”.

Be it as it may, we must under all circumstances strive with firmer determination as environmentalists to “work what is known or learned about the environment, so as to preserve what is desired and to prevent what is feared.” Bearing in mind Barry Commoner’s three rules of ecology: there is no such thing as “free lunch”; everything is connected with everything else; and, everything goes somewhere.

EDWARD S. HAGEDORN City Mayor

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FOREWORD “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?” – Cicero

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congratulate Dr. Walfrido R. Ponce de Leon for writing THE PUERTO PRINCESA STORY which brings us to a historical journey of Puerto Princesa from its primitive dwellers to the recent past. To the students of history, it certainly provides much more than just history but an insight of who he is, how he evolved over the years, where he came from and how to chart his future. It has been said that unless we know where we came from, we will not know what our fate awaits us. This book provides Puerto Princesans the events which traces their roots and perhaps the course which destiny may have laid for them.

The well researched materials, scholarly discussions and painstaking efforts to relate the facts of the various periods in the development of Puerto Princesa are apparent in this novel work of Dr. Ponce de Leon, wherein only a native son of Puerto Princesa can so vividly write. Noteworthy was how he treated and presented Puerto Princesa in its contemporary period, its aspirations and the conflicts that molded it as the Model City of Cleanliness and Environment Conservation and Preservation that it is today. This work has shown us how rich the history of Puerto Princesa is and as interesting is its people. Reading through the pages, evokes a sense of pride being a Puerto Princesan – of his noble beginnings, the achievements of his forefathers and the transformation from a peace-loving and hard working people to one fierce warrior who fought against the tyrants and conquerors who had tried to wrestle away from them their God-given rights. In the process, they emerged a much stronger, more resilient and determined people giving their native land a place under the sun as our forefather had done before us.

This work of Dr. Ponce de Leon is much more than just a work in history; it is a work of love. I’m sure Puerto Princesans would be proud to own a copy and read its pages. I encourage the readers to pass on this work to succeeding generations that they too will value this land which we as a people have all these years stood for.

LUCILO R. BAYRON City Vice Mayor THE PUERTO PRINCESA STORY

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

he author sincerely and graciously acknowledges the trust and confidence of City Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn and the rare opportunity to write THE PUERTO PRINCESA STORY, book purposed to give credence to his various accomplishments and wonderful, meaningful, significant and fruitful administration.

The author expresses his gratitude to his wife Rosela, son Roswell “Roy” and granddaughter Melissa “ Baby Girl” for the encouragement in undertaking the project.

In no less term, credit is acknowledged for the support and cooperation of daughter Edna and son-in-law Romy, the officials and employees of the City Government of Puerto Princesa, Melissa Macasaet, Bob Ocampo, and Ricky Obligar for making available all the source materials by sending them to San Jose, Negros Oriental at no cost on my part. To Joanna Darjuan, Jose Ramirez Zerna, Rey Relova, Michael Ruiz Cantiga, Othello T. Villaruel, Dr. Joseph B. Bacareza and Blanche Christine O. Bacareza (great grand daughter of the author) for encoding and layout of the manuscript, Lolita Lucero and Nanette Magbanua for facilitating the shipment of additional source materials.

The author likewise wishes to thank the very accommodating staff of Silliman University Library, Dumaguete City for their assistance in the search for materials used in this book and the Universal College of Nursing, Parañaque City.

Above all else, the author humbly praise and thank God Almighty for the gift and blessings and “be thankful to all circumstances”.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

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WALFRIDO R. PONCE DE LEON, PH.D.

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PREFACE

his book, THE PUERTO PRINCESA STORY, was conceived with the thought to present an enlightened knowledge of how the City of Puerto Princesa became what it is today. How it developed from a plateau of virgin forest to a City Paradise and achieved an image of par excellence in the eyes of the nation and the world at large, when considered from the difficulties it underwent during the Japanese occupation; its reconstruction from the ravages of war; and the subsequent destruction of its once rich natural resources, particularly its fishing grounds which supply sixty percent of the fish consumed in Metro Manila.

More significant is how Puerto Princesa City overcame the impression that it is a place inhabited by the Muslims, prisoners, lepers and the prevalence of malignant malaria. The presence of the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm has been considered, at the start of the century, as deterrent to its development, but future events proved to the contrary.

Puerto Princesa City was thought to be remote, far away, that nobody care to know about. In fact to a few knowledgeable, Puerto Princesa, in particular and Palawan, in general, was one foreign country “somewhere”.

Thanks to the intrepid immigrants who settled down, making Puerto Princesa their home. It is the migrants within Palawan and other places in the Philippines and foreign countries who blazed the hazardous trails to progress. Puerto Princesa, like many progressive areas has a mixed population but with one vision of making a better life for their children and children’s children. This is best exemplified by the leaders of Puerto Princesa City, particularly by City Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn.

The book is organized into six chapters: Chapter 1, Puerto Princesa, is about the establishment of Puerto Princesa on March 4, 1872. The clearing of the virgin forest at the edge of the beautiful Puerto Princesa Bay as site of the poblacion; the construction of government center, the parish church, military outposts and roads into a town.

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Chapter 2, Capability Building, is about the introduction of the democratic way of life under the United States of America and the establishment of the Commonwealth Government a transition to selfrule.

Chapter 3, War and Reconstruction, focuses on the Japanese occupation; the organization of the Free Palawan Government; organization of the resistance movement and the liberation of Puerto Princesa; the Philippine Civilian Affairs Unit of the American Liberation Forces; and the reconstruction of Puerto Princesa City.

Chapter 4, Model of Sustainable Development, presents the development interventions introduced by the Hagedorn administration in the rehabilitation of the damaged forests and fishing grounds of Puerto Princesa City. The launching of the three Ks – Kalinisan, Katahimikan and Kaunlaran, was designed to make Puerto Princesa City a model of sustainable development.

Chapter 5, A City Paradise, cites the prominent landmarks of sustainable development that made Puerto Princesa City, “magical window of ecology”, thereby making it a city paradise.

Chapter 6, Par Excellence Image, is all about the awards and recognition received from 1993 to 2004. The chapter attempts to visualize the reasons for these awards and recognitions and those responsible for these achievements.

The book in some ways portrays, “how narrow is the gate that leads to (life) “sustainable development”, how rough and how few there are who find it.

WALFRIDO R. PONCE DE LEON, PH.D.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Message.......................................................................................................................................................................................xii Foreword...................................................................................................................................................................................xiii Acknowledgement.................................................................................................................................................... xiv Preface............................................................................................................................................................................................xv Prologue.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Puerto Princesa...........................................................................................................................21 The Establishment of Puerto Princesa.................................................................................25 The Last Decade of Spanish Rule................................................................................................42 The Revolutionary Government.....................................................................................................46 Summary...........................................................................................................................................................................48 Chapter 2: Capability Building..............................................................................................................57 Under American Tutelage 1908-1935......................................................................................58 The Municipality of Puerto Princesa.......................................................................................63 The Military Government........................................................................................................................96 Municipal Presidents, 1902-1941....................................................................................................98 Summary.......................................................................................................................................................................101 Chapter 3: War and Reconstruction..........................................................................................113 The Japanese Occupation..................................................................................................................... 114 Provincial Government of Free Palawan....................................................................... 155 The Saga: I Shall Return. ........................................................................................................................ 158 Reconstruction.....................................................................................................................................................167 Summary.......................................................................................................................................................................178

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Chapter 4: Model of Sustainable Development.................................................... 199 Development Interventions............................................................................................................... 201 Complementary/Supplementary Programs................................................................ 213 The Coastal Areas Protection Project................................................................................. 227 .

Community-Based Coastal Resource Management.......................................... 228 The Coastal-Environment Programs................................................................................... 232 Summary.......................................................................................................................................................................249 Chapter 5: A City Paradise........................................................................................................................273 World Heritage Site........................................................................................................................................ 277 Prominent Landmarks............................................................................................................................... 285 Sustainable Development of Honda Bay....................................................................... 290 Oplan Linis Story. ............................................................................................................................................ 302 Summary.......................................................................................................................................................................310 Chapter 6: Par Excellence Image..................................................................................................343 Awards and Recognition......................................................................................................................... 344 Portrait of Sustainability......................................................................................................................... 352 The Key Qualities of Successful Leader.......................................................................... 353 The Quintessential Leader................................................................................................................... 357 Role of Women................................................................................................................................................... 372 Summary.......................................................................................................................................................................379 Epilogue..................................................................................................................................................................................397 Appendix................................................................................................................................................................................420 Bibliography.....................................................................................................................................................................435 The Author..........................................................................................................................................................................448

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HE PUERTO PRINCESA STORY is an attempt to enlighten the people of Puerto Princesa City in particular, of its historical development from a virgin forest on a plateau at the edge of the beautiful and enchanting Puerto Princesa Bay on March 4, 1872 to an honored place in the International Hall of Fame and Model City in Sustainable Development in the year 2000, under the leadership of Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn.

Its development is a unique experience characterized as colorful, at times, mystifying (bewildered deliberately) and interposed by intriguing emotional incidents.

The story of the city however, cannot be taken apart from the events that led to its present status as Model City in Sustainable Development and recipient of various awards of recognition, topped by the inclusion of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) on the World Heritage List, which confirms the “exceptional and universal value of a cultural or natural site which requires protection for the benefit of humanity.” The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) features a spectacular limestone karst landscape with its underground river. A distinguished feature of the river is that it emerges directly into the sea, and the lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The area also represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation. The site contains a full “mountain-to-the-sea” ecosystem and protects some of the most significant forests in Asia.

Invariably, the need to look back at its historical antecedents would in more ways than one add more meaning and significance for “it is just as well for us that the past does not die. It is just as well that despite the altruistic note of one of our adages we are not able to let bygones be bygones”. (Sherman Kent, Writing History, New York: F.S. Crofts & Co., 19047:1). Sonia M. Zaide writes in her book, The Philippines, A Unique Nation (All-Nations Publishing Co. Inc. 1999), the Philippines “has stored evidences of prehistoric and prehispanic culture of ancient writers and a well-developed international trade way before the Spanish colonizers arrived in 1521”.

Understandably, the discovery, of the skullcap circa 22,000 to 24,000 years ago in one of the Tabon Caves is one evidence that brought into 2 |

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focus and into the limelight the possibility that Palawan is a “cradle of civilization” in this part of Asia. Subsequent findings of artifacts and other relics in the different caves and settlements of the aborigines of Palawan, such as the Tagbanua and Batak has substantially established the authenticity of the claim of Zaide. Findings in settlements of the Tagbanua showed unequivocally that they were not illiterate or pagan as most history books claim.

The Tagbanua, according to Sawyer is of yellow color and generally, “similar to the Mohammedan Malays of Mindanao.” (Frederick Sawyer, The Inhabitants of the Philippines. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1900:310). They were nomadic, both men and women, and were quite naked, except for a cloth (tapa-rabo) which the men wore, while the women wore a girdle, from which hang strips of bark or skin reaching nearly the knees. Round their necks they wore strings of colored beads, turquoise blue seemed to be the favorite kind, and on their arms and ankles bangles made of brass.

The Tagbanua’s are sociable and pacific. Their weapons are the cerbatana or blow-pipe with poisoned darts and bow and arrow. In their household, according to Fox, “traditional ways of living and thinking persist”. Among these are religious rituals and values that make up the indigenous religion. It is a system of worship which provide the Tagbanua a “world view” an ordered explanation of man’s universe and life processes and the definition of life here and hereafter. (Robert B. Fox, “Looking at the Pre-Historic Community,” Filipino Heritage ed. Alfredo R. Roces, Vol. 2. Lahing Pilipino, Inc., 1977:38). Central in the Tagbanua’s concept of heaven or religion is rice. They regard rice as “a perfect food and divine gift.” The rice wine called tabad is used to attract deities and their ‘soul relatives’ in their ritual pagdiwata, focus the Tagbanua life. Its activities embody traditional sentiments that contribute to its persistence. The pagdiwata is also a “curing séance “where the sick, particularly the children are treated through ‘soul relatives.’ Fox concludes, “Tagbanua religion expresses a quest for certainty a quest which seeks harmonious and happy life, abundant rice harvest, and from illness and injury.” This answers the nagging question that the Tagbanua is pagan as many believed or made to believe.

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If a system of writing is the mark of civilization, then the Tagbanua system of writing manifests it. In general, the observable feature of the Tagbanua script was its “curvilinear character.” The system of writing which flourished in the past is preserved to this day. The Tagbanua still use this system “for writing their songs and love letters, in recording their debts and in writing their tales.” (Juan R. Francisco, “Two Views on the Origin of Philippine Script,” Filipino Heritage. Vol.3. ed. Alfredo R. Roces. Lahing Pilipino Publishing, Inc., 1977:601). The Tagbanua used palm heaves, bamboo (split or unsplit) and wooden planks. Writing was “not executed on rocks or copper plates or any metal as it was done in India.” (Francisco, 20). This explains why “no books or any kind of literature in this character (scripts) are to be met with except a few amatory verses written in a highly hyperbolic style and hardly intelligible. This perhaps shows that in spite of their being amatory or highly hyperbolic in nature, the verses were preserved in script, even if they were soon to perish owing to the relative fragility of the material they were written.”

(Francisco, 22).

Questions have been raised why no Tagbanua settlement are now found in Puerto Princesa. It is alleged that their population had been affected by the spread of certain diseases caused by poor sanitation, both personal and environmental like the tragedy that happened when a smallpox epidemic broke out in a Tagbanua settlement sometime in 1926-27, when groups of families left their settlements. Among the groups who broke away from the main settlement was a splinter group now called Ken-ey. The group traveled forty kilometers from their original settlement to the general area of Ransang and Kolbi in southern Palawan. The group estimated to be around seven hundred to one thousand lived in “forced isolation.” The group will even kill an individual with a running nose for fear of an epidemic. The contact with the outside world was through “silent barter.” (E.P. Patanne, “Palawan’s Lost Tribe,” The Manila Times. 22 February 1963).

The other aborigine of Palawan which occupies a sizeable territory of Puerto Princesa and has been one of the tourist attractions is the Batak. James F. Eder, On the Road to Tribal Extinction. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987) writes, “the Batak of the Philippines 4 |

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were physically and culturally distinct population of almost six hundred individuals inhabiting the mountains and river valleys of central Palawan Island. Isolated by land from mother indigenous tribal populations on Palawan and by the Sulu Sea from all but sporadic contact with Filipino and Muslim peoples... evolved an elaborate tropical forest foraging adaptation.” It is presumed that like their distant relatives, the Andaman Islanders, Samang of the Malay Peninsula, and the various Negrito groups of Luzon, they lived in small family groups and hunted and gathered a variety of forest, riverside, coastal foods.” (1).

The Bataks are usually smaller than the other Filipinos. They are well-formed and agile. The nose is generally of better shape. The hair is crisp and curly, less black and less ugly than the Negroes of the African Coast. They cover their loins with the bark of the antipolo, namuan and ibahud. This garment known as bahag is made into different forms, some being painted red and yellow. Their skin is very much charred owing to the fact that they constantly lie near the fire, which protects them from cold. (Charles P. Warren, “The Bataks of Palawan: A Culture in Transition.” Research Series No. 3. Philippine Studies Program.

(University of Chicago, 1964:3-4). In the same source, Warren quoted Henry Savage Landor (1904): “these Bataks are very quaint people and how they ever came to Palawan is somewhat a mystery. Their name and many of their characteristics would suggest an original Sumatran ancestry. They may have got here by skirting the Bornean coasts. The men are short and thickly set, with marked Papuan noses. The more refined, such as the chief who was however, not a pure type possessing an almost aquiline nose. The hair of the pure type is usually very thick and curly, quite frizzy; the color of the skin is rich dark-yellowish; in many cases almost black but always with a strong yellowish tinge in it never bluish black.” (Warren 1964:11).

The mystery of the origin of the Batak remains unsolved. Venturillo maintains that in spite of over twenty years of research on the Bataks, their place of origin has not been definitely established. There appears a reason to doubt that they belong to the same race as the other Negritos of the Island and all that are left of the formerly more numerous group of Negritos in Palawan.” There is much credence to this contention, •

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as according to the old man, nobody can categorically say where the Bataks as a tribe came from. All that is definite is the Bataks were already in Caruray in the west coast of Palawan where the Tabon Caves are located. This mystery has been unknowingly clothed with the fact that the Bataks confined themselves for centuries in the mountainous areas in north central Palawan. Not only is the area mountainous but rugged to a point that in some areas the mountains fall directly into the sea. Coastal plains are narrow, just a few kilometers in width. Nine successive valleys where rivers empty into the east side of the island make the principal area of habitation. The Bataks occupied as their homeland Babuyan, Maoyon, Buayan river valley, Tanabag, Tarabanan, Langogan, Tinitian, Caramay and Quintaran. These are the same places where they are found today.

As nomads, the Batak lived in makeshift natural shelters in the forest areas. It was not until the close of the nineteenth century that two settlement patterns were observed, after contact with more advanced peoples from the lowlands and other areas. These are the seasonal residence in upland rice fields and the other is the seasonal residence in lowland style “settlements.� The changes brought about by their contact with the lowlanders altered their concept of community life, particularly their economic affairs and social relationships. The Batak movements were greatly regulated by the availability of foods in the locality as the Batak adopted agricultural practices that forced them to settle down long in a particular area. Before this time, however, particularly when root crops dominated Batak form of agriculture, fields were visited periodically. It is said that when the Batak began to live in their agricultural fields, all households, as many as fifteen, lived together in the same large dwelling. The dwelling constructed in the same kaingin cluster consisted of a large room surrounded by several smaller rooms, where individuals had their own hearths. The smaller rooms were used by the parents of the household with their infant children. The older children of all the households lived in the central room and were fed jointly by the adult residents. Each room had its hearth to provide the household with heat besides cooking, during the evening or day. It is also said that similar dwellings are still found among groups who live in remote forested areas 6 |

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in Palawan. Time has, however, beclouded this way of living for only old or those more advanced in age can remember this mode of living in a single dwelling of several households.

Captain Eli Holmick, translating Hugo Venturillo on religious belief and practices of the Batak, explains: “They believe in the transmigration of the soul... leaving the deceased body of a human being immediately enters that of an animal, generally a large lizard or iguana or in default, that of the shark or a mammal.” They believed that, “these transmigrated souls have the power to help the living when in trouble and even to cure their infirmities. One of the points which the Batak have in common with Tagbanuas is veneration of the bird darait which they call laguaylaguay.

As background, it is apropos to appreciate the situation obtaining in Palawan during the Spanish colonization. The most important was the consistent and persistent Moro raids of the island coastal towns and remote areas of Palawan. The Moro raids were believed to be retaliation to the Spanish moves in Mindanao, Jolo and Borneo. What is not said but could be more plausible cause is the Spanish colonization threatened the Muslims in their control over the natives, the collection of tributes and the spread of Islam. More salient was the missionaries besides converting the natives into Catholicism were front-liners in the establishment and supervision of the civil government in the parishes.

In practice, the friars were the Spanish government in the colonies.

As early as 1602, a squadron of Muslim vessels attacked Cuyo and its neighboring islands. The raiders injured, killed and kidnapped about 700 persons. (Blair and Robertson, Vol 12:39). In 1632 Father Juan de San Jose, Prior of Cuyo, was kidnapped by the Muslims. He was held hostage until a ransom of Two Thousand (2,000) Pesos was paid.

On 20 June 1636, Cuyo was again attacked by the Muslims. They brought with them many natives as captives. They burned the town before leaving. They attacked Corregidor Diego de Albes and Manuel Frias, a Spanish national. The Muslim returned in 1732. They landed at Cuyo, but failed to overcome the station because the people fought back and stood firm in their defense. In the summer of 1637, Taga of Sultan Kudarat with a force of four joangas ransacked the church of Cuyo.

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In 1602 the Camucones (Orang Tadong of Borneo) attacked Calamianes. The following years Muslims from Maguindanao collected tribute and captured some natives. (Cesar Adib Majul. Muslims in the Philippines. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1973:188).

In 1626, the Muslims established a camp in Culion, forced Father Onofre de la Madre de Dios and his assistants to escape to a small island where they stayed for three months. In 1636, the Muslims burned the church in Calamianes. Also in that year, Father Alonso de San Agustin was captured while he was dressing up to say mass in Linapacan. Father Juan de San Nicolas was returning from Devail when he was captured.

Three priests were killed by the Muslims. Jesus Maria, died of gun shots, San Agustin, lashed with kampilan; San Nicolas languished in captivity.

(Ruiz, Synopsis, 443-451, in Nilo S. Ocampo, 1985:32).

In 1638, Datu Acheh of Jolo killed two religious in Devail, Father Francisco de la Santa Monica and Hermano Lego Francisco de la Madre de Dios and kidnapped Father Juan de San Antonio. In 1640, the districts of Calamianes, Butuan and Cagayan were attacked. In 1645 three flotillas of Joloanos kidnapped 200 which caused much misery and hardships among the people. Father Martin de la Asuncion was captured and killed. (Ruiz, Synopsis, 451-453, in Ocampo, 1985:33). In 1658, Father Antonio de San Agustin was kidnapped.While Father Carlos de Jesus of Busuanga was practically isolated during the Moro raids in 1666-1667.

In order to solidify the defenses of the town, forts were constructed led by the missionaries and the natives who were converted to Catholicism. In 1626, a fort made of wood and mud was built in Taytay.

This was followed with the construction of forts in Cuyo and Agutaya.

The fort in Culion was constructed in 1683 under the management of Father Juan de San Severo. The fort was made of stone with turrets for artillery. In Linapacan the fort was built on top of a hill. In 1718, Governor Bustamente ordered the construction of the fort in Labo, in southern Palawan. On August 19, 1719, a force of Spaniards arrived and started the construction of the fort. However, on January 19, 1719, the construction was abandoned, despite the pleadings of the missionaries, because of the high cost of the project and jealousy among the officials.

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Moreover, supplies ran short and many died of mysterious disease, exposure to inclement weather and hunger. In 1753, Governor General Bustamente ordered the construction of a fort in the same area but the expedition failed. (Blair and Robertson, Vol 44:141).

The forts did not stop the Moros from raiding the Calamianes. At about three o’clock in the morning on 29 July 1720, a flotilla of Muslims attacked Linapacan with 140 armed forces. They burned the convent and the church and hanged Father Manuel de Jesus Maria (Ruiz, Synopsis, 377). The following year, 1721, the convent and church in Agutaya was burned. Fathers Fernando de San Pavle and Francisco de las Asuncion and one Hermano Lego were able to escape.

In Paragua, the Moros killed Father Juan de la Purificacion. The Muslims continued to plunder the area without let-up and mercy until 1730 when they raided the municipal hall of Taytay in full force. In the first day of May, 1730, a force of 2,000 Muslims assembled in a place called Camino de Balate. The town was surprised that it caused pandemonium to break loose. The people fled to the mountains and sought protection in the fort. The Muslims sank the four naval boats of the Spaniards and surrounded the fort. The Muslims waited for three days for the Spaniards to leave hoping that they will surrender due to thirst and hunger. Unfortunately for the Muslims, it rained very hard.

The Muslims planned to attack the fort by drifting burning rafts to the side along the beach but they withdrew in May 18, after ransacking the town of foods and other articles. They burned the town including the church and the convent, (Ruiz, Synopsis, 384-389).

In 1731, Culion was raided; in 1732, Linapacan; and other towns of Paragua; in 1733, Calatan was subdued, but Father Antonio de Santa Ana was able to escape barefoot and naked to the mountains; in 1734, Malampaya, Dumaran and Linapacan were again raided. Father Domingo de San Agustin was stranded for five days under the house which was flooded while Father Juan de la Virgin de Moncayo died. By 1735, the Muslims controlled Paragua. The Muslims attacked Taytay again in 1736 but were repulsed. Father Antonio de Santa Ana was hit by a bullet.

On April 21, 1738 to May 10, 1738, the Muslims having controlled the sea, raided and destroyed the islands of Culion, Linapacan and Coron.

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The Moro raids continued from 1734 to 1756. They entered Calatan and burned the town. In Cuyo, the Moros were not only repulsed by defenders but were able to confiscate arms of the attackers.

The above accounts describe the situation in the Calamianes and other parts of Palawan. The people felt insecure. The uncertainty of the situation, hampered if not deterred the smooth administration of the affairs of government and the program of evangelization. This was the rationale for establishing the Politico Militar de Paragua government.

The consistent and persistent Moro raids, though concentrated in the Calamianes and northern Palawan, precipitated the sending of exploratory expeditions to central and southern Palawan and Balabac to look for a site of the seat of government of the Politico Militar de Paragua.

The task of finding a suitable site was difficult because the central and southern Palawan where the majority of the inhabitants were Tagbanuas were under the influence of the Muslims long before the coming of the Spaniards. Balabac was inhabited by the Muslims.

According to Fox, the spread of the influence of Muslim among the natives of Palawan can be best attributed to trading. The Muslims came to trade, not warriors of Islam. This was borne by the fact, that the Muslim traders had the means besides being good businessmen.

In the process of trading with the natives, the natives also adopted the political concept of the Muslims which was effected through the payment of tribute or paramita’an to the Muslims. A case in point was when Dungis, a powerful leader of the Tagbanua was installed as Nakib or Bagia Munda.

Muslim influence has been felt in southern and central Palawan up to the nineteenth century, even during the Spanish rule. According to the Tagbanuas, Muslim leaders came to collect tribute in form of rice, honey, ginger, onions, etc. Failure to pay meant the children were taken as slaves. In some cases, the leader of the Tagbanua themselves were responsible in offering the children to the Muslims to avoid trouble.

Palawan culture has traces of Muslim origin as manifested in brassgongs, brass coffins, talam, bolos and arms that people now use. The influence went beyond the material as traces of Muslim influence can be seen in the Tagbanua language and religious practices.

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According to Nilo S. Ocampo, the Sultan of Sulu controlled the following places from 1886 to 1894 under Alon Narrasid (according to Venturillo) or Harum or Cashed (according to Saleeby) spanned from Bonbon (southern Palawan): Abo-Abo, Sumbo, Paniquian,Corum-i, Tacbuasao, Bonbon, Malihud and Ginanagan in the east coast. In the west coast: Volun, Sugug, Boyata, Malanut, Ylanan, Lonacan, Dungan, Tacboaya, Polaninga and Luuc. In the southernmost point of the island of Palawan were Canipan, Calangaanan, Bato-Bato, Hunalig, Bullig, Jaya, Ungun, Tacba, Hunbilin, Pinanansan, Taaraya and Supa. The Muslims controlled also the islands of Bugsuk and Balabac.The extent of the areas controlled by the Muslims covered all lands south of Puerto Princesa today.

In 1749, the Sultan of Sulu reluctantly turned over the islands to the Spaniards where Don Antonio Fabia was designated negotiator. Spanish authority momentarily covered the whole of islands of Palawan. The respite from Moro raids was short-lived for the following decade, the Muslims continued raiding the Calamianes group of islands in retaliation towards Spanish military moves against Mindonaons, Joloanos and Borneans.

The Moro raids caused Governor General Fernando Norzagaray to order on May 16, 1859 for the division of Palawan into two politico military provinces. The Calamianes was composed of Cuyo, as capital, Agutaya, Culion, Busuanga, Linapacan and Coron. The other named Politico Militar de Paragua included Taytay, the former capital of Calamianes, Dumaran and the whole of mainland Palawan, including the islands of Balabac and Bugsuk. However, before the division could be implemented there was the urgent and immediate need to first pacify the island of Balabac and the other places in southern Palawan which were then controlled by the Muslims.

The difficulty in colonizing these places, according to Eduardo Quisumbing, was these places “came under the Muslim influence since 1200. Palawan was then known as PALAU after a common and abundant aroid plant growing along the seashore.” It was also known as Paragua in 1522 when Magellan landed in Taytay. Magellan named the island Paragua, meaning umbrella.

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As early as 1851, the Spanish government planned to establish an advance naval-military post in Balabac “to intercept the Moro raiders from Sulu and Borneo” despite the fact that the island was inhabited by “Mahometana” (Muslims). The plan to establish a naval military station was finally implemented on December 14, 1857 when Governor General Norzagaray appointed Lieutenant Colonel Julio Garnier as Governor. The ten towns that composed Balabac were: Dalauan, Pasig, Catagupan, Labor, Agutayan, Tagagailo, Panaan, Cabuliga, Carandurian and Singalo.

Missionary Recollect Father Miguel Garcia was assigned as parish priest when Balabac was colonized. In 1859, Father Juan Cruz Gomez replaced him. In 1863 the parish was named Purisima Concepcion. In this connection, it is worth mentioning the important role of the friars in the pacification of the islands. The friars hold a very significant role in the colonization and pacification as they are “holders of spiritual power” as well as temporal in the sense that they trained and supervised local officials along this line. The effectiveness of the friars had been proven since the first colony in Cuyo was established in 1622. They were so effective that abandoning their function as what happened when the Palawan mission was declared vacant for even just one year, for fear of the Muslim raiders, would be tantamount to the reduction of tribute by half. It is said that one friar was equivalent to a battalion of military force.

The pacification of the Muslims in the southernmost part of Palawan, particularly the territories of Balabac was realized in an agreement in 1858. In that year notice was served. Datu Alimudin and the Military Governor of Paragua had agreed that a conference be held to firmup the agreement on the jurisdiction of Balabac. It was agreed that Imam Trader Mahamat of Malolos, Borneo place the area under the jurisdiction of Spain. The representative of Datu Simoding of Cagayan de Jolo (Sulu) was Datu Amat. On March 19, 1858, a sham naval battle was held with five pancos firing blank cartridges as they entered the Bay of Balabac to dramatize the agreement between the Muslim and the Spanish government.

The plan for the establishment of military rule in Balabac was to maintain a force of 300 people; 200 to clear the forest; to cut the trees 12 |

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and transport the logs; 100 people for the construction of the shelter and bodega. One hundred twenty carabaos were needed. Of this, 40 were to be used to haul logs, and the rest for the use of the farms and for breeding. Since the natives were not sufficient to undertake the construction, political prisoners were sent to Balabac for the said construction and to plant palay and pamienta (pepper). This was the plan of the Real Sociedad Enconomica de Amigos de Paris. Seedlings of cacao, soy beans, corn, etc. were readied. The cacao was shipped through the motor vessel Reyna de Castilla. Balabac as advance military post was named Puerto Principe Alfonso.

The plan to establish the Politico Militar de Paragua was accelerated when the exploration of Balabac as naval-military station and exile site and as an agricultural colony, the authorities discovered the natural riches and economic promise of Paragua: rich in nido, balete, different kinds of wood, superior quality of cane, coffee, cacao and tobacco.

Moreover, by its very location, Palawan was considered as a natural barrier against Muslim invaders and would be more appropriate site for a colonial prison. Added to these qualities, was finding that Puerto Princesa “has a good harbor, good water supply and inhabited by docile Tagbanuas.”

At this point in time, it becomes apropos to understand certain perceptions about Palawan and Puerto Princesa which affected its early development. To begin with, much had been written about Palawan as a dangerous place because its inhabitants were Muslims and that it was the place for prisoners and lepers. The perception persisted for sometime up to the Second World War. Invariably, their perception caused embarrassment on Palaweños whenever asked about the truthfulness of such perception. It is one of the hopes of the author to correct in some way these perceptions.

The other is the concept that Puerto Princesa and Yguahit as used to mean the same place. For the fact is what was then known as Yguahit is the present Iwahig, the national prison and penal farm.

It was in fact a “penal colony” where deportees were sent by the Spanish authorities. The name Puerto Princesa was used to refer to the town which was established on March 4, 1872 as capital of the •

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Politico Militar de Paragua. And the other is that Puerto Princesa was inhabited by Tagbanuas.

All this may be attributed to a French traveler, Alfred Marche, who wrote in his book, Luzon and Palawan. (translated by Carmen Ojeda and Jovita Castro. Manila: The Filipino Book Guild, 1970): “Puerto Princesa or Ygualut, on the maps, is a little gulf situated on the eastern coast and towards the middle of Palawan. It is the best shelter in the place during bad weather. The town is located nearly at the extremity of the bay, the entrance (a rarity in the Philippines) is lighted by a lighthouse.”

(206). Marche used the conjunction “or” in synonymous term. On page 209, Marche said, “the town of Puerto Princesa, built at the edge of the bay, is completely deprived of potable water. During the dry season the people had to drink water from wells which was execrable (abominable; detestable)... a big boat is sent to river Ygualut, from the other side of the bay, to get potable water for the officers.Thanks to the kindness of the governor and to Don Manuel, I got my weekly provision of water in big jars” (208). He earlier described, “the Ygualut River empties into the bay directly, west of Pueblo, the capital of the island. Its general direction is west. It is navigable only for a distance of about three miles and a half.

The natives call it the big river. Its water is fresh until a mile from the mouth (203).

Added to the perception is the statement, “the inhabitants of Puerto Princesa are deportees: almost everybody is either a convict, a murderer, a thief, etc.” (206). This impression had been carried for a long time, as was experienced by the author when he was studying at the Union High School in Manila in 1937-39, when his classmates would ask him whether he was a Muslim, or a son of a convict or leper.

Another misconception which writers say about Puerto Princesa is “inhabited by Tagbanuas.” While it is true that the Tagbanuas were one of the aborigines of Palawan, the fact was, nothing was mentioned of a Tagbanua settlement when the expedition led by Sostoa landed in Puerto Princesa on that fateful day of March 4, 1872. The author is inclined to believe that if any Tagbanuas were sighted, they must be those who were in the caves found at the edge of the bay. This finds support in an account of Marche, “on April 8 at 5 o’clock in the morning, I left for the heights 14 |

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of the Ygualut River where I hoped to find one or two native villages.”

(203)... “on the 28th and the days following we explored all corners and nooks of the bay without meeting other inhabitants except two men who fled at our approach. Two or three days later they were captured by the soldier of the post who surprised them as they were fishing in a little bay.

These two men, hardly covered with some rags of cloth, were said to be Tagbanuas. But I think they were fugitives of the presidario who fled to these parts.” (247). Marche continued, “the Tagbanuas do not cultivate fields and die literally of hunger. I was assured that Aetas are found in the interior whom the Tagbanuas call Ate and also Binanagonans.”

(247).

Marche finally found a Tagbanua settlement following the Ygualut River and reaching a point he described, “a space of about a mile. It flows among mangroves and screw pines, and then its banks became more and more elevated and are entirely wooded. The terrain forms a rough plain which extends to the front of the mounts of Pulgar and Beaufort. The earth, clayish and ferruginous, is hardly cultivated by the natives.”

It was about 8 o’clock in the morning that Marche finally reached the hut of the chief Tagbanua. He described the house, “is perched on the steep bank of the river, three meters above the water and near the jurisdiction of the first tributary of the Yguahit. In following the tributary for about 800 meters, I arrived at the hut of Torres, a Tagal who had explored this region and with whom I stayed for several days.”

(235).

Marche found the “huts of the Tagbanua, built on piles, like all native huts in the Philippines, are small and badly built. The natives sleep here piled one on top of the others, together with their dogs and even pigs.

The piles which support the huts are made of strong planks formed out of a tree the size of which conforms to the size of the house. They are planted at various distances of two to four meters. Here the posts are many but all are so very thin, except those placed at the four corners of the hut, that they are hardly bigger than the rest.”

Marche further said, “the huts always have roofs and sometimes walls made of the leaves of trees. There is rarely a door. Before, the houses •

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were composed only of a roof and a floor on piles hardly covered with leaves.”

He was disappointed, “everywhere I went, I was made to expect many houses and many inhabitants. Once there, I found only several shelters and few people.”

The author contends and asserts, without being repetitious, if there were any Tagbanua in the area when the colonizers waded through the thick mangroves, they must have sighted transient Tagbanuas who sought protection in the caves in the area considered on the premise that Tagbanuas were nomads. They lived on the bountiful resources of their environment.

Be as it may, for the purpose of this manuscript, in order to avoid further confusion, the name Puerto Princesa is used to mean the town and Yguahit as the “penal colony”. It is with much hope that the succeeding chapters shall eventually clear the impression as to whether or not the expeditionary force that established Puerto Princesa found a Tagbanua settlement in the area when they landed on March 4, 1872.

It is hoped that with this in mind, the reader shall find time to know more about the City of Puerto Princesa and with much pride to be an active participant in the furtherance of its fullest development as the City we want, bearing in mind Mark 4:24: “Listen carefully to what you hear.

In the measure you give you shall receive, and more besides.”

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The Aborigines of Puerto Princesa

UNESCO in 1999 declare the Tagbanua System of Writing “Memory of the World”.

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Intricate bamboo baskets

Tagbanua hut

Drinking of “tabad” or rice wine climax the Pagdiwata ritual believe to attract deities and their soul relatives.

Hunting implements cerbatana or blowpipe with poisoned darts and bow and arrow.

Tagbanua babailan or priestess with Pagdiwata paraphernalia.

Tagbanua scripts on bamboo pole

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Jars for storing “tabad” or rice wine

A carry-all bamboo basket

Bataks accept plant seedling from Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn and Vice Mayor Lucilo Bayron at Pista Y Ang Kageban.

“Lokwang” a technique of climbing tall trees using a long rattan pole tied to one end.

Batak male performs the “Tarek” – a ritual dance of thanksgiving and healing of the sick.

Cloth from tree bark which the Batak male wear as G-string Lokwang, a tall tree climbing technique

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Topless Batak women adorn themselves with multi-colored bead necklace, squirrel tails, flowers on their hair and colorful armlets.

Cuyono woman weaves cloth from cotton or abaca on a body tension loom – a household industry.

Cuyono farmers use the “tugda” or the bamboo pole method of planting rice.

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Batak Couple

P

uerto Princesa is the off-spring of the province known as Paragua. The name Paragua was given to Palawan because the island is shaped like a closed umbrella.

Palawan of the pre-Spanish period was already enjoying an important place in the Asian markets. Several nationalities vied to have dominion over the region for the purpose of controlling the lucrative trade of its sea and forest products which were the most coveted in the markets of Asia. Among those who struggled to gain such control in their historical sequence were the Bruneis, Joloanes, Chinese, Spaniards, British and the Dutch. Like the other merchants they came to trade with the natives for products such as beeswax, edible bird’s nests, almaciga resin, Indian bamboo and balatee (trepang). Manila became the center of the resin trade in the East Indies and the chief source was Palawan.

Spanish historians depicted Palawan as having been under the dominion of the sultans of Jolo and Brunei. This meant that its important products were channeled to traders and markets that depended on the sultans for supplies. The sultans then were free to plunder the settlements of the people and tribes of Palawan from whom they got a good supply of foodstuff during the harvest season, rich booty of objects and even human beings were sold as slaves in the Asian markets.

Puerto Princesa was a non-entity to the Spanish government. It was just another native settlement until the pressure and threats of Moro pirates worsened. Finally, it was decided to establish a capital for Palawan in a strategic place.

The Spanish government had assigned a team to survey and study the economic potentials of the province and to make recommendations.

The team was headed by the Spanish economist, Don Felipe Arguelles.

One of the recommendations was to establish the capital of Palawan in the center of the island of Paragua.

In 1861, Queen Iabela of Spain approved Arguelles’ recommendation and issued a Royal Decree making the center of the island of Paragua the capital. In 1871, Governor-General of the Philippines, Rafael Ysquierdo appointed a committee to go to Palawan and survey the site for the capital. The Bay of Asuncion (called Bahia de la Asuncion and Punta 22 |

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Asuncion), which included the surrounding regions, was recommended by the committee as the ideal site.

On 30 April 1753, the Governor General addressed a letter to His Majesty the King of Spain to form a new alliance with the King of Brunei against the King of Sulu, for he believed that the King of Sulu was a “usurper of the part of the King’s dominions and against all his enemies, and to cede to your Majesty the Island of Balabac and the territory of Palawan for the purpose of better waging war against Sulu, Terons and Camucones. “ (Najeeb Mitry Saleeby. The History of Sulu.

Manila: Filipiniana Book Guild, 1963:201).

Consequently, an expedition was fitted composed of galleys, a tender, three feluccas and two champans supplied with two Spanish companies of one hundred (100) men each, together with another company of Pampanga Indians. It had a total number of about one thousand (1,000) persons which included the crew, the convicts and military officers.

The Governor General appointed a governor to “take charge of nourishing the new plantation with the political regulations and Royal Ordinance which the prudent zeal of your Majesty has provided for similar cases and which on my part, have been furnished him in form of brief and clear instructions directed toward civilizing those barbarous natives.” (Saleeby, 1963:201). Thereupon, the Governor General reported that he sent two Jesuit priests who have distinguished themselves in politics “for the purpose of making an exploration of the capital of Palawan , as well as of the island of Balabac and its adjacent islands and examining their bays, ports, inlets, rivers, anchorages and depth in order to construct a fort which will be named after Our Lady of the Good End – in the most beautiful location, secured by land as well as by sea, for the garrisoning of which an adequate force of artillery has also been dispatched.” (Saleeby, 1963:202) The expedition was “designed as a reconnaissance with the hope of establishing an impregnable bulwark against the whole Moro power and source of reciprocal assistance to the fortress of Zamboana. It was also hoped that it would foster trade and commerce with Borneo, Guam, Cambodia, and Chin-China, so that through intercourse the inhabitants of Palawan may be pacified and tractable and their towns become opulent...

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The expedition was expected to draw families from the outskirts of the capital, a province of substantial usefulness may be formed, having greater respect for both Majesties; for erecting church to God, a new gem will be added to the Royal Crown.” (Saleeby, 1963:201).

On 17 May 1763, the Governor General sent a brief report on the outcome of the expedition and to take possession of Palawan that had been ceded by the King of Brunei. Accordingly, the expedition took possession of the land with due solemnity and with the expressed knowledge and consent of the inhabitants. The log of the whole route which seems to have been well kept, with maps and full of explanation of the examination made of the said islands and the operation in connection with therewith were handed over to the head of the expedition. A new map however, was made on account of some errors contained in the former map. The report described the islands of Palawan and Balabac, as “on all coasts was only found mangrove swamps and reefs, the inhabitants being hostile to everyone and obeying no king; the land is miserably poor; there was no drinking water from Balabac to Iapalote; the climate is so bad that in two months and a half 116 men of the expedition died and 200 were sick, and finds that all had been said about Palawan is false.” (Saleeby, 1963:203).

The Spanish colonization from 1622 to 1871 was singularly characterized by the dominance of the Religious in the affairs of civil government. The main function of the civil government was to collect tribute. Under the set-up, the missionaries exercised tremendous power over the inhabitants. Any notion to disrupt the evangelization processes was considered with much displeasure. In effect, there was crisis in governance. It was not unusual when conflict of interest existed between the civil authorities and the religious, which resulted, in some places, for the natives to abandon their homes and sought refuge in the mountains and returned to their old ways to avoid the payment of tribute. No amount of threats, even with the use of force, from the civil government changed their attitude.

In 1871, when the central government was reorganized, Palawan and Balabac became one of the four departments. The rationale was to strengthen the civil government and the evangelization of the inhabitants, 24 |

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particularly in those areas dominated by the Muslims. Palawan was made one of the three administrative units known as Calamianes with Taytay as capital; the island of Paragua was placed under Gobierno Politico-Militar; and Balabac was solely under the military rule as advance post to guard the southern territories. The Augustinian Recollects were assigned to Palawan.

The archipelago of the Calamianes is composed of indefinite islands, large and small, south of Manila. A number of these islands were inhabited, to some extent, and others were temporary habitations of the natives. The population of the villages and towns under the influence of the Spanish government were: Cuyo had 2,258 tributes and 9,475 souls; Agutaya, has 5191/2 tributes and 2,436 souls; Culion or Calamianes, 871 tributes and 2,438 souls; and Balabac, 528 souls. (Blair and Robertson, 28:322-330).

The Compania de Infanteria Española was based in Santa Isabel, a fort in Taytay to protect the inhabitants from the Muslims.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PUERTO PRINCESA

he Politico-Military Government of Paragua was established by virtue of Royal Order of January 20, 1862. Its territorial jurisdiction included Dumaran and Taytay, former parts of the Calamianes and the rest of the place in the mainland and the islands of Balabac and Bugsuk.

On April 16, 1861 an expedition was sent to explore the Island of Palawan for a place where they could establish the Spanish military post. The Commission was composed of two lieutenants of the Navy; Commander of the Artillery and Captain of Engineers. They left aboard Goletan Hedlice Animosa. The Commission has chosen Puerto Princesa as its capital. It was called Puerto Asuncion of Iguahit (Iwahig). The Commission described the area in 1861 as “having a good harbor, many rivers and used as anchorage of small boats; planted to sugarcane, cacao, coffee and tobacco, although of lower quality than those produced in Cagayan, similar to those produced in Misamis but better than those from Java; the kaingin (upland farming) produced 150 cavans per kaingin without irrigation.” (Ocampo, 1985:57).

T

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The Puerto Princesa Bay situated in the east coast of Palawan is deep. The current flows south to north and its banks are indented by second bays where numerous streams empty themselves. Puerto Princesa is built on a piece of land that shelters the bay from the eastern winds.

The entrance of the bay is marked by two promontories, the point of Bancao-Bancao in the north and the point of Banagtauan in the south.

At low tide, a part of the slimy bottom of the bay is uncovered on the west coast. Among the numerous rivers that empty into the bay of Puerto Princesa, the principal ones are Caramuran on the north, Panacan in the northwest, Ygualut and Binuan in the west. Two or three little islands are worth mentioning, like Cana, found in the middle of the bay, and the island of Rio in the mouth of Ygualut River. From the town, a chain of mountains can be seen: towards the northwest, Mount Pulgar (1,208 meters) and Beaufort (1,121 meters); towards the southwest, the Cordillera of the Aldea and the Tres Pisos. (Alfred Marche. Luzon and Palawan. (trans. From French by Carmen Ojeda and Jovita Castro) (Manila: The Filipino Book Guild. 1970:203).

On December 22, 1871, Gobierno Superior Civil issued a decree which provided that the Governor of the Province of Paragua must have the rank of Captain of the navy with a salary of three thousand pesos. The governor was authorized to organize his group of officials which included interpreters and other personnel. The Governor with the help of the Provincial Board was held responsible for the allocation of funds for the maintenance and operation of the province. He was instructed to befriend the Tagbanuas and provide them with work animals, construction materials, seedlings and other needs for production. The target was to contact 50 to 100 poor families from Cuyo. The contract workers were to be transported free by boat. The group will form the nucleus of the Christian community in the poblacion.

Thus, Puerto Princesa formerly named Puerto de la Asuncion, became the cabecera, of the New Province of Palawan. The Spanish authorities established a naval district for the defense of Palawan’s elongated coastline against Muslim attacks. The Moro raids were the primary reason for the establishment of Puerto Princesa as seat of government of the PoliticoMilitar de Paragua.

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THE EXPEDITION Governor General Rafael Isquierdo in his letter, to the Prior Provincial dated February 12, 1872, wrote that there was a felt need for the appointment of a missionary and chaplain and that a Recollect Missionary should be among the expedition so that the Standard Cross can be planted beside the Spanish flag. That through the priest charged with the mission, Spanish and Christian civilization may work side by side in concerted effort, fusing one and the same goal, the glory of God and country.

In the morning of February 22, 1871, Father Antonio Muro, CoAdjutor of the expedition celebrated mass for the expedition with the armed forces in uniform in attendance. The expedition consisted of the Governor Don Jose de Sostoa y Orduñez; Capellan y Misionero Fray Ezekiel Moreno; Captain of the Infantry, Joaquin de Aymerich; Captain of Engineers, Seberiano Sanches; Military Administrator, Jacinto Ruiz; and Military Physician, Ciriaco Oñate; 22 officials, 183 soldiers, and CoAdjutor Father Antonio Muro. Included in the party of the expedition were 27 women deportees and 20 civilian and helpers who brought with them construction materials and equipment for cutting trees and for clearing. (Nilo S. Ocampo. Katutubo, Muslim, Kristyano: Palawan, 16211901. Kolonya Alemanya, 1985: 59). The departure of the expeditionary force was announced in a parade and the ringing of the bells of San Sebastian Church. The purpose of the expedition was “if before King Philip ordered Magellan and Legaspi, now Queen Isabel II has organized an expedition to continue its mission which began centuries ago.”

After the 8:00 o’clock mass, the expedition left aboard the Marquez de la Victoria. With favorable winds, the expedition reached Bolalacao in the southern part of Mindoro at 5:00 o’clock in the afternoon of February 24, 1872. On the 26th, the expedition left about 8 o’clock in the evening for Cuyo. It arrived Cuyo at about 9:00 o’clock the following morning. In Cuyo, the ship was inspected and loaded with other needs.

On March 3 at about 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon the expedition left for Paragua. The expeditionary force was excited to see for the first time the vast land of Paragua as they sailed along the coastline toward Puerto Princesa, arriving thereat about 12:00 noon in March 4.

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PUERTO PRINCESA The expedition dropped anchor at Puerto Princesa Bay. The officers saluted each other as a sign of their arrival. They waded through the thick mangroves. They climbed the plateau where the flag of Spain was raised amidst hurrahs and firing of guns. At two o’clock in the afternoon on March 4, 1872, Monday, the expeditionary force gathered to witness the signing of the Act of Colonization. The Act was signed by Jose de Sostoa as Captain of the naval force and Politico-Military Governor; Joaquin de Aymerich, Captain of the Infantry; Severino Sanches, Captain of Engineers; Father Exequiel Moreno, Parish Priest; Jacinto Ruiz, Military Administrator; and Ciriaco Oñate, Military Physician. The signing of the Act formalized the colonization and occupation of Puerto Princesa in the name of Spain. (Ocampo, 60).

Immediately thereafter, the clearing the area as site of the poblacion began. The task force was divided into two groups: one to clear the town site while the other the shoreline where the military force will be stationed to protect the town. They used axes and bolos to cut the trees and tall grasses. The work continued for two days. Immediately a temporary makeshift structure was built as protection from the sun and rain.

The following week, the temporary church made of bamboo and nipa was measuring five square meters was constructed. It served as temporary place of worship and administration of the sacraments as well as provisionary shelter for the two Spanish missionaries – Fr. Ezekiel Moreno and Fr. Antonio Muro, both of the Order of the Augustinian Recollects (O.A.R.)..

On March 10, 1872, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Fr. Ezekiel Moreno officiated the first mass in Puerto Princesa in the thatched-roof hut.

Overlooking the mass-goers from the makeshift altar was the image of Our Lady of Monteserrat brought to Puerto Princesa by the Spanish missionaries. The mass marked the arrival of the Spanish expedition in Puerto Princesa, In March 24 and in the succeeding days, a series of firsts were administered: baptism of Celia Marcelo, born in November 1971, to 28 |

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Mr. Alberto Marcelo of Cuyo; wedding of Tranquilino Asuncion of Pasig and Isidora San Jose of San Juan del Monte, Manila in July 5; and the burial of Justo de la Cruz of Manila in April 4, where a Catholic ceremony was performed.

Puerto Princesa is situated on the east coast of Palawan in latitude 90’ 45” and 354 miles from Manila, 210 miles from North Borneo and 510 miles from Singapore. (Sawyer, 397). It was called Iguahit (Iwahig).

It is located nearly at the edge of the bay. The entrance to the gulf was lighted by a lighthouse. It has a good harbor with leveled soil, plenty of trees, a repair station for vessels, and a lighthouse from where one could see eleven miles away. It was a naval station for two gunboats. It was also a penal settlement. The two groups of prisoners in the penal colony were the disciplinary cases and deportees. One group consisted of soldiers or civilians convicted of crimes and the other were suspected or charged with offenses against the civil or religious authorities. This is the present Iwahig Prison and Penal Colony (Farm). It was developed as a sugarestate or plantation where prison labor was used. The forests teemed with wood which were excellent sources of construction materials, especially for ships and cabinets. Wild mammals and birds abound the area. The most prized hardwood found therein are: camagon, ipil and other hard wood used for ship building.

The Poblacion. The Poblacion has an area of five square kilometers.

Linking the various units of the poblacion were twelve (12) wide streets that formed the grid, lined on both sides with beautiful trees which served as protection for promenaders from the sun and on warm days and nights.

Incidentally all the streets were of Spanish names: Anda, Concepcion, Elcano, Legaspi, Magallanes, Medes, Nuñez, Padre Ybanñez, San Juan, Santiago, Sta. Potenciana, Sta. Rosa and Ydem.

The Cuyito District was where most of the migrants from Cuyo lived.

Earlier, Don Felipe Canga-Arguelles y Villarica reported that the streets were very bad. He had the roads raised, planted trees on the sides and installed street lamps. He also replaced the church and hospital which were made of bamboo and nipa into solid structures of brick and iron.

For entertainment, a band was organized composed of prisoners and a music master from Manila. The band played every Sunday and • Chapter 1: PUERTO PRINCESA •

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Thursday in the public plaza. The officers also organized theater groups composed of sergeants and corporals with Jose Bisquerra as director.

Located in the poblacion was the residence of the governor. Under him were two naval lieutenants, commander of two gunboats and a dozen officers, two of them doctors. The design of the poblacion was a typical Spanish town - a “plaza complex.� The plaza consisted of a central core of infrastructure: the church, convent and related units of the Religious; the fortifications that housed the military force and ordinances or armory and the government offices of the politico-civil authority. The central core was surrounded first by a grid of private homes of the colonial elite of Spaniards and Creoles (a person of European percentage born in Latin America or Gulf States or descendants of such persons), were nearest the hub for security, privilege and access to the desired amenities of urban living. Behind, up to the outlying areas were the native principalia (government officials, those considered first in rank, authority and importance), followed by the peasants and workers. In 1884, Governor Felipe Canga-Arguelles reported, there were 200 houses built of solid materials ( coral or limestone, bricks and iron ) mostly wood and galvanized iron roofing in the poblacion.

The General Census on May 23, 1885 showed there were 216 families residing in the Poblacion. There were 450 males and 368 females. Their homes were located in Sta. Rosa, Concepcion, Santiago, Santa Potenciana, Padre YbaĂąez, Elcano, Anda, Magallanes and Canga-Arguelles and Cuyito and the seacoasts where migrants lived. There were 350 from Cuyo, 57 Chinese from Amoy, and 57 from the different parts of the country from Laoag to Davao.

In 1890, the population of Puerto Princesa was about 1,500 of which about 1,200 were males and 300 females. About half the males were soldiers and sailors, one fourth convicts, and the remainder civilians. Most of the women had been deported from Manila as undesirable characters in the decorous city. Notwithstanding their unsavory antecedents they found new husbands or protectors in Puerto Princesa the moment they landed. (Sawyer, 318).

The Catholic Church. The small chapel was replaced by a bigger church made of stones and corals from the sea and fitted and plastered to 30 |

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the wall by lime. The entire structure of the church was in the form of a cross with a nave or main entrance of the church extending between two aisles from the chancel to the principal entrance. It measured thirty-six (36) meters long, twelve (12) meters wide and eight (8) meters high with two belfries measuring sixteen (16) meters high on both sides of the main entrance. A mechanical clock was visibly displayed on each tower.

At six.o’clock in the evening, the bells were rung for the Angelus Prayer, which was observed by people from all walks of life who stop to pray. It also signaled the children the time to kiss the hand of their elders and for those still in the streets, it was time to go home.

The church was inaugurated on December 8, 1872 in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, who the Spanish missionaries chose as Patroness of the new colony.

The Immaculate Conception Parish ecclesiastical jurisdiction from 1872 to 1949 covered the areas from Barangay Inagawan in the south to the Municipality of Roxas in the north. However, in 1949 the Parish of Saint Isidore in Roxas was established reducing its northern boundaries to Langogan River, some 86 kilometers from Puerto Prinsesa.

During World War II, the Japanese Imperial Army used the church and the Bishop’s residence for their headquarters driving the priests and the entire seminary community to Iwahig, Inagawan and Aborlan.

Four years after the end of World War II, the Spanish missionaries led by Monsignor Leandro Nieto came back to Puerto Princesa. They repaired the church which was almost leveled to the ground by the 13th United States Air Force Bombers in the later part of January 1945. They believed that Japanese soldiers were hiding inside the church.

Surprisingly, in the middle of the rubble and debris, there stood the statues of Jesus of Nazarene intact though it was ejected from its original place and of the Immaculate Conception also unharmed with the altar from where it stood was only slightly damaged.

A story was told that the soldiers who first entered the church after its bombing was so terrified on seeing the statue which looked real and alive.

Catholic Cemetery. One of the constructions the Religious was proud of was the cemetery in an area overlooking the bay. A beautiful • Chapter 1: PUERTO PRINCESA •

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wall enclosed the area with a wide gate. Inside the cemetery was a chapel and the burial grounds.

Other Infrastructures in the Poblacion. Constructed within the area of the Naval Division were: a 30-bed hospital, bedrooms, bath, carpentry shop and armory with a capacity to store 400 tons of gunpowder. A pier made of wood one hundred (100) meters long and five (5) meters wide. A stairway was built the end of the pier to facilitate the loading and unloading of cargoes and a storehouse which measures sixty (60) meters long and seven (7) meters wide.

Constructed at the base of the pier were: a monument of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and an Obelisk of “elegant wood” with an inscription of the date of the establishment of the Province of Paragua .These were inaugurated on October 23, 1881.

Primary schools were opened on February 28, 1881. In 1894, Puerto Princesa began to receive a series of distinctions that set it apart from other cities. Puerto Princesa was recipient of award of recognition as “one of the most beautiful towns” (uno de los mas bellos) for the orderly distribution of streets, buildings and houses and cleanliness”.

Population. As of December 31, 1883, the population of Puerto Princesa was 1,269: sixty-eight (68) Spanish soldiers; 1,147 natives, deportees, native soldiers and migrants; and 54 Chinese.

In the General Census on May 20, 1886 there were a total of 216 families in the Poblacion: 450 were males and 368 females. The migrants numbered 350 from Cuyo; 95 from other parts of Paragua; and 57 Chinese from Amoy.

In the list of property owners on January 23, 1885, of the 67 listed, three (3) were Spaniards; five (5) Chinese; twenty-nine (29) Yndigenos; twenty-nine (29) migrants and one (1) not identified.

While it was expected that the Spaniards were the large landowners, the list showed that Leon Palanca, a Chinaman was considered the richest and owner of a large house and several properties located in Santiago, Anda, Elcano, Santa Rosa, Santa Potenciana and Concepcion. He also owned 23,378 square meters of land planted to bananas and coconuts.

It was estimated that he was worth Php 2,905.00.

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Surprisingly, Alejandra Sarmiento and Escolastica Asignacion, both Yndigenas, ranked second and third respectively. Don Victoriano Palazuelos, a Spaniard ranked fourth. Ranked fifth was another Yndigeno Seberino Esteban. Chinaman Cu-Sangco ranked sixth. Other YndigenosDon Gabino Sanchez, Simeon Antonio, Domingo Alcantara and Yndigena Lucia Borromeo, ranked seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively.

The Cuyono. The migrants from Cuyo who settled in the Cuyito District known as Cuyono, of Malayan stock, are among the original inhabitants of Puerto Princesa and Palawan. They are the most developed and had been in the path of constant progress and development. They lived in places that are fertile and with abundant supply of cereals and meat. The early Spaniards found them to be thrifty people and deeply religious.

Most of them migrated to neighboring islands, especially to Paragua (Palawan mainland), to seek for better opportunities in farming. They opened lands through kaingin (swidden farming) during the planting season, after which they leave their kaingin and go home to Cuyo, leaving the rice to grow and mature on its own. Then they would return to Paragua when the tice is ready to harvest.

The Cuyonos have an ardent love for the Island of Cuyo. |Wherever they went, they are always driven by their persistent desire to return to the island. When the Spaniards arrived, they found engaged in some industries such as the production of wine and the weaving of cloth from cotton and abaca.

They posses a rich legacy of folklore and tradition found in their music, songs and dances which are found to be refine and show influences of their western conquistadores.

Cuyono mucial selections are played with the use of the traditional tipano (bamboo flute), tambor (drum) and a triangle or batingting. These instruments are still used particularly in the performance of the Ati and Comedia during fiestas and as accompaniment for tambora or carolers. In addition to these, stringed instruments such as violin, guitar, banjo and bajo (bass) are also widely used.

The folksongs are handed down from one generation to the next vocally. Some of their songs are incorporated in their dances like sayaw, pastores and ati. • Chapter 1: PUERTO PRINCESA •

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The ati is usually performed by young boys who paint their faces with soot and dance and chant in front of the statue of Saint Augustine, their Patron Saint in thanksgiving and to implore intercession for good health and a bountiful harvest. The Pinundo-Pondo, a wedding dance, is among the most popular Cuyono dance. The newly married couples most especially in the rural areas, perform this dance. The Cuyonon word pondo means to anchor.

Ethnic Groups. History reveals that Tagbanuas inhabited the river banks and the regions around the Bay of Asuncion, called Tuahit (Iwahig) and the Bataks lived in the northern mountains.

Tagbanua. The Tagbanua derived its name from two root words: taga which means from and banua meaning village.

The Tagbanuas are found by the Spaniards to inhabit the southern part of Tuahit Bay (Puerto Princesa Bay), Iguahit (Iwahig), Ignaghuan (Inagawan) and Aborlan in the eastern coast of the island of Paragua.

In the western coast they inhabited the regions from the Ulugan to Apurahan. They are the most numerous of the ethnic groups during the Hispanic times.

In Spanish time, the author estimated their number to be about 6,000 people. As a race, they are characterized by shortness in stature, swarthiness of skin and complexion and well-proportioned physique.

The Tagbanuas were also found to be the most cultured of the aboriginal peoples of Palawan. They had their own alphabet and could read and write. They used sharp metal knives or daggers for writing instruments.

They are also fond of music and folk dancing. Many of their songs are religious in nature. Their instruments are: agong (brass instrument), babandal (similar to the agong), gimbal (similar to a snare drum).

The Tagbanua has two types of songs: Oiman or ballad and the Dagoy or love songs. The general term for their dance is kendar.

Aside from the Pagdiwata, is the Ronsay. It is the ritual the Tagbanua perform during the full moon of December either in the seashore or river bank. This is in thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest and led by the head of the tribe or chieftain. At the height or climax of the dance, the leader followed by some of the members of the tribe make an offering 34 |

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to the Diwata. The offering consists of one white chicken and a chupa of rice together with tobacco wrapped in nipa (screwpine) leaves are placed in a small raft and pushed out into the sea or river. The dance festival continues until dawn.

Batak. One of the most fascinating tribal communities in the Philippines is the Batak. They are found in the mountainous north of Puerto Princesa. They are literally a “vanishing people” living in small settlements between the Babuyan and Langogan Rivers.

They lived in small settlements of from two to twenty households, dwellings are far apart, the Bataks themselves are frequently absent, as they go out to the forest in small groups to search for food. They gather from the entire range of forest food sources: roots, young rattan, leaves, fruits, seeds, fungi, birds, snakes and others. However, there are three food sources of paramount importance to them – honey, wild yam and wild pig.

One of the beautiful traits that the Batak practiced was food sharing.

Meat and vegetable foods are shared according to the same principles that food is shared first with one’s own children and spouse, then the parent-in-law and parents and then all others in the camp equally. The result is that small amounts of meat, such as a small bird and vegetables may not extend farther than the immediate family.

The Batak also believed in the elements assisting them in their daily activities in life. These are either good or bad spirits who dwell in the rivers, rocks, trees and mountains. Among these are Batungbayanin (spirit of the mountain), Panglimusan (spirit of small stones), Balungbunganin (spirit of the almaciga trees) and Salungbunganin (spirit of the big rocks).

They also believe in Diwatas, who provide each member of the community good harvests and good health. It is to this deity that they perform their Pagdiwata, a ceremony of incantations (tribal songs) and dances called the tarek, is performed by the Batak male. The ceremony is usually held in preparation for a particular season of economic activities such as honey gathering, collecting almaciga resin etc.

Sagda is another ritual which the Babailan perform in thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest or to drive away or appease the evil spirits.

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It is also performed to cure the sick. The rhythm of the tarek the ritual dance depends on the mood of the dancers. Some are imitative of their occupation such as hunting wild boar. They use strips of unique palm leaves called palaspas.

The Runsay is a group ancestral worship ritual. These are also dance enactment of bees searching for honey, battle scenes and courtship episodes.These are exclusively for members of the community alone.

The outsider can only witness these rituals if they are invited by the Batak community.

The Batak have three types of instruments. These are the codiape which is like the guitar about six or more feet long .It has only two chords made of fiber of the olango or bancuang. The form of instrument vary, some are large and shaped like the head of an alligator. It is played to accompany a singer of the song entitled Avellano.

The other is budlong. This is a joint of cana espino with a hole in the center similar to that of a guitar. It has two strings.

The lantoy is similar to a nose flute. It is made of bojo (bamboo) with two holes.

Economic Development. In 1877, about 240,000 square meters of land was apportioned as Huertas de la Colonia. The plan was designed to transport at the expense of the government settlers from other parts of Palawan and the country. Real Orden, 14 provided the incentives: (1) every year fifty Ilocano families will be sent to Puerto Princesa at government expense; (2) increase the military force to protect the inhabitants; (3) no or little taxes will be collected in the first ten years from persons engaged in their profession or industry and each family will be provided with three hectares of land; (4) and to continue to send deportees to work in public works.

In the report of Canga-Arguelles in 1884, a number of people engaged in cattle raising for about twelve years; 200 cacao trees were planted; eighteen hectares of public land were planted to sugarcane; and one hectare was planted to about 300 coconut trees.

Private land owners planted 2,000 cacao trees, 5,000 coconuts, 200 mangoes, 80 atis or star apple, 100 dalandan, 200 limeneros (calamansi) and 3,000 pineapple.

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Sugar production was estimated to be about 550,000 kilograms. The analysis of the sugar produced showed: Color num. 8, tipo holandes. Azucar cristalizable, 82.60; Idem no cristalizable, 9.90; Humedad, 4.34; Sales minerales, 2.39; arena, 0.21; desconocidos, 0.56. (Ocampo 1985:83).

The sugar produced was of competitive quality with those produced in Central Luzon and the Western Visayas. Its competitive quality was published in El Comercio de Manila on February 6, 1882 and Diario de Manila. The high quality of sugar produced was acceptable in America, but not in England because of its sales minerales. It was however better than those that came from other foreign countries in the market. The sugar trademark Marca Paragua.

Compania Anonima de Explotacion y de la Isla de la Paragua.

Encouraged by the rich resources of Palawan, Governor Don Felipe Canga-Arguelles organized the Compania Anonima de Explotacion de la Isla de la Paragua, to engage in mining and agricultural development of Palawan. The company applied for 100,000 hectares of raw land from Punta Aspera in the west coast and Puerto Binisulian in the east for a period of twenty years. The concession was granted on January 14, 1891.

The program of development was: 1) the first two years, 200 hectares; 2) after five years, 1,000 hectares; 3) on the tenth year, 1,000 hectares; and 4) the rest within 20 years. Arrangements were made to export its products through Puerto Princesa to Asia, Europe and Americas.

Incentives were provided to attract workers, such as exemption from taxes and military service, free transportation, facilities and work animals (carabaos). The areas assigned for workers were: Iwahig for natives and Inaguahan for Europeans. Canga-Arguelles even went to Singapore to recruit workers. Despite the efforts, the project failed to materialize because of the negative attitude of the investors from other countries and even by the local capitalists. Moreover, the project was overtaken by the Filipino revolution.

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Puerto Princesa in 1883 Frenchman Alfred Marche (Luzon and Palawan. trans from French

by Carmen Ojeda and Jovita Castro. Manila: The Filipino Guild, 1970) went to Puerto Princesa to study the Tagbanuas. In his account in 1883 he wrote: On April 8 at 5 o’clock in the morning, I left for the heights of the Ighuahit River where I hoped to find one or two native villages. The Iguahit River empties into the bay directly, west of Pueblo, the capital of the island.” (203).

He reached to as far as the foot of mounts Pulgar and Beaufort. He found the “earth, clayish and ferruginous (having the color of iron rust; reddish brown), is hardly cultivated by the natives.”

In more details he wrote: At eight o’clock in the morning , Iwas in the hut of chief Tagbanua.

The house perched on the steep bank of the river, three meters above the water and near the junction of the of the first left tributary of the Yguahit. In following this tributary for almost 800 meters, I arrived at the hut of Torres, a Tagal who had explored this region with whom I played for several days.

The huts of the Tagbanuas, built on piles, like all native huts in the Philippines, small and badly built. The natives sleep here piled one on top of the other, together with their dogs and even pigs. The piles which support the huts are made of strong planks formed out of a tree the size of which conforms to the size of the house. They are planted at various distances of two or four meters. Here many of the posts are all built so very thin, except those placed at the four corners of the hut, that they are hardly bigger than the rest. The huts have roofs and sometimes walls made of leaves of trees. There is rarely a door. Before, the houses are composed only of a roof and a floor on piles’ hardly covered with leaves. I was told that a big village could be found in the south of the island, where houses were better made, but i was not able to go there.

“Everywhere I went, I was made to expect many houses and many inhabitants. Once there, I found only several shelters and few people.”

In spite of their aversion and fear of my instruments, I was able to take some anthropological measurements on 16 individuals, of whom 38 |

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four were women. One of these women, in spite of the claims of the mother, was a Chinese half-breed because of her almond eyes. (Marche, 235).

On April 21, 1884, Marche went to Ulugan Bay. He arrived at Ulugan Bay, on the west coast of Palawan on the 24th. He described the bay as, “the widest point of the bay is three miles and its average length is eight miles. The coast is indented by several creeks where corals are taken.

Many streams empty into the bay through three (3) of these little dents of the coastline. At one end is the river Bahile, while at the other on the west coast is a little unnamed stream, which we shall call the Western River. A third situated on the east coast ends in two little rivers which we shall call the Northern River and the Southern River. The Northern River divides itself into two.”

Marche arrived at Ulugan Bay on the 25th. He began his exploration of the bay by following the Coihulo River; midway the party saw an “encampment of Tagbanuas abandoned a few days ago. These shelters, which were very primitive, consist of an upside down tree, two or three pegs planted like a cross on which leaves of nipa palms were placed, making do for a hut. At first sight, I thought I was in l’Ogooue, at the Fetiche point, where I had seen constructions of the same kind built for pilgrims and fishermen.” (Marche, 246).

The party continued in their exploration up to the mouth of the Coihulo River where they were told they “could go by the river far into the interior of the island, but after a little more than a kilometer we had to give up for lack of water in the steam and space to advance.” (Marche, 246).

On the 28th and the days following, Marche said, “we explored all the corners and nooks of the bay without meeting other inhabitants except two men who fled at our approach.

In his accounts about Puerto Princesa, he said: “The inhabitants of Puerto Princesa are deportees; almost everybody is either a convict, a murderer, a thief, etc. There were only two Spanish merchants, a butcher and a grocer, some Chinese, and few inhabitants of the islands of Calamianes who compose the surplus population of the new Spanish colony.” (Marche, 206).

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Admittedly, Iwahig, part of Puerto Princesa, is located the “penal colony” where deportees were sent. There are two groups of prisoners at Iwahig: the disciplinary cases and the deportees. The first consisted of soldiers or civilians convicted of crimes of robbery, while the second were suspected or charged with offenses against civil government or religious.

The Missionaries. The missionaries (the missionary task implies a respectful dialogue with those who have not yet accepted the Gospel) played a very significant and important role in the colonization of Palawan. The missionary mandate is based on Matthew 18:19: “Go then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples; baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to make men share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love.

(Catechism of the Catholic Church. Manila: ECCE Word and Life Publications, 1994:207).

It was the missionaries who braved the danger of opening new lands, converting the natives and more importantly established the parishes or towns as seat of government. The missionaries attended to the spiritual and temporal needs of the people with unparalleled enthusiasm and dedication which resulted to the conversion of the natives and their leaders to Catholicism and the subjugation of the inhabitants against government control. It was the missionaries who were the protectors of the inhabitants against the abuses of the civil and military forces. The missionary in the early years of colonization was more credible and were the authority that the inhabitants look up to, not only because of their position as representatives of God, but because at that time the church and the state was one and indivisible.

The system of government was called by some quarters as frailocracy, “a government of priests claiming to rule with divine authority, or literally, the rule of God or god”. In the Philippines, implying parallel thought, created a system called frailocracy which meant the union of the church and state or “monastic sovereignty” or the “rule of the friars”.

Puerto Princesa when it was established covered the areas from Danlig in the north to Inagawan in the south and all areas in central Palawan. The first mission (the Church’s mission stimulates efforts 40 |

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towards Christian unity) was built in Inagawan in May 1872. Father Ezekiel Moreno stayed in Inagawan for five months. He baptized the Tagbanuas led by two datus, Monap and Dimas. The mission reached Aborlan. (Ocampo, 1985: 71-72).

In 1882, Governor Don Felipe Canga-Arguelles and Capellan P. Pablo Navarro del Carmen established four missions in Puerto Princesa: Tinitian, 110 Christians and 130 pagans; Babuan, 160 Christians and 150 pagans; Malcampo, 130 Christians and 30-40 pagans; and Barbacan, 300 Christians and Taga-Bundok.. (Ocampo, 1985:73).

The mission in Inaguahuan (Inagawan), earlier established was a settlement of about 500 Tagbanuas. They planted rice and corn, 300 cacao trees and fruit trees. Twenty-five soldiers were stationed in Inagawan and a launch was also provided. The authorities built a fort, church and quarters, all of solid materials.

The Provincial Vicar of the Philippines divided the work of the Provincialato de Recoletos into the Calamanianes and Paragua because of the increasing number of converts and petitions coming from the natives to send missions to their areas. On July 10, 1886, a group of missionaries arrived at Puerto Princesa aboard the boat Herminia.

On 20 January 1887, Tagbanua Chieftains Madamba S. Mondragon, Isio, Cabanag, Langgad and Suman petitioned for the establishment of missions among the 1,200 Tagbanuas who lived twenty-six miles from Napsan, Taglupa, Pangaorian, Mante, Apracian, Buray, Catuayan and Biron where communication was difficult, the nearest mission twenty-four miles from Puerto Princesa and Inagawan. The approval of the petition was contained in Real Orden No. 1147 dated December 19, 1890.

In 1885, Fray Manuel Garcia proposed to establish a mission among the 993 Bataks who lived in the mountainous areas of Tinitian, Tanabag, Caramay, Malcampo, Umalat, Retac, Tumarbon and Taradungan. Fray Garcia, who was succeeded by P. Eladio Aguirre, who in his report mentioned that one must learn the dialect of the natives to befriend them. He stayed for two weeks among the Bataks who fed him well with good food and meat of wild boar. They built for him a big house, much bigger than theirs. P. Aguirre advised future missionaries must learn from his experience. • Chapter 1: PUERTO PRINCESA •

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THE LAST DECADE OF SPANISH RULE

T

he agitation for reforms in the government intensified in the last decade of Spanish rule. The situation was anyone suspected of or charged of offenses against the government were deported to penal colony in Palawan. The demands which began in 1872 and culminated in 1896 may be called the revolutionary period. It was during this period that the reform movement spearheaded by the ilustrados, principally by Graciano Lopez Jaena, Marcelo H. del Pilar and Jose Rizal, “marked the climax of intense nationalistic struggle for freedom and independence from Spain.” (Teodoro A. Agoncillo, Filipino Nationalism, 1872-1970.

Quezon City: R. P. Garcia Publishing Co., 1974:1).

The forerunner in the exercise of sovereignty in Puerto Princesa could be the Tagbanuas of Inagawan. Clemente Bulanan of Baraqi (Aborlan) in 1953 said that the first Masicampo of the Tagbanuas was appointed Surutan or Sultan of Brunyo, some eleven generations ago.

However, some time during the rule of Kinuya, the third Masicampo, a Sultan from Borneo visited Inagawan. In a conference, the two heads argued as to who should lead the Tagbanuas in Palawan. In the end, the two agreed to settle the controversy with a duel. Each must select his own representative. Kinuya chose Lidgid to represent the Tagbanuas while the Sultan from Borneo named Marikabaw. The two leaders agreed that in the event Marikabaw wins, all the Tagbanuas in the entire Palawan shall be under the Sultan of Borneo. On the other hand, should Lidgid win, not only will Kinuya be recognized as the Masicampo of the Tagbanuas but shall receive five large boats including their cargoes. The Sultan told his men that they will not return to Inagawan should Marikabaw lose.

Both Lidgid and Marikabaw wore an arat (body protector) and were armed with kris and taming (shield). A furious encounter ensued. Lidgid killed Marikabaw. Since then on, the Tagbanuas were freed and the Masicampo was recognized as the highest authority of the Tagbanuas.

While the above incident is a legend, there is much to learn from its impact on the Tagbanuas, in the light of their firm belief that “soulrelatives” help them in their daily life.

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The Cavite Mutiny in 1872, where the Filipino workers protested against Governor Rafael de Ezquierdo when he withdrew the privilege of the Filipino workers in the arsenal from paying tribute ignited the fires of the revolution by implicating the three Filipino priests who championed the secularization of the parishes. Fathers Mariano Gomez, 85 years old, Jose Burgos, 30 years old and Jacinto Zamora, 35 years old were implicated in the mutiny. The three martyrs were executed in the scaffold at Bagumbayan on 17 February 1872.

Jose Rizal summed up the reason for deporting Filipino filibusters to the Penal Colony in Puerto Princesa in these immortal words: “The spectre of subversion has been used so often to frighten us that, from being a mere nursery tale, it has acquired a real and positive existence, whose mere mention makes us commit the greatest mistakes. But putting aside the old practice of accepting the myth so as not to face the dreaded reality, we shall look in the face, instead of running away, and with resolute of in expert hand lift the shroud to expose to the multitude the structure of its skeleton”..(Jose Rizal trans. El Filibusterismo, by Leon Ma. Guerrero (Longman Group (Far East) Limited. Quarry Bay, Honkong. 1965).

The DEDICATION reads: To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez, eighty five, Don Jose Burgos, thirty and Don Jacinto Zamora, thirty-five, who were executed on the scaffold at Bagumbayan on 17 February 1872.

The church, by refusing to unfrock you, has put in doubt the crime charged against you; the Government by enshrouding your trial in mystery and pardoning your co-accused has implied that some mistake was committed when your fate was decided, and the whole of the Philippines in paying homage to your memory and calling you martyrs totally rejects your guilt.

As long therefore as it is not clearly shown that you took part to the uprising in Cavite, I have the right, whether or not you were patriots and whether or not you were seeking justice and liberty, to dedicate my work to you as victims of • Chapter 1: PUERTO PRINCESA •

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the evil I am trying to fight. And while we wait for Spain to clear your names some day, refusing to be a party to your death, let these pages serve as a belated wreath of withered leaves on your forgotten graves. Whoever attacks your memory without sufficient proof has your blood upon his hands.

J RIZAL

Those who were suspected to have participated in the Cavite revolt of 1872 were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and were deported either to Mindanao or Paragua.

Unsettling Situation in Puerto Princesa. Years before the Cavite mutiny, Teodoro Agoncillo, Filipino Nationalism, 1872-1970 (Quezon City: R.P. Garcia Publishing Co., 1974), wrote: “in the Philippines in particular, the colonial officials and Spaniards adopted the policy of “divide and conquer” . . . thus, the hundreds of uprising and revolts the plagued the more then three hundred years of Spanish rule in the Philippines, before the revolutionary explosion of 1896, were dismal failures.” (4).

This was the reason why “filibusters” and masons were deported to remote places like Puerto Princesa and Balabac. Among those deported to these places were persons sentenced to ten years imprisonment suspected in the Cavite Mutiny of 1872, wherein three priests were implicated being identified in the secularization and eventually, with the Filipinization of the Philippines. Other Filipino priests and well-todo Filipinos of Spanish descent were also implicated. But only Fathers Mariano Gomez (85 years old), Jose Burgos (30 years old) and Jacinto Zamora (35 years old) were condemned to death. The three martyrs were executed in the scaffold at Bagumbayan on February 17, 1872.

In no remote circumstance, the uprising in 1872 in Puerto, where the native soldiers rose against their Spanish leaders and freed some of the prisoners, could be attributed to the “abuses of the officials” and must have been repercussion of the Cavite Mutiny and influenced by the deportees. The colonists who were freed went on rampage to Tinitian, Taytay and Bacuit.

In 1894, Governor General Ramon Blanco deported thirty-four prominent individuals from Pampanga to Puerto Princesa for propagating 44 |

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Masonry. On May 26, 1895, Teniente Mayor Ceferino Aldaba and Saturnino Buendia, Teniente Mayor and Juez de Sementeros, respectively were sent to Puerto Princesa for the same offense. And, Pedro Alvarado Kapitan Municipal of Aparri, Cagayan was deported to Puerto Princesa for espousing Masonry.

Aborted Uprising. In 1896, Governor Lopez of Palawan discovered “una vasta conspiracion”, a widespread uprising among the 235 deportees who just arrived will conspire with the native soldiers under Spain about fifty of Rehimyento No. 68, to kill all the Spaniards, duplicating what happened in Cavite and Jolo. The Mastermind of the uprising was the fifty political prisoners who arrived on September 23, 1896 on board Alava. The thirteen Spaniards in camp were restless so they gathered arms and ammunition (50 carbina, 6 eskopeta, 7 revolvers). Patrols were organized. They did not trust the soldiers of Rehimyento No. 68. By November 15, the Spaniards were convinced that there would be widespread uprising. The plan to kill all the “peninsulares”, destroy the military camp in the poblacion and seize the mail boat as it arrives.

Damasco Ponce, a deportee will be made Chief and governor of the colony. Ceferino Aldaba be placed as administrator of the hacienda.

The Spaniards acted with dispatch. They besieged the headquarters of Rehimyento No. 68 and detained forty in the government center. In November 14, the “consejo de Guerra” (council of war) sentenced five leaders (two from Rehimyento No. 68), two deportees and one soldier of the provincial force. Thirty were punished with light sentence. At sunrise in November 26, five were shot by firing squad.

Alarmed with the happenings, the Vicar Provincial P. Jose Ybañez ordered all the clergy to evacuate on November 13, 1897. The boat Monteserrat docked at Puerto Princesa to transport the clergy to Iloilo, Manila, Hongkong or Borneo. The boat passed by Araceli and Dumaran to pick-up P. Justo Larena and others. The boat was about to proceed to Balabac to fetch P. Joaquin Aariaga but was prevented when news was received about the uprising in Balabac. Boats were sent to get P. Jose Rodrigo and P. Victor Baltanes at Inaguahuan and Tinitian. They were brought to Iloilo on board the boat Luzon Manila. (Ocampo, 1985, 9293) • Chapter 1: PUERTO PRINCESA •

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THE REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT

O

n June 12, 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the First Republic of the Philippines at Kawit, Cavite. It formalized the independence of the Philippines from Spain. On August 1, 1898, municipal presidents of sixteen provinces: Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, Bataan, Morong, Tayabas, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, La Union and Zambales assembled at Bacoor, Cavite and ratified the Philippine Independence. There were one hundred ninety (190) municipal presidents present. The ratification read in part; “In view of the considerations the Undersigned, giving voice to the unanimous aspiration of the people whom they represent and in performing the offices received from them and the duties pertaining to the powers with which they were vested Proclaim solemnly, in the face of the whole world, the independence of the Philippines”. The ratification was signed by Leandro Ibarra as Secretary of the Interior and approved by Emilio Aguinaldo as President of the Revolutionary Government on August 6, 1898.

On September 15, 1898, the inaugural session of the Malolos Congress was held in the church of Barasaoin, Malolos with fifty (50) delegates in attendance. The first Act of Congress was the ratification of the Declaration of Independence. Pedro Paterno was the Chairman of the Congress.

On January 20, 1899 the Constitution was definitely adopted. On 21 January 1899, Aguinaldo issued a decree promulgating the newly approved document , “as the fundamental law of the land, the expression of the sovereign will of the Filipino people.” (Nicolas Zafra, Philippine History through Selected Sources. Quezon City, 19676:8). Two days later, the Philippine Republic with Emilio Aguinaldo as President was inaugurated at Malolos. The Malolos Congress thenceforth came to be known as “National Assembly”.

Earlier on June 18, 1898 and June 20, 1898, General Aguinaldo as head of the Dictatorial Government, issued decrees authorizing the organization of assemblies in the different provinces and municipalities to select from among the local leaders the officials to implement the reorganization of local governments. A commissioner for each province 46 |

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was appointed to implement the provisions of the two decrees.

The provcincial government shall be under the administration of the governor and the provincial council. The municipal government shall be under the municipal mayor and municipal council and the barrios under the cabeza-de-barangay.

Accordingly, Don Esteban Causapin and Rufo Sandoval were appointed Head of the Provincial Government and Assistant respectively of Palawan. This notwithstanding, pursuant to a decree promulgated on March 24, 1899, President Emilio Aguinaldo appointed Hermogenes Constantino as Commissioner for Paragua.This was confirmed when the Provincial Council offered the position of Governor to Hermogenes Constantino in recognition of his being the Special Delegate of the Province to the Central Government.

On May 9, 1899, Governor Hermogenes Constantino assembled the people in Puerto Princesa. After having been convinced of the loyalty of the people to the new government, they elected the municipal officials.

Elected were: Pangulo, Teodoro Agarao; Pangalawang Pangulo, Eugenio Morales; Delegado ng Buwis, Mariano Ponce de Leon; Delgado ng Hustesia, Manuel Venturillo; and Delgado ng Pulisya, Agustin Mendoza.

Elected as Punong Baryo: Calero, Victor Francisco; Cuyito, Anacleta Baculi, Taburos; Nicomedes Borromeo; Yrawan, Patricio Cababao; Canigaran, Macario Sueno; and Yguahit, Agustin Magno.

A sour note ended the Revolutionary Government in Palawan and Puerto princesa, when on August 12, 1900, Manuel Venturillo, wrote Rufo Sandoval detailing the abuses of Constantino. He enumerated four: 1) the budget for the Battalyon Paragua was so large that the collection was not enough and whatever was collected went to the pocket of Constantino; 2) besides collecting contributions, Constantino, terrorized the residents; 3) Constantino administered the province by his whims and caprices, ignoring the role of law; and 4) Constantino did not only maltreat Teodoro Agarao and Francisco Mariano but “even the innocent and poor” were not spared.

The last time Constantino was heard of, was when he was received

by Romualdo Palao as hostage in Araceli on October 4, 1900. He died in 1903 and was buried in the cemetery in Puerto Princesa.

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SUMMARY

T

he Spanish colonization from 1622 to 1871 was singularly characterized by the dominance of the Religious in the affairs of the state. It was a system of government called frailocracy which meant the union of the church and the state, or “monastic sovereignty” or the “rule of the friars.” This prompted an old Mexican Viceroy to remark, “in every friar in the Philippines, the King had a captain-general and a whole army.” This became more visible in the last decade of Spanish rule where friars were so “powerful and influential that they virtually controlled the colonial government.

The situation obtaining the province was therefore ripped with “consistent and persistent” Moro raids of the towns and islands where churches were found. The targets of these Moro raids were the churches, convents and priests in Taytay, the capital town of Calamianes, Cuyo, the first Spanish settlement, Agutaya, Linapacan and other parts of the Palawan.

The Moro raids were the primary reason for the establishment of Puerto Princesa as seat of government of the Politico-Militar de Paragua.

Puerto Princesa was chosen by the Commission sent earlier to explore for a site for the politico-militar in 1861 after recognizing the vast and rich resources of southern Palawan while exploring Balabac and “for having a good harbor, good source of water for bathing and occupied by peaceful Tagbanuas.”

Puerto Princesa was formally colonized at 2 o’clock in the afternoon on Monday, March 4, 1872, when an Act of Colonization was signed

by Jose de Sostoa as Captain of the Naval Force and Politico-Militar Governor; Captain of the Infantry, Joaquin de Amyrich; Captain of Engineers Severino Sanches; Parish Priest Father Exequiel Moreno; Military Administrator Jacinto Ruiz and Military Physician Ciriaco Oñate.

The Act formalized the colonization of Puerto Princesa in the name of the King of Spain.

The area chosen as the site of the poblacion is located at the edge of Puerto Princesa Bay (gulf of Yghuahit). The entrance to the gulf was lighted by a lighthouse which according to Marche, in 1833, was “rare in

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the Philippines.” It has a good harbor with leveled soil, plenty of trees, a repair station for vessels and a light house from where one could see eleven miles away.

The Poblacion has an area of five square miles, bounded by the point of Bancao-Bancao in the north and the point of Banagatauan in the south. Designed as in any other Spanish colony, its center was the “plaza.” Some writers called the design as “plaza complex.” It is linked with twelve wide streets which formed the grid, lined on both sides with beautiful trees which served as protection for promenaders from the sun and on warm days and nights. These roads were raised and the trees were planted by Governor Don Felipe Canga-Arguelles y Villarica.

Though the population was small, the Poblacion has a Catholic Church of strong materials, government buildings also of strong materials used as offices, hospital, cemetery, pier, military camp, naval station and other facilities, under conditions at the time, that make a rural-urban community. There were in 1885, two hundred sixteen families living in 200 homes in the poblacion, 450 were males and 368 females. As was expected, the central cores of the Poblacion was surrounded first by a grid of the private homes of the colonial elite of Spaniards and the Creoles were located nearest the hub for security, privilege and access to the desired amenities of urban living. Behind up to the outlying areas were the native principalia, followed by the peasants and workers.

On 23 January 1885, among the first ten richest of the 67 property owners registered were: Chinaman Leon Palanca ranked first, followed by two Yndigenas (natives) Alejandra Sarmiento and Escolastica Asignacion who ranked second and third respectively. Don Victoriano Palaguelos, a Spaniard ranked fourth. Ranked fifth was another Yndigeno, Seberino Esteban, followed by Chinaman Cu-Sangco, sixth placer. The seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth places were all natives: Don Gabino Sanchez, Simeon Antonio, Domingo Alcantara and Lucia Borromeo.

In 1884, Governor Don Felipe Canga-Arguelles reported that for twelve years people were engaged in cattle raising. They planted 200 cacao trees, 300 coconut (one to two years old), and developed eighteen (18) hectares of sugarcane. The private land owners planted 2,000 cacao trees, 5,000 coconuts, 200 mangoes, 80 atis or star apple, 100 dalandan, • Chapter 1: PUERTO PRINCESA •

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200 limeneros (calamansi) and 3,000 pineapples. The sugar produced was estimated to be 500 kilograms of competitive quality, marked under the trade mark Marca Paragua. The sugar produced was acceptable in the American market but was not in England because of its sales minerales content.

In 1877, the Huertas de la Colonia was organized to develop 240,000 square meters of land. On 7 August 1890 a concession of 100,000 hectares was granted to the Compania Anonima de Explotacion y de la Isla Paragua, for the exploitation of the forest, mineral and agricultural resources of Palawan. The area covered from Punta Aspera in the west and Puerto Bininslian in the east coast. The grant was for twenty years.

However, for one reason or the other, the project frizzled out. One of the reasons was it was overtaken by the Filipino Revolution of 1896.

One of the purposes of the colonization of Yguahit, was to make it a “colony” for deportees. Unforeseen, the colony could cause danger to its peace and order, especially when those who were only suspected or allegedly charged with offenses against the religious friars. The threat was precipitated when in January 1872, “Filipino soldiers stationed in Cavite, out of sympathy for their relatives and friends working in the arsenal whose time-honored exemption from the tribute and personal service had been abruptly revoked by the government mutinied. The uprising was of local character and quickly suppressed. But the Spanish authorities viewed the incident as something more than a simple case of military insubordination. They regarded it as a part of a nation-wide movement having for its ultimate purpose the emancipation of the Philippines from Spain.” (Zafgra, Nicolas. Philippine History Through Selected Sources. 1967:165). The three Filipino priests, Mariano Gomez, Jacinto Zamora and Jose Burgos, “identified with secularization and eventually Filipinization of the parishes in the Philippines were falsely accused of having implicated in the insurrection.” (Agoncillo,1974:9). Other Filipino priests and well-to-do Filipinos of Spanish descent were deported to Mindanao and Paragua.

In 1896, Governor Lopez of Palawan reported that he discovered of a plan that the 235 deportees who just arrived will conspire with the native soldiers to stage a widespread uprising. The immediate action 50 |

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of the Spanish authorities in Puerto Princesa aborted the plan of a widespread uprising. The leaders were executed while the others were punished accordingly.

The uprising led to the evacuation of the Religious from Palawan.

They were evacuated to Manila, Hongkong and Borneo.

The Spanish rule in Palawan was generally viewed with abuses of civil officials and the friars; it nevertheless provided the people with opportunities for self-advancement and spiritual fervor. It is with pride to be converted to Christianity. It is equally with pride to have been exposed to the evils as opposed to the tenets of good government, though learned the hard way, with much suffering and sacrificed lives.

For after all, it is by experiencing the bad that we appreciate the good.

And the road to good life is rough and full of heartbreaking sacrifices.

One of the most heartwarming event is, in 1894, Puerto Princesa, with distinction, awarded the recognition as “one of the most beautiful towns (“uno de los mas bellos’) for its orderly distribution of streets, buildings and houses and cleanliness”.

On 18 June 1898 and 20 June 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo as Head of the Revolutionary Government, which was established upon his return from exile issued decrees authorizing the calling of assemblies in different provinces and municipalities to select among the local officials to implement the decrees in anticipation of the defeat of Spain in the ongoing Spanish-American war. Subsequently, Revolutionary Governments were established in different provinces, as in Palawan when Don Esteban Causapin and Rufo Sandoval were appointed head and assistant, respectively of Palawan.

On June 12, 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the Republic of the Philippines at Kawit, Cavite. The declaration of independence was ratified by 190 municipal presidents of sixteen provinces at Bacoor, Cavite on August 1, 1898. On 20 January 1899, the Republic of the Philippines was inaugurated at Malolos. On 20 March 1899, President Aguinaldo promulgated a decree which authorized the appointment of commissioners as head of the provinces. Accordingly, President Aguinaldo appointed Hermogenes Constantino as Commissioner for Palawan.

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On 9 May 1899, Governor Hermogenes Constantino assembled the people of Puerto Princesa. The assembly organized the municipality of Puerto Princesa by electing the municipal officials and Cabeza-deBarangay. Elected Municipal Officials of Puerto Princesa under the Revolutionary Government were: Teodoro Agarao, Municipal President; Eugenio Morales, Vice; Mariano Ponce de Leon, Treasurer; Manuel Venturillo, Justice; and Agustin Mendoza, Police. Those chosen as Cabeza-de-Barangay: Victor Francisco, Calero; Anacleto Baculi, Cuyito; Nicodemus Borromeo, Tagburos; Patricio Cababao, Yrawan; Macario Sueno, Canigaran; and Agustin Magno, Yguahit (Iwahig).

As earlier stated, the citation that Puerto Princesa received in 1894 as one of the most beautiful towns was indeed precedent-setting that in more ways than one gave Puerto Princesa an edge over other areas in the Philippines which were repeated in later years, this despite its odds, more particularly on its location and isolation. All this point to the kind of leadership at the helm and the unwavering spirit to excel, manifested in its glorious past as cradle of civilization.

In the light of the foregoing, the author ventures to conclude the establishment of Puerto Princesa as capital of Palawan and the role of the missionaries in the colonization effort can be summed up into “All that the Lord has done is very good; all that he commands is sooner or later done.� (Sirach 39:16).

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The Establishment of Puerto Princesa

Capellan Y Misionero Fray Ezekiel Moreno – Founder of Puerto Princesa

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Puerto Princesa in 1884 – a Spanish Plaza Complex

PUERTO PRINCESA “UNO DE LOS MAS BELLOS” one of the most beautiful towns in the Philippines 1894.

Bishop Gregorio Espiga with Fr. Perez de Olaguer

Temporary Roman Catholic Church in 1872

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Antigo Iglecia Parroquial de Puerto Princesa

Ruins of the Roman Catholic Church on March 1, 1945

The Spanish missionaries (Order of the Augustinian Recollect) brave the danger of opening new lands, converting the natives and establishing parishes or towns as seat of government.

IWAHIG PRESIDARIO – A Spanish royal foam

Antigo Seminario de San Jose de Puerto Princesa

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Eulalia Park named after Princess Eulalia of Spain. The Princess-like statue stands as a market of the sport, the Spaniards read the Decree of Foundation of Puerto Princesa in 1872.

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YGUALIT (Iwahig) RIVER, west of Pueblo, the capital of the island, a source of potable water, empties directly into the bay.

Quartermaster The Immaculate Conception Cathedral as it stands today

Bikaryato Apostoliko ng Puerto Princesa Government Building

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P

rovidently, Puerto Princesa, built at the edge of the bay on the plateau of virgin forest had been developed and recognized, in 1894, as “one of the most beautiful towns for its orderly distribution of streets, buildings and houses and cleanliness.”

Unfortunately, this was marred with much abuses and graft and corruption of the leaders appointed to head Palawan and Puerto Princesa by the Revolutionary Government. Hopefully, this shall not any way, hopefully later portend the kind of government under the Filipinos.

Again, fortune cast its shadow upon Puerto Princesa when the United States established the military government from August 14, 1898 to July 4, 1901. One of the motives for the coming of the Americans was humanism, which was the altruistic intention to civilize, to educate, to Christianize and to train the Filipino people in democracy. In practice however, this altruistic motive was overshadowed by the theory of government adopted. The American theory of government centered in “materialism” in direct contrast to the Spanish theocratic form, “having God as the central interest and ultimate concern.”

The theory of government of the United States in the Philippines was spelled out in these words of the Philippine Commission: “The theory upon which the commission is proceeding is that the only possible method of instructing the Filipino people to methods of free instruction and self-government is to make a government partly of American and partly of Filipinos, giving the American that ultimate control for some time to come. In our last report we pointed out that the great body of the people were ignorant, superstitious and at present incapable of understanding any government but that of absolutism.” (O. D. Corpuz.

The Roots of the Filipino Nation. Vol. II. Quezon City , Philippines: Aklabi Foundation, Inc., 1998:537).

UNDER AMERICAN TUTELAGE 1891-1935

S

pain had complete control of the Philippines for over three centuries.

In all these years, (George A. Malcolm. The Government of the Philippine Islands. Manila: 1916:9) “the soldier and priest were 58 |

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supreme.” In more precise terms he described the Philippine situation as “was primarily a Spanish colony.” The Spaniard was the ruler the Filipinos the ruled. With the exception of a limited number of minor offices which the Spaniards permitted the Filipinos to fill, the government was administered by Spain… only during three short periods, due to government upheavals in Spain was the Philippines allowed nominal representation in the Spanish Cortes. True there was a ponderous collection of Laws of the Indies designed to protect the natives, but unfortunately they were not enforced.” (Malcolm, 66-67).

However, the Filipinos never lost hope of a democratic way of life through reforms by peaceful means. There were isolated revolts in protest of the abuses and mismanagement in government, mostly of the religious, which give way to the development of nationalism nurtured by the propaganda movement. When these peaceful approaches failed, the Katipunan took up arms against the government. World events proved to be on the side of the Filipinos, when the United States turned to Asia as market for American goods and the Philippines, in particular as source of raw materials. The Cuban revolution precipitated the coming of the Americans to Asia, when the U.S. battleship Maine exploded at the harbor in Havana. This triggered the United States declaration of war against Spain. The United States Asian Fleet under the Command of Admiral George Dewey Asian fleet was ordered to proceed to the Philippines to destroy the Spanish Navy.

On May 1, 1898, Commodore George Dewey entered Manila Bay “after navigating safely the mines planted by the Spaniards and avoiding the fire of the shore batteries passed in battle array before the Spanish fleet. When at a distance of 5,000 yards, Dewey turned to Captain Gridly and said, “You may fire when you are ready, Gridly.”

The one-sided battle ended with the surrender of Manila on August 13, 1898. Thereupon a military government was established from August 14, 1898 to July 4, 1901. The main concern of the military government was the prosecution of the war and the establishment or operation of the existing local government units under the control of the American forces. It provided a system of public education where more often than not the schools were organized and taught by American soldiers.

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On May 18, 1898, President William McKinley appointed General Wesley Merritt as Commander of the United States Military expedition to the Philippines. He was instructed to expedite the conquest of the Philippines before Spain could sue for peace and to maintain order and security of the conquered country under the American flag. The expeditionary force consisted of 641 officers and 115,058 enlisted men.

The effects of the instructions were: “the severance of the former political order and through the powers of the military occupant are absolute and supreme and operate immediately upon the political condition the inhabitants, municipal laws of the conquered territory, such as it affect the private rights of person and property and provided for punishment of crimes, are considered as continuing in force, as far as they are compatible with new order of things, until they are suspended or superseded by the occupying belligerents, and in politics they are not usually abrogated, but are allowed to remain in force and to be administered by the ordinary tribunal substantially as they were before the occupation, doings of said government, and to the condition of the Archipelago and of its people shall be made to the President, including all information which may be useful to the Congress in providing for a more permanent government.�

(Gregorio F. Zaide, ed. Documentary Sources of Philippine History. Volume 10, Navotas Metro Manila: National Book Store, Inc. 1990:330).

Military Government Established. The capitulation of Manila on August 13, 1898 ushered in the establishment of the military government in the Philippines. Military rule covered the period from August 4, 1898 to July 4, 1901.

As earlier stated, the main concern of the military government was the prosecution of the war and the establishment or operation of the existing local government units under the control of the American 60 |

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forces. It also provided a system of public education where more often than not the schools were organized and taught by American soldiers.

The effects of the instructions were: “the severance of the political order... municipal laws... such as it affect the private rights of person and property and provided for punishment of crimes, are considered as continuing in force, as far as they were compatible with new order of things... are allowed to remain in force and to be administered by the ordinary tribunals substantially as they were before the occupation.”

(Zaide, 325) The First Philippine Commission. The first Philippine Commission composed of Jacob Gould Schurman, as Chairman, MajorGeneral Elswell Otis, Rear Admiral George Dewey, Charles Benby and Dean C. Worcester, as members arrived in Manila on March 4, 1899 with the purpose in liberating the Filipinos “from Spanish tyranny and the ideal of political self-rule through the blessings of liberty.” (Jim Haskins.

General Editor. Filipino Nation. Volume I. Groiler International.

Printed in the United States of America, 1982:112).

The instructions were: “Insofar as immediate personal changes in the civil administration may seem to be advisable, the commissioners are empowered to recommend suitable persons for appointment to those office from among the inhabitants of the islands who have previously acknowledged their allegiance to this Government and in all regions with the inhabitants of the islands the commissioners exercise the respect to all the ideals, customs and institutions of the tribes which compose the population, emphasizing upon all occasions the just and beneficent intentions of the Government of the United States. “ (Zaide, 10-24).

On January 31, 1900, the First Philippine Commission, after investigating conditions in the Philippines and conferring with several prominent Filipino leaders and emissaries of Emilio Aguinaldo submitted the following reports: 1) the establishment of a territorial government with a legislature, the upper house to be half elective and half appointive and the lower house to be elective; 2) withdrawal of military rule and establishment of the civil government; 3) conservation of the Philippine natural resources for the Filipinos; 4) organization of autonomous municipal and provincial governments; and, 5) opening of free public • Chapter 2: capability building •

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elementary schools, using English as the medium of instruction. (Zaide, 10:24).

The First Philippine Commission also recommended that the United States cannot withdraw from the Philippines. We are there and duty binds us to remain. There is no escape from our responsibility to the Filipinos and to mankind for the government of the Archipelago and the amelioration of the condition of its inhabitants. The Filipinos are wholly unprepared for independence, and if independence was given to them they could not maintain it.

Aguinaldo’s claim that he was promised independence or that an alliance was made with him, Admiral Dewey denied the allegations. There being no Philippine nation, but only collection of different peoples, there is no general public opinion in the Archipelago, but the men of property and education, who alone interest themselves to public affairs, in general recognize as indispensable American authority, guidance and protection.

Consequently, on March 2, 1901 when the United States Congress deliberated on the appropriations for the Armed Forces an amendment was sponsored by Senator John C. Spooner of Wisconsin which “virtually ended military rule in the Philippines.” It provided that the President of the United States would govern the Philippines by authority of Congress and act by the authority of the President as Commander-in-Chief of the United States Armed Forces. (Zaide, 10:330).

The Second Philippine Commission. The Second Philippine Commission otherwise known as the Taft Commission was under the leadership of William Howard Taft. He was appointed by President McKinley on March 10, 1900. The other members of the Commission were: Dean C. Worcester, Henry C. Ide, Luke E. Wright and Bernard Moses. The Commission was instructed to “transfer the military government to civil authorities.” It was empowered to appoint officials of the judicial, educational and civil service system as well as to the various departments of the government; to promote gradual Filipinization of the government at all levels starting with the local authorities; draft laws as a basis for governing the nation; draft laws to regulate the civil government; appropriate funds; and regulate the levying of taxes.

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The Taft Commission acted as the legislative branch of military government. However, by virtue of the Spooner Amendment, the civil government was established with William H. Taft as the first Civil Governor of the Philippines. He took his oath of office on July 4, 1901.

Accordingly, the Philippine Commission passed Act No. 82 or the Municipal Code on January 31, 1901, providing for the organization of municipalities and on February 5, 1901 passed Act No. 83 for the organization of the provinces until they were embodied, with modifications in the Administrative Code as Chapters 36, 54 and 67.

THE MUNICIPALITY OF PUERTO PRINCESA

A

s early as 1899, the establishment of municipal government was authorized by General Order No. 130 series of 1899. This was superseded by General Order No. 40, series of 1900, promulgated by the Military Governor in accordance with the report of the Board headed

by Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano. In his report, Arellano emphasized that “for the first time the Philippine people are to exercise the right of suffrage in the election of municipal officers a right only slightly restricted by conditions which have been imposed for the purpose of regarding as well as encouraging the people in their just and natural aspiration to become educated, and others to enjoy all the benefits of civilization. (Zaide, 316).

At the time of the American occupation the Municipality of Puerto Princesa covered all areas at the boundary of Aborlan in the south to as far as the present Municipality of Roxas, parts of San Vicente and the barangays of the Municipality of Dumaran in the north of the mainland.

Puerto Princesa endowed with rich tracts of agricultural lands, mineral deposits, forest resources, bountiful marine aquatic resources and its lakes and rivers teem with fresh water resources was inhabited by a mixed population of migrants and natives, motivated with the strong desire for its full development.

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After the cession of the Philippines to the United States in 1898, a military government was established in Palawan sometime in 1901.

Major John Brown was designated Lieutenant Governor.

The Americans focused its early years of occupation of Puerto Princesa in the advancement of education, health, public works and public services. In 1905, Governor Edward Y. Miller, “effected the construction of two cisterns” to hold water for drinking. One was constructed in front of the Catholic Church and the other near the municipal tribunal.

In 1909, a huge water tank was built to provide the town with potable drinking water.

Population from 1903 to 1930. According to the records of the National Census and Statistics Office, the population of the Municipality of Puerto Princesa was: in 1903 1,208; in 1918 6,427; in 1939 10,887.

The rapid increase in population could be attributed to migrations from more densely populated areas in Palawan like Cuyo and Calamianes and other parts of the country, like Negros Occidental, National Capital Region, Masbate, Panay, Samar, Cebu, Tawi-Tawi, Cagayan, Albay and others.

Forest Resources. The major forest product is timber. The principal timbers are: apitong, ipil, narra. In the earlier years, its use was limited for the construction of buildings, houses and other needs by the natives and settlers until logging companies were granted concessions to exploit these resources.

The denudation of the forests have been attributed to loggers and the kaingineros, a practice principally by the natives in cutting and burning the trees for planting upland rice and root crops for subsistence.

The controversy as who is to blame could not be resolved, for each sector had in one or another contributed to the development of Puerto Princesa. For one, the kaingineros are credited for clearing of the habitable areas that became the nucleus of permanent settlements and towns. The destructive effect of logging can be viewed more on the light of providing employment and agricultural land for development and creation of permanent settlements. Experience showed that settlers and employees themselves settled in the areas cleared by loggers. The blame could be directed to “illegal logging,” cutting trees outside their 64 |

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concession and in the indiscriminate cutting of trees where the rejected trees are left behind to rot. What complicated the logging of the forest are the ‘fly by night loggers” who make fast buck, a practice which has remained to this day. Of course, blame could be laid on the shoulders of government officials who for a price tolerate such practice which include law-enforcing. Nobody appears escape the blame. It takes discipline to protect and conserve our forest with full participation of every wellmeaning individuals.

Minor Forest Products. Among the minor forest products are: almaciga, honey, ferns and orchids, beeswax, rattan or sika and cotton tree (kapok) has high economic value. Kapok is domesticated in some places.

Almaciga. Belongs to the pine tree family. Almaciga is resin extracted from trees of the Agathis alba and Fragrosa perigrina types. It’s large that grows 50 to 60 meters high and a diameter of two meters. The bark which is ten to 15 millimeters thick, brittle with a light greenish to brownish gray color. The tree is scroll-shaped. It grows best in welldrained slope of 600 to 1,500 meters elevation and 200 to 2,000 meters altitude. Its chief value is the resin it produces.

The resin is used chiefly in the manufacture of high grade varnish and in other processes such as the production of latent leather and sealing wax. Locally, it is used as incense in religious ceremonies, torches, starting fire and caulking boats. The resin is found in the bark. Occasionally, lumps of resin are found in the forks of branches in large masses. The fossil (mineral) resins are found on the ground in places where large tree have formerly stood and decayed. (Jose Fernandez, Fe Fernandez, Edna Imelda Fernandez Legaspi. Palawan Flora and Fauna. Palawan Tropical Forestry Protection Programme, 1995:20).

The cutting of almaciga trees is strictly prohibited. Despite its being prohibited, a number of people take pride in paneling their homes with almaciga. The gathering of resins is regulated. Large tracts of forest lands where almaciga grow are parceled out in concessions. This is one of the major exports of Puerto Princesa.

Resins (Bagtik in Cuyono, Almaciga-Tagalog). Term applied to a group of sticky liquid organic substance which usually harden upon • Chapter 2: capability building •

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exposure to air, into brittle, amorphous, solid substances. Natural resins are secreted by many plants, appearing on the external surface of plant after a wound. The resins form protective coatings over the plant wounds, preventing the entrance of pathogenic microorganism and excessive loss of sap from the wound. In obtaining natural resins commercially, cuts are made in the tree bark, and the globules of liquid resin that flow from the cut are directed by troughs into collecting buckets. Amber is one of the many fossil resins that are often collected from ground deposits.

Natural resins are yellow to brown in color. They burn with smoky flame and exude an aromatic odor. Chemically, they differ from one another in detail, but they all contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. All resins are insoluble in water, as distinguished from water-soluble gums. Resins are soluble in alcohol, ether and other organic solvents. The natural resin known as lac is not a plant exudes but is formed by the tiny scale insect, Laccifer tacca and indigenous to Southeast Asia. Lac is deposited on trees and is harvested for the production of shellac.

The many resins are classified according to hardness and chemical constitution into three principal categories: hard resins, oleoresins, and gum resins. The hard resins, among which are amber, copals, mastic, and sandarac are hard, brittle, odorless, and tasteless and exhibit a glasslike fracture. Hard resins and possibly the most commercially important of all the resins, is resin, which is used in sizing paper, in making soap, as a constituent of varnishes and paints, and as friction-producing coating for bows and stringed instruments.

Resin is obtained by distillation of the oleoresin turpentine. The oleoresins are sticky, amorphous semi solids that contain essential oils.

Among the oleoresins are the balsam, dragon’s blood, and copaiba; turpentine is possibly the most widely used oleoresin. The essential oil of turpentine is used as a solvent for paints and varnishes and is employed in the manufacture of shoe polish and sealing wax. During the era of sailing vessels, the crude oleoresin turpentine was much used for caulking and waterproofing. Resins such as frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, and asafetida contain gums and are called gum resins. (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001). Another tree that produces resin is pagsahingin (carnarium asperium), locally known as saleng. It is a large tree that grows 66 |

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about 40 meters high and a diameter of one meter. Commonly used for lighting, fuel and caulking materials for boats.

Cotton Tree. locally known as kapok or doldol. The tree is slender and grows as tall as fifteen meters high. The seeds produce oil, greenishyellow in color it has a pleasant taste and odor. The oil extracted from the seeds is used for the manufacture of soap. The cotton is used as bedding material in the manufacture of mattresses, etc. In some places this tree is grown for commercial purposes.

Cherry Blossom Tree. Balayong, the local name for Palawan Cherry, its Scientific name: Prunus javanica and Family name: Leguminosae, grows wildly in Puerto Princesa and other parts of Palawan. It is one specie of an ornamental flowering plant which authorities contend as endemic to the Province of Palawan and the City of Puerto Princesa.

It is a kind of hard wood that grows wild in Puerto Princesa and Palawan. It never ceases to be an awesome sight to visitors and natives when it blooms during summer months starting in the month of February. A Japanese visitor was heard to have said that the blossoms are more beautiful than those in Japan and was amazed to find that its blossoms last longer too.

The trees were popularized by Governor Higinio A. Mendoza, Sr. when he ordered its planting along streets in Puerto Princesa. Because of its ornamental value, about 500 cherry blossom trees were planted in Rizal Park in Manila. A number of provinces and municipalities have ordered these trees for planting in their own parks or public places.

The Palawan Cherry is a small to medium-sized tree measuring 1.5 meters or taller and 50 centimeters in diameter, The leaves are pinnate, 40 centimeters long while the leaflets are ovate with acute tip, 7 centimeters long and 3.5 centimeters wide, green in color and smooth on both surfaces. Its flowering branches are usually drooping 30 centimeters long. The flowers are in loose panicles, light pink, 5 centimeters across.

The fruit is cylindrical, hard, smooth, and black when mature.

Kawayan. Is another minor forest resource, commonly known as bamboo. This is principally used for construction of houses, fencing, etc. The Filipino may not live without the kawayan. It is prized for its usefulness due to its great strength and durability, which have been • Chapter 2: capability building •

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tested to compare favorably with steel. The green stem used for the manufacture of baskets, hats, furniture, etc.

Rattan Palm. Locally known as sika. This is one of the major exports of Puerto Princesa. It is particularly prized for its beauty when manufactured into furniture, chairs, baskets, etc. The locals use it for bundling or tying.

Honey. Is one of the forest products from Palawan that is discriminately favored. From time memorial, honey has been the major source of carbohydrates in the diet of the Batak. It has become a major source of income of the Bataks today. Unfortunately, the gathering of honey in Puerto princesa is restricted as well as its transport to other places because the areas where honey is gathered is allocated by concessions. In the process, the Bataks are left in the mercy of the concessionaires.

Bee honey is composed of fructose, glucose, and water in varying proportions; it also contains several enzymes and oils. The color and flavor depend on the age of the honey and on the source of nectar.

Light-colored honeys are usually of higher quality than darker honeys; while honey is derived from Californian white sage, Salvia apiana.

Other high grade honeys are made by bees from orange blossoms, clover and alfalfa. A well-known, poorer grade honey is elaborated from buckwheat.

Honey has a fueled value of about 3307 cal/kg (about 1520 cal/lb).

It readily picks up moisture from the air and is consequently used as moistening agent for tobacco and in baking. Glucose crystallizes out of honey on standing at room temperature, leaving an uncrystallized layer of dissolved fructose. Honey to be marketed is usually heated by special processes to about 66 Centigrade (about 150 F) to dissolve the crystals and is poured into containers that are then sealed to prevent crystallization.

The fructose is crystallized honey ferments readily at 16 C (about 60 F) or over. Fermented honey is used to make honey wine or mead.

Honey is marketed in the original comb as comb honey, or centrifuged out of the comb and sold as extracted honey. Chunk honey consists of pieces of comb honey suspended in extracted liquid honey. (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001).

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White Butterfly Orchids. Is better known as Grande flora, grows in large numbers in the forests in Puerto Princesa. Specimens of white butterfly orchids have won prizes in Orchid Shows held in Manila. The gathering or collection of orchids from Puerto Princesa is regulated.

Birds Found in Puerto Princesa. Palawan Island is also known as a Game Refuge and Haven of Philippine Wildlife. Of the thousand species of Philippine wildlife and birds, 232 species of wildlife and 206 species of birds are found in the island.

Palawan Peacock Pheasant. Among the most prized birds from Puerto Princesa, in fact in Palawan is the Palawan Peacock Pheasant (polyplectron emphanum) known locally as Tandican, is the official seal of the City of Puerto Princesa. The male of this bird is considered the smallest and the most beautiful pheasants for its long, pointed metallic blue crest; ear coverts and sometimes long eyebrows and neck stripes white, rest of the head and under parts velvety black. Mantle bright metallic blue with purple reflections; back and rump black, thickly spotted with rusty brown. Upper-tail-coverts and rectrices, 20 and 22 in number, broad and long, of the same color as the back but each bearing in the middle of its terminal half a large round ocella of metallic purple blue, surrounded with double black and gray circle. Two spurs on the leg.

The beauty of the male pheasant is best seen during the mating season when the male becomes deeply engrossed with its courting dance.

When it dances, its crest erect and its resplendently brown tail feathers open and held vertically until the female is seduced. Usually, several male birds participate in the mating dance. The most accomplished dancer with the most beautiful feathers wins the female bird.

The female Palawan Peacock Pheasant is smaller, with no spurs, crest curved down, seldom visible. Plummage brown, whitish on the face and throat, dark on the crown: black and rusty marks and spots on the upper parts; rectrices with large purple blue ocellae, faintly indicated on the upper-tail-coverts. Like all peacock pheasants the present species lives on the floor of the forest being shy and wary, it is very difficult to see, although common in suitable places.

The male struts and displays his wonderful tail and wings, but only in captivity, where the species live and breed well. Birds of this genus lay • Chapter 2: capability building •

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only two ( 2) eggs in each clutch and nests on the ground.

Allied species is found in Borneo, Himalayas, Indo-China, Hainan and Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. It is sad to note that unless something is done, the bird is on its way to extinction. (Jean Delacour and Ernest Mayr. Birds in the Philippines: New York: The Macmillan Company, 1946:259-261.

The bird has been adopted as the symbol of Puerto Princesa City. It is found in its official seal.

Talking Mynah (Gracula religiosa Palanweanis). Is commonly known as the tiyaw. Pigeon sized and almost completely black except for some yellow wattles below the eyes and the nape, it has orange bill and feet. When it flies, patches of white become evident on its wings. It lives on balete trees and feeds on nectar and insects. It is prized for its ability to imitate persons talk like real. The capture of this bird is restricted, if not prohibited, but smuggling them for sale is profitable. It is an endangered specie.

Palawan Hornbill. The male hornbill is a remarkable bird. It is sometimes called “the good family man of the woodland.� A good provider, the male hornbill will not desert its family and will stay with its mate until death. It will even go out of its way to support the widow and orphans of another hornbill.

Whit-Billed Black Woodpecker (dryocopus javensis hargetti). Generally resembles the Philippine subspecies, particularly philippinesis but with bigger bill. A large white patch on the back, throat and sides of the neck much streaked with white. Found only in Palawan Island, where it appears to be rare. One sees isolated specimens restless and shy, moving in the forests, its voice is peculiar. (Jean Delacour and Ernest Mayr, Birds in the Philippines. 1946:270).

Animals. Palawan has a variety of animals with numerous species not found elsewhere in the Philippines. Four of these are found in Puerto Princesa: armadillo, stink badger, Malay Civet cat, porcupine and Palawan Bear Cat. Armadillo or scaly anteater or balintong, is covered with bony plates, with the exception of the ears and legs. It has a long, sticky tongue with which it catches ants and other insects. It curls up into a ball for protection and rolls away, or it can choose to dig a hole in the ground or 70 |

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seek refuge among the thorny tangles of the forest whenever frightened.

This animal is nocturnal.

Stink Badger, is better known for the notorious odor it emits to drive away enemies. This animal is known as pantot. It is a small and gentle animal which resembles a piglet and can be tamed. It feeds on worms and grubs which it digs with its strong claws. It has four short and sturdy legs and its tail is clothed with long bushy hair.

Malay Civet Cat, locally called binturong, is a nocturnal animal. It derives its name from the tiny sac or gland near its tail which contains civet, a highly valuable odorous substance used as a base for some of the world’s most expensive perfumes. It has a long, bushy and prehensile tail, tuft ears, small eyes, naked soles and palms, a small pointed face and a longish body.

Porcupine, locally called durian is a large clumsy rodent with protective barbed spines (actually these are modified hair) all over the body which can be fatal to an enemy. The animal is a superb hiker and can walk and swim considerable distances. It can climb trees, usually feeding on wood and inner barks of trees. When offended, its quills shoot out and fasten into the enemy’s body.

Mineral Resources . The minerals found in Puerto Princesa are mercury, chromite, silica, marble and quarts. Of these, quicksilver or mercury was most productive until it was phased out. The two terms used in mining deserve clarification. A lode is an ore deposit occurring in place within definite boundaries separating it from the adjoining rocks such as gold, silver, kad nickel, mercury, antimony, iron, chromite and manganese. A placer is an alluvial or glacial deposit containing particles of gold or other valuable minerals, such as silver, cobalt, cinnabar, magnetite, sand, iron, copper, wile clay, ilmenite, mercury, black sand, laterite, quarty sand, antimony, and platinum.

Of the several mining companies engaged in exploratory ventures, the Palawan Quicksilver Mines, Inc. owned and managed by Marsman and Company was allowed to operate the only known deposit of mercury in the Philippines located in Puerto Princesa. It started operation in 1955 producing “pure mercury”. Its monthly production was about 23,000 lbs. Obviously it had contributed much to enhance the economy of Puerto Princesa.

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Data gathered from the Mineral News Service, in January, 1970: 24, showed that the lone operator produced following in number of Flasks from 1964 to 1969; in 1965, two thousand three hundred fortythree (2,343), valued at Php 4,233,014.00; in 1967, two thousand five hundred sixty-one (2,561) valued at Php 4,579,363.00; in 1968, three thousand one hundred twenty three and fifty-one (3,123.51), valued at Php 6,142,232.00; in 1969, three thousand five hundred five and fortyone (3,505.41), valued at Php 6,875,331.00.

Tagburos, the area of operation of the mercury mines is back to its original as any other barangay in Puerto Princesa, with one exception, cases of mercury poisoning had been reported years back. (The same cannot be treated here intelligently and credibly since the writer is not privy to the cases reported.) We can only hope and pray that what happened in Minamata, Japan shall not happen in Puerto Princesa city.

In a capsule, in the 1950s, residents of Minamata, Japan began experiencing unusual symptoms, including numbness, vision problems and convulsions. Several hundred people die. The cause was discovered to be mercury ingestion: A local industry had dumped the toxic chemical into Minamata Bay, poisoning fish and thousands of people. In 1997, after massive cleanup, Japan announced that the bay had been cleared of the contanimant.

The case of poisoning was discovered when Shinobu Sakamoto “labors to produce speech from her poison-twisted body, he hands flutter like wounded birds, her right eye rolls upward and her mouth contorts with effort. She needs a friend to translate some of the ensuing sounds into language a stranger can understand.” She was born to a fisherman and his wife on the western coast of the island of Kyushu.

Sakamoto has poison in the womb when her mother ate mercurycontaminated fish. An older sister died, convulsing in agony, at age 5; both of Sakamoto’s parents also suffer from what is now known around the world as “Minamata disease.”

After more than 1,000 deaths, decades of lawsuits that were settled only last year and a huge cleanup effort that had cost more than $342 million, authorities have now declared Minamata Bay safe for fishing once more. Mercury concentrations in the mud and fish have dropped 72 |

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to within government safety limits, and the steel net that was stretched across the mount of the contaminated in 1977 will be removed, perhaps as early as this month, officials said.

However, merchants, farmers and other residents of this lush, lovely city of 33,000 hope to close the books on the disaster and rebuild Minamata’s shattered economy and reputation. The very name “Minamata” still causes many Japanese to shudder, and residents unaffected by mercury have been stigmatized.

It was reported, “there has been a long history of discrimination against Minamata image that not just its fish, but its daikom (Japanese radishes), mikan (oranges), and green peas were tainted,” said Kunio Endo of the Minamata Disease Center Shshisha, one of the several victims’ groups. “Of course there was no contamination of agricultural products. But when you say something is from Minamata, it won’t sell.

It’s extremely unjust.”

When one who stayed for 35 years in Minamata what he learned replied: “Everything that you must not have blind faith in technology, but what a huge thing is to be held socially responsible for this pollution and how difficult the remediation is. Making amends has been so difficult.

The reparations were so huge... I have learned so much. Minamata disease quickly taught Japanese business that pollution does not pay. (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001).

Marble. Located in Puerto Princesa is a geological reserve of 245,000,000 metric tons of limestone and recoverable limestone block for marble of 31,000,000 metric tons. Samples taken at random by the Aguinaldo Development Corporation indicated excellent polishing qualities.

Despite the huge mineral deposits, primarily limestone, the City Government has issued an indefinite moratorium on mining projects in Puerto Princesa City.

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AGRICULTURAL LANDS Puerto Princesa is basically agriculture-based economy, though still in subsistence level. Its agricultural productivity is in more ways than one been handicapped by reservations like the Iwahig Prison and Penal Colony which occupies the lowland areas most fit for agriculture. The other is that most of the arable lands are privately owned way back the Spanish regime as encomienda or concession. Moreover, agricultural productivity is essentially conditioned by such factors as types of soil, irrigation, manner of acquisition, investment, manpower and machinery, etc.

Soil Types. Based on the soil survey conducted by the Bureau of Lands in 1960, the following soil types are found in Puerto Princesa: Hydrosol, is found in Honda Bay, considered the largest area in the province. The area is covered by nipa, bakauan and other halophytic plants. The total area in hectares in the whole province is 39,000 or 2.64 percent of the total land area.

Bay Clay Loam, is found in Iwahig Penal Colony, 2,900 hectares or 0.20 percent of the total land area of Palawan. Its use is for lowland rice and vegetables.

Bolinao Clay, is 10,000 hectares or 0.68 percent of total land area, found in Puerto Princesa and Rio Tuba. Its use: coconuts, upland rice, corn, bananas.

San Manuel Clay, 27,250 hectares or 1.85 percent of the arable lands found in Aborlan, Panacan, Tarusan and all along the eastern coast of Palawan, including Puerto Princesa. Its use: coconut, banana, upland rice, corn.

Malayay Clay, is 6.750 hectares or 0.436 percent. It is secondary forest found in northeastern part of Puerto Princesa.

Tapul Clay Loam, 47,000 hectares or 3.19 percent found in eastern part of Palawan and north of Puerto Princesa. Its use: upland rice, primary forest, boho, sika.

Tagburos Clay, 68,500 hectares or 4.64 percent, found in Puerto Princesa. Its use: upland rice, corn, cassava, sweet potato.

Of the total 1,474,570 hectares of arable land, 83,420 hectares or 5.65 percent are un-surveyed.

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In the report of the Bureau of Forestry, 29,690.40 hectares are alienable or disposable for agricultural purposes. About 5.03 percent of these lands are under cultivation. Of these disposable lands, 123, 288 hectares or 8.27 percent are brush lands and 51,182 hectares or 3.44 percent are open land, which could be used as grazing lands and for other agricultural ventures. About 29,690.40 hectares are in Puerto Princesa.

Some of these lands were occupied by kaingineros or the natives. These were the areas that drew much of the migrants.

While Palawan is traversed by several rivers and streams which could be tapped for irrigation purposes, only about 2,000 hectares are under irrigation out of the 90,000 hectares under cultivation.

Major Agriculutral Products. The heterogeneity of the topography of Puerto Princesa is reflected in the diversity of its agriculture. On the flat coastal plains in the south, farmers specialize in lowland rice production, often producing two croppings a year. In the hilly upland areas, coconut, banana, cashew, citrus, and a wide variety of other fruit trees are planted. In terms of “big money earner” copra tops them all.

As indicated earlier, agricultural productivity is conditioned by the type of soil. The major agricultural products of Puerto Princesa are: Coconuts. The most important crop is coconut. Large areas are planted to coconuts. Most of the coconuts are made into copra which is shipped to Manila by Chinese merchants or to Borneo in exchange for goods barter trade. In 1969, there were 104,385 coconut bearing trees.

There are two major varieties grown, the San Ramon and the ordinary.

The San Ramon is preferred because only 129 nuts produce one picul of copra while the ordinary 300-400 nuts to produce a picul of copra. The San Ramon variety produces 18 nuts per tree per annum.

The pests that attack coconut trees are: leaf miner, Asiatic weevil, Black and red beetle, squirrels and porcupine. The most destructive are typhoons. Coconuts are mostly found along the shores.

Rice Production. Rice is the chief staple food, but its supply cannot meet the demand. Rice is mostly produced by kaingin, an upland agriculture which is produced only once every year. This is primitive way of planting rice the early farmers knew. The average yield, in 1967, was • Chapter 2: capability building •

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only 50 cavans per hectare. In Iwahig where lowland rice is produced, the average yield is much higher. A farmer was reported to have produced 178 cavans per hectare of lowland rice.

Bananas. One of the food crops with high potential for development on commercial scale is bananas. Puerto Princesa is ideal for banana production because it is rarely visited by typhoons. The soil is fit for bananas. In fact, certain varieties which have commercial value are found only in Palawan.

Cashew. Cashew is major product of Cuyo. Whatever is found in Puerto Princesa must have been brought by migrants from Cuyo. Its production was taken for granted until in recent years when it became an emerging industry. The variety produced in Palawan and Puerto Princesa are much better than those in other places which produce cashew nuts.

This is one tree that grows profusely with little care. The fully grown cashew tree can produce as much as 20 gantas of nuts. Besides the nuts the meat can be made into excellent wine. Production of wine from the meat needs more refinement to be more competitive.

Sugarcane. In the last decade of Spanish rule, sugarcane plantations were planned. The initial production marketed with trade mark Marca Paragua was as good as those produced in Luzon and Western Visayas.

Needless to say, the potential may be there but may not be profitable under prevailing conditions that beset the sugar industry.

Livestock and Poultry. Puerto Princesa has large open areas which could be used as grazing lands and other agricultural ventures. According to the Bureau of Forestry, as of June 30, 1969, fifty-one thousand one hundred eighty-two (51,182) hectares or 3.44 percent of the disposable alienable lands of Palawan are available for agricultural purposes.

Cattle raising was one of the activities reported during the Spanish times has yet to be given much concern. The area which the City Hall and other government buildings and facilities are located was formerly a ranch. It was only released from the jurisdiction of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources upon the request of the Dominican Sisters in Puerto Princesa when it applied for the twentyhectare area for its use, the same area that the Palawan State University occupies.

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The other agricultural ventures are poultry, hog and goat raising.

Meat production is vital to the economy which can be undertaken as backyard or cottage industry.

FISH AND FISHERY PRODUCTS The average Filipino diet is rice and fish. Puerto Princesa is rich in marine and aquatic resources. The Sulu Sea (along Palawan waters) facing Puerto Princesa was reported in 1972, had produced 693.44 kilograms of fish or 42.45 percent of the total production in 1969. The fish were all shipped to Manila. This does not include the amount of fish caught for local consumption by small time fishermen and the surplus fish caught by individual fishermen which found its way in the many tables of friends and relatives in form of fresh or dried fish.

The largest fishing outfit based in Puerto Princesa is the Jacana Fishing Corporation which began operation in 1970.

The fishpond culture is also to some extent engaged in around Puerto Princesa. Iwahig Penal Colony has developed large areas for fishpond culture.

Kinds of Gear Used. The gears used are the bagnet, otter trawl, round haul seine, muro-ami, purse seine, hook and line, beach seine, gill net, fish coral and long line. The most common gears used are the bagnet, muro-ami and otter trawl. In 1964-1968, the Philippine Fisheries Commission reported in its Fisheries Statistical Bulletin the average amount of fish caught was: otter trawl, 15,125,170 kilograms; bagnet, 65,069,788 kilograms; muro-ami, 111,087,824 kilograms; purse seine, 22,223,800 kilograms; hook and line, 7,352,768 kilograms.

The fish caught that was landed in Puerto Princesa in 1965 was forty-six thousand eight hundred forty (45,840) kilograms; in 1967, thirty-seven thousand two hundred (37,200) kilograms; and in 1968, one hundred sixty-four thousand nine hundred twenty (164,920) kilograms.

Kinds of Fish Caught. The twenty leading kinds of fish caught , base on yearly average, were: round scad, 48,289,584; sardine, 12,351,136; caesio, 6,132,628; mackerel chub, 5,175,264; anchovy, 4,590,224; • Chapter 2: capability building •

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nemipterid, 4,050,224; slipmouth, 3,867,280; bonito, 2,709,240; big-eyed scad, 2,595,744; cavalla, 2,492,658; snapper, 2,1576,320; surgeon fish, 1.981,568; lizard fish, 1,981,568; grouper, 1,786,480; hairtail, 1,101,144; croaker, 1,627,424; and those that averaged less than one million kilograms were mackerel, shrimp, crevalle and tuna.

Other Fishery Products. The other fishery products are: reptile skin, seaweeds, mother of pearl, snail, troca, trepang, capis and shells. In 1964 alone, gathered in kilograms in Palawan: reptile skin, 4,487; mother of pearl, 18,398; capis, 4,990; snail, 130 and miscellaneous, 2,425.

FORESTRY

Palawan was considered one of the very few provinces which is still covered by virgin forest. As of June 10, 1968, in hectares: permanent timberland, 537,542.79; temporary timberland, 7,987.0; mangrove swamp, 21,976,50; certified disposable and alienable, 263,776.64; unclassified public forest, 552,698.24; proposed alienable and disposable, 76,722.83 or a total of 1,460,520.00.

Companies Operating in 1968. Palawan logs are sinkers. As such it is much expensive to operate. Despite this, however, when all forest areas in Mindanao had been taken and practically denuded which are called “floaters� did the loggers come to Palawan.

Among the companies granted logging concessions in Puerto Princesa in 1969 were: Central Palawan Timber Corporation, 6,240 hectares and allowable cut in M/S of 4,460; Bureau of Prisons, 20,000 hectares, allowable cut, 39,660; Fil-Eastern Wood Industries, Inc., 72,500 hectares, allowable cut, 60,280, including Taytay and Roxas. Palawan Apitong Corporation was granted 20,000 hectares.

Estimates of production in 1968 was: first group of hardwood, 5,679.81 cubic meters, valued at about Php 441,577.00; second group consisting of apitong, manlugai, alupang, amugis, etc. was 92,212.39 cubic meters valued at Php 2,299,115.10; and the third group, 855.88 cubic meters valued at Php 53,100.00.

Minor Forest Products Licenses. In 1968 the minor forest products gathered in Palawan were then of ordinary forest product license holders 78 |

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267,558.0 cubic meters ; 34 almaciga or Manila copal licenses holders, 706,000.00 kilograms valued at about Php 29,990.00; the 25 firewood and tanbark license holders, 62,340.0 and 533 cubic meters, respectively valued at Php 21,047.70.

TRADE AND COMMERCE Experience has shown that the economy depends largely on the volume of trade and commerce. The mobility of people and goods depend on the efficiency of public utilities and financing firms, particularly of banks.

Public Utilities. Puerto Princesa, since its establishment is the principal port in Palawan for most of the goods from Manila and also where most of the products are shipped to Manila. The present wharf was constructed by Governor Anastacio Manalo from 1922 to 1925.

The volume of trade and commerce was so limited that only three motor vessels serviced Puerto Princesa and Manila, weekly in 1968. The vessels loaded copra, forest products, lumber and small quantities of livestock and fish. In 1962, the Bureau of Coast and Geodetic Survey reported that Puerto Princesa was accessible to foreign vessels.

Bancas, sailboats (single and double sailed), and motor launches were issued to transport people and goods from Puerto Princesa, vice versa, to settlements along the coastlines and islands within the province.

Shipbuilding was an industry in the Barbacan area where most of the pancos were built by the Cagayanons and Agutayanons. A number of these were converted into motorized launches used for inter-island transportation.

Land Transportation. In 1929 the road was only up to Tagburos.

Bahile and Tagburos were connected by a trail. In 1930 appropriations for the south and north roads were provided for by the national and provincial government.

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were in full operation. The towns serviced from Puerto Princesa were Brooke’s Point, Aborlan and Quezon.

Air Service. The Philippine Airlines and for sometime the FAST serviced the Manila-Puerto Princesa route. Private aircrafts were available for chartered flights to such places as Narra, Barton, Tarampitao, Cuyo and Brooke’s Point.

Other Services. In 1919, the provincial government provided for the construction of a telephone system in Puerto Princesa. The service is good. Besides the government telecommunications, two other private radio-telegraph companies operated in Puerto Princesa, the Telecorp and the RCPI. Rafols Hotel. In 1965, Felix Rafols, Jr. and wife Veronica Matillano established the 15-room Rafols Hotel in the heart of the Municipality of Puerto Princesa. The hotel was known for its efficient and personalized service, where each guest regardless of social status was treated with utmost importance. It was also the official caterer of the Philippine Airlines’ pilots and cabin crew. To meet the increasing demand for hotel accommodations, Rafols Hotel expanded and a five-star hotel was built three kilometers away from the city proper. The first guests were tennis players from Clark Airbase, who were invited by the Commander of Western Command, Commodore Gil Fernandez.

People who came to visit Puerto Princesa were surprised to see the 100-room hotel with Presidential and Royal suite rooms. As one writer wrote, a “five-star hotel in the middle of the jungle.” It was manned by competent and well-trained staff who had undergone a monthlong rigorous training in the basics of hotel service. It can be said that Rafols Hotel was the only hotel which paid prospective employees while undergoing training. Its first Resident Manager was Hans Lohrer and most of the Department Heads were from Manila Peninsula.

Later, the hotel entered into a corporate management contract with the Hyatt. However, after the EDSA Revolution in 1987, Rafols Hotel was among those sequestered by the new administration of then President Corazon C. Aquino. This time the hotel changed hands with the Asiaworld Hotel. However, after the untimely death of the new owner, no one seemed interested in pursuing the business.

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Today, the building still stands on its site. And Felix and Veronica Rafols together with their two sons Rey and Roy will always be remembered as the pioneers of the hotel business in Puerto Princesa.

Radio Station DYPR. Puerto Princesa is proud to have a radio station, DYPR, which was founded by Ramon Decoloñgon, a wellknown radio-broadcaster as Ray Oliver, in July 1966. Its first Station Manager was Mr. Jess Decolongon and the staff were: Dr. Art Carlos, Jay Bolusa, Luchie Almira, and Edna Ponce de Leon. With the untimely death of Mr. Ray Oliver, Ms. Lulu Ilustre took over the reigns of top management.

Banks. Besides the Postal Savings Bank, four other banks operated in Palawan, three of which are in Puerto Princesa: Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Philippine National Bank (PNB) and the Rural Bank of Puerto Princesa. The fourth bank, the Rural Bank of Brooke’s Point, in the municipality of Brooke’s Point about 200 kilometers south of Puerto Princesa.

INFRASTRUCTURE Roads. The national and provincial roads start at Puerto Princesa. In 1968, the existing roads in kilometers, in the first district, composed of all municipalities north of Puerto Princesa was: National, 10,53 earth and 289.96 macadam, a total of 325.06; Provincial, 174.50 earth; 4,48 low type bituminous or a total of 179.04; Municipal, 103.12 earth, 31.42 macadam or a total of 134.54. In the second district: National, 84.50 earth; and 3.38 low type bituminous or a total of 88.08; Provincial, 154.32 macadam; 1.38 low type bituminous, or a total of 155.71; Municipal, 292.431 earth, 42.41 macadam; and 2.23 low type bituminous or a total of 337.05.

Bridges. In 1969, First District, National, coco and timber 146, length 12,005.50 meters; bailey, 23 length 918.55 meters; concrete 12; length 404.90 meters or a total of 181, length 3,3228.95; Provincial, coco and timber, 6; length 134.30 meters. In the Second district, National, coco and timber 41; length 594.60 meters; steel, one; length 102.38 meters or a total of 42, length 6987.98; Provincial, coco and timber, 18; length 67.70.

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Ports and Airports. One of the reasons for the selection of Puerto Princesa as capital of the province of Palawan was it has a good harbor. The rationale proved to be wise decision. Immediately upon the establishment of the town, the pier was constructed to facilitate the loading and unloading of people and goods from other places in Palawan and parts of the Philippines.

DETERRENTS TO DEVELOPMENT From the time of its establishment, malaria and Iwahig Prison and Penal Colony were viewed as deterrents to the development of Puerto Princesa in particular and Palawan in general.

Malaria. The type of malaria in Palawan and Puerto Princesa has been identified as “black water fever,” a type of malignant malaria characterized by the passing of dark urine.

In 1965, some 33 individuals for over 1,000 inhabitants were confirmed to have malaria parasite. However, with the passage of Republic Act No. 4832 in 1966, created the Malaria Eradication Service, much progress have been made. In 1969, the incidence was reduced to 30 per thousand population. Sixty-five per cent of malaria cases came from Puerto Princesa, Roxas, Aborlan and Brooke’s Point.

Some Facts About Malaria. The disease is caused by the presence of a unicellular parasite, a protozoan, belonging to the genus Plasmodium, red corpuscles or in the liver cells. It is contacted through the bite of a certain species of anopheles mimus flavirostris . It is relatively small in size compared with other mosquitoes and generally black in color. It breeds in clean slow moving water and partly shaded streams. During the day, its adults rest along the stream banks several inches above the water level. It usually starts to bite at about 6:30 P.M., its biting peak is around 10:00 P.M. A few minutes after biting or feeding, it goes out of the house.

The adult flavirostris can survive for 21 to 30 days. At night on fair weather the mosquito can fly two to two-and-a-half kilometers. It can be easily spotted while resting or in the act of biting by its almost perpendicular position.

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The most common symptoms of malaria infection are chills, fever and sweating. There are instances, that not all these symptoms are manifested. At times it is only manifested by chills and fever or only chills or fever alone. Some individuals complain of headache without chills or fever. When detected early through blood smear, radical or complete treatment can arrest the disease. The common anti-malarial drugs used by the Malaria Eradication Service are 150 mg. camoquine and 15 mg. primaquine tablets. (Office of the Malaria Eradication Service, Manila).

Published in Discover Magazine, May 1992 is an article by Tony Dajer entitled Blackwater Fever. This was a case of a “Twenty-yearold Chinese male came in last complaining of headaches and fevers.

The night team thought it might be meningitis, so they did a spinal tap.

But the lab just called, and the fluid’s clear, so there’s no meningitis.

And now his temperature is back up to 103.” He has been in the United States for three weeks. He came from China, crossing through Burma on foot for two weeks and took a flight from Thailand to the United States. He had fever and headaches since he got off the plane.

He went to three doctors in Chinatown who gave him pills, but none helped.

After knowing how the Chinaman came, the doctor suspected it could be blackwater fever. “In the old days they used to call falciparum malaria the most severe form of the disease blackwater fever because the intense destruction of red cells turns a patient’s urine black. My hunch seemed far fetched, though. Many other diseases cause black urine and malaria is no longer indigenous to this country. Virtually all U.S. cases about 1,100 in 1990 are found in travelers or newly arrived immigrants.”

Tony Dajer continues, “Now his symptoms began to make sense.

Eastern Burma is a hotbed of malaria, especially falciparum malaria, which is resistant to chloroquine, the standard drug used to treat the disease. And the incubation period for malaria is two weeks. Had he been bitten by a malaria-carrying mosquito in the jungles of Burma, the fever and headaches wouldn’t have started until he arrived in the United States.”

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For a firm diagnosis, however, a smear of blood would have to be put under the microscope and inspected for malaria parasites. Bloodsucking mosquitoes merely transmit malaria from one human host to the next; the actual cause of the disease is one of the several tiny parasites that attack the red cells in human blood. The exam would tell us which strain of malaria the young man had provided, of course, that it was malaria we were dealing with. We sent off a tube of blood to the lab right away, but it would take 30 minutes to prepare the slide. The call from the lab confirmed, “it’s malaria” it looks like falciparum.”

“My eyes adjusted to the scope, and I focused on several of the pink blood cells, Smack on the middle of one of them was the bluish circular band crowned by a tiny ruby: the one-celled protozoan named Plasmodium falciparum. Yet there was no obvious evidence of the destruction wrought by the pretty killer. That, too, I learned, is one of the falciparum’s tricks. It doesn’t simply do its dirty work by destroying red cells. It also makes the membranes sticky and causes them to clump on vital organs such as the liver, the kidneys, and the brain, cutting off their blood flow. The result is often permanent organ damage or, in the case of celebral malaria, death.”

“Now it was just a matter of administering the right dose of quinine, adding a boost of tetracycline, and our young visitor would be cured.”

(Tony Dajer, “Blackwater Fever”. Discover Magazine. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001).

Iwahig Prison and Penal Colony It was founded on November 16, 1904 when sixty-one prisoners arrived at Iwahig, an abandoned Spanish Royal Farm, with R.J. Shields, an American as head of the colony. It was the plan to use prison labor to clear the forested area to induce people from other places to settle in Palawan. The plan was changed with the passage of Act 1738 in September 1907, designating the colony as a rehabilitation of reformed criminals.

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of soldiers and civilians convicted of crimes; and deportees who were suspected or charged with offenses against the civil and religious authorities. The place was developed as a sugar-estate or plantation where prison labor was used. Its forest abounds in prized hardwood such as camagong, ipil and other hard wood used for ship building and cabinets and in wild animals and birds.

Today, the place is known as the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, located twenty-two kilometers south of Puerto Princesa City. It has gained international recognition as the “prison without bars”.

Area of the Colony. It has an area of approximately 38,600 hectares divided into four sub-colonies: 1) the Central with an area of 12,000 hectares, is the site of the administrative offices; 2) Inagawan, 10,600 hectares which was established in 1946 as site of the Davao Penal Colony in exile; 3) Sta. Lucia, 9,000 hectares, was founded in 1952 as temporary site of the New Ramon Prison and Penal Farm, when the latter was destroyed by disastrous floods; and 4) Montible, formerly a logging area of the Central Sub-colony, with an area of 7,000 was established in 1961.

Administration. The Colony is managed by a Prison Superintendent and about 105 officers and employees. The annual appropriation from the national government averages Php 1,307,820.00 with Php 173,181.00 from Special Fund.

The sub-colonies are also under a Prison Superintendent. These units are divided into working stations: farming, animal husbandry, engineering and construction, forestry, fishing, coconut and coffee industry, handicraft, education and cultural arts and institutional services.

The officers and employees are assisted by ranking inmates called “mayors” and “capatazes”. They take charge of work details and are appointed by the Superintendent upon recommendation of the Board of Merit. Besides the petty officers, inmate “trustees” are trained and mustered to help maintain peace and order and safeguard government property.

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Unskilled or unclassified “cuernas................. Php 0.50 to 1.00 per month Assistant petty officer and skilled worker.... Php 2.00 to 3.00 per month Mayor or highest ranking colonist............... Php 9.00 to 10.00 per month Petty Officer and highly skilled worker........ Php 4.00 to 6.00 per month

Life in the Colony. The colonists enjoy much freedom in their movement within the reservation. They live and work like free men in scattered work-stations which closely resemble typical sitios or barrios.

Some prisoners are allowed to live with their families in groups within the reservation apart from the other colonists. Even bachelor colonists are allowed to bring their fiancĂŠes or marry the daughter of fellow-colonists.

Adult education classes are conducted to illiterates seven working hours a week. The adult training program is divided into three types: Type A, learning of fundamentals in reading, writing and arithmetic; Type B, for graduates of Type A; and Type C is vocational instruction in bookkeeping, accounting, etc.

The colony like a free community is provided with basic services: school, postal service, chapel, mosque, recreation halls, hospital and movies. In fact Iwahig Penal Colony is a center of social activities where prominent persons from the neighboring municipalities and high government officials are invited. The Iwahig band, the only one in Puerto Princesa is always invited to participate in activities and programs outside the colony. Athletic activities are also regularly held.

Number of Inmates. On 30 December 1969, there were 4,494 inmates in the colony. Of these : single, 2,505 or 55.74 percent; married, 1,878 or 41.78 percent; widower, 112 or 2.46 percent. Those in confinement: 1,597 of 35.53 percent (age bracket 21-25); 821 or 18.27 percent (age bracket 26-30); 772 or 18.27 percent (age bracket 18-20); 503 or 11.19 percent (age bracket 31-35).

Educational Attainment: Illiterates, 1,204 or 26.70%; Primary grades, 2,156 or 47.80%; Intermediate grades, 702 or 15.61%; Secondary grades 405 or 9.01%; College, 23 (only 4 college graduates).

Occupation: Farmers, 2,095 or 46.61%; Laborers, 960 or 21.36%; Fishermen, 261 or 5.80%. Others were either driver, jobless, vendor, carpenter, clerk or employee, businessman and poultry and swine owner.

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Crimes Committed: Against persons, 2,248 or 50%; Against property, 1,866 or 41.52%; Against chastity, 205 or 4.56%.

Place of Origin: Samar, 393; Cebu 389; Leyte, 305; Iloilo, 242; Cotabato, 174; Negros Occidental, 157; Davao, 147; Misamis Occidental, 147; Manila, 129, and Bohol, 121.

In the early American regime, prisoners whose sentence was nearing completion were trained in this colony on the duties and responsibilities of good citizens. It also at the same time eased out the congestion in prison cells in Manila. During the first year, those who built the buildings and houses were subjected to hardship and shortages. They suffered “much sickness and many deaths” as well as numerous escape attempts and the displacement of the indigenous Tagbanuas.

The colony after undergoing so much development gained for itself the name, “unique institution”, one with a symbiotic relationship with Puerto Princesa. Iwahig was the source of vegetables, fruits, fish and meat for Puerto Princesa.

Iwahig was also the social center for festivities and celebrations.

Invitations to the Penal Farm during Christmas and New Year and other dates were always a welcome treat for residents in Puerto Princesa for there was an abundance of food and entertainment.

SCENIC SPOTS AND PLACES Puerto Princesa is endowed by nature with beautiful islets, scenic spots and places that evoke the pristine image of some exotic wonderland, a living paradise. Her beaches are as velvety as those of Hawaii. Outstanding among these scenic spots is the “eight wonder of the world” the Underground River at St. Paul’s Bay. A visitor once described this scenic beauty in these words: Nothing but an artist’s pencil could tell the story. Photographs give but the outlines and convey no adequate conception of the marvelous detail of line and color. Nature’s sculpture is everywhere. The scene changes... the note becomes that of ancient Egypt. Carved by time itself, unaided by the hand of man there reposes a complete and finished griffin (or is it a sphinx by time as amid • Chapter 2: capability building •

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the sands of the desert?). Between stately stone pillars rise a eries of steps leading from the water to some temple within. Then the carven stretches away an almost perfect rectangle with walls and ceiling decorated with many colors — surely the deft work of an artistic, designing hand. One sharp turn of the way and there appears a huge stalactite glittering like a chandelier from the ceiling of some great ballroom. Suddenly the boat glided into a great chamber resplendent with colors and decorations like a stage set for a scene in some grand opera. (Brochure. Palawan: The Last Frontier 3).

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES One of the purposes of the United States in occupying the Philippines was to educate the Filipinos. Education is best achieved through formal education. Primary schools were immediately established in centers of population. Through the assistance of the American teachers who came as “Thomasites” with the soldiers as first teachers and later teaching the promising Filipinos the rudiments of teaching through institutes acted as teachers, teaching what they learned to Filipinos to fill the demand of teachers. It was surprising that a number of summer institutes in Manila and Baguio Summer School. A number of promising school administrators were sent to the United States as pensionados (scholars).

Elementary. As of 1971, enrolment in the elementary schools was 6,927. The rate of increase in enrolment was 9% in the last three years.

In 1969 there were 719 who graduated from Grade Six; in 1970, seven hundred eighty-eight (788) and in 1971, eight hundred seventy-two (872).

In 1968 there were 241 elementary teachers in the public elementary school in Puerto Princesa. In 1971 there were 872 teachers, an increase of nine percent in four years. The increase in the number of pupils and schools led to the creation of a new school district.

Secondary. The Palawan High School which was transferred from Cuyo to Puerto Princesa in 1936 was the only secondary school then.

It occupied the old five-room elementary school building where the Eulalia Park is now, until the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1938, vocational courses were introduced into the General Curriculum.

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The subjects offered were retail merchandising, horticulture, woodworking and automotive.

In the early part of 1945, classes were temporarily held in the recreation hall of the Iwahig Penal Colony. It was later moved to its old site in make-shift buildings tents. In 1947, it moved to its present site a nine-hectare lot with Gabaldon type of building. Quonset huts which were acquired from the American Liberation Forces by the Provincial Government were constructed as classrooms. Later, these Quonset huts were replaced with prefabricated buildings.

In 1957, the General 2-2 Plan replaced the General Curriculum.

The plan is a two-stream curriculum whereby the student may choose, the pre-college curriculum or vocational course in retail merchandizing, agriculture, wood working and home technology on their third year.

The first five years of its existence, the enrolment was: 1936-37 one hundred nine (109); and in 1941-42, two hundred eighty-one (281).

Barrio High School. The first barrio high school was established in Barrio Maruyogon, 52 kilometers north of the poblacion, per Rsolution No. 310, Series of 1966. In 1969, the Barrio High School in Inagawan was established with 41 first year students, Vocational Schools. There were, in 1970, two private vocational schools, the Palawan Vocational School which offered courses in typing, stenography and bookkeeping; and Macuendo Fashion School.

St. Joseph Seminary. Msgr. Leandro Nieto established the St. Joseph Seminary on November 14, 1937. When the war broke out, the Seminary did not accept new enrollees to avoid danger of the students and faculty. Classes continued transferring to different safe places. In 1945, two of its students were ready for ordination. The Seminary was under the Order of the Agustinian Recollects, O.A.R., until 1966 when the management was transferred to the secular clergy of the Apostolic Vicariate of Palawan. The first lay teachers were admitted in 1968 as a requirement for government permit and recognition of the secondary course. In 1970 there were four lay teachers, four secular priests and one religious priest in the faculty. • Chapter 2: capability building •

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From 1937 to 1955, the seminarians took courses in humanities, philosophy and theology. In 1955, the major seminarians were sent to St. Vincent’s Major Seminary of the Archdiocese of Jaro, Iloilo for their Philosophy and Theology courses.

Holy Trinity College. The Holy Trinity College is the pioneer institution of higher learning in Palawan, established in 1940 as the Holy Trinity Academy. The first administrators were Rev. Mother Cruz Rich, O.P., Rev. Mother Paulina Cruz, O.P. and Rev. Mother Trinidad Acosta, O.P., who worked in close cooperation with the Augustinian Recollect priests under the leadership of Msgr. Leandro Nieto, ORSA, then Prefect Apostolic of Palawan.

HTC rose to become a junior college on September 10, 1950 with Sister Amparo Bautista, O.P. as the first directress. In the same year, the following courses were opened: Elementary Teacher’s Certificate (ETC), Vocational Stenography and Typing. Its Liberal Arts program was opened in 1957. In 1959, the Associate in Commercial Science and Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education courses were added.

It was elevated to a college in 1960. For many Palaweños and Puerto Princesans in particular, the Holy Trinity College has been an institution whose history has been closely entwined with that of the city and the province as a whole.

The Holy Trinity College implements an intensive development program, which uses the Catholic Schools–Systems Development concept in the operation of the school. The school operation is done in the context of a Christian school community inspired by the Dominican “Passion for Truth and Compassion for Humanity.” The Holy Trinity College is committed to the formation of its personnel and students to become integrated human persons, Christ-centered learners and Apostolic proclaimers through the acquisition of competence and skills, a strong sense of values, a deep social consciousness and involvement and trusting faith in God. Far more significant than being the pioneer institution of higher learning in the province though is HTC’s being the center of Catholic education, a distinction which sets it apart from most other educational institutions in the province which inspires the school community in 90 |

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their work and become an effective means of promoting true human development and authentic social progress and liberation, “enabling the youth, while developing their own personality, to grow at the same time in that new life which has been given them in baptism.” A special function it shares with other Catholic schools is the “orienting of the whole of human culture to the message of salvation that the knowledge which the pupils acquire of the world, of life and of men is illuminated by faith,” thus preparing its students “to contribute effectively to the welfare of the world of men and to work for the extension of the kingdom of God, so that by living an exemplary and apostolic life they may be, as it were, a saving leaven in the community” (Vatican II “Declaration on Christian Education”) In the span of 62 years, HTC has been through Palawan’s historical and critical moments. At such points, HTC served as an active catalyst of events, responding with faith and helping shape the community it envisions with Palawan’s leadership. To manifest unity with the parish community, the school community actively participates in relevant social concerns and helps espouse important causes and issues, each time demonstrating how liberating a forceful, true Christian education is in society.

Throughout the years, HTC has become a symbol of missionary sacrifice and services, upon which the school was founded, in an island consecrated to God through the first Christian missionaries in the 17th century. Indeed, it is a “landmark,” a fierce bearer of Truth, a signal to the dawn of God’s kingdom and a presence of the Spirit that calls all men to divine communion under one flock, one fold, and one body, with Mary our dear Mother and Guiding Star.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa. On 19 February, Msgr. Mariano Cuartero y Medina, First Bishop of Jaro, issued the title and faculties of Military Chaplain of the colony of Puerto Princesa to Fr. Ezequiel Moreno. Father Moreno was assisted by Father Antonio Muro, both of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, A.O.R, when they celebrated their first mass on Palawan soil on Sunday, 10 March 1872 in a makeshift altar upon which was placed the image of Our Lady of Monserrat. It was only on the 8th of December the definite church was • Chapter 2: capability building •

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inaugurated and the Immaculate Concepcion was proclaimed patroness of the new colony.

That same year, St. Ezequiel Moreno made his first excursion to the territory of the pagan Tagbanuas in the vicinity of Inagawan river that he contracted the famous Palawan fever, malaria, that he had to leave for Manila to recover his health.

On 19 August 1906 he died in Monteagudo, Spain beside his beloved “Virgin de Camino.� He was succeeded by Father Antonio Muro.

In 1901, Fathers Manuel Garcia and Domingo de Pablo were assigned parish priest and assistant of Puerto Princesa respectively.

On 10 April 1910, the Apostolic Perfecture of Palawan, the first in the Philippines was erected under the Omnimoda Jurisdiction and Dependence of the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda Fide. On August 28, 1911, Father Victoriano Roman took possession of the Perfecture with Cuyo as Center. He was succeeded by Father Leandro Nieto in 1939.

On 3 July 1955, the Perfecture was elevated into an Apostolic Vicariate through a Papal Bull issued by Pope Pius XII. Then on September 18, 1955, Bishop Gregorio Espiga y Infante, O.A.R., DD, took possession of the Apostolic Vicariate. Father Joaquin Fernandez, a musician-parish priest has the old parish convent repaired.

In 1966, the Cursillo de Crisitianidad was introduced in the parish and the old Seminario de San Jose building was often used as cursillo house.

Father Crisostomo Garnica was appointed the first Filipino parish priest of Puerto Princesa. A saintly and well-loved priest from Dumarao, Capiz, he served until 1970 strengthening the different religious organizations. He was succeeded by Father Casiano Cosmilla. Both priests belong to the Order of the Agustinian Recollects.

On September 11, 1983, the Letter of Appointment of Monsignor Francisco C. San Diego of the Archdiocese of Manila as Coadjutor Bishop of Palawan was read during the mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral. Bishop Espiga held on to his position until December 18, 1987 when he turned over to Bishop San Diego the vicariate, making the latter the first Filipino Diocesan Bishop as Vicar Apostolic of Palawan.

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In 2002, the Holy See issued a bull that divided the Apostolic Vicariate of Palawan into two new Apostolic Vicariate, Puerto Princesa and Taytay.

St. Ezekiel Moreno. Capellan y Missionero Fray Ezekiel Moreno, a Spanish missionary of the Order of the Augustinian Recollects (OAR) was born in Alfaro, La Rioja, Spain on April 9, 1848. He is the third of the five children of Felix Moreno and Josefina Diaz. They were poor, but were a devout couple who encouraged him to follow his religious calling.

Ezekiel, even as a young boy, had always wanted to become a priest and missionary in the Philippines. He saw the realization of his dream when at the age of 16, he wore the habit of the OAR at the Monastery of Monteagudo in Navarra, Spain. A fervent Marian devotee, he adopted the name of Fray Ezekiel of Our Lady of the Rosary. One year after, he pronounced his temporal vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

He made his solemn profession on September 22, 1868 and volunteered for the missions in the Philippines. Thus on October 4, 1869, with 16 other missionaries they sailed from Cadiz, Spain to the Philippines, arriving Manila on February 10, 1870 and four months later, he received his Minor Orders in Jaro, Iloilo. Finally, on June 2, 1871, Fray Ezekiel was ordained priest in Manila.

Fray Ezekiel’s first parish assignment was with the Mangyans in Calapan, Mindoro, where he celebrated his first mass after he was ordained priest. He learned to speak Tagalog with the help of his brother Fr. Eustaquio, another OAR. A year later, he led a team of missionaries to Palawan and founded the town of Puerto Princesa and laid the foundation and dedicated the church to the Immaculate Conception. The cathedral as it is known today stands on the same spot where Fray Ezekiel established the church. This remains a living proof of his great devotion to the Blessed Mother. His exemplary conduct, kindness and tireless missionary efforts have won the Tagbanuas to embrace the faith. However, his stay was short because while undertaking his multifarious tasks in his mission, he contracted the dreaded disease Malaria and had to leave for Manila for treatment.

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When he got well, he returned to Calapan and after two months he was elevated as Priest and the Vicar Provincial of the Recollects in Mindoro.

Then, in 1876 he was transferred to Las Piñas where he served as Parish Priest. He played an important role in providing assistance to the people affected by the small pox epidemic that year and actively helped the residents in the drought and crop failure in 1878 and the victims of the fire which razed to the ground the commercial nerve center of the town in 1879. Thus when news spread that he would be transferred to Santo Tomas, Batangas, this was greatly opposed by the parishioners.

They petitioned against his transfer, but true to his vow of obedience, he accepted his new assignment without qualms.

A year after his assignment in Batangas, he was appointed an Official Preacher of the Order’s Convent in San Nicolas, Intramuros.

He was a very eloquent speaker touching the mind and heart of his listeners as he spoke from the heart, flaming with the love of God. He was again appointed the Official Preacher of the Recollects and the Parish of Sta. Cruz, Manila. He eloquently preached in Spanish and Tagalog.

Fray Ezekiel was assigned to the Recollect residence in Imus, Cavite from 1882 to 1885. The people of Imus can never forget his help and concern to the victims of the cholera epidemic which claimed the lives of 3,200 people in 1882.

In May 1885, Fray Ezekiel ended his 15 years of service in the Philippines and returned to Spain to become Superior of Monteagudo.

While in the Philippines, he was assigned in Calapan and Bulalacao, Mindoro; Puerto Princesa, Inagawan and Aborlan, Palawan; Las Piñas; Santo Tomas, Batangas; Sta. Cruz, Manila; and Imus and Bacoor, Cavite.

His assignments in the Philippines has helped him prepare for an even more difficult missionary work in South America, specifically in Bogota, Colombia. He was able to restore the Recollect Province of Candelaria in the area.

In May 1894, he was consecrated Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Casnare. Then the following year, he was appointed Bishop of Pasto in western Colombia by Pope Leo XIII. Fray Ezekiel had authored 94 |

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hundreds of correspondence, pamphlets and pastoral letters all mean to counteract the doctrinal errors concerning the church. He was also responsible for the propagation of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, from whom he derived his strength during all the difficult and tough times.

It was during his pastorate at the Diocese of Pasto war tore the place from 1899 to 1902. In these difficult and trying years that he further proved that he was great defender of the Church and a voice of strength and clarity for his people.

However, in October 1905, he was afflicted with cancer of the nose and palate. His physicians advised him to return to Europe for proper treatment. Contrary to his will, he followed the religious and clergy of the diocese and left Pasto before Christmas. He was operated without anesthesia to partake of Christ’s suffering twice in February 1906 and in March of the same year.

Realizing that his end was drawing near, he requested to spend his final days in Monteagudo, Spain in the monastery where he entered the Order of the Augustinian Recollect, beside the image of the Virgen del Camino, Our Lady of the Way, where he was buried.

After months of suffering intense physical pain, he died on August 19, 1906, remembered today as his Feast Day. On October 20, 1915, his body was exhumed and was found intact.

His remains were then transferred in the chapel constructed especially for the purpose.

Miracles leading to his beatification and canonization were cases of immediate and total cure of cancer were: among them the miraculous healing of Carmela Jurado of malignant cancer in the throat and of Maria Jesus Nanez de Diaz of an incurable tumor in the chest were attributed to his intercession. These miracles were given in evidence in his favor during his beatification by Pope Paul VI on November 1, 1975 at St. Peter’s Square.

Fray Ezekiel Moreno was elevated to the altars of a Saint of the Universal Church by Pope John Paul II in Santo Domingo of the Dominican Republic on October 11, 1992, during the celebration of the fifth centenary of the evangelization of the Americas. The OAR and the • Chapter 2: capability building •

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Catholic Church continue to invoke his intercession as special advocate or Patron of Cancer patients.

In the year 2006, the OAR has cause for a double celebration: the 400th year of Recoletos missionary work in the Philippines and the 100th year death anniversary of St. Ezekiel Moreno, most special to the Puerto Princesans in particular and the Filipinos as a whole because he is the founder of the town Puerto Princesa and also because he was ordained in Manila.

During the celebration of the 134th Founding Anniversary of the City of Puerto Princesa, the City Government and its people were greatly honored by the presence of the OAR Father General Lauro Larlar who came all the way from Spain and Provincial Father Bangcayan from Cebu concelebrate mass with Bishop Pedro Arigo, Apostolic Vicar of Puerto Princesa in honor of St. Ezekiel Moreno. Other OAR priests present were Father Louie Gabinete and Father Galyunera who are restoring their parish at Barangay Inagawan.

In his very short message after the mass, City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn said that “now he understood why Puerto Princesa has always been spared by the many calamities of our time because we are heavenly protected by Our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and our beloved Saint Ezekiel Moreno.� He further informed the visitors that he had been nurtured by the OAR being a student of San Sebastian College in Manila.

Each day, a prayer of healing is offered during mass at the Ezekiel Moreno Novitiate-Recoletos in Antipolo City.

THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT

A

fter the cession of the Philippines to the United States on December 10, 1898 when the Treaty of Paris was signed, the Province of Palawan, like any other province, was placed under military government. In Palawan the Lieutenant Governor also administered the Municipality of Puerto Princesa, as the municipal government was still to be organized.

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Major John Brown had the distinction of being the First Military Governor of Palawan. He was designated as Lieutenant Governor.

William Philips, succeeded Major Brown as Lieutenant Governor a year later, in 1902 Captain John Elmick was appointed in 1903. It was in that year that the province was officially organized by virtue of Act 1363 of the Philippine Commission. The Act also transferred the capital of Palawan from Cuyo to Puerto Princesa.

Luke Wright was the Lieutenant Governor in 1904 when he established the Culion Leper Colony and a stock farm was established in the Island of Culion. Culion was therefore made a national reservation and separated from the Municipality of Coron.

Edward Y. Miller was appointed Lieutenant Governor in 1905. He served until 1911 when he initiated the policy of attraction. He also made extensive study of the needs of the people. Because of his policy of attraction, he was able to pacify the Moros by befriending the Moro Chief Hadji Mohammed. He was able to assure the Moros and other tribal groups of the good intentions of the United States.

Miller partially solved the water problem of Puerto Princesa when he constructed two underground water tanks to store rain water. One was constructed at the Philippine Constabulary Barracks and the other near the old Municipal Tribunal.

John Evans was Governor of Palawan in 1911. His significant achievement was, he went in full force against the marauding pirates and criminals. He was quite successful. With peace and order restored, he turned his attention to agricultural development pursuits by providing the people with seeds for planting. He established health centers and provided the people with medical supplies to combat malaria and ulcer which were prevalent then.

Herbert Dittriks was appointed Governor in 1913 as the last American Governor of Palawan. It was during his administration which ended in 1914, that great strides in education was made. His democratic ways enabled him to bring the government closer to the people, uniting the people behind his administration.

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MUNICIPAL PRESIDENTS 1902-1941

T

he First Elective Municipal President Jose Langsangan Fernandez. In 1902, a small electorate elected Jose Langsangan Fernandez, the first Municipal President, as the chief executive of the municipal government of Puerto Princesa, was then called. He served as Municipal President until 1906.

Because of scanty records available, not much could be written about his life. Be as it may, Jose L. Fernandez was the eldest of five children of Jose Maria Fernandez and Macaria Langsangan. Records however, show that the parents of Jose L. Fernandez had thirteen grandchildren.

And that his father Jose Maria Fernandez was re-married to Innocencia.

They had three children and eighteen grandchildren. Later years, these descendants intermarried with the Ponce de Leons, Oliveroses and Legardas, to cite a few.

The Second and Succeeding Municipal Presidents

Jose E. Valencia was elected second Municipal President of Puerto Princesa in 1906. He served only one year. Juan Liwanag succeeded him in 1907-1908; followed by Manuel Delgado who served from 1908-1909. Jose E. Valencia for the second time assumed the position as Municipal President when Manuel Delgado resigned. He served again for one year in 1910-1911.

Vicente Reinoso was elected Municipal President in 1912. He was a retired public school teacher. Thus, was assigned to almost all the barrios of Puerto Princesa which made him known and well-loved by the people. He died in a vehicular accident before the end of his term of office. Reymundo Bonoan who succeeded Reinoso, for unknown reason resigned before the end of 1913. Pedro Vicente was appointed in his place and served until 1914.

In 1914, Geronimo Carandang was elected Municipal President.

He served his full three-year term which ended 1916. Then Pedro Vicente was elected in 1916. Served his second term up to October 1919.

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Teodoro Malate was elected Municipal President in 1919 and served until 1922. He was followed by Jose Fernandez, for the second time in October 1922. He served his three-year term which ended October 1925.

In October 1925 Aniceto D. Lacao was elected Municipal President.

He served for three consecutive terms which ended in October 1934.

Municipal President Aniceto D. Lacao was born on April 17, 1896 in barrio Inagawan to Antonio Lacao and Alejandra Dagomboy.

Responsible and diligent, he helped his father in their carpentry shop.

Early in life, he showed much interest to study. At the age of 12 years old, he left for Puerto Princesa, working odd jobs until he became a valet to an American doctor. Without his parents’ knowledge, he went with the American to Albay where he finished grades five and six on the top of his class. However, when the American was recalled to the United States, he went home.

He worked as a clerk in the Office of the Municipal Treasurer in Puerto Princesa. He was later promoted as Treasurer and assigned to Balabac. He was later recalled to Puerto Princesa to serve as Treasurer.

After almost three years as Municipal Treasurer of Puerto Princesa, he resigned and ran for Municipal President.

His accomplishments were: acquired the present site of the City Cemetery which was donated by Isidra Ponce de Leon; purchased the site of the Puerto Princesa Central School, now Puerto Princesa Pilot Elementary School; construction of the first three Gabaldon school buildings in Inagawan and Capayas; cementing of wells throughout the Municipality; initiated the construction of municipal roads like Roxas street; and identified the source of water supply in Cabudlongan River.

In 1940, Governor Gaudencio Abordo appointed Aniceto Lacao as member of the Provincial Board of Palawan. He served until the Second World War broke out. He served for a few months more during the Japanese occupation as Provincial Board Member. After which he opted to work as teniente del barrio of Inagawan which found favor with the Japanese. Inagawan was not subjected to abuse and indignities by the Japanese detachment in the area.

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After the war, he returned to government service as Social Worker for PRATRA. Later, Governor Alfredo Abueg, Sr. appointed him Superintendent of the Non-Christian Tribes for Palawan five days before the end of his term. He was immediately replaced by Pedro M. Vicente.

He retired from government service at age 60. He died on January 8, 1971 at 74 years old.

Aniceto Lacao was married to Romana Aborot. They had ten children. In recognition for his contributions to Puerto Princesa, a street has been named after him per City Ordinance Number 56, series of 1983.

On October 22, 1934, Vicente Miraflores Palanca was elected Municipal President. He was born on April 5, 1890 in Puerto Princesa, the eldest of a Chinese couple Yu Dee Ho and Antonia Mondragon Miraflores. He served as Municipal President until December 31, 1937.

Severino Vicente served as Municipal President from January 1, 1938 to December 31, 1940, during the Philippine Commonwealth. He was born on August 2, 1909 in Inagawan. His parents were Pedro M. Vicente, former Municipal President of Puerto Princesa and Marcela Manaeg Esteban.

He was married to Nieves Garganilla. They had eight children. He passed away on September 11, 1994. He was a former public school teacher.

He worked as a clerk of Court from 1951-1956. He was elected Municipal Mayor for the second time from January 1, 1960 to December 1963. He was appointed Provincial Secretary from Janujary 1, 1971 to August 31, 1973. He served later as Barangay Captain of Salvacion from 1981 to 1987.

Vicente M. Palanca assumed the position of Municipal President for the second time on January 1, 1941. His term of office which was to end on December 31, 1943 was interrupted by the Second World War on December 8, 1941. He died on January 17, 1957.

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SUMMARY

T

he defeat of the Spanish Armada in the battle of Manila on 13 August 1898 paved the way to the establishment of American Sovereignty over the Philippines. It was a sad day for Spain, not the Filipinos for President Aguinaldo declared independence when he agreed to join the United States in the war against Spain. In disgust, however, Aguinaldo felt betrayed. He organized the Revolutionary Government which culminated in the declaration of Philippine Independence on 12 June 1898 at Kawit, Cavite. Thereupon Aguinaldo sent emissaries to Palawan to extend the jurisdiction over the province including Puerto Princesa.

On 18 June 1898 and 20 June 1898, Aguinaldo issued two decrees, authorizing the calling of assemblies in the different provinces and municipalities to select among them the local leaders, officials who shall undertake the organization of the local governments. A commissioner for each province was appointed to implement the provisions of the two decades.

The provincial government shall be under the administration and supervision of the governor and the provincial council. The municipal government shall be under the municipal mayor and municipal council.

The barrios shall be under the cabeza-de-barangay.

Accordingly, Don Esteban Causapin and Rufo Sandoval were appointed Head of the Provincial Government and Assistant respectively for Palawan. On 24 March 1898, President Aguinaldo appointed Hermogenes Constantino as Commissioner for Paragua. After having been convinced of the loyalty of the people to the new government, they elected the municipal officials. Elected were: Teodoro Agarao, Pangulo; Eugenio Morales, Pangalawang Pangulo; Mariano Ponce de leon, Delgado ng Buwis; Manuel Venturillo, Delgado ng Hustisya; Agustin Mendoza, Delgado ng Pulisya.

Mga Punong Barrio: Victor Francisco, Calero; Anacleto Baculi, Cuyitro; Nicodemes Borromeo, Tagburos; Patricio Cababao, Irawan; Macario Suena, Canigaran; and Agustin Magno, Ighuait (Iwahig).

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Filipinization of the government at all levels starting with the local authorities.” Arellano in his report emphasized, “for the first time the Philippine people are to exercise the right of suffrage in the election of officers restricted by conditions which have been imposed for the purpose of regarding as well as encouraging the people in their just and natural aspiration to become educated, and others to enjoy all the benefits of civilization.”

Puerto Princesa elected its First Municipal President, Jose L. Fernandez, in 1902. He was succeeded by Jose Valencia, 1906-1912; Juan Liwanag, 1907-1908; Manuel Delgado, 1909; Jose Valencia 1911-1912; Vicente Reynoso, 1912-1923; Reymundo Bonoan; 1913; Pedro M. Vicente, 1913-1914; Geronimo Carandang, 1914-1916; Pedro M. Vicente, 1916 to 15 October 1919; Teodoro Ma;ate, 16 October 1919 to 15 October 1922; Jose L. Fernandez, 16 October 1922 to 15 October 1925; Aniceto D. Lacao, 16 October 1925 -15 October 1934; Pedro Vicente, 16-21 October 1934; Vicente M. Palanca, 22 October 1934 to 31 December 1937; Severino Vicente, 1 January 1938 to 31 December 1940; Vicente M. Palanca, 1 January 1941 to 31 December 1943. The succeeding chief executives shall be treated in the next relevant chapters.

At the time of the American occupation, Puerto Princesa covered a large area bounded by Taytay in the north and Aborlan in the south, Sulu Sea in the east and South China Sea in the west containing more than the present area of 253,982 hectares (Barangay del Pilar was separated from Puerto Princesa with its boundary at Langogan river, renamed Roxas on 18 June 1951 under Republic Act No. 615 and inaugurated as a regular municipality on 30 September 1951.

The greater portions are high mountain ranges, with only selected portions fit for agriculture. About 38,000 hectares of the arable lowland have been declared a national reservation, formerly a royal farm under Spain, as colony. The Iwahig Penal Colony was originally established to clear the large area for settlement as earlier envisioned during the Spanish regime.

Puerto Princesa is endowed by nature with rich minerals, forest and marine resources besides the several rivers and streams of economic value. On top of these are scenic spots and areas await to be developed 102 |

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in tourist destinations and attractions. The candidate for eighth wonders of the world, the Underground River (St. Paul Subterranean River), is located in Puerto Princesa. Beautiful inlets and sandbars abound around Honda Bay and Puerto Princesa Bay. Rare fauna and flora are found in Palawan and Puerto Princesa. One of these is the Napoleon’s Peacock Pheasant, the symbol of Puerto Princesa City.

It has been said, that the development of Puerto Princesa has been hampered, until recent years, with the presence of Iwahig Penal Colony, the prevalence of malaria, the lack of adequate potable water, convenient transportation and communication facilities and such other social services for convenient living.

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American Tutelage 1891-1936

American occupation of the Municipality of Puerto Princesa 1899 Provincial Governor’s official residence at the edge of Puerto Princesa Bay

Entrance to the garden leading to the Governor’s Official residence

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A canopy of trees shade the street leading to the pier

Puerto Princesa wharf in 1904.

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Seaplane Base as it is known today is a place near the wharf where the American forces unload their supplies.

Iwahig Penal Colony Recreation Building

His Excellency President Manuel L. Quezon visits Iwahig Penal Colony

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First Roman Catholic Church in Iwahig in 1904

Mrs. Florence Miller, wife of Military Governor Edward Y. Miller with her dog in the Malacañang yard.

Palawan High School Building in its old site facing Rizal Park-1935.

American teachers “Thomasites” hold training institutes or teacher training classes for young adults to fill the demand for teachers.

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Dominican Sisters of Holy Trinity Academy with Rev. Fr. Leandro Nieto and other priests of the Order of the Augustinian Recollect, 1904.

On the terrace of this building which is visible, the Japanese mounted an anti-aircraft gun. Late in October 1944, a B-24 type (Liberator) plane of the U.S. Air Force let loose their bombs on the Japanese ships in the harbor,they were successful but their plane was hit by anti-craft gunfire from the mission house,forcing them to land on one of the islets north of Puerto Princesa. In command of the plane was Comdr. Justin Miller, USN, who survived with six other crew members. They succeeded in contracting the Palawan guerillas and news of their crash was flashed to their headquarters by the Allied Intelligence Bureau personnel who had been sent to Palawan long before the landing in Leyte on October 20, 1944. They were eventually picked up by a submarine.

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Palawan National High School at its relocation site where it stands today

American Quonset hut

Hollywood star Francis Longford entertains American Soldiers in 1945 in an open Palace Theater located in Taft St. across the Bishop’s Puerto Princesa airport, the Americans POWs residence construct for the Japanese

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L.S. Tidepole Point – the locals call Parola which means lighthouse at the Bay’s entrance

An Independence Day Parade at Iwahig in 1940

Canigaran Beach – now BM Beach Resort owned by Clark-Marcelo

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Municipal Presidents (Philippine Commonwealth)

Military Governor Edward Y. Miller and Capt. Philips (seated center) with Municipal President Jose L. Fernandez (seated extreme right) and other Municipal officials of Paragua.

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Hon. Jose L. Fernandez First Elected Municipal President 1902-1905 & 1922-1925

Hon. Jose E. Valencia Municipal President 1906-1907 & 1911-1912

Hon. Vicente Reinoso Municipal President 1912-1913

Hon, Raymundo Bonoan Municipal President (resigned after a few days) 1913

Hon. Pedro M. Vicente Appointed Municipal President in 1913 – 1914 (in place of Hon. Bonoan) Elected 1916-1919

Hon. Aniceto D. Lacao Municipal President 1925-1934

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Hon, Severino E. Vicente Municipal President 1938-1940

W

ar is the scourge of man. It is organized armed conflict between the groups of people or states. War is not found elsewhere in the animal kingdom. Since recorded history began, man has been involved in hostility, for different aims: power, territory, wealth, ideological domination, security and independence. Until modern times, most wars were fought with limited means for limited aims, but modern weapons of mass destruction and total warfare can eliminate whole populations and endanger the survival of the human race. (Robert A. Rosebaum, Editor in Chief Desk Encyclopedia. New Jersey: New American Library, 1984: 1248).

Evidently what Puerto Princesa is today attests to this reality of its strength in character, endurance, resilience and perseverance for having survived the Japanese occupation and other trials that came its way to purposeful and significant development.

THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION

I

mmediately after the outbreak of World War II, 16 Japanese civilians in Puerto Princesa were picked up and disappeared sometime in April 1942 somewhere in the vicinity of kilometer 37 of the national highway.

In Coron, Lieutenant Baldomero Garcia of the Philippine Constabulary rounded up 122 Japanese civilians and captured two launches.

A number of Palawe単os were called to active duty. These reservists of the Philippine Army were in the battlefields in Bataan and experienced the Death March. Some of the veterans of Bataan returned to Palawan: Regional Trial Judge Jose P. Rodriguez, Provincial Board Member Andres Baaco and City Councilor Felix Rafols, Jr. to cite a few.

Quoted herein is what Hampton Sides wrote in his book, Ghost Soldiers, about Bataan: Bataan was perfectly suited, that is, as long as the trapped defenders could receive reinforcements of food and munitions from the outside world.

War Plan Orange had always been predicted on the assumption that the

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Army would have to hold out on Bataan only long enough for the Navy to steam across the Pacific Ocean and save the day. But of course, there was no Navy, the Pacific fleet had been virtually destroyed at Pearl Harbor...

Without warships to break the Japanese blockade, it was nearly impossible for sufficient shipments of supplies to reach the men of Bataan and Corregidor, the massively fortified island just off the tip of the peninsula that controlled access to Manila Bay. And so the defense soon developed into a brutal war of attrition a war, as one participant later put it of “consumption without replenishment.”

Nearly from the onset, Bataan bore the markings of an American Thermopylae, a desperate act of heroic defense that seemed destined, ultimately to fail. One Japanese officer likened the American predicament on Bataan to that of a “cat entering a sack.” Lieutenant Henry Lee, the poet in the Philippine Scouts, described Bataan as “our own little rat trap... a rear guard with no main body.” The men were stranded on a finger of land, forced to fight on rations of less than fifteen minutes a day with rust, antiquated equipment that dated back, in some cases, to World War I. The War Department in Washington briefly weighed more ambitious schemes to relieve the Americans on a large scale before it was too late. But by Christmas of 1941, Washington had already come to regard Bataan as a lost cause.

The real enemy of the men in Bataan was disease which was “killing them and sapping their morale with even greater than the Fourteenth Army. Old diseases that modern medicine had long since learned how to treat. Diseases of vitamin dearth, disease of bad hygiene, disease of jungle rot, disease of sexual promiscuity, and, of course, the vector-born diseases of the Asian tropics. Their bodies coursed with every worm and pathogen a hot jungle can visit upon a starved and weakened constitutiondengue fever, amoebic dysentery, bacillary dysentery, tertian malaria, cerebral malaria, typhus, typhoid.” (Hampton Sides. Ghost Soldiers.

Printed in the United States, (2001:35).

Japanese Occupied Territory. Sometime in May 1942, Atty. Iñigo Racela Peña was captured by the Japanese. He was forced to serve as Governor and later Congressman of Palawan. As Governor he maintained the delicate balance between pleasing the Japanese and yet ably protecting •

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his countrymen from the abuses and cruelty of the occupation force. In this task, records show of much “humane treatment” of the civilians.

Guerrillas who were caught by the Japanese military were released upon representation and guarantee of the Governor. The best proof of his success in protecting the civilian population of Palawan was when he was tried for collaboration with the Japanese by the People’s Court. He was acquitted. The primary witnesses in the defense of Peña were two guerrilla leaders who were beneficiaries of his effort to shield civilians from the abuses of the Japanese soldiers. Of the many accused of collaboration from Palawan, Peña was the only one who stood trial, the rest were beneficiaries of government amnesty.

As Governor of Palawan in the most trying days of its history, he is credited for having preserved the government records of the Province, a legacy to the people of Palawan.

The Japanese Garrison in Puerto Princesa. On May 18, 1942, the Japanese garrisoned Puerto Princesa. At the height of its occupation, there were approximately 1, 265 men billeted in several houses in Puerto Princesa. From 1942 to 1944 the Japanese Commander Captain Nakahara established garrisons composed of a squad to company strength at Barangays Caramay, Mentes, Araceli and Coron in the north; Kemdeng in the west coast, Inagawan, Aborlan, Balabac, Panitian, Pandanan Island and Abo-abo in the south. Caramay, Mentes Kemdeng and Inagawan are barrios of Puerto Princesa.

Air Raids. The strategic importance of Puerto Princesa, in particular, in the war effort of the Japanese Imperial Army was subjected to air raids. Mrs. Patrocinio (fondly called Pat) Magay Aukay, a retired public school teacher recalls: Air raids were almost daily. People have gone in all directions in confusion and fear. Meanwhile, the raids were covering far wider areas than usual. Our nights were spent cowering in the dark for fear that any light might reveal our location.

We cooked our food in ways that would not produce too much smoke for fear that signs of smoke would invite attention. A number of the prisoners from Iwahig went out of the reservation, trying to find their way to their homes somewhere in the Visayan Islands, Southern Luzon or elsewhere. Most of them were welcomed 116 |

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by civilian evacuees to help in the farm or perform other services for pay and to secure three square meals day of lugao (porridge) or root crops.

Japanese Atrocities. In another incident, Mrs. Pat Aukay recalls that when the Japanese entered Puerto Princesa in February with a captured military Palaweño military officer as puppet Governor of the province, encouraged the evacuees to return to their homes in town and live a normal life. Many returned but subsequently found their life and freedom very much restricted and imperiled by Japanese harsh treatment of suspected spies or supporters of the guerrilla movement. The Japanese used the Kempei Tai, the Japanese version of the German Gestapo under Watanabe. Deguchi was the second in command. The incident: Cuddling, feeding or sheltering enemies was a grave offense and punishable by death. One close family friend, Valentin Macasaet, and his son Perseverando, and couple, Sgt. and Mrs. Paredes were suspected as guerrilla members, were arrested and put under intense interrogation.

With hands tied, they were swung around like airplanes, sometimes their heads dunked into a drum full of water and almost drowned., and other times, their arms, faces and other parts of their bodies were burned with cigarette butts.

Elizabeth Clark Alba Narrates: Usually ushered in by the onset of the nostalgic northeasterly breeze, December was always a favorite month, especially among the youngsters looking forward to a string of joyous events. In pre-war years, Time dragged its feet ever so slowly.

A year seemed like forever- and celebrations were few and far between.

So on that morning of December 8, 1941, most everybody in this sparsely populated town had turned up at the Rizal Park. It was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and everyone was in a festive mood - ball games had begun, bicycle races were to be run; there was the exciting hitting of the pot and the climbing of the greased pole.

That day, I was among the crowd of spectators in the park (those were the cherished years when children could be let loose in crowds or in the streets and parents had no fear from pickpockets, hold-uppers, snatchers or tricycles).

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Four days short of my birthday, war was farthest from my thoughts - that was when news of the attack on Pearl Harbor came over the radio, it implied nothing. I didn’t even know where, much less what Pearl Harbor was. But when the bombing of Manila and Clark field soon followed, fiasco ensued. It seemed like everybody panicked and started running in all directions. I ran home and found my mother and sister rushing out of the house. I joined them and found ourselves among a maze of people in near hysteria .If the Japanese had strafed Puerto that moment, there would have been carnage on the streets. No one was prepared for this!

When sanity returned, evacuation began. We rushed to my father in Canigaran – about seven kilometers from town and stayed there until our fears subsided. After a couple of days, we returned to Puerto especially since my sister was due to deliver her baby any time and needed to be near a doctor.

A somber Christmas came and went- spent in fear and darkness as blackouts were imposed. Then on December 31, assisted by Dr. Higinio A. Mendoza, Sr., my sister gave birth to a baby girl. That New Year’s Eve was just as dark, quiet and melancholy.

The next day, January 1, 1942, the morning started to loom like another uneventful day. Towards mid-morning, I curled up with my Grimm’s Fairy Tales Book and was enjoying a story when I heard the drone of airplanes - faint at first but definitely coming closer.

I alerted my mother, ran across the room where I caught a glimpse of my sister lying helplessly in bed with the baby, rushed out of the gate and dashed across the street to my brother-in-law’s house. I met Cristobal, the houseboy and told him to go fetch the baby. He quickly reappeared with her and clumsily handed her to me.

The ground floor of Renato Marcelo’s house was unbelievably packed with people.

I found a spot, laid the baby beneath my body and hoped I could shield her from bullets or pieces of shrapnel. We had expected bombs to be dropped. It was first time in my life I had felt so close to death. Then the frightful staccato shelling began – it seemed endless.

Why so many people rushed to this nipa-roofed house baffled my father who was in Canigaran and bewailed the fact that he missed the excitement. It was Providential that not one bullet went through the roof. Our houseboy Leong, who was frying fish for lunch in the house we left, said he heard some pelting on the galvanized roof. Bullets or empty shells? Anyway, he went through the shelling, frying fish.

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When we were across the street, finally got up, pale and shaken from that horrible ordeal, I gave my sister back her day-old infant, Maria Elena Marcelo, now Mrs. Edward Hagedorn.

What followed was a rush of baptism and confirmation. Mother Trining Acosta, O.P. practically dragged all the children to church. At age 14, I was a godmother to a few nieces.

Our family being quite large, was scattered in different evacuation places north of Puerto Princesa. Babuyan, some 80 kilometers from town, was our first stop. My brother Alfred lived there and we moved in with him. Every so often, we’d drive back to town to gather more belongings. On one such occasion in March, we stayed overnight at our house once occupied by my uncle Ramon Palanca, Sr. The next day, I climbed a cashew tree and helped myself to some plump luscious fruit at the top. Then I heard that dreadful drone again. I clambered down the tree, called out to Mother and we both ran to the nearest grove of mango or acacia - I cannot now recall. Each tree sheltered a group of frightened people seeking cover from the fast approaching planes. Mother and I latched ourselves unto one such group and when the shelling began we moved on as one, around the tree - quite like the “fox and hen” game in our grade school days.

Everyone, in his own tongue, was crying out to Heaven for help. After the air raid we beat a hasty retreat back to Babuyan.

When Japanese forces occupied Puerto, we went further north to the hinterlands of Tarabanan. With the help of some natives, (Bataks), they built us an instant hut from pinpin palm leaves for roofing; flooring from bamboo, and for the stairs a slant pole. We had to do without walls though - a welcome privation if you were a lover of nature. Moonlit nights provided spectacular scenes of the moon climbing up behind almaciga trees on mountain tops then finally descending behind the lacy bamboos. We were in a beautiful valley surrounded from all sides with mountains.

It was there that my father received a letter from Mr. Hara a long-time Japanese friend who, in pre-war years, owned a store right where the governor’s residence now stands. Mr. Hara and his family were in Puerto as far back as I could remember but left just before the war broke out. We later were told that he was a Colonel in the Japanese Imperial Forces.

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safety. Conditions in the hills were such that my father nearly gave in to Mr. Hara’s invitation but my mother wouldn’t hear of it - and rightly so - not long after, we heard that Mr. Hara was killed in Brooke’s Point. Then father decided to move back south to where my sister Pansy and family were. It was a rainy afternoon when he, mother, our loyal Leong and I trekked back to Beabelnan not far from Tanabag.

On July 27, 1942 we were awakened by the sound of a motor launch, friend or foe? This always caused us some concern. Then to our relief and surprise, from out of the thicket emerged Alfred and Paul Cobb. They were very close family friends from pre-war days and we always held them in high esteem even as they later would be also by the American POW escapees because of their bravery, courage and derring-do. The Cobb brothers’ presence always made one feel secure.

After some conversation with my father, they and my brother-in-law, Renato, decided to go down towards the shore. Whether they were aware that a Japanese launch had come, I did not know.

Before long, shots rang out from their direction. The exchange of fire seemed endless. Then a dreadful silence and the interminable wait.

To everyone’s relief, they finally showed up - unhurt. Paul related to me how two Japanese were killed. He said their comrades were able to grab one before speeding away while the other was left on the beach.

There was no question about Japanese retaliation. It was decided we’d leave with the Cobbs that night for Culasian but the idea was later abandoned when father thought it better to go to Dr. Mendoza instead. He had an open sore in his back that needed medical attention.

So, on August 1, 1942, my brother Alfred came and we started our trip by foot along the beach. About mid-ways we were overwhelmed by the stench of death.

The fallen Japanese’s bloated and sun-scorched corpse was lying on its back. Three dogs had taken over and were fiercely digging into its empty rib cage.

We reached Dr. Mendoza’s place late in the afternoon. His place lay on a mountainside between Babuyan and Tanabag. Farther up was a cave called Tarao. In our earlier days in Babuyan my father and I were fascinated with it and called it Castle Rock. It’s still there today, rising majestically above a mountain slope.

In August 4, the avenging Japanese shelled the location of the Cobb encounter from a ship.

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On or about September 7, my father, John Tompson Clark, told me he’d gone up Castle Rock (Tarao) and circled it. Sensing that I felt left out, he promised to take me up there soon. It was not to be. After celebrating his 68th birthday on September 9, he felt ill the following day and his health worsened by the day. On October 4, 1942, he passed away. My brothers Alfred and Danny buried his remains in Babuyan.

A few days later Alfred came for mother and me and took us by pumpboat north of Talabigan where Pansy was. (We zigged and zagged northern Palawan a lot during the war). That was the last we saw of him. He went back home to Babuyan where in October 22, he was shot to death by Arnaldo Toribio.

A few weeks later, Dr. Mendoza and family joined us in Talabigan. Here another member was added to our family when, on December 10, 1942, he delivered my sister Pansy of a baby girl. Following a Batak tradition at the time where they named their children after trees, plants or locations where they were born, so we called her Talabigan. To this day Aida Marcelo Mayo is still Talabit (for short) to us.

Here, I celebrated my 15th birthday - the first time without my father. Mother and I open the can of Jacob’s assorted biscuits my father had been saving for this occasion. They had turned stale and unfit to eat.

In December 31, Dr. Mendoza’s family, my mother and I boarded a “pangco” and sailed that night for Culasian. Sea travel was always by night for fear of Japanese patrol planes so before the break of dawn we dropped anchor at Tinitian.

It was New Year’s day of 1943. The morning wore on and we could hardly believe that we were seeing fresh fish brought in from the traps. Fruits and vegetables were in abundance too. Compared to the places we had come from. Why, this was a land of milk and honey. The decision to stay was unanimous.

Dr. Mendoza lost no time in organizing a guerilla movement - with headquarters in the coastal town of Tinitian. His family and the rest of us holed up further inland – a place called Jolo – about an hour’s hike from town.

The guerrillas rose in number – and all dedicated to the resistance movement.

Social activities became part of guerrilla life. Every now and then a dance party called “Six to Six” would be held at headquarters and it was as the title implied 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the next day. Everyone looked forward to this break in the humdrum life in camp. The dance music was provided by a guitar and some good and sturdy vocal chords.

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Life somehow, had returned to normal. We were interacting with the natives and getting to meet old friends from Puerto the Decolongons, Asuncions, Matros.

With spare and outgrown clothes, which the farmers preferred to “script” or legal tender, we were able to accumulate enough rice for subsistence. Then there arose a demand for thread “unravel your socks” said the resourceful ones – which sure enough, fetched us more rice.

After sundown our houses would flicker with coconut oil lamp, – they were small improvised containers fashioned with a float and wick torn off an old undershirt. A log was kept smoldering under the house to help keep the mosquitoes away, and supply us with instant fuel for cooking and provide some warmth on cold nights.

We learned to eat “curot”- a poisonous root crop you didn’t mess around with unless you were prepared to call it quits with the world. The tedious procedure by the experts was to pare the dug out roots, slice them thin, place them in baskets and soak them in sea water and running river for weeks. The finished product, when cooked in coconut milk, was to me a delicacy.

Our nights in Jolo were spent thinking of home, of loved ones lost, and what lay ahead. Friends livened up the hours when they’d come to visit. Every now and then there’d be Alfred Cobb, Tony Decolongon, some POW escapees like Bob Pyor, Bill Swift, George Marquez, Errol Glen (later shot to death in Cuyo), Sunshine Shea and Johnston.

Now wherever Tony was, could music be far behind? A proficient guitar player, we’d gather around him and sing old favorites - and there never was a shortage of good old Cuyunon jokes and humor. Thus, was our time spent in Jolo until that early morning of January 7, 1944.

Since we lived close by a river, I’d while my time away trying to fish with a hook and line. So there I was at the river bank with my bait waiting for some luck as I ate my breakfast of boiled banana.

Suddenly, a shot rang out – quickly followed by another. I looked towards the foot bridge and saw them, Filipinos and Japanese crossing toward our side! I ran to the house, picked up my clothes and, with Mother, hit the trail for the woods. Then a spray of machine-gun fire seemed all around us – we flung ourselves to the ground, and I overheard my Mother grumbling about how she narrowly missed a stinking filth.

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Pansy, all her children and good old Leong. All these started about 7:00 o’clock in the morning and we holed up in the hills till dark when we sent Leong to scout around our place.

We all went back when he said all was clear and we found Trining and children at home all shaken. She suffered a bruise on her stomach when kicked by a Japanese. Dr. Mendoza, along with Renato Marcelo and Bruno Rodriguez were taken by the Japanese to Puerto. Dr. Mendoza happened to be with his wife that day because it was their wedding anniversary.

In a nutshell, guerrilla Namia who at one time was assigned to be on guard duty at the Mendoza house, was captured by the Japanese while on patrol. He showed the Japanese and their Filipino P.C. conspirators the backdoor approach to our hideout.

Our own houses were ransacked by the invaders. Anything of value like the typewriter and the binoculars were stolen. Even the eggs and chickens were nowhere to be found.

Some weeks later, Renato came back bringing a lot of enticing goods – cigarettes, candies and anti-malaria pills. He said all was well in Puerto, that they were treated well and that it was time we went back. And with his family, accompanied by Mr. Donato Manga, we sailed back to Puerto, a few weeks later.

The first thing we tried to do was contact Dr. Mendoza but he was nowhere.

The Japanese officials gave conflicting and evasive answers. Some said he was in Manila, others in Japan for further medical studies. His whereabouts became a matter of conjecture and notwithstanding our concern and apprehension we tried to be calm.

We settled in Tagburos on the Marcelo property. Mrs. Mendoza stayed in town where the Japanese Commander (Sato?) would frequently stop by and give the children candies.

In the mean time, our family had befriended a truly nice Japanese soldier, Mr. Sumida. He was one of those in charge of the U.S. POWs and seemed very fond of the one he referred to as “my boy Hough”. Through him, my sister (Mrs. Mendoza) would send the prisoners cakes she’d tie up in her red bandana - hence her code name “Red Hanky”. Mr. Sumida had become so close to the family; he’d sometimes prepare his dish of raw fish in the house then take a nap on the bamboo floor.

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In contrast was a Mr. Watanabe of the Kempeitai. We were in Mr. Benito Marcelo’s town house one night and this Captain Bonife of the Japanese P.C. took it upon himself to bring the captive Iwahig Band to do the serenading. This Japanese came along, sat on a chair, brought his feet up and then sat there stone - faced all the while. He looked fearful.

One other pleasant Japanese was introduced to me by my brother-in-law, Renato as Commander Tojo – Commander of the Air Force in Puerto. We were along the roadside of Tagburos when he happened by. After some difficult conversation due to his inability to speak fluent English, he managed to ask my brother-in-law if he could visit “on Monday”. He was exceptionally tall and wellbuilt for a Japanese and his manners were surprisingly refined.

Monday came and he arrived with an aide that rainy afternoon. With a lot of gesticulation we got our conversation going smoothly. I learned he was 22 years old, not related to then Minister Tojo of Japan and that he flew before dawn everyday to patrol the skies.

When I asked if he had any encounter with U.S. Forces, he replied that he had sunk a U.S. submarine. My heart sank, I almost relished what happened next. He sat so prim and proper across the table from me and was saying something when all of a sudden a leg of his chair went through the bamboo flooring and he practically disappeared beneath the table. It took all of my will power and selfcontrol to keep from laughing.

Toward the end of his visit, he asked if I could “go out of the house tomorrow”, with a white handkerchief and wave at him as he was going to fly “very low” over the house from his dawn patrol. I thought it rather silly but why not?

Before he stood up to go, he said he’d come back “on Thursday”. Then goodbyes were said with a lot of bowing and as he walked across the clearing toward the coconut grove, he’d stop and look back several times to wave.

True to his word, at about 7:00 o’clock the next morning, his fighter plane came into view, just a speck in the sky at first, then it approached and dived so low over the house, I could see him looking back at me as he swept back into space, circled, then dived again. It was such a thrill. I was having the fun of my life waving that white handkerchief at him. After his third dive he flew off into the clouds. I later learned that some distant neighbors were thrown into a frenzy by the buzzing and the swooping of the plane.

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Very early, before dawn the next morning, I was awakened and shaken from sleep by an earth-shattering explosion. Mother, who was already awake said, she saw a flash of blinding light almost simultaneously. An eerie feeling came over me.

Thursday came and he did not show up. My premonition was well founded. News had leaked that a pilot had left his plane in the runway that night. Unaware, Commander Tojo rammed his plane into it as he was taking off that dark morning.

A few months later, with still no word from or about Dr. Mendoza, we felt certain he had been done away with. Tell-tale evidence of skeletal remains were found at the northern end of Canigaran by a Tagbanua who told my brother-in-law Benito Marcelo and my sister Aliva passed this information to me.

Our apprehensions rose to high levels when we heard the Japanese were making head counts of evacuees at Mt. Sarunay in Tagburos – purportedly for medical purposes. At one time they asked Renato how many we were.

Renato started planning our get-away. Sometime about the third week of December, my sister Aliva told me in confidence that a friend, Persing Macasaet, informed her that the American POWs had all been killed - burned or shot to death. She warned me though against telling my Mother and sister Pansy - knowing they were both prone to panic. I had to live with this nightmare kept to myself until such time when we could get away.

It was agreed that on the morning of December 23, Renato, his wife and children, Mother and I would take his big sailboat from Tagburos to guerrillaheld Babuyan. We quietly hurried to the beach that dark and early morning - each carrying a load - mine was a pot of cooked rice. I was finally going to get rid of this festering secret in my chest.

Forgetting the adage about the “slip between the cup and the lip”, I did. I told them of the POW massacre - just before we boarded the boat.

And of all the luck! When we all got in the boat, the water seeped in to the brim. Renato said there was no way we could sail this way. He would just have to proceed to Bacungan with our belongings while we would have to take the mountain trail and meet him there.

And I had already let the cat out of the bag! On our way back, frustrated and now more scared than ever over our aborted trip, my Mother and sister turned on me. Never in my young life had I been subjected to such verbal abuse. Why didn’t I tell them sooner? But Divine Providence always opens a door when he closes a •

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window. This gave my Mother the chance to persuade Benito Marcelo to let his family come with us. (He had no plans of leaving Tagburos).

The next day, December 24, long before sun-up, the twenty or so of us started our journey – first across the national road (frequently patrolled by Japanese soldiers in trucks) into the long stretch of rice fields. With so many small children, it took forever before the last of the long queue disappeared into the forest. We hired two guides to see us through Bacungan – our point of rendezvous with Renato. We crossed rivers, climbed hills, went up and down crags and crannies and suffered all sorts of cuts and bruises. We finally reached Bacungan Christmas Day. (Bacungan bridge had earlier been blown up by the guerrillas). We were now on free soil.

The news reached us that the evacuees at Mt. Sarunay were slain by the Japanese. Two lived to tell that tale – one was Domingo Aurelio.

We finally reached Babuyan in a few days - reunited once more with other members of the family and friends. It wasn’t long before one of the survivors of the POW massacre arrived at Mrs. Mendoza’s place. Elmo Deal was left for dead by the Japanese - he was so confused and shell-shocked though – we could hardly get him to talk. How he made it from prison camp, through a town full of Japanese soldiers, to freedom was an enigma - and still is to this day. Some said he escaped to the Catholic Church, donned a priestly garb and sought shelter with some kindly folks who ministered to his badly infected bayonet wounds. They led him on to Babuyan.

Then Benito Marcelo Sr. soon arrived – (The man who had no plans of leaving Tagburos) for once more, it seemed the hand of God intervened. One morning, a drunken Japanese soldier came to his place, (he’d never seen him before) then asked, “you, Marcelo”? Tomorrow you...” then made a gesture of slashing his throat. Benito lost no time in rushing to Isla de Cañon then to Babuyan.

On the morning of February 10, 1945 a thunderous applause and shouts of joy from the guerrilla camp broke the silence. A group of U.S. soldiers led by Capt. Pope, with Lt. Pipkin, Sgt. Fitzerald and about four others, had come to coordinate with the guerrillas in laying the groundwork for the U.S. troop landing.

Among those who went with Capt. Pope and penetrated the Japanese-held airfield was Lt. Tony Palanca. Liberation of Puerto Princesa had begun.

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Guerrilla Unit Organized. As early as 9 February 1942, three months before the Japanese forces occupied Puerto Princesa, Governor Higinio A. Mendoza, Sr. organized the guerrilla unit in Puerto Princesa.

It started with twenty-two members. Before its integration into the Palawan Special Battalion the group numbered 299, armed with only fifty firearms of various calibers.

The group was composed of various educational background, About ninety percent were educated. Of the number 1.3 percent had college education; 18.2 percent were high school graduates; 19.5 percent were elementary school graduates and 51.3 percent had primary education.

Only about 9.7 percent were illiterates. About 18.6 percent had formal military training.

Another group was organized by Major Pedro Mañique. Being the next ranking officer of the Philippine Constabulary, he gathered the regular members of the unit in Caramay. The unit disappeared when Caramay was bombed on August 29 and September 2, 1943.

Other guerrilla units were organized in Cuyo by Lieutenant Vicente Catublas, composed of students, teachers, reserve officers, Bataan veterans and civilians on 1 May 1941. In the south, particularly Brooke’s Point, Sergeant Emilio Tumbaga, a Philippine Constabulary soldier organized a guerrilla unit. When he died Captain Nazario B. Mayor took over the command. Those who helped Mayor in organizing the unit were Sergeant Exequiel Alegre, Lieutenant Felimon Baquiao, Mr. Francisco and Perfecto Rodriguez. It has an initial strength of 140 men.

The group included some Muslims. Datu Jolkipli was instrumental in encouraging the Muslims in joining the resistance movement. He also provided the unit with funds. In Coron, Carlos Amores, Security Officer of the Palawan Manganes Mines, organized a guerrilla unit with the help of Jesus Rada and Simeon Macolor. It was organized on 19 August 1942.

All of these units, upon order of Colonel Macario Peralta of Panay Guerrilla Command, to which it was attached reorganized into the Palawan Special Battalion with Major Pablo P. Mutco as Commander on 4 October 1943. His staff was composed of: Captain Baldomero Garcia, Executive Officer; Captain Vicente Belen, S-1; Lieutenant Juan •

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Concepcion, S-2; Captain Alfredo de los Reyes; S-3; Captain Restitution Laglagraron, S-4; Lieutenant Juan Guardiano, Finance Officer; Lieutenant Alonzo EspaĂąola, Communications; and Lieutenant Vicente Catublas, Liaison Officer.

Palawan was then divided into four sectors, each under a Company Commander. Sector A under Captain Higinio A. Mendoza, Sr. covered the areas from Puerto Princesa to Caramay with headquarters at Tinitian; Sector B under Lieutenant Felipe Batul with headquarters at Danlig, the area of operation covered Cuyo, Dumaran and the area from Caramay to Taytay; Sector C under Sergeant Emilio Tumbaga with headquarters at Brooke’s Point. The area of operation included all areas from Puerto Princesa down to Balabac; and Sector D under Carlos Amores with headquarters in Coron.

Guerrilla Raids. A classic raid was executed by Carlos Amores on September 7, 1942 with an old shotgun attacked the Nippon Kogyo Kabushibi Kaisa at Singay. The group killed six Japanese and destroyed approximately Php 700,000.00 worth of property. The guerrillas captured ten rifles, several short range guns with limited ammunition and a stock of dynamite. Coron area was practically cleared of Japanese. In six places raided, there were about thirty Japanese were killed and prevented the shipment of five thousand tons of ore, five hundred sacks of rice besides a cache of arms and ammunition on September 21, 1942.

Japanese Philippine Constabulary Soldiers Surrender. At dawn on May 3, 1944, Lieutenant Felix Rafols and Lieutenant Francisco Geronila led two platoons of poorly armed men in surprise attack on the Japanese Philippine Constabulary (PC) garrison at Caramay. With the cooperation of some of the Japanese PCs, the garrison was completely surprised. Twenty-seven Japanese Bureau of Constabulary surrendered with thirty rifles, three pistols and eleven hand grenades.

District and Neighborhood Associations. To ensure the protection and safety of the people in the occupied territories, Jorge B. Vargas promulgated Executive Order No. 77, creating the district and neighborhood associations on August 1, 1942. Ostensibly, the associations were to be used as channels for distribution of sugar, matches and other prime commodities to the families. These were patterned after the 128 |

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tondrigumi or neighborhood societies in Japan. In reality however, the Japanese utilized the associations as spy network. The Japanese obliged the neighborhood members to report new persons who came to live in their neighborhood and on the activities of their neighbors. (Zaide, 11:341).

Inauguration of the Japanese Sponsored Republic. On 14 October 1943 the Japanese proclaimed Philippine Independence. On that day, Chairman Jorge B. Vargas of the Executive Committee proclaimed Dr. Jose P. Laurel as the President of the Republic after he was elected by the National Assembly. President Laurel said, “The Filipinos have long night of their (Filipino) colonial subjection.”... “With heads erect and brows serene they now stand in the sun even as one, more than four hundred years, their forefathers stood as free men beholden to none.” In a sense the proclamation embodied “the ancient honor of their nation is redeemed at last. For the rich and unbounded opportunities that freedom offers now within their grasp.”

The vision and hope of freedom outlined by Laurel was shortlived for on September 21, 1944, President Laurel proclaimed a state of martial law in the country because of air raids. The “rationale was that the President of the Republic of the Philippines assumes all powers of government essential to or incident in the establishment and maintenance of martial law over the Philippines, and to that extent will exercise such powers and functions personally or by delegation by him the presently organized and existing civil authorities.” (Zaide, 12:75) It could be said that President Laurel was to personally guarantee, “public safety” since the dangers of invasion being imminent.” No nobler act could have been done to protect the dangers of life and property and the guarantees for human freedom and national security.

As a matter of fact, General Douglas MacArthur has smashed his way island hopping the Southwest Pacific areas of war routing the Japanese forces and irresistibly approaching the Philippines. On 9 August 1944, the United States Navy planes bombed Japanese installations in Davao and three days later, several waves of American planes raided the Visayas.

On 11 September 1944 American planes bombed the Japanese vessels in Manila Bay and airstrips around the city. It was because of these raids that caused President Laurel to proclaim martial law. (Zaide, 12:75).

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Unparalleled Inhuman Atrocity This is a vivid minute-by-minute narration of the fate of about 154 American prisoners of war under the custody of the Japanese Kempei Tai in Puerto Princesa on 12 December 1944 written by Hampton Sides on his book, Ghost Soldiers. (New York: Doubleday 2001): 7-17): December 14, 1944 Puerto Princesa Prison Camp, Palawan, Philippines All about them, their work lay in ruins. Their raison d’etre, the task their Commandant had said would take them three months but had taken nearly three years. A thousand naked days of clearing, lifting, leveling, wheel borrowing, backing. Thirty-odd months in close heavy heat smashing rocks into smaller rocks, hammering said hunks of brain coral into bone white flour with which to make concrete. Ripping out the black humus floor of the jungle and felling the gnarled beasts of mahogany or narra or kamagong that happened to be in the way. Above the bay, in a malarial forest skittering with monkeys and monitor lizards, they had built an airstrip where none should be, and now they were happy to see it in ruins, cratered by bombs.

One hundred and fifty slaves stood on a tarmac 2,200 meters long and 210 meters wide, straining with shovels and pickaxes and rakes. Ever since the air raids started two months earlier, Lieutenant Sato, the one they called “The Buzzard”, had ordered them each morning to fill the bomb pits, to make the runway usable again. This morning had been different. The men had risen at dawn and eaten a breakfast of weevily rice then climbed aboard and took a break for lunch around noon.

But now the Buzzard said no lunch would be served on the strip, that instead the food would be prepared back at the barracks. The men were puzzled because they’d never eaten lunch at their barracks before, not on a workday. It didn’t make sense to drive back now, for they still had considerable repair work to do. Sato offered no explanation.

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coconut palms, they ate their lunches squatting beside their quarters in an open-air stockade that was secured with two barbed wire fences.

The entire compound was built at the edge of a cliff that dropped fifty ragged feet to a coral beach splashed by the warm blue waters of Puerto Princesa Bay. Around 1 P.M. the air-raid alarm sounded. It was nothing more than a soldier pounding on an Old Catholic church bell splotched with verdigris. The men looked up and saw two American fighters P-38s streaking across the sky but the planes were moving away from the island and were too high to pose a danger. Having become discriminating appraisers of aerial threat, the prisoners ignored the signal and resumed their lunches.

A few minutes later a second air-raid alarm sounded. The men consulted the skies and this time saw an American bomber flying far in the distance. They didn’t take the alarm seriously and kept on eating.

Presently, a third air-raid alarm sounded, and this time Sato and a few of his men marched into the compound with saber drawn and descend into the air-raid hovels. “They’re coming!” he shrieked. “Planes-hundreds of planes”.

Again the men were puzzled and this time suspicious. When planes came before, Sato had never registered any particular concern for their safety. Many times they’d been working in the landing strip when American planes had menaced the site, the Japanese would leap into their trenches, but often made the prisoners work until the last possible minute. The Americans had to fend for themselves, out in the open, as aircraft piloted by their own countrymen dropped out of the sky to bomb and strafe the airstrip. Several weeks earlier, an American Kentucky named James Stidham had taken a piece of shrapnel from one of the American Bombers, B-14 Liberator, and was now paralyzed. During the lunch hour he lay on a stretcher in the compound, silent and listless, with a fellow prisoner spoon-feeding him his ration.

“Hundreds of planes!” Sato shouted again, with even more urgency, “Hurry!”

The slaves moved toward the air-raid shelters. They were primitive, nothing more than narrow slits dug four feet deep and roofed over with •

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a few feet of dirt. There were main trenches, each about a hundred feet long. On both ends, the structures had tiny crawling space entrances that admitted one man at a time. Approximately fifty men could fit inside each one, but they had to pack themselves in with their knees tucked in their chins. The prisoners had constructed these crude shelters for their own safety after the American air raids started in October, to avoid more casualties like Stidham. With Sato’s reluctant approval, they also painted “POW” on the galvanized roofs of their barracks.

Sato was behaving strangely today, the prisoners thought, but perhaps he knew something, perhaps massive air attack was indeed close at hand.

All the signs pointed in the imminent arrival of the American forces.

The tide of the war was turning fast everyone knew it.

That very morning a Japanese seaplane had spotted a convoy of American destroyers and battleship churning through the Sulu Sea enroute to Mindoro, the next large island north of Palawan, if not today, then someday soon Sato and his company airfield engineers would have to reckon with the arrival of U.S. ground troops, and their work on Palawan would be finished.

Reluctantly, the American prisoners did as they were told, all 150 of them, crawling single file into the dark, poorly ventilated pits. Everyone but Stidham, whose stretcher was conveniently placed beside one of the trench entrances. If the plane came his buddies would gather his limp form and tuck him into the shelter with everyone else.

They waited and waited but heard not a single American plane, let alone a hundred. They huddled in the stifling darkness of their collective body heat, sweat coursing down their bare chests. The air-raid bell continued to peal. A Navy signalman named C. Smith refused to go into his pit. Suddenly the Buzzard set upon him. He raised his saber high so that it gleaned in the midday sun, and with all his strength he brought its blade side down. Smith’s head was cleaved into two, the sword finally stopping midway down the neck.

Then, peeking out of the ends of the trenches, the men saw several soldiers busting into the compound. They were carrying five-gallon buckets filled with a liquid. The buckets sloshed messily as the soldiers walked. With a quick jerk of the hands, they flung the contents into the 132 |

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openings of the trenches. By the smell of it on their skin, the Americans instantly recognized what it was high octane aviation fuel from the airstrip. Before they could apprehend the full significance of it, other soldiers tossed flames. The men squirmed over each other and clawed at the dirt as they tried desperately to shrink from the intense heat. They choked back the smoke and the fumes, their nostril assailed by the smell of singed hair roasting. They were trapped like termites in their own sealed nest.

Only a few managed to free themselves. Dr. Carl Magno, from Pennsylvania, sprang from his hole, his clothes smoldering; His arms were outstretched as he pleaded “Show some reason, please God show reason” but a machine gunner mowed him down.

Another prisoner crawled from his trench, wrested a rifle from the hands of a soldier, and shot him before receiving a fatal stab at the back.

A number of men dashed toward the fence and tried to press through it but were quickly riddled with lead, leaving a row of corpses hung from the bared strands like drying cuttlefish. A few men manage to slip through razor ribbon and leap from the high cliff, but more soldiers were waiting in the beach to finish them off. Recognizing the futility of escape but wanting to wreak a parting vengeance, one burning prisoner emerged from his trench, wrapped his arms tightly around the first soldier he saw, and didn’t let go a death embrace that succeeded in setting the surprised executioner on fire.

All the while, Lieutenant Sato scurried from trench to trench with saber drawn loudly exhorting his men and occasionally punctuating his soldiers with a high, nervous laugh. At his order, another wave of troops approached the air-raid shelters, throwing grenades into the flaming entrance and raking them with gunfire. Some of the troops poked their rifle barrels through the entrance of the trenches and fired point- blank at the huddled forms within. James Stidham, the paralytic who had been watching all of these from his stretcher, quietly moaned in terror. A soldier stepped over to him and with perfunctory glance fired two slugs into his face.

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pit. The soldiers splattered additional gasoline and re-ignited the trenches. They tossed in more grenades as well as sticks of dynamite to make it appear as though the victims had perished in an airraid after all, with the shelters receiving several “direct hits” from American bombs. The immense pall of smoke curling from the three subterranean pyres was noted by observers five miles distance, across Puerto Princesa Bay. Entries from Japanese diaries found at the camp spoke hauntingly of December 14. “Although they were prisoners of war” one entry stated, “they truly died a pitiful death. From today on I will not hear the familiar greeting ‘Good morning Sergeant Major’ “. Another mentioned that on the beach below the camp, the “executed prisoners (are) floating and rolling among the breakwaters,” said another. “Today the shop is a lonely place. There are numerous corpses... and the smell is unbearable”.

Eugene Nielsen’s Testimony. On January 7, 1945, an officer from the Army’s Intelligence Branch known as G-2, sat down with a man named Eugene Nielsen, who had a remarkable story to tell. Their conversation was not casual. It was an official interrogation, and the Intelligence Officer, a Captain Ickes, had taken notes. At the time of the debriefing, Nielsen and Ickes happened to be on the tropical island of Morotai, a tiny speck in the Spice Islands of the Dutch Indies that had become a crucial stepping-stone in General McArthur’s drive toward Japan. Eugene Nielsen was an Army First Class who had been with the 59th Coast Guard Artillery on the besieged Island of Corregidor directly across from Bataan when he was captured by the Japanese in May 1942. He was born and raised in a small town in the mountains of Utah. Nielsen was twenty-eight years old and three of those years he had spent languishing in a prison camp near the Palawan capital of Puerto Princesa. There he had done backbreaking work on the airfield detail, crushing rock and coral and mixing concrete by hand.

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recovered much of his strength since his escape from prison. He had two bullet wounds which were still on the mend.

The officer from G-2 sat horrified in his chair as Nielsen told his story, which concerned an incident in Palawan several weeks earlier. The full details of which no official from the U.S. Army Intelligence and apparently heard before.

The trench smelled very strongly of gas. There was an explosion and flames shot through the place. Some guys were moaning. I realized this was it either I had to break for it or die. Luckily I was in the trench that was closest to the fence. So I jumped up and dove through the barbed wire. I fell over the cliff and somehow grabbed a small tree which broke in my fall and kept me from getting injured. There were Japanese soldiers posted on the beach. I buried myself in a pile of garbage and coconut husks. I kept working my way under until I got fairly well covered up. Lying there, I could feel the little worms and bugs eating holes in the rubbish, and then I felt them eating holes into the skin of my back.

When I looked around, Nielsen realized that a surprising number of Americans had made it down the beach perhaps twenty or thirty.

Some, like Nielsen, had tore bare-handed through the barbed wire, but the largest group had made it down by virtue of subterranean accident: a natural escape hatch that led from one of the trenches out to a shallow ledge in the eroded cliff wall. Several weeks earlier, while digging the air-raid pits, some of the Americans had serendipitously discovered this small fissure, and they’d had the forethought to conceal it by plugging the opening with sandbags and a veneer of dirt so that the Japanese would never see it. They had thought, in a not very specific way that this tunnel might come in handy someday, and they were right. One by one, they escaped the incinerating heat of their shelter by crawling through the hole and burrowing out to the rock landing. From there they jumped down to the beach, where they hid among the various crevices and rock outcroppings.

By doing so they gained only a temporary reprieve, however, trading one form of butchery to another. Eugene Nielsen, stilly lying •

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in the refuse heap, heard gunfire sputtering up and down the beach.

Systematically, the soldiers were searching the rocks and hunting down fugitives. It was obvious that they intended to exterminate every last one.

The prisoners camouflaged themselves with slathered mud and cringed in the rocky cliff folds, lacerating their legs and feet on the coarse coral as they tried to squeeze into every tighter recesses. Other prisoners took refuge in sewage pipe that was half-filled with stagnant water, while others concealed themselves with thick mattresses of higher jungle weeds along the banks.

The seaside massacre went on for three or four hours. The Japanese would pluck their prisoners from their hiding places and slay them on the spot, either by gunshot or by bayonet. Squads of soldiers combed the weeds in tight formation, plunging their bayonets every foot or so until they harpooned their quarry. One American who’d been caught was tortured at some length by six soldiers, one of whom carried a container of gasoline. Seeing the jerry can, the American understood his fate and begged to be shot. The soldiers doused one of his feet with gasoline and set light, and then did the same with the other. When he collapsed, they poured the rest of the gasoline over his body and ignited it, leaving him writhing in flames on the beach.

Not far away, a prisoner from South Dakota named Erving Evans, realizing he’d been seen and hoping to avoid the same fate, leaped up from a trash pile where he’d been hiding and blurted, “All right, you bastards here I am, and don’t miss”.

They didn’t.

They were bayoneting guys down low and making them suffer. They shot or stabbed twelve American and then dug a shallow grave in the sand and threw them in. Some of these men were still groaning, while they were covered with sand. Then the Japs started to cover the grave with rubbish from the pile where I was hiding. They scraped some of the coconut husks off, and found me lying there. Then they uncovered me from the shoulders on down. They thought that I was dead, and seemed to think I had been buried by my friends. I lay there for about fifteen minutes while they stood around talking in Japanese. It was getting too late in the afternoon. One of the boys believed it was time to eat dinner, and 136 |

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every one of the Japs there went off somewhere to eat. I got up and ran down along the beach and hid in a little pocket in a coral reef there.

Down along the coral, Nielsen encountered seven other survivors.

One of them was very badly burned. His hair was singed and “his hide was rubbing off when he brushed against anything”. They were all crouched among the rocks, hiding from a barge that was methodically patrolling the coves and foreshores. Having exhausted their hunt by land, the Japanese were now searching by water. Aboard the barge were three or four soldiers armed with rifles as well as tripod machine gun.

Nielsen peeked around the corner and saw a barge coming. He decided he was insufficiently hidden, so he broke off from the group and crouched behind a bush close by. From there he was secreted, they could watch the barge approaching. The Japanese were whispering among themselves and excitedly pointing out crannies that looked promising.

One of the seven Americans, a marine from Mississippi named O.J. Warren, wasn’t leaning back quite far enough. The Japanese saw his foot protruding from a rock and immediately shot it. Warren dropped in agony from his wound. In what seemed to be sacrificial act intended to help his comrades, Warren hurled himself out in the open so as not to tip off the whereabouts from the other six. He was immediately shot and killed. The barge passed on.

I left that area and started down the beach. About fifty yards ahead I ran into more Japanese. Suddenly, I realized I was surrounded. They were up above me and also coming from both sides. I was trapped. So I jumped in the sea. I swam underwater as far as I could. When I came up there were twenty Japanese firing at me, both from the cliff and from the beach. Shots were hitting all around me. One shot hit me in the armpit and grazed my ribs.

Another hit me in the left thigh, then another one hit me right along the right side of my head, grazing my temple. I think it knocked me out temporarily.

For a short period I was numbed in the water, and I nearly drowned. Then I found a large coconut husk bobbling around in the bay and used it to shield my head as I swam.

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They kept shooting at Nielsen from the beach. He decided to swim back toward the shore so they think they’d given up and was coming in. He hoped they’d momentarily let up on their fire, and they did.

Nielsen then angled slightly and swam parallel to the coastline for about a hundred yards. The Japanese followed him down the beach, patiently tacking alongside him, step for stroke. Occasionally they pinged a shot or two in his direction but mostly they just kept a close eye on him.

I came down to a place along the shore where a lot of trees and bushes in the water. I know they were following me, so I went toward shore and splashed to make a little noise. I wanted them to think I was finally coming in. They abruptly turned around and went out just as quiet as possible and started swimming across the bay. They never shot at me again. Probably it was too dark for them to see me. I swam most of the night. I couldn’t see the other side of the bay but I knew it was about five miles. About halfway out I ran into a strong current. It seemed like I was there for a couple of hours making no headway. Finally, I reached the opposite shore and crawled on my hands and knees up on the rocks. I was in a mangrove swamp. I was too weak to stand up. It was about 4 A. M. I’d been swimming for nearly nine hours.

Washed up on the far shores of Puerto Princesa Bay, Nielsen was pitiful sight-naked. Nursing two bullet wounds, his skin crosshatched with lacerations. He rested for a few hours and then stumbled half delirious through the swamp until he encountered a Filipino who was walking along a path, wielding a bolo knife. In his current state, Nielsen was suspicious of anyone carrying a knife. “I could not imagine how he could be so cool”. Nielsen asked the man to take down a letter. “I think I am the only one alive from the Palawan prison camp”. He said, “I want you to write to the War Department to tell them about the Japanese massacre of the Americans at Puerto Princesa”. Without uttering a word in reaction, the Filipino began to walk away from Nielsen. Then he abruptly turned around and said cryptically, “You have friends here”.

Perplexed, Nielsen followed his new acquaintance down a path through dense jungle to a hideout where Filipino guerrillas were stationed. There, to his amazement, Nielsen encountered two more 138 |

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American survivors from the camp. Albert Pacheco and Edwin Petry. “I didn’t believe it first”, said Nielsen. “I thought I was seeing things”. Each of the two men had his own frisky story to tell, the details varying only slightly from Nielsen’s account. Pacheco and Petry had hidden together in a coral cave that was half flooded with sea water. “The crabs ate on us pretty good down there”, Petry said. The two men were forced to vacate the cave when it became completely flooded at high tide. Like Nielsen, they started swimming across the bay around dusk, but they enjoyed more favorable currents.

Later, Nielsen, Pacheco and Petry hooked up with three additional escapees. Still others would wash up over the succeeding days, bringing the total of known Palawan survivors to eleven. One had endured an encounter with sea shark, the last arrival, Glenn McDole from Des Moines, Iowa, was found clinging to a Filipino fish trap out in the bay.

Local fishermen handed him half-alive, with the morning catch.

By guerrilla escort, Nielsen and the original five survivors made their way out of the Japanese-held province of Palawan, first by foot and then by an outrigger canoe or banca, powered by blankets that were thrown up as makeshift sails. In January 6, the half dozen men were finally evacuated by Catalina flying boat to the island of Morotai, where they came under the care of the U.S. Army.

Massacre at Palawan During World War II, in order to prevent the rescue of prisoners of war by the advancing allies, on 14 December 1944, units of the Japanese Fourteenth Area Army (under the command of General Tomoyuki Yamashita) herded the remaining 150 prisoners of war at Puerto Princesa into three covered trenches which were then set on fire using barrels of gasoline. Prisoners who tried to escape the flames were shot down.

Others attempted to escape by climbing over a cliff that ran along one side of the trenches, but were later hunted down and killed. Only 11 men escaped the slaughter and between 133 and 141 were killed.

The massacre is the basis for the recently published book Last Man Out: Glenn McDole, USMC, Survivor of the Palawan Massacre •

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in World War II by Bob Wilbanks, and the opening scenes of the 2005 Miramax film, The Great Raid. A memorial has been erected on the site and McDole, in his eighties, was able to attend the dedication.

With the stunning defeats suffered by the United States, Great Britain and the Netherlands in the early months of the Pacific War, thousands of Allied military personnel became prisoners of the Japanese. The Americans captured in the Philippines were initially detained in filthy, overcrowded POW camps near Manila, but eventually most were shipped to other parts of the Japanese empire as slave laborers.

Among the American prisoners remaining in the Philippines were 346 men who were sent 350 miles on August 1, 1942, from the Cabanatuan POW camps north of Manila, and from Bilibid Prison in Manila itself, to Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan. Palawan is on the western perimeter of the Sulu Sea, and the POWs were shipped there to build an airfield for their captors. Although the prisoners’ numbers fluctuated throughout the war, the brutal treatment they received at the hands of their Japanese guards was always the same.

The men were beaten with pick handles, and kickings and slappings were regular daily occurrence. Prisoners who attempted to escape were summarily executed.

The Palawan compound was known as Camp 10-A, and the prisoners were quartered in several unused Filipino constabulary buildings that were sadly dilapidated. Food was minimal; each day, prisoners received a mess kit of wormy Cambodian rice and a canteen cup of soup made from camote vines boiled in water (camotes are a Philippine variant of sweet potatoes). Prisoners who could not work had their rations cut by 30 percent.

When six American POWs were caught stealing food in December 1942, they were tied to coconut trees, beaten, whipped with a wire and beaten again with a wooden club 3 inches in diameter. After this brutal episode, they were forced to stand at attention while a guard beat them unconscious, after which the prisoners were revived to undergo further beatings. A Japanese private named Nishitani punished two Americans, who were caught taking green papayas from a tree in the compound, by breaking their left arms with an iron bar.

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Medical care was nonexistent, and one Marine, Pfc Glen McDole of Des Moines, Iowa, underwent an appendectomy with no anesthesia and no infection-fighting drugs. The prisoners suffered from malaria, scurvy, pellagra, beriberi and tropical ulcers, as well as from injuries suffered at their work or from the physical mistreatment perpetrated by their Japanese guards. When Red Cross supplies finally were received in January 1944, the enemy had removed the medicines and drugs from the parcels for their own use.

One American, J. D. Merritt, stated that fights broke out on occasion among U.S. POWs who were loading these supplies on the interisland steamers Naga and Isla Princesa in Manila for shipment to Palawan. It seems that some Americans were willing to rob their fellow prisoners and attempted to pilfer the Red Cross parcels. Merritt said that the men at Palawan “came to represent our ‘little brothers’ in that obviously their lot was much harder than ours.” He also recalled that the POW dockworkers in Manila used to send notes of encouragement to the Palawan POWs and sometimes received notes back.

The Japanese unit in charge of the prisoners and airfield at Palawan was the 131st Airfield Battalion, under the command of Captain Nagayoshi Kojima, whom the Americans called “the Weasel.” Lieutenant Sho Yoshiwara commanded the garrison company, and Lieutenant Ryoji Ozawa was in charge of supply. Ozawa’s unit had arrived from Formosa on July 10, 1942, and had previously been in Manchuria. Master Sergeant Taichi Deguchi was acting commander of the kempeitai at Palawan, the Japanese army’s military police and intelligence unit. The kempeitai were much feared by anyone who fell into their hands because of their brutal tactics.

In September 1944, 159 of the American POWs at Palawan were returned to Manila. The Japanese estimated that the remaining 150 men could complete the arduous labor on the airfield, hauling and crushing coral gravel by hand and pouring concrete seven days a week. The total area to be cleared was approximately 2,400 yards by 225 yards, with the actual airstrip measuring 1,530 yards long and 75 yards wide. The men also repaired trucks and performed a variety of maintenance tasks in addition to logging and other heavy labor. Late in September, General Shiyoku •

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Kou, in charge of all POWs in the Philippines, ordered the remaining 150 Americans returned to Manila, but that order was not carried out until mid-October, even though transportation was available.

An attack by a single American Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber on October 19, 1944, sank two enemy ships and damaged several planes at Palawan. More Liberators returned on October 28 and destroyed 60 enemy aircraft on the ground. While American morale in the camp soared, the treatment of the prisoners by the Japanese grew worse, and their rations were cut. After initially refusing the prisoners’ request, the Japanese reluctantly allowed the Americans to paint “American Prisoner of War Camp” on the roof of their barracks. This gave the prisoners some measure of protection from American air attacks. The Japanese then stowed their own supplies under the POW barracks.

U.S. forces under General Douglas MacArthur had successfully landed in the Philippines at Leyte on October 19. While this was not known to the prisoners, the daily sightings of American aircraft led them to believe that their deliverance was not far off. MacArthur also signed a directive to the Japanese commander in chief in the Philippines, Field Marshal Count Hisaichi Terauchi, warning him that his military command would be held responsible for the abuse of prisoners, internees and noncombatants. The directive incorporated phrases such as “dignity, honor and protection provided by the rules and customs of war” and “violation of the most sacred code of martial honor.” Leaflets to this effect were dropped by air on enemy positions throughout the Philippines on November 25, 1944.

The constant presence of Allied aircraft overhead caused the prisoners to construct three shelters, each 150 feet long and 4 feet high, for their own protection during air raids. The Japanese had ordered that the entrances at each end of the shelters be only large enough to admit one man at a time. The shelters were roofed with logs and dirt and were located on the beach side of the camp. While not totally bombproof, they did offer a significant level of protection. There were also several shelter holes that could hold two or three men.

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the Japanese thought was destined for Palawan. All prisoner work details were recalled to the camp at noon. Two American Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft were sighted, and the POWs were ordered into the air raid shelters. After a short time the prisoners re-emerged from their shelters, but Japanese 1st Lt. Yoshikazu Sato, whom the prisoners called “the Buzzard,” ordered them to stay in the area. A second alarm at 2 p.m. sent the prisoners back into the shelters, where they remained, closely guarded.

Suddenly, in an orchestrated and obviously planned move, 50 to 60 Japanese soldiers under Sato’s leadership doused the wooden shelters with buckets of gasoline and set them afire with flaming torches, followed by hand grenades. The screams of the trapped and doomed prisoners mingled with the cheers of the Japanese soldiers and the laughter of their officer, Sato. As men engulfed in flames broke out of their fiery deathtraps, the Japanese guards machine gunned, bayoneted and clubbed them to death. Most of the Americans never made it out of the trenches and the compound before they were barbarously murdered, but several closed with their tormentors in hand-to-hand combat and succeeded in killing a few of the Japanese attackers.

Marine survivor Corporal Rufus Smith described escaping from his shelter as “coming up a ladder into Hell.” The four American officers in the camp, Lt. Cmdr. Henry Carlisle Knight (U.S. Navy Dental Corps), Captain Fred Brunie, Lieutenant Carl Mango (U.S. Army Medical Corps) and Warrant Officer Glen C. Turner, had their own dugout, which the Japanese also doused with gasoline and torched. Mango, his clothes on fire, ran toward the Japanese and pleaded with them “to use some sense” but was machine-gunned to death.

About 30 to 40 Americans escaped from the massacre area, either through the double-woven, 61Ž2-foot-high barbed-wire fence or under it, where some secret escape routes had been concealed for use in an emergency. They fell and/or jumped down the cliff above the beach area, seeking hiding places among the rocks and foliage. Marine Sergeant Douglas Bogue recalled: “Maybe 30 or 40 were successful in getting through the fence down to the water’s edge. Of these, several attempted to swim across Puerto Princesa’s bay immediately, but were shot in the •

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water. I took refuge in a small crack among the rocks, where I remained, all the time hearing the butchery going on above. They even resorted to using dynamite in forcing some of the men from their shelters. I knew [that] as soon as it was over up above they would be down probing among the rocks, spotting us and shooting us. The stench of burning flesh was strong. Shortly after this, they were moving in groups among the rocks dragging the Americans out and murdering them as they found them. By the grace of God I was overlooked.”

Eugene Nielsen of the 59th Coast Artillery observed, from his hiding place on the beach, a group of Americans trapped at the base of the cliff. He saw them “run up to the Japs and ask to be shot in the head. The Japs would laugh and shoot or bayonet them in the stomach.

When the men cried out for another bullet to end their misery, the Japs continued to make merry of it all and left them there to suffer. Twelve men were killed in this fashion.” Nielsen hid for three hours. As the Japanese were kicking American corpses into a hole, Nielsen’s partially hidden body was uncovered by an enemy soldier, who yelled to his companions that he had found another dead American. Just then the Japanese soldiers heard the dinner call and abandoned their murderous pursuit in favor of hot food. Later, as enemy soldiers began to close in on his hiding place, Nielsen dived into the bay and swam underwater for some distance. When he surfaced, approximately 20 Japanese were shooting at him. He was hit in the leg, and his head and ribs were grazed by bullets. Even though he was pushed out to sea by the current, Nielsen finally managed to reach the southern shore of the bay.

Radioman 1st Class Joseph Barta, who had worked in his family’s poultry business before joining the Navy in 1934, later testified: “At first I did not get into my shelter. But a Jap officer drew his saber and forced me to get under cover. About five minutes later, I heard rifle and machine-gun fire. Not knowing what was happening, I looked out and saw several men on fire and being shot down by the Japs. One of them was my friend Ron Hubbard. So I and several other fellows in the hole went under the fence. Just as I got outside the fence, I looked back and saw a Jap throw a torch in the other end of our hole, and another one threw in a bucket of gasoline.”

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The slaughter continued until dark. Some of the wounded Americans were buried alive by the Japanese. Men who attempted to swim to safety across the bay were shot by soldiers on the shore or on a Japanese landing barge commanded by Master Sgt. Toru Ogawa. Glen McDole, the Marine who had survived the appendectomy without anesthesia, hid in the camp garbage dump with two other men. One of them, a military policeman named Charles Street, made a run for the bay as the Japanese closed in and was shot dead. The second, Erving August Evans of the 59th Coast Artillery, stood up and said, “All right, you Jap bastards, here I am and don’t miss me.” He was shot and his body set afire. Somehow the enemy missed McDole, who later witnessed “a party of five or six Japs with an American who had been wounded, poking him along with bayonets. I could see the bayonets draw blood when they poked him.

Another Jap came up with some gasoline and a torch, and I heard the American beg them to shoot him and not to burn him. The Jap threw some gasoline on his foot and lit it, and the other Japs laughed and poked him with their bayonets. Then they did the same thing to his other foot and to his hand. When the man collapsed, the Japs then threw the whole bucket of gasoline over him, and he burst into flames.”

When the Japanese ended their search for the surviving prisoners, there were still a few undiscovered Americans alive. Several prisoners hid in a sewer outlet. When the Japanese shone lights into the pipe, the POWs ducked under the water and were not discovered. After nightfall, they attempted to swim the bay, which was 5 miles across at that point.

Several of them were successful, including Rufus Smith, who was badly bitten on his left arm and shoulder by a shark but managed to reach the opposite shore. Of the 146 enlisted men and four officers held in the Palawan prison camp, only 11 men survived the massacre on December 14, 1944. Most of the survivors swam across the bay and were rescued by the inmates of Palawan’s Iwahig Penal Colony, where several of the officials in charge were involved with the local resistance movement.

Another U.S. Marine, Pfc Donald Martyn, also swam the bay successfully but was never seen again after reaching land and turning north, in the opposite direction of the path taken by his surviving comrades. Filipino civilian prisoners at the colony, who were interned •

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during the Japanese occupation of their homeland, fed and clothed the American POWs and contacted local guerrilla leaders on their behalf.

The guerrillas escorted the Americans down the coast to Brooke’s Point, where they were evacuated by a U.S. Navy seaplane to Leyte. There they told their story to U.S. military authorities.

Barta, who described the Japanese kempeitai as “the meanest bastards that ever walked the face of the earth,” wandered the jungle for 10 days after swimming the bay. At one point, he came within 3 feet of a Japanese sentry on a jungle path before making his escape. Although wounded in that encounter, he managed to reach the Iwahig Colony, where he was hidden in a well. A local witch doctor treated his wounds by spreading a solution of boiled guava leaves over them with a gray chicken feather, accompanied by “much dancing and hollering.” He was reunited with Bogue and McDole, and they were ultimately evacuated from Brooke’s Point.

While there were no civilian witnesses to the massacre of unarmed prisoners at Palawan, after the war several Filipinos reported to American authorities that the Japanese officers from Captain Nagayoshi Kojima’s command and personnel from the kempeitai “held a celebration to commemorate the event” the same night that it occurred. Civilians who questioned the absence of the prisoners were given divergent replies – in some instances they were told that the POWs were all killed in American air raids, in other instances that the prisoners had been transferred to another camp.

The thoughts of one Japanese soldier regarding the atrocity were recorded in a diary left behind at the camp. “December 15 – Due to the sudden change of situation, 150 prisoners of war were executed.

Although they were prisoners of war, they truly died a pitiful death.

The prisoners who worked in the repair shop really worked hard. From today on I will not hear the familiar greeting, ‘Good morning, sergeant major.’ January 9 – After a long absence, I visited the motor vehicle repair shop. Today, the shop is a lonely place. The prisoners of war who were assisting in repair work are now just white bones on the beach washed by the waves. Furthermore, there are numerous corpses in the nearby garage and the smell is unbearable. It gives me the creeps.”

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After Palawan was liberated by the 186th Infantry Regiment of the 41st Division, the men of the Army’s 601st Quartermaster Company, under Major Charles Simms, excavated the burned and destroyed dugouts to properly inter the dead Americans. The unit reported 79 individual burials during March 1945 and many more partial burials. Its report stated: “26 skeletons, some still with flesh on the bones, were found piled four and five high in one excavation. The skulls of these skeletons either had bullet holes or had been crushed by some blunt instrument.”

These were the dead from the compound thrown into the shelters by the Japanese after the massacre. The report also stated: “Most of the bodies were found [in the shelters] huddled together at a spot furthest away from the entrance. This would indicate that they were trying to get as far away from the fire as possible. In two dugouts bodies were found in a prone position, arms extended with small conical holes at the fingertips showing that these men were trying to dig their way to freedom.”

Japanese atrocities against Allied military and civilian personnel after capture were well-documented by war’s end. Although the famous Nuremberg Trials held in Europe received the lion’s share of interest, especially from the world press, the Military Tribunal for the Far East managed to capture the Americans’ attention. However heinous the crimes of the Nazi government, they rarely involved Americans, while the Japanese were brutal and criminal in their treatment of captured Americans and other Allied military personnel.

MacArthur essentially controlled the War Crimes Trials in the Pacific theater. On August 2, 1948, the Palawan Massacre trial began in Yokohama, Japan. On trial were several staff officers who had exhibited criminal liability through their failure to take command responsibility.

Thus, most of the accused Japanese had very little direct involvement with the atrocities perpetrated at Puerto Princesa. However, due to the chain of command, they were deemed responsible. Their attitude was described as “callous indifference” to the fate of the prisoners in their hands. Of certain import in the trial was the introduction of a written order sent to each Japanese branch camp commander in May 1944. It stated that during an attack on a branch camp by the Allies, “the main force shall keep strict guard over POWs, and if there is any fear that •

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the POWs would be retaken due to the tide of battle turning against us, decisive measures must be taken without returning a single POW.” In hindsight, there is very little doubt regarding the true meaning of this order to camp commanders.

Several of the American survivors of the Palawan massacre were willing to testify against their former tormentors and returned to the Far East for the trial. Under questioning, Marine Sergeant Bogue admitted that he had physically struck one of the accused, Superior Private Tomisaburo Sawa, several times while the Japanese soldier was confined in his prison cell after the war. When asked why, Bogue replied, “For the same reason you’re going to hang him!” But that was not to be.

At the beginning of the trial, the prosecution announced its intention to show that Lt. Gen. Seiichi Terada, commanding general of the 2nd Air Division headquartered in the Philippines, radioed instructions on the evening of December 13 to the 131st Airfield Battalion at Palawan to “annihilate the 150 prisoners.” Accordingly, the Japanese soldiers involved were issued 30 rounds of ammunition each, and the battalion commander announced to the men that due to an imminent Allied invasion, the prisoners “regretfully” were to be killed. Next, Lieutenant Sho Yoshiwara ordered “fix bayonets and load five rounds” (the magazine capacity of the standard Japanese infantry rifle), after which the massacre ensued.

Unfortunately, Lieutenant Yoshiwara was nowhere to be found after the war ended; nor was Captain Kojima, the prison camp commandant.

In fact, it was impossible to find almost anyone from the Palawan garrison. The battle for the Philippines had been costly for both sides, but especially for the Japanese, who lost 80,000 men. There is no doubt that many of the soldiers who participated in the Palawan massacre died in battle or from disease. Many just disappeared in the hostile atmosphere engendered by the Japanese defeat.

Several weeks had passed between Japan’s agreement to surrender to the Allies and the actual signing of the surrender document aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. During that time, millions of Japanese wartime documents were destroyed, and most certainly many Japanese soldiers and civilians, who knew they would be held accountable for their actions against both soldiers and civilians, 148 |

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disappeared from view. The staff of the Allied War Crimes Tribunal accused the Japanese Demobilization Bureau of protecting these alleged war criminals from prosecution, but if they were, Allied threats had little effect.

The war was over, and Americans wanted to get on with their lives.

The Japanese, who to this day do not accept responsibility for the initiation of hostilities in 1941, were reluctant to reveal any damaging information about their citizenry and military that could be concealed.

At the same time, the U.S. government was anxious to prepare Japan for its new role as part of the defense system against the expansion of international communism, and the fate of 150 American soldiers caught up in the savagery of war was certainly not a political priority. Only the few survivors remained to beseech their government that justice be done.

In the end, six of the Japanese defendants were acquitted of the charges against them related to the massacre. The other 10 were given sentences ranging from two years’ imprisonment to death. The death sentence for kempeitai Sergeant Taichi Deguchi was commuted to confinement and hard labor for 30 years on July 19, 1950, by none other than MacArthur himself.

On March 23, 1949, Toru Ogawa, a company commander in the 131st Airfield Battalion who was charged with abusing 300 POWs and “causing the death of 138 prisoners by ordering subordinates to massacre them by surprise assault and treacherous violence, and killing them by various methods,” received his sentence of two years’ hard labor, reduced by 91Ž2 months for time served.

Tomisaburo Sawa, the prisoner struck by Sergeant Bogue while in jail, admitted in sworn testimony that he had participated in the Palawan massacre by killing at least three American POWs. On March 29, 1949, he received a sentence of five years’ hard labor, reduced by 131Ž2 months due to time served.

For all of the Japanese military personnel still imprisoned for their barbarous treatment of captured and interned Americans during World War II, liberation day was December 31, 1958, barely 13 years after the end of the war. At that time, any war criminals still in custody were •

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released from Tokyo’s Sugamo Prison in a general amnesty. While all was certainly not forgiven, especially by those Americans who had survived brutal captivity at the hands of the Japanese, it certainly was officially forgotten by the American government.

In 1952, the remains of 123 of the Palawan victims were transferred to the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis, Mo., where they lie in a mass grave, honored today by the few who remember.

(This article was written by V. Dennis Wrynn January 18, 2007 and originally appeared in the November 1997 issue of World War II magazine).

He Died That We May Live!!!

One of the significant and meaningful effects of the Second World War, particularly the Japanese occupation of Puerto Princesa was the execution of a highly respected and deeply loved leader, Governor Dr. Higinio Acosta Mendoza, Sr. Dr. John A. C. Mendoza writes: It was their 11th Wedding Anniversary on January 7, 1944 when a soldier reported to Governor Mendoza, who was then at home with his family in Jolo, that a launch towing two barges loaded with Japanese soldiers were sighted. Doing his regular daily routine, Governor Mendoza tuned in the radio and wrote down the events of the war for distribution to the neighboring barrios to as far as Caramay.

The turn of events came fast and frightening. As Governor Mendoza sat down for breakfast, the morning silence was shattered by the sound of a single shot of the rifle followed by the wild firing of rifles just as he was in the act of raising his first spoonful of food to his mouth. Instinctively, he ran to the bedroom where all the members of the family were gathered. He grabbed his long bolo and slung it over his shoulder. He got his rifle and cocked it. Sensing that the rifle shot was intermittent and was not directed to his house, he opened the bedroom door. But to his surprise, there were several Japanese soldiers inside his house and were pointing their rifles at him and the members of his family. Calmly, he submitted himself voluntarily for fear they would harm his family.

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Stoically, he was disarmed and brought downstairs. With a serene voice he talked to his wife, saying, “Trining, think of this happening on our 11th Wedding Anniversary”. Trining asked “what shall we do?” Governor Mendoza solemnly replied, “sweetheart, be brave, we can die for our country.”.

Then the Japanese soldiers displayed horrors of cruelty as he was led away from his family, he was roughly manhandled, using the butts of their rifles and jujitsu stroke. Trining seeing her husband bleeding, cried out, “Daddy! Daddy!” bolting through the cordon of Japanese soldiers, she was kicked in the abdomen and hit on both arms with rifle butts. Groaning in pain and helpless, Governor Mendoza was stunned by this inhuman act. All he could do was just look with unbearable pain for he could not break away from the clutches of the Japanese soldiers as both his hands were tied with a rope on one end and the other end of which was held by Japanese soldiers. Governor Mendoza was made to lead the column from Jolo to Tinitian. He was subjected to interrogation by the arrogant Filipino puppet soldiers and Japanese soldiers. He was then brought to Puerto Princesa. Knowing that it would be the last time he would see his family, his parting words to his eldest son John (known to his relatives and friends as Sonny), who was nine years old at that time, was “take care of Mama”.

An atmosphere of fear and apprehension prevailed among the residents of Puerto Princesa. His sister Agustina and her sons walked from Aborlan to Puerto Princesa or a distance of seventy-two kilometers just to be near Governor Mendoza.

As a gimmick to pacify the Palaweños, particularly those residing in Puerto Princesa, Dr. Mendoza was allowed to deliver a speech at the public plaza. In his speech, he bravely said: “It is a lucky day for they came upon me in a house with my family. If I were in camp with my soldiers, there would be much bloodshed as I will never surrender”. Farthest from his mind was to surrender, for even before his capture, emissaries were sent with letters from the Japanese Command offering him the Governorship of Palawan if he would surrender. This was repeated after his capture. But he refused because he cannot betray his country.

This account sealed his faith.

The inevitable event came in the early morning of January 24, 1944 when Dr. Mendoza was taken allegedly to treat the sick soldiers at the airport. He was however, actually brought to a remote place in the coconut plantation of his inlaws, the Clark family, in Canigaran where he was secretly executed. “HE DIED THAT THEY MAY LIVE!” •

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The Japanese, as a cover-up story, released the information that Dr. Mendoza was sent to Manila. Another lie was that he was sent to Japan for further medical training. These were the incredible lies that the Japanese answered Mrs. Trinidad Clark Mendoza every time she and her children asked the Japanese Commander in Puerto Princesa.

The truth surfaced about mid-1947, when Esperanza Clark Marcelo, the elder sister of Trining Mendoza saw a woven crocheted belt with the buckle Iowa University being worn by a Tagbanua working for Dr. Mendoza’s cousin, Eduardo Valencia. It was the same buckle that Esperanza gave a gift to Dr. Mendoza before World War II. She told Trining about it. Thereupon, Trining went to Eduardo Valencia and asked him if they could talk to the Tagbanua.

The Tagbanua recalled, while they were picking shell-fish at the end of Canigaran Beach, they heard a truck approaching. Since it was a very isolated place they became curious. They were hiding behind the bushes watched what was happening. About five or six Japanese soldiers formed a line in front of Dr. Mendoza whose hands were tied behind his back.

One of the Japanese directed a Filipino-Japanese mestizo puppet soldier to stand in front of the line of Japanese soldiers and ordered him to shoot Governor Mendoza. He fired three times. The Tagbanua saw the puppet soldier hang the belt of Governor Mendoza on a bush. When the Japanese left, he approached the place where Governor Mendoza was shot. They saw what appeared to be a grave. Timod, the Tagbanua family head, took the belt with him.

In August 1947, the search party composed of Timod, Angay, another worker, Eduardo Valencia and Governor Mendoza’s sons, John, Higinio, Jr. and David, after two days of intensive search, found the remains and exhumed his body and buried it in the grave in the family coconut plantation together with his father-in-law, John T. Clark and Alfred Palanca Clark, a brother-in-law who died during the war.

In early 1951, Governor Alfredo M. Abueg, Sr. proposed to Mrs. Trinidad Mendoza for the transfer of the remains of the late Dr. Mendoza to a more prominent site. The remains were laid in state at the Provincial Capitol for one day. Then, on July 27, 1950, Governor Mendoza’s 53rd 152 |

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birth anniversary, his remains were transferred alongside Rizal Avenue in the place now known as Mendoza Park.

Dr. Higinio Acosta Mendoza Dr. Higinio A. Mendoza Sr. was born on July 27, 1898 in Puerto Princesa. He is the fifth child in a family of six. His parents were Agustin B. Mendoza and Juana Acosta.

He married Trinidad P. Clark, a charming and exquisitely beautiful lady of Puerto Princesa. The couple was blessed with four children: John, Higinio, Jr., David and Julie.

Mrs. Trinidad P. Clark Mendoza’s father, John Tompson Clark was born on 9 September 1874 at Perry, Pike County, Illinois, married concepcion Miraflores Palanca who was born 16 July 1896 in Inagawan, Puerto Princesa, was one of the early leading Americans who settled in Puerto Princesa. The couple was blessed with nine children: Esperanza, Alfredo, Trinidad, Daniel, Patricia, Aliva, Virginia, Elizabeth and Jackie.

While a student in the United States, Dr. Mendoza had demonstrated his strong and dynamic qualities of leadership. He founded the Philippine Students Club in the University of Iowa and Philadelphia. He held prestigious positions such as: Chairman of the Foreign Students Association in Iowa University; Associate Editor, Mannemann Medical College Yearbook, the Medic, in 1928; and President for two terms of the Filipino Association of West Philadelphia Homespatic Hospital. He returned to the Philippines with the degree of Doctor of Medicine.

However, he left his luxurious medical practice, after much persuasion, to run as Governor of Palawan. He was first elected in 1931 and re-elected in 1934. He would have served a third term had he not transferred the then only high school in the province from Cuyo to Puerto Princesa.

As Governor, he did much for Palawan. He was responsible for the extension of the road from Iwahig to Aborlan. A lover of nature, he beautified Puerto Princesa by planting acacia and Javanica trees along the roads. More specifically, he is better remembered for planting Palawan •

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Cherry Blossoms trees along the streets of Puerto Princesa Palawan became better known for this. He established a petite botanical garden and had a collection of rare plants and animals which were indigenous to Palawan. He was responsible for the installation of the water system in Puerto Princesa.

As always, frustrations got the better of an enthusiastic and development-oriented executive. In his frustrations for not getting substantial assistance from the national government, Dr. Mendoza, in 1938, caused the signing of the petition for the secession of Palawan from the Philippines. His intention was to attach Palawan as a permanent dominion of the United States of America. The Resolution was actually “an expression of popular sentiment of the people for being neglected,” according to Diokno Manlavi (15).The petition contained a litany of pending requests for assistance and brazen neglect of the central government. It was a manifestation of the people against the indecision, apathy and inaction of the government to the needs of the people and the province. Unfortunately, the petition came “at the height of the clamor for Philippine Independence.” The national leadership took the resolution as a “slap to the leaders of the country”.

In his own characteristic way of doing things, President Manuel L. Quezon of the Philippine Commonwealth, sent posthaste Secretary of Interior Elpidio Quirino to Puerto Princesa to pacify the leaders. He brought with him a retinue of officials aboard the Coast Guard cutter, “APO”. Quirino was greeted by a multitude of placards amidst deafening noise and boisterous shouting.

After the usual amenities, Governor Mendoza stood on the gangplank and spoke why the petition was made. In a very touching speech, he aired his sentiments and that of the people of Palawan. Briefly, Quirino, said that while he sympathized with the Palaweños, the means used was bluntly radical. Forthwith Quirino warned the people that “If you want to secede, you can do it right now because the cannons on board the Coast Guard cutter “APO” are ready to open fire”.

Subsequently, Governor Mendoza and Representative Claudio Sandoval were invited to Manila by President Quezon. They returned to Puerto Princesa with much needed and sought for national aid.

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On 28 September 1991, an Historical Shrine in honor of Dr. Higinio A. Mendoza, Sr. was unveiled in Barangay Jolo, in the presence of high government officials led by Governor Victoriano J. Rodriguez and Congressman David A. Ponce de Leon. The shrine was constructed on the very spot where “once lived a man who prepared his destiny in history.”

In the Palawan Times, the writer further wrote, “we came with a single purpose, to witness the unveiling of an Historical Shrine in honor of Dr. Higinio A. Mendoza, Sr.” We came likewise in sincere manifestation of our concern, our love and nationalistic fervor to honor a great man, Dr. Higinio A. Mendoza, Sr. who gave his life that we may live.”

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF FREE PALAWAN

he Provincial Government of Free Palawan during the Japanese occupation was an extension of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. It was established on January 1, 1942, after a conference of all provincial officials and leading citizens of Palawan.

The provincial officials were: Governor, Gaudencio E. Abordo; Treasurer Pedro Cecilia; Auditor, Angel Paguia; Health Officer, Dr. Nestor Matro; Sheriff, Gregorio Quicho; Clerk of Court, Emilio Decoloñgon; Superintendent of Schools, Gaudencio Vega; Fiscal Cordova and others.

The seat of government was moved to Aborlan then to Mentes, to Tandayag and two months later to Buenavista. Except for Aborlan, all other places were barrios of Puerto Princesa.

For more efficient and effective administration of the affairs of government, Deputy Governors were designated: Jacinto Alli for northern Palawan and Jose Abid for Cuyo and Agutaya, while southern Palawan was directly under Governor Abordo.

The areas under the Provincial Government of Free Palawan were all municipalities of Palawan, except, Coron, which were garrisoned on May 4, 1942 to secure the manganese mines at Singay and Carmelita and Puerto Princesa. On January 1, 1942, eight Japanese planes bombed Puerto Princesa but did not land troops until May 18, 1942. Later, Taytay, Araceli and Balabac were garrisoned by the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces.

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Printing of Scrips. The disappearance of the “genuine money” which was in circulation before the war, forced the Free Palawan Government to print scrip (a certificate of indebtedness issued as currency, as by a local government without funds). The scrip, printed in several denominations was legal for all intents and purposes. President Manuel L. Quezon through General Manuel A. Roxas authorized the printing of scrip. The scrips were mimeographed on whatever kind of paper that was then available. These were signed personally by the Governor, the Provincial Treasurer and Provincial Auditor. The scrips were used to pay the employees, soldiers and other needs.

Unsung Heroes. One of the most important segment of the civil government of Free Palawan were the Civilian Volunteer Guards, better known as the “bolo battalion”, because they were armed with bolos. They were utilized to guard the outposts leading to headquarters and gave warning of incoming Japanese patrols; did the hauling of food supplies and equipment for the guerrilla units; constructed shelters for the soldiers; and did all the menial jobs in the camp. They were also given ranks similar to that of the Army. They were not registered in the Armed Forces, had no salaries nor were entitled to pensions and privileges accorded the Army. Many times they were the first victims of Japanese patrols, like what happened in Patonga or Alcaba on October 2, 1942, when the Japanese soldiers brutally shot twenty innocent men suspected as guerrillas. Only two were able to escape to recount the horrifying experience. Moreover, these men provided for themselves their own subsistence while on twentyhour duty. It was not uncommon that their sons or other male members of the family would pitch-in in their absence.

The other group of volunteers was the Women’s Auxiliary Service (WAS), organized to help the resistance movement. The WAS consisted of members of the pre-war Women’s club, a civic organization affiliated with the Women’s Club of the Philippines. They assisted by giving coffee, fruits, vegetables, rice and sugar to guerrillas. They also arranged benefit dances, beauty contest and other means to raise funds. They collected used clothing and other useful items for the needy.

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Contact With Australia Established. A group of intrepid adventurous men composed of Alfred Cobb, a Palaweño of American father, Reynaldo, a full blooded Palaweño, Captain a Kenneth Whitehead of the 25th U.S. Calvary, Kahil Buangi and Jelial Mesaludin, both Muslims, left Tawi-Tawi on 18 December 1942 for Australia in a kumpit. On 3 January 1944 they sighted Timor island. They were sailing at the speed of four to five knots per hour with favorable winds. They estimated that in three days they will reach Australia.

On 6 January 1944, the group sighted a plane which encircled just above the mast of the kumpit, Cobb unfurled the American flag.

On January 7, the group rowed their kumpit and out of the cove sailed towards Darwin. And half hour later, a mine sweeper stopped alongside the kumpit. The mine sweeper was manned by Lieutenant Yang stationed at Snake Bay, Melville Island. His elder brother was the Commanding Officer of Snake Bay, the farthest military outpost in the northern territory of Australia.

In order to gain first hand information about the situation in Palawan, an intelligence group was sent to Palawan. In the evening of 28 June 1944, a group of Allied Intelligence Bureau, landed in Ramos island.

They were brought in by a submarine. The group identified themselves as Master Sergeant Amando Corpus, the leaders; Sergeant C.A. Palcido; R.F. Cortez; J. Reynoso; Corporal T. Ballojay and T5 R.D. Dacquel all of the 978th Signal Corps.

The Mayor of Balabac persuaded the group to transfer to Matangule.

Their supplies were damaged. Only Php 1,746 of the money which they brought with them were salvaged. On 1 July 1944, Corpus left for Brooke’s Point. He met Mr. Edward. He informed him that his daughter in the United States was safe. His team finally decided to transfer to Brooke’s Point in barrio Macaqua for security reasons.

The following month, August 1944, a team of radio operators landed by submarine in Tinitian. The party was led by Colonel “Pulahan,” Major “Eightball.” Captain “Jack” and Dag. Another submarine surfaced at Ilian to transport the arriving airmen who were stranded in the area where their plane crashed in the vicinity. The American survivors were Commander Justin A. Miller, Lieutenant E. R. Bunch, Lieutenant Ralph •

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Beatle, E.D. Cunningham, Ralph A. Johnson, Ensign George H. Marin, Harvy A. Rammerfield, Lieutenant William A. Read, John F. Comshaw, Curtain S. Ford, and Ensign H. B. MacDaniel. These Americans returned to Ilian on December 24, 25, 26, 1944 dropping arms, ammunition, clothing, medicine, cigarettes and even letters to friends.

Later, other radio stations were established in Cuyo, Bacuit and Taytay to cover the whole of Palawan to facilitate intelligence reports. The project proved very valuable when the liberation forces came to Palawan.

THE SAGA: I SHALL RETURN

O

n 12 March 1942, General Douglas MacArthur and his party managed to evade the enemy’s tight cordon in Corregidor. He and his party first found refuge in Tagawayan island of the Cuyo Islands Group. He then proceeded to Mindanao and then to Australia by submarine. On 18 March 1942, General Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia from Bataan, Philippine Islands as Supreme commander in the southwest Pacific Area. In order to build the moral of the people he pledged, I SHALL RETURN. The Offensive Drive Toward the Philippines. Upon assumption as Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area Command, General Douglas MacArthur prepared an offensive drive toward the Philippines.

American action in the vicinity of the Solomon Islands had been primarily defensive, but on 7 August 1942, the offensive was taken to drive the Japanese from this important outpost. The attack began on August 7, and the enemy was apparently taken completely by surprise.

Eighteen enemy seaplanes were destroyed before they get into action, but the Japanese put up vigorous resistance when American marines began landing operations. The Japanese cruisers and destroyers were intercepted by the U.S. warships and forced to retire without reaching their objectives, but one Australian cruiser, Canberra and three United States cruisers, Astoria, Quincy and Vincennes, were sunk. The Marines.

Meanwhile succeeded in maintaining and expanding their land positions,

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establishing effective control of Tulagi, Guadalcanal, Florida and several smaller islands in the southwest Solomons. (1942: “Word War II”.

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001. Microsoft Corporation).

The main action was in the southwest Pacific. There U.S. and New Zealand troops, under Admiral Wiliam Halsey advanced through the Solomons, taking New George in August and a large beachhead on Bougainville in November. Australians and Americans under Mac Arthur drove the Japanese back along the East coast of New Guinea and took Lae and Salamua in September. MacArthur’s and Halsey’s mission, as set by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1942 had been to take command of the air and sea around them was enough to neutralize the Japanese Island garrisons and render them as useless. Landings on Cape Gloucester, New Britain, in the Admiralty Islands in February 1944 and at Emiran Island in March 1944 effectively sealed Rabaul. Its 100,000-man garrison could not thereafter be either adequately supplied or evacuated.

The central Pacific thrust was slower in getting started. The southwest Pacific Islands were relatively close together, airfield in one could furnish support for the move to the next; and Japanese navy was wary of risking their ships within the range of land-based aircraft. In the central pacific, however, the islands were scattered over vast stretches of ocean and powerful naval forces were needed to support the landings, particularly aircraft carriers, which were not available in sufficient numbers until late 1943.

The first central Pacific landings were in the Gilbert Islands, at Makin and Tarawa, in 1943. Betio Island in Tarawa Atoll, 117.8 hectares (291 acres) of coral and conrete and coconut log bunkers, cost the Marine Division 3,000 casualties in three days. More intensive preliminary bombardment and larger numbers of amphibian tractors capable of crossing the surrounding reefs made the taking of Kwajalein and Enewetak in the Marshall Islands in February 1944 somewhat less expensive.

The Battle of the Philippine Sea. Operations against Japan in the Pacific picked up speed in 1944. In the spring, the Joint Chiefs of Staff advances by MacArthur through northwestern Marianas and Caroline Islands. The Japanese on their part were getting ready for a defensive naval battle east of the Philippines.

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After making the leaps along the New Guinea coast to Aitape, Hollandia, and Wake Island in April and May, Mac Arthur’s troops landed in Biak Island in May 27. Airfield in Biak would enable U.S. planes to harass the Japanese fleet in the Philippines. A striking force built around the world’s two largest battleships, Yamato and Musashi, was steaming toward Biak in June 13 when the U.S. Navy began bombing and shelling Saipan in the Marianas. The Japanese ships were then ordered to turn north and join the First Mobile Fleet of Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo, which was heading out of the Philippines toward the Marianas.

In June 19 and 20, Ozawa met U.S. Task Force 58 under Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Ozawa had five (5) heavy and four (4) light carriers. On the first day in what was called Marianas, Turkey U.S. Fighter drowned 219 of 326 Japanese planes sent against them. While the air battle was going on, U.S. Submarine sank Ozawa’s two (2) largest carriers, one of them his flagship; and on the second day, dive bombers sank a third carrier. After that Ozawa steered north toward Okinawa with 15 planes left. It was the end for Japanese carrier aviation. Mitscher lost 26 planes and 3 of his ships suffered minor damage.

Strategic Shift on the Pacific. U.S. forces landed on Saipan in June 15. The Americans had possession of Saipan, Tinian and Guam

by August 10, giving them the key to a strategy for ending the war. The islands could accommodate bases for the new American long-range bombers, the B-29.

Super fortress, which could reach Tokyo and other Japanese cities at least as well from the islands as they would have been able to from bases in China. Moreover, US Naval superiority in the Pacific was rapidly becoming sufficient to sustain an invasion, however, would have to wait for the defeat of Germany and subsequent release of ground troops from Europe for use in the Pacific. The regular bombing of Japan began in November 1944.

Although the shift in strategy raised some doubts about the need for operations in the Carolines and Philippines, they went ahead as planned, with landings in western Carolines at Peleliu (September 15), Uthlu (September 23) and Ngulu (October 16) and in the central Philippines 160 |

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in Leyte (October 20). The invasion of the Philippines brought the Japanese navy out in force for the last time in the war. In this 3-day Battle for Leyte Gulf (October 23-25), the outcome of which was at times more in doubt that the final result would seem to indicate, the Japanese lost 26 ships, including the giant Musashi and the American lost seven ships. (Earl F. Ziemke. “World War II”. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001).

Pledge Fulfilled. The invasion of Leyte came in September 21, led by the Sixth Army. The cavalry and infantry landed in the San RicardoPao area. Two other infantry divisions landed in Dulag area. In October 19, the American warships bombarded the shores of Tacloban. On the morning of October 20, the historic “I Shall Return” was fulfilled when General Douglas MacArthur, President Sergio Osmeña, Resident Commissioner Carlos P. Romulo and other high ranking American and Filipino officials walked ashore on Leyte. In his characteristically solemn and dramatic manner General Mac Arthur told the Filipino people I have returned. “By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on the Philippine soil consecrated in the blood of our two peoples. We have come dedicated and committed, to the task of destroying every vestige of enemy control over our daily lives and of restoring , upon a foundation of indestructible strength, the liberties of our people.”

The Liberation of Puerto Princesa. The liberation of Puerto Princesa was preceded by the landing of two PT boats at Babuyan on February 10, 1945 under Captain Pope. The two officers of Battalion S-2: Major Muyco and Lieutenant Juan Concepcion briefed Captain Pope’s group about the strength, position, arms and other essentials about the enemy in Puerto Princesa. It was estimated that in Puerto Princesa, there are 1,285 Japanese soldiers.

Before the Americans left, Muyco received 26 carbines and 2000 rounds of ammunition. Pope returned to Mindoro with Lieutenant Antonio Palanca, Sergeant Vicente Aizo and Pascual de la Cruz to guide the American Liberation Force.

On February 28, 1945 the American Liberation Forces under General H.H. Haney, Commander of the U.S. 41st Division of the 8th Army Task Force, landed un-opposed at Canigaran Beach. The Japanese •

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forces had withdrawn after the heavy aerial bombing that preceded the actual landing of troops.

Overnight, Puerto Princesa was turned into a huge military camp.

People had to live a make-shift life. Puerto Princesa was in ruins from the air-raids, first the Japanese and then the American Liberation Forces.

These were the days most trying for survival after three years of living a life of fear and deprived of freedom.

Restoration of the Philippine Commonwealth. On 20 October 1944, President Sergio Osmeña, accompanying the American liberation forces, landed at Leyte. On the same day, he issued a message to the Filipino people informing them of his safe return and urging the Filipinos to support the Allied Forces in liberating the Philippines. He summoned the support of the people by saying, “General MacArthur and I have returned together to accomplish a common objective; to restore to our people peace and prosperity, freedom and happiness.”

Moreover, he said, “We are now enjoying these blessing of democracy under the benevolent guidance of the United States when the enemy wantonly attacked us, interrupting nationhood. The enemy is still in the Philippine soil. It is our immediate purpose to destroy this power and to expel him from our country. (Zaide, 12: 87).

While the Commonwealth was temporarily restored at Tacloban, Leyte in October 1944, it was not until 17 February 1945 when General Douglas MacArthur officially turned over the Commonwealth Government to President Sergio Osmeña in ceremonies held at Malacañang Palace in Manila. In turning over, General MacArthur said, “On behalf of my Government, I now solemnly declare, Mr. President, the full powers and responsibilities under the Constitution restored to the Commonwealth whose seat is here established as provided by law.”

He implored, “Your country thus is again at liberty to pursue its destiny to an honored position on the family of free nations. Your capital city, cruelly punished through it be, has regained its rightful place Citadel of Democracy in the Far East. (Zaide, 12:109).

Provincial Government Restored. On 1 March 1945, the Americans picked up Governor Gaudencio E. Abordo at Caramay and took him to Iwahig. At his request the other provincial officials including 162 |

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Secretary Arturo Magay were picked up at Mentes in March 4. In less time, the Provincial Government of Palawan can be re-established at Iwahig Prison and Penal Colony. Incidentally, the high ranking Filipino officials who served the Japanese government were sent as prisoners to Iwahig.

Puerto Princesa, Military Camp. Overnight, after the landing of the American Liberation Forces, Puerto Princesa was turned into a military camp a base of operations.

The Puerto Princesa Bay was turned into a Seaplane Base. The runway of the airfield was reconstructed with steel matting to land aircrafts.

Honda Bay was littered with ships. Canigaran was filled with canvas tents and Quonset huts to house the soldiers. The town once deserted during the Japanese occupation and in ruins was turned into make-shift huts of all sorts. As always with military camps, coffee shops abound, buy and sell of army supplies was the order of business, sailors, soldiers and people crowded the streets. They thrived on American dole outs. The returning residents from their centers of evacuation found had no place to stay for practically all the houses were destroyed except a few sturdy buildings like the Catholic Church which was heavily damaged and a few private homes were heavily damaged. But life must go on. Business as usual under the most trying circumstances. Every day and night was noisy, only to be broken with a pause of complete silence when the news came that the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces officially surrendered.

In the morning of August 6, a B-29 super fortress flew over the island of Honshu and dropped its deadly weapon, an atomic bomb, on the industrial City of Hiroshima killing almost half of its inhabitants and destroying 60 percent of the area. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped in the City of Nagasaki. Faced with a choice between destruction and surrender, the Japanese gave up fighting. In August 18, a Japanese delegation went to Manila to negotiate their surrender to General Douglas MacArhtur. On September 2nd, the Japanese delegates boarded Admiral Halsey’s flagship, the Missouri, in Tokyo Bay and signed the terms of surrender.

The days that followed were happy days. Civilians and soldiers waved their hands with victory sign with shouts and cheers; young and old •

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greeted the American soldiers with “Hello, Joe! Chocolate Joe!.” It was common sight to see American G.I.s handing out chocolate candies, chewing gum, K ration boxes and cookies to hungry children and old people who had not tasted such delicacies in years. But physically, the Palaweños in Puerto Princesa were without means to sustenance or financial support in every phase of its economic life.

The Philippine Civil Affairs Unit. The state of affairs of confusion and chaos floated disturbing apprehensions of “winning the war but losing the peace”. Fortunately, the Southwest Pacific Area General Headquarters knew by experience in previous campaigns, that generally during the landings and subsequent periods of fighting, there would be chaos and dislocation among civilians. In order to care for the civilians and to free the commanding general from the burden of handling civil affairs, Philippine Civil Affairs Unit accompanied each Task Force. They were not, however, Combat Units, although there were under the direct command of the Commanding General of the Army. (Tentative Outline Plan for Civil Affairs in the Philippines, HDQ, SWPA, Chief of Staff G-1, September 22, 1944, p.2, Osmeña Papers, Box No. 4, National Library) The policy of the Civil Affairs was to render all possible assistance to the Filipino people through: 1. The establishment of the national, provincial and municipal organs of government throughout the islands.

2. The extension of emergency relief in the supply of essential food, clothing and medicine to the Filipino people.

3. The provision of the hospitalization of the sick and wounded, and shelter for the homeless.

4. The transfer of the appropriate agencies of government of full responsibility covering all these and related civil matters, as rapidly as such action could be taken without manifest prejudice to the interest of the people. (MEMORANDUM: For Commander in-Chief, GHQ, AFFAC, APO 500, August 25, 1945)

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At this point, it is worth recalling what U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt wrote the Secretary of Interior: ...Thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians have been slaughtered, and those who have escaped the wrath of the enemy are famished, diseased and helpless... Our pledge to the Filipino people consists not only in their liberation but also in giving them relief and in providing for their rehabilitation and for the security of their independence.

On the one hand, President Sergio Osmeña in his speech delivered before the Philippine War Damage Commission said: ...In considering the broad problem of Philippine Rehabilitation, there is one fundamental fact that should be borne in mind and that is, that the Philippines is one state or territory under the American flag which has suffered the heaviest in this war.

Not only is its war casualties the highest in proportion to population, not only has its cities and towns been destroyed and looted, its countryside and farms laid waste, and its whole economic structure ruined, but its people have undergone more physical pain and mental anguish than any other... (Caridad Aldecoa-Rodriguez. Negros Oriental From American Rule to the Present: A History. Volume II, 1989:181).

When the American Liberation Force landed, Puerto Princesa did not have a Municipal President because Eduardo Valencia’s term had expired on February 4, 1943. The Philippine Civil Affairs Unit (PCAU) exercised the powers, duties and functions of government.

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MUNICIPAL PRESIDENTS DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION RECORDS show that Teodoro Malate was appointed Municipal President on January 1, 1944. He served until July 2, 1944, for approximately six months.

President Jose P. Laurel appointed Eduardo Valencia, Municipal President in place of Teodoro Malate on July 3, 1944. He served until February 4, 1945, just before the landing of the American Liberation Forces on February 28, 1945.

Eduardo Valencia was a dedicated public servant who served his constituents with unreserved dedication as shown by strong concern for the safety of the civilians from the hands of the Japanese soldiers.

This earned him the distinction for an appointment as Chief Deputy Assessor and later as member of the Provincial Board. He was the Superintendent of the Non-Christian Tribes for Palawan when President Laurel appointed him Municipal President of Puerto Princesa. He was later reappointed to the same position until his retirement in 1952.

While the enemy had been dislodged, a new threat for survival emerged even before the local government was recognized. That’s winning the peace! From the ruins and ashes of war, a new social order emerged, the concept of “quick rich” through such nefarious smuggling of goods, drugs and even Chinese nationals. These activities were grouped into one term, graft and corruption, a social disease which up to the present has plagued not only the government but the private sector as well. As often as said in whispers, “there are no takers if there are no givers or vice-versa”. Puerto Princesa in fact, a hotbed of smuggling, scams, and the buy and sell of surplus property.

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RECONSTRUCTION

P

uerto Princesa, the once beautiful place, inhabited by peaceloving people was left in ruins. The municipality was faced with the tremendous task of reconstruction with no funds to start it. It had to depend on the national and provincial governments for relief and reconstruction of infrastructure, government buildings, roads and bridges, and other facilities which the municipality used to have before the war. Added to this on July 4, 1946, after almost forty-eight years of American tutelage, recognized the independence of the Philippines.

There was strained happiness caused by the destruction of war, both physical and spiritual.

The task of initiating the reconstruction of the municipality fell on the shoulders of Donato Manga, who was appointed Municipal Mayor on July 4, 1946. He served until December 31, 1947. He was elected to serve a three-year term which ended on December 31, 1951.

When he assumed as Municipal Mayor in 1946, he had to contend with using a rebuilt Quonset hut for a municipal hall, just like most of the public buildings. His priority was peace and order which generally follow wars. He reconstructed the public market being the life blood of the economy. It is in fact the major source of income of the government.

The public market then was located the present Children’s Park. The market was moved to its present site in 1951.

Donato N. Manga was born to Eusebio Manga and Paula Novalta of Cuyo, Palawan, on February 10, 1892. He hardly had any formal education. He left school a day after classes opened, because he was punished by his teacher, who caught him playing marbles behind the school building with some of his classmates after class. He was terribly hurt when his teacher knocked their heads together. He fled out of fear and never returned to school.

His family moved to Puerto Princesa. At an early age of an adolescent, he stowed away in a boat to Manila where he worked in a motor launch. Later, he went to Hawaii to work in a sugar plantation.

He lived with Justa Madama while working in Hawaii. When the work in the plantation stopped, they returned to Manila. However, she left when •

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Donato returned to Puerto Princesa. Upon counsel of his mother, he returned to Manila and married Justa. Then they came back to Puerto Princesa. The couple was blessed with three children: Claudio, Heracleo and Marieta.

His strong personality earned him the appointment of Chief of Police of Puerto Princesa. After a tour of duty as Chief of Police, Governor Anastacio Manalo placed him overseer of his coconut plantation in Tandayag. After clearing the forest and having planted it with coconuts, he also developed his own homestead in Maruyugon.

When he ran for re-election as municipal mayor in 1951, he lost to Arturo Magay. However, in the election of 1955, Manga was elected. He assumed office in January 1956. He did not finish his term as municipal mayor, he died of lung cancer on December 7, 1957.

Arturo Magay beat Donato Manga in the election in 1951. He assumed the position as Municipal Mayor of Puerto Princesa on January 1, 1952. They expected much from him in the reconstruction of the municipality. However, to their disappointment, records do not show any achievement. The problem of the municipality was not only reconstruction but what to do with the influx of settlers as indicated by the rapid growth of the population. In 1939 the population was 10,887, in 1948 it was 15,177 and in 1960 the population rose to 23,125, the increase in population put a heavy pressure on the scarce resources of the municipality and was a challenge to the leadership of Arturo Magay.

He was born in Iwahig Penal Colony to Agaton Magay and Soledad de los Reyes. His brothers and sisters were: Jacinto, Dominica, Miguel, Albino, Eduardo, Victoriano, Adela, Flora and Daniel. His parents were religious and taught them true love and service to God and fellowmen.

They were either members of the church choir or church helpers.

Arturo and his family saw the worst of human sufferings during World War II. When they heard that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the people were trained to always keep their gas mask ready to protect them from breathing in the poisonous fumes. They put off all the lights at night during raids. On December 8, 1941 during the La Purisima Concepcion Holy Mass, the Japanese warplanes sprayed bullets at the 168 |

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barracks and the plaza and bored a hole on the town’s water tank. It happened again on New Year’s Day of 1942.

Since then, the people abandoned the town. Some went north others south. Arturo’s family retreated into the wilderness in Tagburos.

But the Japanese killed their father and arrested the family.

His colorless administration put back Donato Magay as Municicpal Mayor in 1956.

Vice-Mayor Zoilo Jalandoni served the remaining term of Mayor Donato Manga which ended in December 1959. Briefly, he was born on June 27, 1916 in Jagna, Bohol where he finished his elementary education.

At 16, he worked his way through high school in Tagbilaran. He was inducted into the Army and was sent to the School for Commissioned Officers and graduated with the rank of First Lieutenant. In 1940, he was sent by Governor Agustin Caseñas of Bohol to Puerto Princesa to open the Caseñas Bus Transportation and the Palawan Electric Company as its manager.

He was called to active duty when the war broke and saw action in Bataan. Meanwhile the Japanese took over the transportation and electric power companies he managed. When he was released from the concentration camp, he returned to Puerto Princesa and resumed management of the two companies which were abandoned by the Japanese.

In 1948, he started his political career. He joined the Liberal Party and ran for Councilor then Vice-Mayor. He served from December 7, 1957 (the unfinished term of Mayor Manga) until December 31, 1959.

He later died of a heart attack.

Severino E. Vicente succeeded Zoilo Jalandoni as Municipal Mayor on January 1, 1960, serving for the second time. His term ended on December 31, 1963. Later he served as Provincial Secretary from January 1971 to August 31, 1974. Then he became Barangay Captain of Salvacion from 1981 to 1987.

Lope Nadayao succeeded Mayor Vicente on January 1, 1964 and served as Municipal Mayor until December 31, 1968.

Feliberto Rodriguez Oliveros, Jr. was duly elected Municipal Mayor of Puerto Princesa on January 1, 1968. But his services as Municipal Mayor •

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were interrupted on December 31, 1969, when the Municipality of Puerto Princesa was converted into a component City on January 1, 1970. He continued to serve as the First City Mayor of Puerto Princesa until March 2, 1986, after the Presidential Snap Election on January 7, 1986.

Republic Act No. 5906. “An Act Creating the City of Puerto Princesa,” was approved by President Ferdinand E. Marcos on June 21, 1969, was authored by Congressman Ramon V. Mitra, Jr. as House Bill 18939, during the Fourth Session of the Sixth Congress of the Republic of the Philippines.

On October 23, 1972, the Charter of the City of Puerto Princesa was amended under Republic Act No. 6608, “An Act Amending Certain Provisions of Republic Act Numbered Fifty-Nine Hundred and Six, Known As The Charter Of The City Of Puerto Princesa, And For Other Purposes. It was further amended by Presidential Decree No. 437, “Repealing And Amending Certain Section Of Republic Act No. 5906, Otherwise Known As “The Charter Of The City Of Puerto Princesa,” particularly “under the second paragraph of Section 2, Republic Act No. 5906, otherwise known as “The Charter of the City of Puerto Princesa”, the National Government has ceded to the City of Puerto Princesa, the ownership and possession of all lands of the public domain within the City, and that under paragraph (uu), Section 15 of the same Act, the City Council shall have the power to dispose of by lease or otherwise all land of the public domain ceded to it by the National Government.”

The amendment was made on the premise, “included in the lands of the public domain ceded to the City are public forests and grazing lands, which, by their nature and classification are neither alienable nor disposable, and thence, the grant of “ownership” thereof to the City is of doubtful constitutionality.”

Invariably, the City of Puerto Princesa “does not have the necessary administrative machinery to manage and dispose of the lands of the public domain and as a result of the administration and management and disposition of public lands within the City have been in a chaotic situation.” Therefore, in order to accelerate and insure the effective distribution of public lands for the benefit of legitimate occupants, claimants and/or applicants within the City, it is necessary to return to the 170 |

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Bureau of Lands of the public domain within the City for administration and disposition in accordance with the provisions of Commonwealth Act No. 141 as amended, otherwise known as “The Public Land Act,” and other related laws.

All these amendments strengthened the position of the City to pursue activities, programs and projects with much leeway. Moreover, the conversion commensurately increased the income of the City thereby provided more funds for reconstruction. As the Capital of the Province of Palawan, the City has an added advantage of priority in the allocation of funds.

Feliberto R. Oliveros, Jr. was born on November 17, 1937 in Manila.

His parents were Feliberto Oliveros of Cuyo and Leonila Rodriguez of Coron, Palawan. He married Rafaelita Silano. They have two sons Victor and Feliberto III, a Councilor of the City of Puerto Princesa.

He completed his elementary and secondary education at the Ateneo de Manila. He took courses in agriculture at the University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna. He, however, shifted to mining engineering where he graduated with the Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering at the Mapua Institute of Technology, Manila. He was the Editor-in-Chief of The Builder and the MIT annual the Cardinal and God. He took courses leading to the degree of Master in Public Administration at the Palawan State College now Palawan State University.

He first sought employment at the Palawan Quicksilver Mines, Ind., at Sta Lourdes, Puerto Princesa and at the same time part-time instructor at the Holy Trinity College, Puerto Princesa.

He ventured into politics in 1964 with the vision “to improve the quality of life of the people and develop them into self-reliant citizens”.

He was elected Vice-Mayor. In 1968 he was elected Mayor and served as the first City Mayor in 1970. Some of his significant achievements are: established the first Rural High School in Barangay Maruyugon; reclassification of the City from fourth to first class; established the Barangay Mangingisda Settlement Project, which later became two barangays: Luzviminda and Mangingisda; worked for the upgrading of the airport and seaport; constructed the new City Hall Building; funded from local funds; construction of the first rural waterworks system at •

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Barangay San Rafael; construction of the first rural irrigation system serving the northern barangays; worked for the increase of Bureau of Internal Revenue allotments intended for the City of Puerto Princesa under the 60-30-10 (population-land area- equal sharing) scheme which made possible the passage of legislation for the uniform application nation-wide; worked for the improvement of power supply in the City by making representations with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) (Col. Dumon) which paved the way for the establishment of the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO); worked for the improvement of the water supply in the City through the LUWA for grants and loans to the Puerto Princesa Water District; made representations with the Department of Tourism for the installation of lighting facilities along Rizal Avenue; worked for the establishment of the first housing project in the City (BLISS Housing) at Barangay Sta. Monica; worked for the survey and titling of agricultural lands; passage of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan which was implemented under the City Zoning Ordinance of 1978; establishment of Rural Agricultural Center under a Memorandum of Agreement with the Palawan Integrated Area Development Project (PIADP), to improve the quality and quantity of livestock, livestock dispersal project and intensify mango production by putting up nurseries in the barangays and distribution of grafted mango seedlings; and the construction of farm-to-market roads: San Pedro sea road I, II and III; San Jose sea road I, II, III and IV; San Jose-San Pedro road; San JoseCaramuran road I, II, and III; Dimalanta Road; Irawan-Sta. Lourdes Road; Tagaud-Impapay Road; opening of the Macarascas-Sabang Road; establishment of the Government Center; construction and operation of the first modern abattoir in Puerto Princesa; and the concreting of the following streets in the Poblacion and nearby barangays: Rizal Avenue, Malvar Street, Manalo Street, Abad Santos Street, Mabini Street, Abueg Road, del Pilar Street, Burgos Street, Valencia Street, Lacao Street, Fernandez Street, Jacana Road, Socrates Road, Fundador Road, Wescom Road Phase I and II, Libis Road, Palawan State University Road, F. Rafols Road and San Jose-Caramuran Road III. Water Supply. From the time of its establishment, Puerto Princesa was faced with lack of potable water supply. For several years it depended 172 |

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upon rain water for drinking. It depended upon shallow wells which rural communities now have. In some of the more progressive areas, rivers, streams and springs were tapped.

The present water supply of the Poblacion and other nearby areas, was first established in August 1976 as a semi-government agency under the National Waterworks and Sewerage Authority (NWSA). It embarked on a longed-term development program designed to improve pipe and water service to its residents. On March 12, 1992, the Supreme Court declared Puerto Princesa Water District as Government-owned and Controlled Corporation. As such more aggressive program of improving the system was undertaken with the assistance of the Local Water Utilities Authority in the form of technical, financial and institutional support.

The sources of water supply are both surface and ground water of the Irawan River, located 14 kilometers northwest of the Poblacion.

There are four deep wells and two infiltration wells in the river basin which provides half of the total water produced by PPCWD. The other source of water supply is the Bonton River, located within the Iwahig Penal Colony reservation, about 15.6 kilometers northwest of the City proper. This used to be the main source of water supply in 1938, was rehabilitated in 1984.

The other source of water supply is another surface water from a spring in Barangay Tiniguiban which was developed by the American Liberation Forces in 1945, about five kilometers from the city proper.

This was abandoned by the City until it was rehabilitated by the Palawan State College, now Palawan State University, when it transferred its high school and colleges to the area in 1976.

The Puerto Princesa City Water District has 22 pumping stations within the City proper with the capacity to generate 16,119 cubic meters per day as of May 31, 2005.

The PPCWD has a total of 26.10 kilometers of transmission pipelines with sizes ranging from 100 mm to 400 mm diameter. The oldest was installed in 1938, which consists of nine kilometers of 100mm diameter cast iron pipes from Bonton River to the 150 cubic meter reservoir in Barangay Sta. Monica. The system has one blow-off valve between the •

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weir and the ground reservoir while there are 18 manual air releases valves in the upstream portions of the Bonton main.

The distribution system from the Irawan Pump Center is a 13 kilometer 400mm diameter cement mortar-lined steel pipe, with 18 air release valves and nine blow-off valves along Irawan transmission line.

The distribution system consists of pipes with various sizes ranging from 50mm to 350 mm with a total of 35.94 kilometers.

As of this writing, there were more or less 40 hydrants, three blowoff valves and 645 gate valves operating. The distribution facilities arte located within the City proper, parts of Barangays Sta. Monica, Sicsican and Irawan.

Port of Puerto Princesa. The Puerto Princesa Port has a rich history.

In its early years, Chinese and Muslim traders came to Puerto Princesa to barter clothing, spices, weapons and various wares for almaciga resin, copra, dried fish, lumber and other forest products.

The port is favored with a year-round all-weather safe berth and anchorage as it is naturally protected. Moreover, the port lies along a typhoon-free zone.

It was not until 1925 that Governor Anastacio Manalo had concreted a rock-cause-way and about 100 meters reinforced concrete deck on piles, constructed. The pier was extended with a T-shaped berthing facility in 1934. Another 92 meters was added in 1969.

Puerto Princesa since its establishment was the principal port in Palawan for most goods from Manila and also where most of the products were shipped to Manila. The volume of trade and commerce was so limited that only three motor vessels serviced Puerto Princesa and Manila weekly in 1958. The vessels loaded copra, forest products, lumber and small quantities of livestock and fish. In 1962, the Bureau of Coast and Geodetic Survey reported that Puerto Princesa was accessible to foreign vessels.

Bancas, sailboats (single and double sailed), and motor launches were used to transport people and goods from Puerto Princesa, vice versa, to settlements along the coastline and islands within the province.

Shipbuilding was an industry in the Barbarcan area where most of the pancos were built by the Cagayanons and Agutaynons. A number 174 |

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of these were converted into motorized launches used for inter-island transportation.

In 1980, the port was included as a component of the Palawan Integrated Area Development Project (PIADP). Thus, in 1984, Php 60 million was allocated for the development of the expansion of the port. Completed in 1987, the expanded port area increased to about three times its original size. The port facilities have been upgraded to international standards. The port renders such services as berthing, passenger terminal, parking, canteen and lighting.

Since June 1, 1987, the Port of Puerto Princesa is managed by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). It is considered one of the safest and most ideal sea-port in the country today. The port can accommodate domestic and foreign vessels up to 40,000 GRT. The port serves commercial vessels plying from Manila, Iloilo and other routes in the province.

The Port of Puerto Princesa was chosen the country’s “Most Environmentally Friendly Port in 2008, besting twenty-two (22) other major ports under the Philippine Port Authority.

Airport and Air Navigation Facilities. The present airport was constructed during the Japanese occupation by the American prisoners of war. The tarmac was 2,200 meters long and 210 meters wide. The United States Army used the airport as one of its bases; lined the tarmac with steel matting. When the steel matting that covered the runway disappeared, the airport was rendered unserviceable.

The present airport is located at Barangay Bancao-Bancao in close proximity to the commercial centers and surrounded by residential and commercial developments. It has a concrete runway of 2.6 kilometers long and 45 meters wide. The facility has a total area of 130.911 hectares, capable of handling big and wide-bodied jets for domestic and international flights.

The airport was reconstructed in 1970 and inaugurated in 1975. Old facilities have been replaced by new efficient ones. The control tower was provided by a Japanese grant. It became operational in 1983. New arrival facility and fire station were constructed in 1992. New fire access road was completed as were CVOR/DME/NDB and Outer Localizer provided by the USAID. •

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The airport and navigation facilities are good, the existing taxiway needs to be improved and widened by at least 10 meters to accommodate PAL’s A300. Presently it is jointly used mainly by civil and military for domestic operations.

Road Network. The City is connected by two national roads, the Puerto Princesa South Road which is 59.163 kilometers from the Poblacion to adjoining Municipality of Aborlan and the North Road, 87 kilometers from the Poblacion to the Municipality of Roxas. The total national road covers a distance of 155.907 kilometers while the City roads, 370.028 kilometers. The primary and secondary national roads connecting the tertiary or urban and rural roads are: Puerto Princesa Wharf Road (Km 1+930); Capitol-Canigaran road (Km 0 + 000-km2 + 480); Malvar Road (Km 1+439 Km 3 +934); Irawan-Tagburos road (Km 11+344, Km 17+976); Puerto Princesa North Road (Km 0 + 000Km 83 + 433) and the Salvacion Junction-Bahile Road (Km 40 +_ 069, Km 45 + 343).

Bridges. There are 57 national bridges in the City with a total of 1,378.45 meters composed of 713.92 meters concrete; 557.47 meters steel; and 3.5 meters with other type of construction materials. The City has a total of 23 bridges with a total of 270.91 meters of which 13 are timber while four are bailey and the rest are concrete.

The Western Command. The Western Command (WESCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines was organized on March 15, 1976 under the Command of Commodore Gil Fernandez. In more specific terms, the tasks of the Western Command are: 1) secure the oil exploration in Palawan; 2) defend the Kalayaan Chain of Islands; 3) develop Palawan into an effective defense of the region; and 4) assist in the socio-economic development of Palawan.

Palawan used to be part of SOWESCOM (Southwestern Command) until it was separated as a unit by itself, because the secession movement which started in 1972 has escalated into a full-blown military campaign and the danger from the CPP/NPA was getting the attention of the Southwest Command.

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and the Composite Tactical Group of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) based in Puerto Princesa. The main mission of Project Kaunlaran was to occupy the Kalayaan Chain of Islands (Spratly Islands) to strengthen the claim of the Philippines over the islands.

The discovery of oil in northwest Palawan, expanded the operation of Wescom. In order to secure the oil well and to complement the changing role of Palawan in national development, the 514 Engineering Composite Battalion of the Philippine Army was placed under the operational control of the Command in order to undertake vital infrastructure projects of the province. Moreover, the Philippine Air Force redeployed its 550 AEW for the strengthening of the Puerto Princesa Airport.

The presence of the Wescom prevented the Muslim rebels from Mindanao in gaining a foothold in southern Palawan. It also checked the establishment of rebel movement in northern Palawan.

EDSA Revolution. On March 3 1986, President Corazon C. Aquino appointed Alfredo M. Abueg, Jr. as Officer-in-Charge of the City of Puerto Princesa. He is married to Dr. Nellie San Juan Fabello of Aborlan, Palawan and Odiongan, Romblon. The couple has four children.

He is the eldest son of Alfredo Abueg, Sr. and Maria Edora. He was born on November 2, 1932. He attended elementary schools in Puerto Princesa, Cuyo, Palawan and Caridad, Cavite. He graduated from the Palawan High School. He finished his Bachelor of Laws degree from Manuel Luis Quezon University in Manila. He passed the bar examination in 1962.He briefly served as Municipal Counsel of the Municipality of Brooke’s Point and later resigned to practice law in Puerto Princesa.

At 34 years old, in 1971, he became the Senior Delegate of Palawan to the Constitutional Convention where he was Vice Chairman of the Committee on Civil and Political Rights and Chairman of the SubCommittee on Marine Life. He later served as Commissioner of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).

His program of administration as Office-in-Charge of the City of Puerto Princesa consisted of the improvement, enhancement and streamlining the administrative machinery of the City; improvement of health and sanitation by cleaning the public places and proper garbage disposal.

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OIC Mayor Alfredo Abueg, Jr. completed the unfinished portion of the New City Hall at St. Monica; constructed the People’s Amphitheater at the Mendoza Park; constructed and improved the Children’s Park and Rizal Park; completed the premium drainage; solid waste disposal; public market and slaughterhouse projects; cemented the Abueg Sr. circumferential road; the Abad Santos extension road (now Governor Telesforo Paredes Road) and the Manalo Extension Road.

He was replaced by Higinio C. Mendoza, Jr., as Officer-in-Charge on March 2, 1987 to February 2, 1988.

On February 2, 1988, Feliberto R. Oliveros Jr. was again elected City Mayor. He served until June 30, 1992.

SUMMARY SUMMARY rom 1941, when the Second World War broke out to 30 June 1992, was a period of war and reconstruction of Puerto Princesa. It was also the healing of political wounds in order to stand united to bring back Puerto Princesa on its feet from the ravages of war.

On 18 May 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army garrisoned Puerto Princesa with approximately 1,265 men at the height of its occupation.

When the American Liberation Forces landed in Tacloban, Leyte to fulfill the pledge “I shall Return” Puerto Princesa was subjected to air raids by the United States Army, based in Mindoro. These air raids subjected the American Prisoners of War under the custody of the Japanese in Puerto Princesa to the most inhuman atrocity in the history of war in the world, similar to the massacre of the Jews in Germany.

The original airstrip of the present Puerto Princesa Airport was constructed by the 154 American Prisoners of War under the custody of the Japanese Imperial Army. Projected to be completed in three months, the construction of the airstrip “had taken almost three years. A naked thousand days of clearing, lifting, leveling, wheel barrowing, backing.

Thirty-odd months in close heavy smashing rocks into smaller rocks, hammering said hunks of brain coral into bone white flour with which to make concrete. Ripping out the black humus floor of jungle, felling

F

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gnarled beasts of mahogany or narra or kamagong that happened to be in the way. Above the bay, in a malarial forest skittering with monkeys and monitor lizards, they had built an airstrip where none should be.”

When the American Liberation Forces landed in Canigaran beach on 28 February 1945, they found the nearby airstrip of 2,200 meters long and 210 meters wide badly damaged by their bombs.

The sufferings of the people during the Japanese occupation is not complete without mentioning the killing of Dr. Higinio A. Mendoza, Sr., former Governor of Palawan.

On 7 January 1944 Dr. Mendoza was at his evacuation house in Jolo with his family ready to take his breakfast after taking notes of the radio broadcast, when his house was surrounded by Japanese soldiers and Japanese Bureau Constabulary. Mindful of the dangers, should he resist, gladly gave up. When his wife, Trinidad Clark, asked him, “what shall we do?” He stoically and solemnly replied, “sweetheart, be brave, we can die for our country.”

Helpless, Dr. Mendoza with both hands tied, one end of the rope held by the Japanese soldiers and the other end by the JBC. He was manhandled with the butts of rifles and jujitsu strokes. He never complained. He was brought to Puerto Princesa and held incommunicado. In order to pacify the residents of Puerto Princesa, he was allowed to speak in public. He bravely said, “it is a luck day that they came upon men in a house with my family. If I were in camp with my soldiers, there would be much bloodshed, as I will never surrender.”

That was the last time Dr. Mendoza was seen alive. Several alibis were made by the Japanese as his whereabouts. It was not until 1947 that a Tagbanua who was in Canigaran reported that he heard a volley of shots that killed Dr. Mendoza from the coconut plantation of Clark family. It took former Mayor Eduardo Valencia and his men to locate the remains of Dr. Mendoza. It is now interred in a monument bearing his bronze statue at the corner of Mendoza Park, named after him.

Dr. Mendoza was the first to organize a guerrilla unit in Puerto Princesa. His unit has strength of 299 men armed with fifty firearms of various calibers before it was integrated into the Palawan Special Battalion under Major Pablo Muijco. The Guerrilla Units were assisted •

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by the “bolo battalion” and Women’s Auxiliary Service. The former were utilized as guards, laborers to haul food supplies and other equipment and construction of shelters. The latter provided the guerrilla with food and clothing and at times scheduled programs for entertainment.

The American Liberation Forces landed at Canigaran unopposed. The Japanese soldiers escaped to the hills before the landing. The Philippine Civil Affairs Unit that accompanied the Task Force immediately took over the functions of the civil government by providing much needed relief goods and other needs. Peace and order was under the military.

When the civil government was restored, Donato Manga was appointed as Municipal Mayor on 4 July 1945. His main concern was peace and order. He was elected as mayor in 1947. He served as such until 31 December 1951.

Arturo Magay assumed the position of Municipal Mayor on 1 January 1952. His lackluster administration ended on 31 December 1955.

In the 1955 election, Donato Manga was re-elected as Municipal Mayor. His term began on 1 January 1956; however this was cut short when he died of lung cancer on 7 December 1957. Vice Mayor Zoilo Jalandoni took over the mayoralty. He served until 31 December 1959 when Severino E. Vicente was elected for the second time as Mayor on 1 January 1960 until 31 December 1963. He was followed by Lope Nadayao on 1 January 1964 until 31 December 1967.

Feliberto R. Oliveros began his term as Mayor on 1 January 1968.

On 1 January 1970, the Municipality of Puerto Princesa was converted into a City. By operation of law he continued to serve as the First City Mayor and was successively re-elected until March 3, 1986 when he was replaced by OIC Mayor Alfredo E. Abueg, Jr. OIC Mayor Alfredo E. Abueg, Jr. was appointed by President Corazon A. Aquino as OIC on 3 March 1986 until 2 February 1987 when OIC Vice Mayor Higinio C. Mendoza, Jr. took his place as OIC Mayor on 2 March 1987 until 2 February 1988. Feliberto R. Oliveros returned as City Mayor, upon his re-election on 2 February 1988 until 30 June 1992.

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substantial activities, projects and programs were vigorously accelerated

by Feliberto R. Oliveros.

The formulation of the Palawan Long Range Plan, initiated by the Provincial Government under the leadership of Governor Salvador P. Socrates, where the City participated in 1976 triggered the reconstruction of Puerto Princesa. The ten-year Comprehensive Development Plan from 1977 to 1986 was focused on the improvement of the quality of life of every Palaweño. The means, among others, to accomplish this were to raise the income of the people by increasing food and industrialcrop production, increase employment opportunities and raise wage levels; provide low cost housing; full implementation of Medicare system; improve transportation and communication; improve education and health services; maintain peace and order; establish natural parks; protect wildlife; prevent man-made pollution; provide more scholarship; provide manpower training; and equitable distribution of wealth.

This was followed by the establishment of the Palawan Integrated Area Development Project which was identified by the Asian Development Bank Mission in 1978. Upon recommendation of the National council on Integrated Area Development (NACIADF), President Ferdinand E. Marcos on 18 January 1979 approved Palawan as the fifth Integrated Area Development Project under the NACIAD. Phase I, 1982-1988 had three-fold goals: 1) to achieve a regional balance in social and economic opportunities including equitable income distribution and access to social services; 2) to obtain the maximum use of available resources through the effective provision and coordination and complementary inputs of implementing agencies; and 3) to develop areas with substantial untapped resources which can serve as basis for accelerating economic growth and national development.

Among the major purposeful, meaningful and significant projects undertaken were: the improvement and construction of the sources of the water supply and its distribution to residential households, commercial establishments and government agencies through the assistance of the LUWA under the Puerto Princesa Water District; the construction of the south road to Aborlan and north road to Roxas and certain primary and secondary national roads within the city; the improvement and •

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expansion of the Puerto Princesa Port and its facilities; the construction of the Puerto Princesa Airport; and the concreting of practically all the roads within the City proper.

Obviously, the contribution of elementary schools in the formation of basic education and the secondary schools in preparation for college education in the reconstruction of Puerto Princesa cannot be gainsaid.

Moreover, the establishment of tertiary institutions of learning; the Palawan State University in 1972 and the Palawan Polytechnic College, Inc. on 19 November 1979; and the expansion of the college offerings of Holy Trinity College, provided the much needed technically trained professionals in the acceleration of its development.

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Japanese Atrocity

A victim of Japanese atrocity, Palawan Hero Dr. Higinio A. Mendoza, Sr. Memorial Marker at Mendoza Park, standing (fifth from left) is his widow Mrs. Trinidad Clark Mendoza and children.

Charred remains of an American POW burned alive in Puerto Princesa in March 1945.

Unveiling of the Memorial Marker where the remains of Palawan Hero Mendoza and unknown soldiers on July 27, 1950.

Philippine Coast Guard Auxillary Commander Higinio “Buddy” C. Mendoza, Jr. and members stand guard at the floral offering beside the bust of Palawan Hero Governor, Dr. Higinio A. Mendoza, Sr.

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Philippine Constabulary Barracks, an old Japanese encampment of some 154 American prisoners of war (top, left) its entrance (left) which is Plaza Cuartel today and (bottom left) inside Plaza Cuartel now. (Right) National Historical Institute representative with Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn unveil the Historical Marker at the side wall entrance of the Plaza.

Major Clay Tipton And Lt. Timothy Pound American Officers of Balikatan 2004 present a new Bronze Memorial Marker for 143 American POW who the Japanese Imperial Army Kempie-Tai burn inside tunnel on December 15, 1944.

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Municipal Presidents (Japanese Occupation)

Hon. Eduardo E. Valencia Appointed by President Jose P. Laurel July 3, 1944 - February 28, 1945

Municipal Mayors (Appointed and Elected)

First elected municipal officials of Puerto Princesa with Mayor Donato Manga (5), Vice Mayor Remedios O. Borja (4) and councilors Federico Provido, Ramon Palanca, Sr., Tirso Restituto Lumbre and Valendrin Macasaet pose infront of a Quanset hut as the Municipal Hall.

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Hon. Donato N. Manga 1946-1951 & 1956

Hon. Arturo R. Magay 1952-1957

Hon.Zoilo Jalandoni 1957-1959

Hon. Severino E. Vicente 1960-1963

Hon. Lope Nadayao 1964-1968

Hon. Feliberto R. Oliveros, Jr. 1968-1969

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City Mayors

Hon. Feliberto R. Oliveros, Jr. First City Mayor 1970-1986 & 1988-1992

Hon. Alfredo E. Abueg, Jr. Officer-in-charge 1986-1987

Hon. Higinio C. Mendoza, Jr. officer-in-charge 1987-1988

Hon.Victorino Dennis M. Socrates 2001-2002

Hon. Edward S. Hagedorn 1992-2001 + 2002-2013

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War and Reconstruction

An aerial view of the City Hall, Mendoza Park and business establishments

Rizal Avenue – this street leads to both the wharf and airport Port of Puerto Princesa

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The national highway spills at junction 2 in Barangay Palawena Hotel owned by Mr. & Mrs. San Pedro into two other main roads, one towards the Leoncito & Mina Miguel Lacsamana. south and the other to the north of Palawan.

The 15-room Rafols Hotel established in 1965 has expanded to a 100-room five star hotel in 1979.

It is owned by City Councilor Felix Rafols, Jr. and wife Veronica Matillano Rafols, the pioneers in the Hotel Business in Puerto Princesa. But after the EDSA Revolution in 1987 and its sequestration by the Philippine government, it has a new owner-Asiaworld Resort Hotel.

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An American Quonset hut which the newly elected Municipal Officials use for their Municipal Hall.

Senate Rogelio de la Rosa inducts on December 9, 1958 First Palawan Press Club officials led by its President Simeon Lepasana.

The Palawan Quicksilver Mines, Inc. processing plant produces mercury but has shut down operations due to the stock in demand in the world market.

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Field demonstration at Mendoza Park

Old and New Palawan Provincial Capitol stands on the same spot where the old capitol building stood.

Bus parks along Rizal Street in front of Rafols Hotel

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Senator Rogelio de la Rosa visits Puerto Princesa on December 9, 1958.

Ruins of Puerto Princesa Public Market razed by fire in 1959.

Oldest Building in the campus, Dr. Waldo Perfecto Building

Mendoza Park

A century-old acacia tree inside Holy Trinity College campus

Pilipino Telephone Corporation Building

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Palawan State College (now Palawan State University) Administrative Building built during the term of its Founding President Dr. Walfrido Rafols Ponce de Leon.

Western Command

Puerto Princesa Port Entrance

Puerto Princesa Transport Terminal at Barangay San Jose

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Tactuan Bridge on the Southern end

Langogan Bridge in the North

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Puerto Princesa City Airport Terminal and air navigation facilities

Philippine Airlines plane unload cargo Commercial District along Rizal Avenue

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Puerto Princesa City Water District

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Electric transmission lines

Palawan Museum artifacts

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Manunggul Burial Jar– 895-775 B.C. Tabon Caves, Municipality of Quezon, Palawan

M

an and nature are twin agents of development which shapes and reshapes the face of a community and character of man’s activities. At times the struggle between the two is violent and sporadic, which invariably activate the potential energies of man and nature, molding them into a grand pattern of advance and retreat, of creativity or disastrous antagonism, and of promise or failure. These are the realities that man has to face in the fulfillment of a vision and a mission for meaningful sustainable development.

In 1992, there were already signs of environmental stress manifested in the City of Puerto Princesa caused by rapid increase in population and the residents of Puerto Princesa experienced waterless months during 1992, because its denuded watershed was not able to provide the needed water during the dry months. As dynamite and cyanide fishing have destroyed coral reefs, fishermen have to go farther out to sea to fish.

(James F. Eder and Janet O. Fernandez., ed. Palawan at the Crossroads.

Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1996:129).

When Edward Solon Hagedorn assumed the position as City Mayor of Puerto Princesa on 30 June 1992, he declared to turn Puerto Princesa City “A Model of Sustainable Development.� To accomplish this vision, he firmed his mission to protect and rehabilitate whatever is left of the existing natural resources; and institute an intelligent; well-planned and sustainable development master plan in the utilization of its natural resources in order to strengthen its potential of increased financial capability.

These were premised on the reality that Puerto Princesa City is endowed with untapped and underdeveloped natural resources and an estimated large population of 125,573, in 1994 spread, though in some places thinly scattered in a vast land area and necessary manpower to undertake the requirements of sustainable development. In 1990, Puerto Princesa has a labor force of 59,899, about 31.91 percent of the employed were engaged in agriculture and fishing.

Population concentration is noticeable within the eastern side of the peninsula in the 11 rural barangays of Bancao-Bancao, San Miguel, San Pedro, Tiniguiban, San Jose, San Manuel, Sta. Monica, Sicsican, Irawan, 200 |

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Tagburos and Sta. Lourdes which are relatively close to each other.

The rest of the barangays are scattered over the length of the eastern coastline of undeveloped large tract of land. Five of the rural barangays are located in the west coast, which are almost blocked off by rugged mountains and thin forests, two of which are still to be linked with the City’s road network system.

The City has a rich fishing ground. Aside from fish, shrimps, prawns, lobsters, crabs and other marine resources can be had in commercial quantities. The City has also about 1,633 hectares suitable for inland fishing.

More fascinating is Puerto Princesa is endowed with beautiful natural spots, beautiful unspoiled islands, white sand beaches and rare species of flora and fauna and cultural tribes which could boost tourism.

The new City administration was faced with myriad of issues and problems. Outstanding were: deteriorating peace and order and economic slump; uncooperative if not indifferent populace; lack or absence of a Master Plan of Development; there were 9,500 homeless families; inadequate banking facilities; inadequate air and sea transport; modern means of communication; dwindling tourist arrivals; lack or absence of medical services especially in far distant rural barangays; and on top of all these, the negative image of Puerto Princesa as home of prisoners, specifically the presence of Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm and the prevalence of the much dreaded water-borne malaria.

Studies unmistakably show that the immediate causes of this gloomy atmosphere were: piles of uncollected garbage and dirty streets; slash and burn farming or kaingin (Swiden farming); and the most destructive illegal logging while the depletion of marine resources was accelerated by use of toxic substances and such fishing methods, as the muro-ami.

DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTIONS

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ith unparalleled will-power and unprecedented firm determination to succeed, the City Mayor with the full support and enthusiastic cooperation of an experienced and competent staff, designed and •

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launched three-pronged development programs namely: KALINISAN (CLEANLINESS), KATAHIMIKAN (PEACE AND ORDER) and KAUNLARAN (DEVELOPMENT) Kalinisan or Oplan Linis (Cleanliness). Kalinisan, better known as Oplan Linis or Operation Cleanliness, was launched on August 1, 1992, a month after Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn assumed office. He was motivated to clean the City of tons of uncollected cigarette butts, plastic and all sorts of garbage. It was no easy task, insurmountable as it seemed, considering the population has grown to approximately 130,000 (based on 1995 census) spread in an area of 253,000 hectares. Located in the heart of the island province of Palawan and endowed by nature with beautiful princess of ports and pristine exotic sceneries including the world famous underground river, the gloomy situation of the City appeared in contrast.

The Oplan Linis Program was designed to promote and maintain cleanliness in all public places by “no fear nor favor� implementation of CITY ORDINANCE NO. 163-91 OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE ANTI-LITTERING CAMPAIGN authored by Lucilo R. Bayron (now City Vice Mayor also referred to as the Father of the Oplan Linis Program). Its major components are: Cleanliness. This primarily involves proper garbage and waste disposal and the maintenance of clean surroundings by street sweeping, grass cutting and unclogging of canals.

Beautification. The program encourages the planting of ornamental plants in open spaces - along the streets, parks, airport, cemeteries, and private owners of lots and homes. The 1994 Annual Performance Report showed that 1,520 seedlings of ornamental plants were planted in these places. The report also indicated that eighty five (85) percent of the City proper and seventy five (75) percent of the rural areas were active participants to the program.

The total expenditure for the calendar year 1994 was FIVE MILLION (5,000,000) PESOS. Sanitation. This was part of the Environmental Health Service.

Particular concern were examination of water facilities through the PHC Media Test, inspection of toilets, food serving and drinking 202 |

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establishments, including food handlers, stores, markets, abattoir, recreational places and lodging houses.

The 2003 Annual Performance Report contains the following accomplishments: conducted 331 water examination through PHC Media test, inspected a total of 29,597 toilets of which 1,145 or 5.68% were found dirty; inspected a total of 3,112 food serving and drinking establishments, like food establishments, food handlers, stores, market, abattoir, recreational places and lodging houses,; conducted fogging, information dissemination, training and cleaning of drainage system to control Dengue infestation in the City; actively participated in “Ugnayan sa Barangay” activities through the conduct of Medical-Dental Services and provided first-aid-services in every events conducted in the City.

Information and Education. These are done through lectures, talks, posters, radio broadcast, television programs, newspapers, interviews and testimony.

Silently, Ma. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn, her sisters Teresita M. Maslog and Ma. Editha M. Bayron with a team of equally motivated ladies, launched the Oplan Linis Program without fanfare. At first they tried with a group of adults with the mindset to undertake the ground work. She later found out that the adults were busy with other things for a living. So the group focused to train the youngsters. They invaded the classrooms in the elementary and high schools, with permission from the school authorities. To their satisfaction, the program was wellreceived. Talks on cleanliness preceded sumptuous merienda or snacks.

By force of habit, a number of pupils and students aimlessly threw the food wrappers away. Others looked for the waste bin in the room. To further observe the pupils/students, the group would return to the same school going through the same process until such time the pupils and students learned and developed a mindset of cleanliness and threw the wrappers in the waste bin provided for the purpose.

Through this painstaking process of educational campaign, Oplan Linis, became a way of life as more and more young people enlisted to be members of the Oplan Linis Family. As such they become the promoters and enforcers of cleanliness in their community their homes, in public •

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places, including public utility vehicles plying the Puerto Princesa City and far flung areas in the Province of Palawan.

Enforcement. The enforcement of the Anti-Littering Ordinance was effected and readily accepted after a few apprehensions. Its strict enforcement of anti-littering proceeded without let-up and applied to all regardless of social standing, even high officials of government are not spared the payment of fines for violations.

Mrs. Hagedorn is quoted to have related an incident where the Mayor himself was involved when asked of the warning that preceded the landing of airplanes in Puerto Princesa against littering being carried out. She answered, “Oh, yes.” I remember Mayor Ed, she broke into a naughty grin. The year Oplan Linis was launched, the Mayor called for a meeting. And was his habit, he smoked. Afterwards he threw his cigarette butt - but not in a garbage bin.”

The City Chief of Police reported to Mrs. Hagedorn: “Ma’am si sir po nagtapon ng upos” (Ma’am, look, sir threw his cigarette butt in the yard). She told the Chief of Police “Hulihin mo siya. Kung hindi mo siya huhulihin, ikaw ang huhuliin ko” (“Fine him, if you don’t fine him, I’ll fine you.”). Mayor Hagedorn overheard her directive asked “Pati ba ako sama diyan?”(“Am I also included in the paying of fine?”). “Aba natural” (Of course), she answered. The Chief Executive paid the fine. They had him on TV and radio for some time. Local newspapers also reported that the Mayor was caught throwing his cigarette butt in a canal and paid the fine.

The source of the article cited above entitled, Puerto Princesa City “Where Cleanliness Is A Way of Life” ended with “What I also found out is that residents of Puerto Princesa mind getting their pockets punctured less than they mind getting their pride pricked. Pride is a clean community. Pride as a people who take cleanliness seriously, who make cleanliness a way of life.” Eleazar M. Famoran, (Health & Home.

November- December 2000: 27-29) The 2003 Annual Performance Report showed that the Oplan Linis workforce sweeping the streets, landscaping and cleaning of public places, parks, public restrooms, hauled 30 tons of rubbish per month at the coastline of Puerto Princesa Bay, impounded stray dogs found 204 |

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in the city’s main thoroughfares and side streets, oriented all elementary school pupils in the urban barangays on the Oplan Linis Program. All the pupils listed themselves to become members of the OPLAN LINIS FAMILY. It was estimated that more or less 8.5 tons of garbage per day or an estimated 30,600 tons during the year in 15 barangays were hauled daily in 2003. The dumpsite is sprayed with micro-aid activator to mitigate odor and get rid of flies to ensure that the health of the people living in the vicinity of the dumping area are not affected.

“Sagip-Dagat” Operation Basura. The program’s objective is to institute a waste management and collection of garbage in coastal areas along Puerto Princesa Bay and Sabang Bay in cooperation with other members of the Environmental and Natural Resources Sector and the coastal barangays. One thousand nine hundred sixty five (1,965) volunteers were involved in fifteen (15) clean up activities. The Program included such activities as inspection of marine sanctuaries and fishing grounds and illegal fishing activities.

“Sagip Hangin” Operation. The avowed goal of the Sagip Hangin Operation is to continuously provide the people of Puerto Princesa a clean air and healthy environment Executive Order No. 017, Amending Executive Order No. 07, re-activated the Task Force “Sagip Hangin” to effectively implement the Clean Air Act of 1999, issued on January 18, 2003 provided that it shall be composed of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) as the lead implementing agency with the cooperation and assistance of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), The City Information Office (CIO), the City’s Traffic Management Office (CTMO), the Local Philippine National Police (PNP), the Highway Patrol Group (HPG), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) thru the CENRO and PENRO devices of his/her own choice which meet the specification set forth by the City ENRO and PENRO. It shall have the following functions: 1. To apprehend any driver, owner or operator whose motor vehicle is suspected of, or actually discharging air pollutants at level greater that the acceptable pollutant concentration standards prescribed by the Clean Air Act of 1999; •

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2. To conduct actual testing of motor vehicles wherever they are apprehended, with the use of the City Government’s smoke meters, and determine on the spot whether said motor vehicle meet the established emission standards set for by law; 3. To advice and/or require the driver, owner or operator of a motor vehicle that does not meet the established emission standards to install his/her motor vehicle whatever type or model of and appropriate pollution control device or devices of his/her own choice which meet the specification set forth by the City ENRO and/or DENR and DOTC, as provided for in RA No. 8749; 4. To inform the driver, owner or operator of a motor vehicle violating the law and/or its implementing rules and regulations about the penalties provided thereof, the manner of imposition thereof, and the corresponding fines provided thereto; 5. To confiscate City Stickers of public utility vehicles and Driver’s license of private and government vehicles found violating the ordinance and return the same only upon payment of the imposed fines and presentation of a Certificate of Emission Test given by the city Enro; 6. To study and recommend measures by which the cooperation of all agencies, government and non-government alike may be enhanced and institutionalized; and 7. To perform such other functions as may be necessary in the furtherance of the foregoing purposes.

Katahimikan (Peace And Order) The main objective of Katahimikan or Peace and Order and Justice is to restore once and for all the trust and confidence of the people on the City Government on matters that affect their safety, the maintenance of peace and order and the delivery of barangay justice.

The City Mayor is clothed with substantial powers under Section 51 par (b) of Republic Act No. 6975 to impose discipline and initiate measures to enhance its capability and effectiveness. The provision reads: 206 |

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“The City and Municipal Mayors shall exercise operational supervision and control over PNP units in their respective jurisdiction except during the thirty days period immediately preceding and thirty days following any national, local or barangay elections. During the said period, the local police forces shall be under the supervision and control of the Commission on Elections”, The term “operational supervision and control” shall mean the power to direct, supervise, oversee and inspect the police unit or forces”.

(Rules and Regulations Implementing the Local Government Code of 1991).

In pursuant to the above mandate, the City of Puerto Princesa implemented the following measures: Traffic Improvement Management. A re-orientation program has been designed to enhance the proficiency and effectiveness of the 42-man Traffic Task Force on traffic enforcement rules and regulations. Selfdiscipline was emphasized, individually and collectively, including drivers and associations with meaningful results. Deployed in strategic streets and different schools, the Traffic Task Force has apprehended 1,664 traffic violators for recklessness, overloading, smoke belching, overcharging, driving without license or safety helmet, illegal parking, misconduct and other violations. Payments for then TCTs amounted to P123,810.00.

To complement the Traffic Task Force, the Task Force Colorum was organized jointly with the PNP, LTO and Traffic Enforcers in the implementation of the Zoning Order 103-98. School children were also trained in traffic disposition and control.

The Traffic Task Force also participated in the implementation of the Sagip Hangin Operations.

The Peace and Order Enhancement Program. The enhancement program improved the performance and effectiveness of barangay tanods, in pursuance with Memorandum Circular No. 2993-42, Guidelines on Professionalizing the Barangay Tanods. Included in the training program were crime prevention and control, peace keeping and internal security operations, law enforcement and community relations. To augment their effectiveness the barangay tanods were provided with uniforms and necessary paraphernalia and incentives.

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The Peace and Order Enhancement Program involved barangay officials, which among other aspects of peace and order, included their duties and responsibilities in conservation and protection of aquatic and forest resources. Also included are anti-illegal drug and insurgency.

Katarungang Pambarangay. Article 196 of the Rules and Regulations implementing the Local Government Code of 1991, provides, “There shall be created to each barangay a Lupon Tagapamayapa composed of the Punong Barangay as Chairman and ten to twenty members”. The Lupon shall be constituted every three years.

The main function of the Lupon is to settle domestic and community disputes through amicable means. In fact no dispute shall be considered by higher authority unless the same been acted upon by the barangay concerned. Mediation is first conducted by the Punong Barangay as Chairman. Upon agreement of both parties in the controversy, the case may be elevated to the Pangkat Tagapagkasundo for conciliation.

Special Monitoring Unit Project. The unit is tasked to monitor the crime situation and other related activities in the City. The intensive efforts made to control drug abuse and all forms of lawlessness and disorder in the City. A very good peace and order situation in the City has been sustained.

Police forces and intelligence work were strengthened and improved by acquisition of more firearms and handheld radios. Prompt response to calls and greater police visibility further reduced incidence of crime.

To complement the Police forces, the City employed Traffic Enforcers deployed in busy streets to direct the traffic. While the Bantay Puerto Special Monitoring Task Force and Night Patrol have also given their share in making the City perhaps the most peaceful in the country.

As a result of these concerted effort in maintaining peace and order in the City, a prestigious PEACE AWARD was received by the City Police Department given by President Fidel V. Ramos for being the most peaceful City with the lowest crime rate and highest crime solution efficiency rate. During this same year, 1995, it was also the recipient of the Awards for the “BEST POLICE STATION OF THE YEAR” and the “BEST GOVERNED LOCAL GOVERNMENT”.

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KAUNLARAN (DEVELOPMENT) The Program initiated as Bantay Puerto’s Coordinator Program, was the first program launched by Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn when he assumed office as City Mayor in July 1992. It was an intensified campaign against environmental degradation whereby countermeasures were immediately instituted to abate the widespread environmental degradation.

His enthusiasm elicited the undivided support and cooperation of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and active participation of the residents in the affected areas, in particular and the whole population.

Central to this is the Bantay Puerto Program or Puerto Watch. Its key management concept: Protect, Rehabilitate, Plan. To protect what is there, rehabilitate what has been destroyed and plan for the intelligent utilization of the City’s terrestrial and marine resources. This is the life cycle that the program envisions to achieve sustainable development.

The Kaunlaran Program consists of four major components, each under a project manager, namely: Bantay Gubat (Forest Protection), Bantay Dagat (Coastal Areas Protection), Special Task Force and Monitoring.

Bantay Gubat (Forest Protection). It is one of the major components of Puerto Watch which is tasked with the protection, conservation and rehabilitation of the City’s forest areas. The goal of the program is protection and conservation of forest cover and the rehabilitation of denuded forest in environmentally sustainable, socially equitable and economically practicable ways.

It has continued to confiscate illegally cut prime lumber, endangered species of flora and fauna and apprehended violators of forest ordinances and filed cases against them of which a number has been convicted.

The protection phase of the program addressed itself in the apprehension of violators of forest laws and such applicable rules and regulations.

This is done through daily foot patrol in the 151,405 hectares of forest cover in coordination with other agencies concerned (DENR, PCSDS, Barangay Council, Tribal Council, NGOs); apprehension of suspected violators and file cases in court; foot patrol on the 1,344 hectares mangrove areas; and a 24-hour daily manning on three Monitoring Stations.

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To rehabilitate the denuded areas of the City’s forest lands, the program embarked on a massive reforestation scheme dubbed “Pista Y Ang Kageban” where thousands of people from all walks of life were mobilized to plant trees in the watershed area in Irawan and Magarawak. The program has succeeded in planting 1.2 million of different species of trees with an 80 percent survival rate. Further, in inculcating the proper attitude among Puerto Princesans towards tree planting and conservation. The Pista is celebrated every last Saturday in June.

The rehabilitation and conservation of forest cover was undertaken by planting more than 80,000 forest tree seedlings with an impressive survival rate of 85% in a 20-hectare deforested area at Sitio Magarak.

About 74,363 forest and fruit tree seedlings and mangrove plants and propagules were distributed to the different beneficiaries from the different barangays. In support of this program, six nurseries in Magarawak, Irawan, Napsan, Manalo, Olangoan Waterfalls, Barangay Binduyan and Elsa Park in Barangay Sta. Cruz produced more than 150,000 seedlings. Mini-nurseries were established in Tagburos, Sicsican, and sitio Sabang, Barangay Cabayugan to support the increasing demands for seedlings and planting materials.

Bantay Dagat or Baywatch. The primary role of the Bantay Dagat or Baywatch is the protection and conservation of the City’s marine ecology by waging an all-out drive against illegal fishing and related activities in its four strategic bays namely: Puerto Princesa Bay, Honda Bay, Ulugan Bay and Turtle Bay. Mr. Benito C. Marcelo III was the Program Manager of Baywatch and is succeeded by his son Ian Marcelo.

An assessment conducted by the City Government, indicated the rampant use of poisonous substances and explosives and such illegal methods: muro-ami, trawl, hulbot-hulbot and fine mesh nets. In response, the City enacted Ordinance No. 199-92 otherwise known as the Cyanide Ordinance and Ordinance No.15-92, which bans the shipment of live fish and lobster outside Puerto Princesa and the strict implementation of the Fishery Laws.

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In July 1992, Mayor Hagedorn issued Executive Order (EO) No. 01, series of 1992, creating a Special Task Force Unit (STFU), also known as the “FORCE” under his direct supervision. Baywatch has been tasked to “eradicate illegal fishing and the protection, conservation, utilization and exploitation of marine resources” of the City as provided for by Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991.

Among the illegal methods of fishing, cyanide fishing is the most pernicious and the most difficult to control. Unlike dynamite or trawl fishing, cyanide fishing is a very silent operation and is usually done underwater. Due to the great demand for live fish and its relatively high price in the market, cyanide fishing has become rampant in the City. To address this, Mayor Hagedorn moved for the passing of a legislation banning the shipment of live fish, the catching of which is blamed for the destruction of the City’s coral reefs. On the other hand, to protect the interest of the legitimate live fish catchers, the Cyanide Detection Test Laboratory has been established to scientifically determine if fish were caught by illegal means. It is the first facility in the country to be set up by a Local Government Unit (LGU).

The main function of the program is to conduct daily sea patrol and protect the 327,586 hectares of Puerto Princesa City waters from illegal fishing activities. Its objective is to monitor, apprehend and curtail all forms of nefarious maritime activities and conduct continuous information dissemination and dialogue on environment and ecological protection and awareness to fishermen and stakeholders and in coordination with law enforcement agencies.

The program has been designed and pursued with unrelenting drive against illegal fishing activities. To implement the program, sea patrols of the six bays of Puerto Princesa were regularly conducted in the enforcement of City Ordinance 57-97 (Fishery Laws), City Ordinance 110-99 (Transporting Live Lobster), Republic Act No. 9147 (Transporting Wildlife), and Presidential Decree No. 705. Apprehensions of violators of the said Ordinances were referred to the City Legal Office for appropriate action. To augment efforts in detecting fish caught by •

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cyanide, the BFAR has established a Cyanide Detection Laboratory in Puerto Princesa City.

In coordination with other agencies of government and NGOs, demolished illegal fishpond dikes in Barangay Tagabinet. It also supported the Mangrove Rehabilitation and Enrichment funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation in Barangays Kamuning, Tagburos, Sta. Lourdes and Bacungan on October 17, 2003.

Collaborated with the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) with the active participation of the stakeholders in the protection and rehabilitation of Puerto Princesa Bay and Honda Bay. It maintains the 74-hectare Fish Sanctuary in Barangay Manalo and the 40-hectare fish sanctuary in Barangay Binduyan. Fishermen living in the areas reported that their harvest has increased from two kilos to six kilos despite of the fact that their fishing hours were shortened from three hours to only one hour.

The Mangrove Enrichment and Reforestation Projects in Barangays Bacungan, Sta. Lourdes, Babuyan, Tagburos, Luzviminda and Kamuning was expanded and maintained. The mangrove nursery in Barangay San Jose produced about 10,000 propagules. Alongside with the mangrove reforestation project is the two-hectare nipa plantation in Barangay Bacungan which was expanded to include Barangay Luzviminda.

On top of all these, Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn personally initiated the launching of “Love Affair with Nature� on February 14, 2003.

Special Task Force. A Special Task Force was organized composed of the Philippine National Police personnel and civilians to specifically enforce fishery and forestry laws, city ordinances and other rules and regulations and orders. The Task Force helped particularly in the implementation of anti-littering to ensure cleanliness and sanitation throughout the city. They also provided security to visitors.

Monitoring. This is an essential component of the program for sustainable development. The main function is to keep tab of the implementation of the programs, patrolling, overseeing the pier and airport and Environmental Estate and other points of entry and exit of illegal activities, and conducted surveillance on suspected criminals.

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COMPLEMENTARY/SUPPLEMENTARY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

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he success of the three-pronged programs KALINISAN, KATAHIMIKAN, KAUNLARAN, created unlimited options in the furtherance of SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. Without much funfare, complementary and or supplementary plans, projects, programs and activities were designed and implemented. For better, effective and proficient delivery, these were grouped in sectors as follows: 1. Economic development. This includes agriculture, tourism and commerce and industry.

2. Social Development. The Sector pertains to housing, education and manpower training and welfare and development, peace and order, sports and recreation, culture and arts and health, nutrition and sanitation.

3. Environment. This sector focuses on water, fresh water resources, coastal and marine products, land resources, ancestral domain, mineral, biodiversity and protected area.

4. Infrastructure and facilities. The areas of concern of this sector are: roads, bridges, traffic management, air transport facilities, sea transport facilities, water supply, power supply, drainage and sewerage.

5. Administration and Finance. This refers to identification of issuances, monitoring and evaluation of funding.

6. Local legislation. This sector manifests itself in support of and cooperation of the Sangguniang Panlungsod thru enactment of appropriate and relevant rules and regulations in pursuance of plans, projects, programs and activities and authorizing funds for their execution.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The main goal of the Economic Development Sector is programmed to accelerate the economic base through diversified investments and productive undertakings to insure sustainable development. •

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Agriculture. Puerto Princesa is basically agriculture-based economy, though still in subsistence level. Its agriculture productivity is in more ways than one been handicapped by reservations like the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm which occupies the lowland areas most for for agriculture.

The other is that most of the arable lands are privately owned way back in the Spanish regime as encomienda or concession.

Agriculture which comprises farming, fishing, livestock and poultry raising is an integral part of the city’s economy. Farming is the main livelihood of 30 percent of the City’s households. The estimated agricultural land is 39,200 hectares or 15.4 percent of the city’s total land area. Main products are rice, coconut, fruits, cashew, corn, root crops, coffee and vegetables.

The program and projects under this sub-sector are to enable the farmers and fishermen to sustain profitable enterprises in order to commensurately uplift their quality of life.

Unlad Saka. This consists of the provisions for technical assistance, production inputs and basic support facilities to farmers and fisher folks to increase agricultural production and productivity. a) The Agricultural Engineering Section of this project accomplished the following: plowed and harrowed 1,820.58 hectares in twenty six (26) participating barangays; constructed six (6) earthen dams benefiting 145 families in two (2) barangays; conducted seven (7) farm ponds benefiting thirtythree (33) farms; constructed two (2) dam serviced roads with a total length of 450 meters covering two (2) barangays; and developed additional one thousand (1,000) square meters rice field. b) The Information and Education Technology Component of the project established four (4) sites of Hybrid-Inbred Production Technology in Barangays Inagawan, Napsan, Lucbuan and Tagburos; two (2) Techno Demo Farms on onion in Barangays Kamuning and Cabayugan; and one (1) site on Technology Demonstration Farm on Off Season Vegetable Production in Barangays Sta. Lucia, San Manuel and Napsan. Also conducted Mango Labeling Training and six (6) different trainings/ 214 |

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seminars/workshops in sixty four (64) barangays benefiting 1,722 farmers. c) Agricultural Development Program. This has three sub-sectors to insure effective implementation and continuity. The program conducted management training for cooperative and helped organize and register them. It also held trainings/seminars on new technologies like food processing, hillside farming, backyard and bio-intensive gardening. Likewise, financial and material, livelihood and self employment assistance were given to farmers in line with the City Government Poverty Eradication Program.

Satellite Nurseries in Barangays Luzviminda, Mangingisda, Napsan, Bagong-Bayan, Maruyogon, San Rafael and Langogan had been set up to bring the nursery services closer to the intended beneficiaries as well as provide the mechanism to make readily available all necessary agricultural inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides and the like.

The primary concern of the project is to provide high yielding and early maturing fruit trees including orchids to marginal farmers.

Palawan Mango Quality Control Center/MPW pruned and sprayed with pesticides 857 mango trees in Barangays San Jose, San Manuel, San Pedro and Sta. Monica and inspected 309,399 tons of mango fruits.

Carabao and Tractor Pool Project. The Carabao Pool was designed to provide farmers with draft animals to cultivate their lands particularly upland. Six (6) heads of Carabao were maintained and a total of ninety five (95) farmers from Barangay Mangingisda and Luzviminda were benefited cultivating 95.5 hectares of land planted with corn, vegetables, cassava and mongo. The heterogeneity of the topography of Puerto Princesa is reflected in the diversity of its agriculture. On the flat coastal plains in the south, farmers specialize in lowland rice production, often producing two (2) cropping a year. In the hilly upland areas are coconuts, banana, and a wide variety of other fruits. In terms of “big money earner” copra tops them all. While the Tractor Pool program was envisioned to encourage the farmers to help one another in plowing and harrowing their field by grouping themselves into five or more. It has benefited •

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five hundred seventy two (572) farmers in twenty six (26) barangays cultivating one thousand six hundred forty seven (1,647) hectares of farmland, In this manner they learn to plan, pool resources and work together, sharing the limited resources resulting in an optimum harvest. d) The Home Management Services components established ten (10) pilot projects in ten (10) barangays; identified and released materials for livelihood projects to nine (9) Rural Improvement Clubs in nine (6) Barangays Bancao-Bancao, Sta. Lourdes, San Jose, Milagrosa, Langogan, PPC Horticulture Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

This sub-sector also conducted training on orchid and ornamental plant propagation in Barangays Milagrosa, Binduyan, Tanglaw, Maunlad, OSY students in Mangingisda, Napsan, Sta. Monica, and Langogan; mushroom culture in Barangays Bancao-Bancao, San Jose and San Manuel; Nursery Management in Barangays Sta. Cruz and Bacungan; Food Processing and Baking Pastries in Barangays Matahimik, Sta. Lourdes, Langogan, Sta. Monica, Milagrosa, Manalo, Salvacion, Tanglaw and Bagong Sikat; dried weeds processing in Barangays Kamuning and Inagawan; handicraft making in Barangays Luzviminda, Mangingisda, Irawan, San Jose, San Manuel, Sicsican, Bancao-Bancao, Sta. Monica, Milagrosa, Matiyaga and Puerto Princesa Mango Growers and Cooperative.

The program provided farmers and fisherfolks with the knowledge and skills and competence for resource management. It also provided technical entrepreneurial and leadership skills development training for livelihood projects to increase household income. The housewives in particular were trained in meat processing, orchid culture, baking and pastries making. Notable in these trainings are the utilization of agrowaste product into mushroom culture, nata de coco and coco vinegar.

In support to the nutrition program, they were also taught containerized and bio-intensive gardening.

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TOURISM Trade and Commerce Puerto Princesa, the gateway to Palawan, serves as the center of trade and commerce for the twenty-three (23) municipalities of the province.

Its existing and primary commercial area covers an area of 129 hectares.

This is where the business establishments are concentrated. Next to government commercial establishments provide the greatest number of employment opportunities to the City’s labor force.

Experience has shown that the economy depend largely on the volume of trade and commerce. The mobility of people and goods depend on the efficiency of public utilities and financing firms, particularly of banks.

There are now 20 banking institutions, 51 lending/financial institutions, 11 insurance companies, and 34 pawnshops in the City; four major telecommunications (Telecom, RCPI, SMART, GLOBE, PLDT); five radio stations (DWRM, DZRH, DYEH, DYSP, DYPR); one cable TV. Industry There are only a few industrial establishments in the city.

Consequently, employment opportunities are also limited. However, there are informal cottage industries operating in the urban and rural areas. Common activities include processing of fish, meat and other agricultural products, mat and basket weaving and production of novelty items. The existing industrial site in the urban area covers an area of nine hectares. Predominantly the activities include elementary processing, repair, manufacturing, storage or production of goods including motor vehicles, timber or rattan furniture and housing materials.

The city does not encourage extractive industries or pollutive and/ or hazardous industries causing adverse impact upon the environment.

Potential and preferred industries include dairy, industrial rice production, essential oil production, paper making and the processing of agricultural goods such as cashew, coconut, mango, fish and meat products. These •

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are just some of the activities allowed in the 95-hectare industrial site.

These agri-based industries are viewed as the major alternative to generate employment and to increase the economic benefits from agriculture.

Likewise, small-medium industries in the production of furniture, souvenir and novelty items. Investment trend in construction industry has also been promising enough to attract more investors.

The Environmental Estate is available to companies and institutions interested in investing in environmental-friendly industries, environmental research and training, and agricultural research.

Marine Resources Protection Fishing is another vital source of livelihood in the city. The city’s coastline stretches over 416 kilometers and its coastal waters (15 kilometers from the shoreline) cover an area of 327,586 hectares. The city is considered as one big coastal community. Of the city’s total of 66 barangays, there are 49 barangays or 74 percent located in coastal fringes and home to thousands of people for whom the sea is a vital source of livelihood.

Their fishing vessels range from lowly non-motorized banca to large pump boats, powered by heavy-duty diesel engines, not exceeding three gross tons in size. It is estimated that the city and province of Palawan supply around 60 percent of the fish requirements of Metro Manila.

Aquaculture is still in its infancy stage and can be sustainably developed. It is a better alternative for traditional fishing. The 155.34 hectares of fishpond areas in the city has high potentials for this purpose.

Fries like milkfish are available in commercial quantity in the coastal waters around the province from March to June. Several fishermen also ventured into culturing fish and other marine products in cages to marketable sizes. First class marine products like grouper and lobster command high price in the market.

1. Fisheries Resource Management Project. The sub-sector developed four (4) Fisheries Resource Management Plans: Nipa Plantation in Barangay Bacungan; Fishery Sanctuary in Barangay Tanabag; Mangrove Plantation in Barangay babuyan; and Riverbank Rehabilitation Project in Barangay Maruyugon.

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It also completed fifteen (15) Resource Baseline Data: Five (5) Riverbank Rehabilitation; two (2) nipa plantation; two (2) mangrove rehabilitation; and six (6) fish sanctuaries in barangays Irawan, Manalo, Binduyan, Maruyugon, Sta. Lourdes, Bacungan, Luzviminda, Mangingisda, San Jose, Tanabag, San Rafael, Sta. Cruz and Buenavista.

It trained 131 fishermen in alternative/supplemental livelihood in Barangays Babuyan, San Rafael, Binduyan, Concepcion, Tagburos, Irawan and Kamuning. The project produced 82,000 pieces of assorted forest trees and vetiver grass.

Tourism. The main goal of tourism is to develop a competitive and sustainable program to attract domestic and international tourists.

The Tourism Promotion and Marketing Component takes charge of the production of collateral materials; familiarization tours; Konsyerto sa Plaza Cuartel; and participation in trade shows and fairs.

• The component produced 20,000 pieces city brochures; 2,000 pieces WOW star-studded posters; 4,000 pieces of star-studded flyers; 10,000 Batak/Tagbanua flyers; and blow-up pictures of tourism sites.

• Cultural presentations were held every Saturday night for free from mid-April to the end of May where various artists participated; Sinika, Pangkat Kawayan, Teatro Palaweno Kalamayhati, Bimbo Fernandez /Nong Naring’s group.

• Familiarization tours were conducted by the City Tourism Council to identify which government projects be included in the City Lakbay Aral Tours, familiarization tours were likewise held in August for the Palawan Tourism Council and Philippines Travel and Operators Association; and tour on ecotourism projects for media.

• Developed tour packages for city residents during tourism month by coordinating with the City Tourism Council for a 40% discount on tours to enable local residents to enjoy the city’s tourist spots from October to December.

• Puerto Princesa City participated in WOW Philippines/ VPY 2003 Department of Tourism (DOT) Project held in Intramuros Manila on February 1 to 28, 2003 where Sinika •

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and Pangkat Kalinangan performed cultural presentations for four (4) nights. And in September the Philippine Tours and Operators Association held the Philippine Travel Mart Project, Puerto Princesa distributed WOW star-studded poster and flyers and won the Best Booth Award.

2. Social development. The sector pertains to housing, education and manpower training, social welfare and development, peace and order, sports and recreation, culture and arts and health, nutrition and sanitation.

Comprehensive Housing Program. To deliver his campaign promise to make “no Puerto Princesan homeless or squatter in their own city,” Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn loses no time to create on October 22, 1992 the City Housing Office.

Among the measures instituted by the Office were to locate, identify and register these people to find out the magnitude of the problem of homelessness; find suitable relocation sites; source funding for land acquisition; site development and housing construction.

Of the 9,500 squatter families surveyed in the City, 7,980 or 84 percent lived along the coastal areas of Puerto Princesa Bay, Honda Bay and Ulugan Bay. Considering the amount of daily refuse these families throw into the bays, they are the greatest polluters of the City’s three most important bays.

To complement the functions of the City Housing Office, are the Council Against Squatting Syndicates (CASSAPS) and its implementing arm, the Anti-Squatting Task Force having mapped-out all the squatters in the City, strictly enforced the “no building permit no construction law.”

Sicsican Housing Project Phase III. Barangay Sicsican is home to 430 families who live in single-detached houses on a 5.4 hectare low cost housing project.

The Barangay Sicsican Housing Project was chosen by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) as one of the country’s best housing programs, thereby earning for Puerto Princesa City the coveted “GalingPook Award.” The project is being fully funded by the City Government offering a house and lot package to the beneficiaries at cost payable in 25 years at zero interest. Each of the beneficiaries, mostly affected by 220 |

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the City’s port expansion program was offered Php 10,000.00 relocation assistance. This was given only after they have demolished their own house. An added assistance was the free use of the City’s trucks to transport their belongings.

Barangay Mangingisda Project. The Barangay Mangingisda Housing Project Phase I, the site development of 21.6 hectares funded by a grant from the National Housing Authority (NHA). Phase II, the site development of 43.1 hectares and the construction of duplex housing units funded in part of the proceeds of the Municipal Bond Flotation (Green Bonds).

In this housing project, the City Government introduced the “green home” concept. Basically, the house is designed and constructed with the end in view of reducing energy demand from a mix of energy uses. By using an average of five compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent bulbs the households will cut energy bills by 64 percent.

Moreover, energy demand will also be reduced by 30 to 40 percent due to the abundance of the natural illumination, enhanced ventilation, the cooling effect of the roofing material and the growing of at least one fruit tree per household.

Barangay Mangingisda designated as the resettlement site of squatters to be displaced in the foreshore areas of urban barangays has also allocated a 17-hectare commercial area. This barangay including Barangay San Jose and surroundings is projected as sites for development staging/options because they have enough space to accommodate added population without creating excessive pressure on nature and the environment.

Other housing projects are: VISAPA; Golden Valley Subdivision; Palawan National Teachers Village; San Jose Lomanang Project; San Jose Abordo Project; San Jose Russell Project (Employees Village); Saint Mary Subdivision; Green Valley; PPA Relocation in San Manuel; Tipoco Village; Ellenview Subdivision; Jacana; Tagburos (Alvarez & Magay); Barangay Princesa; Sta Cruz; Melwang; Bahile Habitat; Bahile Tribal Village; Bahile Pier; and BLISS. The number of housing projects undertaken by the Hagedorn Administration has been realized beyond expectation. Never has there been so many City Government Funded Housing Projects as in his time.

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Education Program. To highlight the importance that the City Government attaches to education as playing a pivotal role in the City’s future development, Mayor Edward S, Hagedorn established the First Public Montessori in the country and launched the City Education Enhancement Program. The project was conceived to improve the standard of education within the service area of the City Government by identifying and prioritizing the establishment of schools organizing continuous training programs for school teachers in the City The program laid the groundwork for the separation of the School for Philippine Craftsman from the Palawan Integrated National School (PINS) formerly the Palawan National School and its conversion into a School of Arts and Trades.

It also proposed the establishment of the City Manpower Training and Development Center (CMTDC) and assisted in the preparation of documents for the recognition of PINS-Annex High Schools of Barangays Luzviminda, San Rafael and Sta. Lourdes.

School Buildings. The City Government has constructed twostory school buildings in various elementary schools; high schools; and technical schools in the City.

Day Care Centers. To meet the ever growing educational needs of the pre-school children, it opened day care centers which also serve as drop-in centers for mothers who are busy working.

Satellite Library. This has become a very important tool in the City Government’s environmental protection campaign. In answer to the long felt need for library service in far flung areas of the City, seven Satellite Libraries were initially established. One for each barangay with a high school and an additional two were set up in strategic locations.

Each Satellite Library is equipped with research materials such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, newspapers and a variety of livelihood and how-to’s reading materials.

The Satellite Libraries did not only serve the students but also the farmers, fisher folks, housewives and out-of-school youth. The Libraries were established in line with the Education Enhancement Plan of the City. It is one of the Top 20 finalists in the 1995 Galing Pook Award.

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Health Services. The extension of health services more especially in far flung barangays through the City Health Office attends to numerous health-related cases under these programs: Expanded Immunization; Family Planning and Control; Nutrition; Diarrhea Disease Control; Environmental Sanitation; Malaria Control; and Laboratory Services.

The City Government also continually operates the seven Satellite Hospitals in the Barangays of Napsan, San Rafael, Cabayugan, Salvacion, Mnagingisda, Inagawan and in Sitio Nasuduan, Barangay Tagabinet.

Each of the four-bed hospitals has its own medical team, ambulance, radio communications, medicines available 24 hours a day, all free of charge.

3. Environment. The sector focuses on water, fresh water resources, coastal and marine products, land resources, forest resources, ancerstral domain, mineral, biodiversity and protected areas.

Environmental Estate. Presidential Proclamation No. 718 provided that the City’s 1,072 hectares of land, formerly Sta. Lucia Sub-Colony of the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, located in the southern promontory of Puerto Princesa Bay be allocated for its Environmental Estate. The Estate is perceived to serve both as a catalyst for economic growth and a vehicle for conserving the environment. The area has been designed to accommodate facilities for scientific research on ecology and wildlife, tourism and recreation and experimental technologies.

It has been conceived to contribute to the ecological and sustainable development of Puerto Princesa City into a world class, park-like city, which will be preserved and promoted as a pristine sanctuary for nature and the gateway for ecotourism in Asia. It is also seen as a catalyst for economic growth and a vehicle for preserving the environment.

The center has four major components: Academic Center (Beach forest reforestation and Mangrove reforestation); Wildlife Component (Diverse species nursery); Ecotourism Village (Dipterocarp forest reforestation and Fresh Fish Life Study Station); and Recreation Component. The first three components will house the nurseries for the four types of forest endemic to the Philippines.

This is a natural consequence of the Bantay Puerto Program, institutionalizing the concerted effort for a peaceful and sustainable •

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economic development in the years to come. It represents various habitats conducive to make it an evolutionary center.

Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) For Palawan. The Palawan Province including the City of Puerto Princesa is covered by Republic Act 7611 otherwise known as the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan. It serves as the framework for all development undertaking in the province.

In addition to national laws protecting the environment and natural resources, Republic Act 6711 otherwise known as the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan, provides additional authority to officials in Palawan and Puerto Princesa City in particular, over local environmental concerns and issues.

The Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN) is the spatial basis for its implementation. The areas covered are classified into the following three main components: Terrestrial Component, Coastal/ Marine Zones and Tribal Ancestral Lands.

In 1998, the total forest cover of the city was 151,405 hectares or around 60 percent of the total land area. Forest trees are dominated by dipterocarp species. These are common hardwood trees known as the apitong group.

Forest zones where resource utilization is allowed are within the Buffer Zone and Multiple/Manipulative Zone of the Terrestrial Component.

The Buffer Zone has an elevation ranging from 100-1,000 meters and permits regulated use. It is further divided into: 1. Restricted Use Area. This refers to inner barrier, generally surrounding the core zone where limited and non-consumptive activities which do not impair the ecological balance may be allowed. These activities include almaciga tapping, honey gathering, hiking and research.

This includes an altitude limit from 500-1,000 meters elevation; poor and stunted and sparse strands of semi-deciduous forest which can be lowered to a base of 300 meters to protect the remaining forested peaks of watersheds adjacent to critical ecosystems such as coral reefs, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and watersheds for major irrigation and water supply and mini-hydro projects; and identified mangrove areas where limited use would not cause negative impacts.

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2. Controlled Use Area. This refers to outer protective barrier that encircles the core and restricted use areas. Strictly controlled mining, and logging which is not for profit, almaciga tapping, tourism development, research, grazing and gathering of honey, rattan and other minor forest products may be allowed. This includes an altitude limit of 100-300 meters elevation; lower altitude limit can go up to 300 meters if it would not cause negative ecological impacts but the high altitude limit shall not exceed 500 meters; and in areas where there is a community within or immediately adjacent to a restricted use area, a controlled use zone could be delineated from the restricted area for use of the community.

3. Traditional Use Area. This refers to edges of intact forests where traditional land use is already stabilized. Management and control is being carried out with the other supporting programs of the SEP such as the Palawan Tropical Forestry Protection Program (PTFPP).

On the other hand, the Multiple/Manipulative Use Zones are areas where the landscape has been modified for different forms of land use. Intensive resource use may be allowed including agriculture, infrastructure, industrial settlement and tourism development.

With the implementation of SEP, a total commercial log ban in the entire province is being imposed. Commercial gathering of forest products is limited only to minor forest products. Rattan gatherers are required to plant rattan on their concession area for sustainability measures.

The city has identified three sites for communal forest in Barangay Napsan with a total land area of 1,449 hectares. Stakeholders in the project are the community residents. Gathering of timber in this area is limited to 28 hectares on its first year of operation with an estimated volume of 1,605 cubic meters. Replanting of indigenous species is a must to sustain the project.

Reforestation projects of the city government are located in Barangays Irawan, Manalo and Bahile covering an area of 164 hectares.

These projects are 100 percent completed with 80-85 percent survival rate. Most species planted are acacia mangium, acacia auricolifarmis, mahogany, agoho, narra and gemelina. •

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There are some 4,643 hectares in the city classified within alienable and disposable lands with slope of 18 percent and above. These areas are fragile and are prone to soil erosion. Development in these areas should be strictly controlled. Precautionary measures in agricultural land utilization such as the application of Sloping Agricultural Land Technology be employed in these areas to prevent degradation.

The city’s Ancestral Domain Claims covers a total area of 93,838.67 hectares of which 90 percent fall within the forest land. Gathering of forest products is the main source of livelihood of the indigenous groups, hence their active participation and involvement in the proper utilization and conservation of the natural resources. Collective effort is needed in educating and empowering them to prevent their being exploited by big time concessionaires. Thereby making them key partners in promoting sustainable use of forest resources.

4. Infrastructure and facilities. The areas of concern of this sector are: roads, bridges, traffic management, airport faculties, sea transport facilities, water supply, power supply, drainage and sewerage.

Under the leadership of Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn, Puerto Princesa witnessed a boom in both horizontal and vertical constructions, implemented with the ultimate goal of boosting the economic development of the City, at the least possible cost. In support to the road construction and rehabilitation projects the following were established: Equipment Pool. Primarily, the City Government purchased trucks and heavy equipment to complement its equipment pool in order to avoid full dependence on private contractors in the implementation of its projects including waste and garbage disposal.

Asphalt Batching Plant. It purchased a batching asphalt plant to provide the necessary materials especially for its horizontal projects.

The acquisition of the plant has greatly expedited road construction and done by administration.

To ensure the continuous flow of traffic in the rural barangays, the City Government the following bridges constructed: Marufinas MiniTimber Bridge; Manturon Bailey Bridge; Cabayugan Bailey Bridge, Luzviminda Detour Bridge and 20 foot bridges constructed in the different barangays.

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5. Administration and Finance. This refers to identification of issuances, monitoring and evaluation for funding.

6. Legal legislation. This sector manifests itself in support of and cooperation of the Sangguniang Panglunsod through enactment of appropriate and relevant rules and regulations in pursuance of plans, projects, programs and activities and authorizing funds for their THE COASTAL AREAS PROTECTION PROJECT Baywatch.

B

enito C. Marcelo III, Chairman, Baywatch of Puerto Princesa City reported: Baywatch or the Coastal Areas Protection Project is a component of Bantay Puerto, a reinforcement drive against destructive fishing and other sea-related illegal activities. Project implementation is concentrated along the strategic bays of Puerto Princesa City, namely Puerto Princesa Bay, Honda Bay, Ulugan Bay and other surrounding waters of the city. The long-term environmentally sustainable, socially equitable and economically practicable.

Baywatch members conduct 24-hour patrols and monitor the movement of every sea craft in the marine waters. The barangay constituents, barangay officials and non-government organizations support Baywatch by providing information on violations of fishery laws and ordinances.

Baywatch has imposed penalties on thousands of minor and major violations. The apprehension of four big blast fishers and one big fishing boat involved in cyanide fishing was a major accomplishment, along with the conviction of 96 persons.

The project believes that further action should be taken to ensure protection of Puerto Princesa’s coastal areas including (1) upgrading of Sea Borne Patrol boats to keep up with sophisticated boats used by illegal fishers; (2) procurement of a helicopter to monitor the entire geographical site of the city and adjoining municipalities; (3) banning

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the use of compressors as a fishing device; and (4) correcting some flaws in fishery laws, such as imposing maximum fines on violators.

Background. In an assessment conducted by the City government, indicated the rampant use of poisonous substances and explosives and such illegal methods: muro-ami, trawl, hulbot hulbot and fine mesh nets.

In response the City enacted Ordinance No. 199-92, otherwise known as Cyanide Ordinance and Ordinance No. 15-92, which bans the shipment of live fish and lobsters outside Puerto Princesa City and the strict implementation of fishery laws.

City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn, in July 1992, issued Executive Order (EO) No. 01, series of 1992, creating a Special Task Force Unit (STFU). Also known as the “FORCE” under his direct supervision.

Baywatch has been tasked to “eradicate illegal fishing and the protection, conservation, utilization and exploitation of marine resources” of the City, as provided for by Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991.

Activities. With an annual budget of P1,000,000.00, performed such activities as: (1) monitoring, apprehending, and curtailing all forms of nefarious maritime violations within coastal waters, rivers and lakes; (2) patrolling the waters 24 hours daily; (3) inspecting maritime products in transit from the north and south areas to the City; (4) disseminating information campaign materials on protection and conservation of marine resources; and (5) implementing fishery laws and ordinances.

COMMUNITY-BASED COASTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

D

ivina P. Sibal discusses in this paper the experiences and insights of the Ulugan Bay Foundation (UBF) in implementing CommunityBased Coastal resources Projects in Ulugan Bay, Puerto Princesa City. The area lies at the mid-western coast of Palawan, 47 kilometers northwest of the City. It is a major shallow bay with diverse coastal mangrove forests, associated with tidal mudflats, coral reefs, sea grass beds, small islands, smaller bays, and rivers that empty into the bay. Five barangays of about 5,000 people surround the bay.

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Ulugan Bay area is inhabited mostly of fishers and upland farmers; are the main beneficiaries of the project. Ulugan Bay Foundation, Inc., a locally based non-government organization, aims to empower people through capability building activities for the communities.

The national government through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the City government through the Bantay Dagat and Bantay Gubat Programs, provided institutional support.

The Ulugan Bay Foundation Inc., recommends (1) efforts and funding support must be sustained; (2) a credible NGO intervenor must be locally- based and committed to the program; (3) rigid selection of community organizers; and (4) the principles and processes of community organizing must be internalized and seriously applied.

Background. The Coastal Environment Program (CEP) is a flagship project launched in mid-1993 by the DENR in various regions of the Philippines. Ulugan Bay is the pilot site for Region IV. The Philippine government-funded CEP has eight components: (1) community organizing; (2) information, education and communication (IEC), (3) resource mapping and assessment, (4) techno-economic work, (5) livelihood, (6) networking, (7) resources protection and rehabilitation, and (8) monitoring and evaluation. The community organizing (CO) component was contracted to UBFI, a locally-based NGO. CO is the backbone of the CEP, being a major intervention for the sustainable management of coastal and marine resources.

The UBFI initiated community organizing activities in Ulugan Bay in 1992; funded mainly from its internal resources. The CEP was launched mid-1993, when community organizing activities were formalized, reinforced and expanded. Seven villages/sitios is as follows: Manabon, 6; Bahile, Matahimik, 10; Macarascas, Baruang, 11; Tagabinet, Centro, 23; Tagabit, Nasduan, 11; Cabayugan, Tagnipa, 16; Buenavista, Centro, 12; Bahile, Tarunayan, 23; Bahile, Umalagan, 14; Buenavista, Dacolanay, 12; Tagabinet, Makiwara, 14; Magkakaisa, 12; and Bahile, Pag-asa, 14.

Community Organizing Intervention. Seven COs and one coordinator were hired to cover 16 communities in five barangays of Ulugan Bay. •

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Community Integration. The COs were required to live in their respective areas of assignment to establish rapport with the community.

This gave the COs a deeper understanding of the people’s problems and perceptions of coastal resources. By staying in their area of assignment, they developed a feeling of belonging with the community. They joined fiestas, school, church and other social activities, e.g. gulpe mano, kailan, pandawan and inuman. In the process, spot mapping, household socioeconomic survey and social investigation of the community were done, as these are essential for reflection and analysis. Community confidence in the COs was also built and nurtured.

Selection and Assignment of COs. They were selected on the following qualifications: degree in fisheries, agriculture, sociology, forestry, community development or related disciplines; work experience; resident of Ulugan Bay, preferred and willing to be assigned in Ulugan Bay. Community Orientation on Role of COs. An orientating on the role of the COs was undertaken one month after the fielding of the COs. This gave the community and the COs an opportunity to articulate their expectations. More significant is that the orientation program provided the community residents to identify their needs and it served as a forum for ventilating their frustrations on government personnel.

Community Dialogue. The people themselves asked for dialogue on issues in the community. Among the issues brought up were land tenure, relocation of fisher-occupants on Rita Island, use of compressors in the bay, cutting of forest trees for housing and fish coral and ban on kaingin or shifting cultivation.

Unfortunately, several issues remain unresolved to this day because of the ability of DENR to provide the answers.

Building on the Prevailing Issues.

Displacement of Fisher-Occupants of Rita Island. The fisher-occupants of Rita Island were ordered to transfer to Sitio Manabori but refused because the site was not acceptable. For one, there was livelihood-related problem. The fisher-occupant inched 230 |

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their way to the shores of Sitio Tarunayan. Since the cleared area was small to accommodate them, they used the forest near the shore to build their houses. The problem was resolved when Tarunayan agreed to reduce the area of their lots to accommodate the Rita Island fishers on one condition, the new occupants should not sell their “rights” to the piece of land allotted to them. The people themselves reapportioned their home-lots and realigned the water pipes. The occupants understood that they could not own the lots they were occupying being timberland.

Kaingin Ban. The City government has mandated a total ban of kaingin. The ban adversely affected the people in Ulugan Bay. After several consultations with the affected residents, the City government provided rice rations as alternative. This was not sustainable, so the people themselves shifted to off-farm economic activities.

Use of Compressors. The hook and line fishers in Ulugan had one major complaint, their catch had considerably declined, not because of depletion of fish but because some used compressors to catch more fish. This was resolved when the City government banned the use of compressors.

Building on the Strength of the People. Through cooperative effort of the community, two-day-care centers and two purok centers were constructed by the people without any government fund.

The report concluded that community organizing is a long, slow and painful process. Communities are capable of organizing themselves into a potential force in sustainable development with proper motivation and guidance. Ulugan Bay Foundation, Inc., has once more proved it advantageous to be site-based to produce meaningful and significant results. (The Management Systems of Marine Fisheries and Other Coastal Resources in Palawan, Philippines. 1996:39-46).

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THE COASTAL ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM

D

elia Formento-Sualog, Provincial Coordinator, Coastal Environment Program (CEP) Chief Ecosystems Research Services (DRDS), Department of Environment and Natural resources (DENR) Palawan made this report.

The Coastal Environment Program (CEP) is an innovative, integrated, participatory and multi-sectoral approach envisioned by DENR. Essentially, the task of resource management is delegated to the local people who depend heavily on the coastal resource of their livelihood. Benign direct beneficiaries, the local users are in a position to identify management problems and formulate and implement appropriate corrective measures.

The prospects for management viability, through the CEP approach in Ulugan Bay, are noteworthy because of the following features: (1) the availability of a coastal resources as a management subject; (2) a high degree of ecological awareness among the local people and their manifest appreciation of the CEP programs an alternative coastal management strategy; (3) the existence of the Ulugan Bay Foundation, Inc. (UBFI), a bonafide technically capable and located NGO, and (4) accessibility and logistical facility.

The components of the project are: (I1) community organizing being undertaken by the UBFI; (2) information and education campaign; (3) development of alternative livelihood (also being undertaken by UBFI); (4) conservation and protection of Ulugan Bay’s coastal resources; (5) monitoring and evaluation; (6) techno-economic work component; and (7) networking. The coastal profile of Ulugan Bay was contract to Raymundo Engineering Services of Los Baùos, Laguna.

Rationale of the Coastal Environment Program. The sustainability of terrestrial and coastal resources depends on their prudent use. In this regard, resources-dependent coastal communities within the area of Ulugan Bay are ideally the best partners in the development of appropriate technology applications and innovations for the sustainable management of the coastal resources. Hence, the CEP aims to establish and promote a good working climate with the coastal

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dwellers taking into account their development priorities, problems/ issues and concerns towards a participatory rural development.

Launching of Coastal Environment Program. On 31 July 1993, the CEP was launched in Barangay Macarascas, Puerto Princesa City.

It identified, as its pilot site, 7,615 hectares of Ulugan Bay’s marine and coastal areas barangays: Macarascas, Bahile, Buenavista, Tagabinet, and Cabayugan, where close to 5,000 people live. It aimed to protect, rehabilitate Ulugan Bay through sustainable resource management.

Initially, the program was subdivided into community organizing and information and education. CVO’s were trained and deployed by UBFI in the five barangays and two small fishing settlements as core groups; 110 fishers and farmers underwent lectures and workshops on marine resources like fish, coral reefs and sea grass, population control and leaders and community workers complemented the dissemination of information. The CEP concept was aired over the radio station (DYPR) where live interviews were conducted by Regional CEP Coordinator, Ecosystem Research and Development Services (ERDS)-Palawan staff, the President of UBFI and local government units. On the last Sunday of July 1994 a 60-minute airtime slot from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. every Sunday was arranged with the local radio station broadcast the CEP. The UBFI installed six billboards strategically located in the five coastal communities to stimulate awareness of the CEP. The UBFI introduced livelihood projects in the five barangays: barangay Bahile, peanut production in Puroks Pagkakaisa, Matahimik, and Sitio Umalagad; Barangay Macarascas, community store in Purok Bagong Sikat, Rice trading in Purok Masaya, and vegetable gardening, rice trading in Sitio Baruang, Barangay Buenavista, duck raising/rice trading in Buenavista proper, goat raising in Sitio Dacolanay; and Community store in Sitio Madadhon; and Barangay Tagabinet, sugar cane milling in Centro, shallow fish coral in Sitio Makarawa and Nasuduan; drug store and fishing supply store in Sitio Tarunayan and community store in Sitio Manabon. The project duration is five years with an estimated budget of about P30 million.

Monitoring and Evaluation. A monitoring and evaluation team was organized composed of a team leader from PENRO, representatives from the Provincial ENRO, City ENRO, CENRO of Puerto Princesa, •

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two Punong Barangays from Macarascas and Bahile and an NGO represented by Haribon.

Presidential Initiatives in Coastal Protection. To complement the CEP, President Fidel V. Ramos issued Executive Order No. 117 on 11 August 1993 creating an Inter-Agency Task Force on Coastal Environment Protection. The Task Force is chaired by the Secretary of the Department of National Defense. The members include the Secretaries of DENR, Department of Agriculture, Department of Justice and department of Interior and Local Government, the Flag Officer-in-Command of the Philippine Navy, and the Director General of the Philippine National Police.

The Task Force is mandated to formulate policies, guidelines and programs for the protection of the coastal environment nationwide. (The Management Systems of Marine Fisheries and Other Coastal Resources in Palawan, Philippines, 1996:48-54).

MASTER PLAN FOR COMMUNITY-BASED SUSTAINABLE TOURISM The Master Plan for Community-Based Ecotourism in Ulugan Bay, Puerto Princesa City, is the product of the Green Globe CommunityBased Sustainable Tourism (CBST) Workshop held in this City in June 1999.

The Vision is: Ulugan Bay will offer high-quality educational community-based sustainable tourism products and services reflective of our rich local culture and uniquely diverse natural environment. We invite visitors to share our commitment to environmentally and culturally sound tourism development through the mutual co-operation of all stakeholders in order to uplift our overall standard of living.

Aims and Objectives. The Community-Based Ecotourism Master Plan represents a single component within a wider project whose ultimate objective is to generate an empirical model for integrated coastal resource management.

The scope of the project encompasses the coastal and marine environs of Ulugan Bay intended to support the UNESCO’s Declaration 234 |

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of Palawan as a Biosphere Reserve (1991); the Strategic Environment Plan of Palawan (SEP, 1992); the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of the Philippines (NIPAS); the Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN): and the Declaration of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) as World Heritage Site.

The Biophysical Environment of Ulugan Bay. It is situated in the central western coast of Palawan Province. The Bay is comparatively large, covering an area of 7,200 hectares with both deep and shallow marine areas. The bay contains approximately 100 kilometers of coastline and several islets and islands, the largest of which is Rita Island. The coastline is punctuated by a number of smaller inlets such as the Tagnipa Inlet on the east coast and the much larger Oyster Bay on the west coast.

At its northern end, the mouth of Ulugan Bay is flanked by a peninsular on its southern side and Piedras Point to the north.

The majority of Ulugan Bay is underlain by ultramafic rocks of the Mount Beaumont complex outcropping mostly of Boayan Classic of the Panas Formation with outcrops of metamorphosed limestones (black, white and gray marbles) in the area around Saint Paul’s and Cleopatra’s Needle (Kayasan Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim).

Alluvial plains, tertiary sandstones and shales characterize the coastlines.

Two thrust-faults transect the area, one running along the bay’s coastline between Bahile and Macarascas and the other trending southwest/ northeast between Cabayugan Centro and Sabang.

The coastal flats, which ring the bay, do not normally extend more than few kilometers before rising steeply to from a high rugged hinterland. In the lowland areas the forest cover has been largely cleared for farming and settlement, however, the mid-upper slopes still retain extensive areas of secondary and primary forests. Eleven comparatively small rivers drain Ulugan Bay’s water catchments. These rivers include the Tarunayan and Kayulo on the western side; the Omalagan and Bahile in the southwest; Baruang, Sia and Eddasen in the south and the Karangie, Banog, Otaban and Tagnipa to the east. The Babuyan River, which is the longest river in Palawan (54 kilometers) flows from the highlands behind Barangay Tagabinet and Kayasan CADC, to Honda Bay on the east coast of Palawan. In the upper reaches, these rivers are typically •

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steeply graded, fast flowing and ‘flashy’, whilst in the lower sections their gradient and velocity decreases allowing mangroves to develop along their margins.

Biogeography. From an ecological perspective, Ulugan Bay is characterized by a high level of biodiversity. In the bay’s marine environment, both shallow and deep-water areas, coral reefs, sea grass meadows and seaweed beds can all be found. The deep-water areas (10-14 fathoms) contain flounder, hard tails, threadfin, bream, billfish, lizardfish, jacks, tuna, mackerels, scads, snappers, shark and stingray.

Two areas of patch-reef located in the bay’s central and southern reaches (Bulalacao and Putting Bato) whilst fringe-reefs can be found in Oyster Bay and off the coasts of Rita Island and Barangay Buenavista.

Collectively, these coral reefs cover a total area of approximately 1,235 hectares, with Oyster Island and Rita Island containing 31 and 27 coral species respectively and accounting for more than 40% of the total area. On the reefs numerous faunal species can be found, plus squid and octopus. In addition, a variety of fish species, such as parrotfish, groupers, fusiliers and surgeonfish, are also present with sea turtles coming ashore to nest on a number of beaches.

Beaches (both sand and silt), mangroves and tidal flats/estuarine environment characterized the coast of Ulugan Bay. In the near-shore environment, slipmouth and silverside can be found, whilst the tidal flats, estuarine and lower revering environments are home to mullet, stonefish and catfish. Extensive areas of sea grass meadows can be found along the seashore edge of primary and secondary growth mangrove forests in the inner bay. These marine meadows are home to starfish, sea cucumbers, seahorses, mud/blue crab and rabbit fish with reported sightings of Dugong in the quieter areas nearer to the bay’s seaward sea grass lies extensive stretches of secondary and primary growth mangrove, covering a total area of over 790 seaweed beds, small islets and smaller islets, account for around half of Palawan’s total and 15 percent of the national reserve with 56 percent of the cover greater than 50 percent.

In conjunction with the 500 hectares of seaweeds found within Ulugan Bay, the mangrove forest, sea grass meadows and coral reefs act as important breeding grounds and nurseries for a large and diverse 236 |

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range of fish species (around sixty in all). These mangroves not only function as marine hatcheries and nurseries for species such as shrimps and oyster but also as sediment traps, impounding material eroded and transported by over-land flow and rivers from the surrounding uplands.

The retention of this sediment is crucial in, not only preventing siltation and subsequent coralsmothering, but also in maintaining the low levels of water turgidity which are essential if sunlight is to penetrate the clear seas to the depths necessary for healthy coral growth.

On land, extensive mature mangrove and primary rainforest can be found populated by primates, bear-cats (Arctictis white), large monitor lizards, a variety of birds and a number of butterfly species, some of which are unique to the area. The dramatic karst outcrops, which typify the northern sections of the bay where reptiles, insects, birds (swiftlets) and numerous species of bats.

Demography, Society and Culture. The vast majority, of the estimated number of 6,000 persons live in the five barangays of Bahile, Macarascas, Buenavista, Tagabinet and Cabayugan. The five barangays comprise 1,617 households, in 32 puroks and sitios covering a total area of approximately 253,982 hectares.

In addition to the five barangays residing in Ulugan Bay are two Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim (CADC), Cabayugan in Barangay Cabayugan and Kayasan in Barangay Tagabinet. The Batak and Tagbanua are found in Kayasan, while only the Tagbanua are in Cabayugan. Other family groups from the two ICCs are found in and around Tagabinet and Buenavista.

THE PRIMARY STAKEHOLDERS

Barangay Bahile. It is located at the innermost, southwestern portion of Ulugan Bay. The area is characterized by forested upland slopes giving way to a lowland coastal strip fringed by mangrove. In the more populated areas, forest cover has been largely cleared for small scale agriculture. The main settlement (Centro) is situated alongside the road leading from Puerto Princesa to Sitio Sabang. A side road leads the short distance from the main thoroughfare to a concrete landing •

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pier located on the banks of Bahile River. The pier includes a spacious covered area with open sides, opposite which are simple toilet facilities.

The Bahile River is broad with mangrove lining the riverbanks in both an upstream and downstream direction. The river discharge is comparatively stable (non-flashy and perennial) flowing into Ulugan Bay a few kilometers downstream. At Bahile proper, the river is lined with mature mangrove whilst in Ulugan Bay, around the river’s mouth, the mangrove includes areas of reforestation (planted seedlings), secondary and primary growth. Upstream of the pier, the mangrove-lined riverbanks give way to lowland forest cover with the navigable section of the river ending a series of low shallow rapids or riffles approximately 23 kilometers upstream from the wharf at Bahile. The upland areas are generally heavily forested with Mount Bahile and Mount Peel forming two major landscape features.

The majority of the land in Bahile is under public ownership. The area around Bahile River and Barangay Centro is classified as ‘Alienable and Disposable’, whilst the other areas extending along the west coast of the bay, Tarunayan, Oyster Bay and Manabore, are designated as ‘Forest Lands’. Only very small are privately owned or under long term leasehold agreement.

In less densely populated rural areas of Bahile, the five main sources of water are shallow and deep wells, improved springs and rain collectors.

In more densely populated areas where household are clustered, the water system is mainly fed by rivers and springs with communal faucets.

Electricity is usually produced by small scale motorized generators.

For cooking and lighting the residents use liquid petroleum gas (LPG), kerosene, fuel-wood and candle.

Solid waste are collected and dumped in a landfill site. Liquid wastes are placed in pit-latrines.

The main livelihood activities of the residents are: small scale farming cashew and rattan; small scale fishing; small- scale enterprises, like sarisari store; and cottage industries such as furniture making and rattan weaving.

Bahile has certain features which could be developed into tourist attraction: the Bahile River with its waterfalls and access to Ulugan 238 |

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Bay; extensive mangrove and lowland forests; wildlife; and festivals in February, March and June.

The Bahile River Paddleboat and Forest Trail Tours can be developed as tourist attraction by providing tourists with a paddleboat rental service with guide to tour up-stream from the concrete pier, a distance of from two to three kilometers, to see the varied wildlife, most especially the mature ‘mother trees’ along the forest trail.

With regard to the extensive mangrove ‘mangrove tour’ could attract tourists by constructing a walkway, wooden foot-walk from the Bahile River pier about one kilometer downstream in the mangrove area.

Another feature that Bahile could exploit is Bahile River Waterfalls.

About two to three kilometers from the point where the river is not navigable, the Bahile River drops three to five meters over waterfalls.

These falls are accessible by road leading from Bahile proper, a distance of approximately five kilometers, can be developed into picnic or camping areas complete with comfort rooms, shower and other conveniences, including food and beverages.

Barangay Macarascas. It lies at the mouth of the Bahile River. This part of the river and surrounding coastline of Ulugan Bay is extensively vegetated with primary, secondary and reforested mangrove. In 1998 its population was 1,155 and expected to double by the year 2010.

Macarascas represents one of the more modernized, outward looking communities within the Ulugan Bay area. Located in the barangay are small pension/restaurant (Vident Lodge and Yolliby Eatery), and sarisaris stores and rudiment toilet facilities.

At Sagasa Point, the Coastal Resource Management (CRM) Project has constructed small experimental fish pens, aimed at developing a sustainable form of community-based fish farming for later application elsewhere in Ulugan Bay. To the west of Bahile River is Puting Bato, which has a significant area of coral reefs.

The proximity of the Naval Station located on the eastern side of Sagasa Peninsular close to the mouth of the Bahile River could seriously affect Macarascas. The moment the Navy expands its operation, the Navy will annex 50% of the land area of Macarascas. Moreover, the •

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expansion will also affect fishing operations and the wider biophysical and socio-cultural environment.

The land tenure of Macarascas is varied: private, public and leasehold besides the naval reservation.

The water sources are semi-artesian wells and jetmatic pumps, supplemented by shallow and deep wells, improved spring and rain collectors. The clustered households in densely populated areas are supplied with through communal faucets from rivers and springs.

The residents use LPG, kerosene and wood/charcoal for cooking.

For lighting, generators and limited use of photovoltaic energy.

The residents’ main livelihood activities are: small-scale farming fruit trees, root crops, rice, grains and vegetable; small scale fishing; small-scale livestock raising, pigs, goats and chickens in upland areas for domestic consumption; mangrove seedling culture and planting; cottage; nipa shingles and rattan furniture making and charcoal making.

The community in Macarascas proposed four main tourism activities: Ulugan Bay pump boat tours, Ulugan Bay snorkel trips, paddleboat rental and Sagasa beach eatery and accommodations.

Ulugan Bay pump boat tours, could conduct guided tours around the bay and incorporate interpretive information concerning the ecological relationship and inter-dependency of the catchments, mangrove, sea-grass and coral reef. This tour would integrate the two primary components of the UNESCO project in Ulugan Bay (Coastal Resource Management and Sustainable Tourism) by including an educational visit to the experimental fish-pens.

The second activity, Ulugan Bay snorkel trips is inherently linked with the Ulugan Bay pump boat tour which would climax with snorkeling in nearby reefs.

The third activity, paddleboat rental, paddleboats for hire would be made available to those interested to explore the coast around Macarascas, like Sagasa White Beach on the eastern side of Sagasa Peninsular. The last activity, Sagasa eatery and accommodation, in the Sagasa White Beach, would assure visitors or tourists safety and convenience. Incidentally, an established eatery and accommodation will resolve waste disposal.

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Barangay Buenavista. It is a derivative of the Spanish phrase “buena vista” which means ‘good view’. The view from the upland areas within the barangay, including sections of the Puerto Princesa City Sabang road is dramatic. From a variety of vintage points Oyster Bay and Rita Island can be seen directly opposite the main beach; to the north, the rocky outcrops of ‘Tres Marias’ are clearly visible in the seaward mouth of the bay. Along higher sections of the road to Sabang, portions of the tower karsts formation of the St. Paul’s can be viewed over the intervening areas of dense forest.

Buenavista lies mid-way along the east coast of Ulugan Bay. The Barangay Center is adjacent to the road. The main population is clustered along the extensive stretch of the beach which parallels the roadway.

Mangrove patches and tidal flats are found in the sandy beaches. The near-shore environment fringing coral reefs and tiny tertiary sandstone islet, Manyukos Island, lies a few hundred meters off shore.

In 1998, its population was 706 individuals in 156 households distributed among the purok or sitio’s. The population is expected to increase only marginally to 790 in the year 2010. The main family size is only 4.2 persons per household and the population density of 0.061 persons per hectare are the lowest in Ulugan Bay. With the exception of four or five families who have private property rights, the residents of Buenavista occupy public “alienable and disposable” lands. Though untitled, parts of the main beach are offered “for sale.”

The portable water supply of Buenavista is an underground spring, tapped from rivers and springs and distributed to the main settlement from a centralized communal faucet.

The residents depend upon LPG, wood/charcoal for cooking and light from individual generators. Some households use resin as firelighter.

‘Black water waste’ is contained in pit latrines or sealed toilets with “gray waters” are discharged directly to the environment. Solid wastes are either compost in pits.

The livelihood activities of the residents are: small-scale fishing; small-scale farming fruit trees, root crops, grains and vegetables; small•

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scale livestock raising, pigs and poultry, for domestic consumption; and making nipa shingles, weaving buri mats, making bamboo flutes and basket weaving. A small guest house has been constructed in Buenavista for local tourists. Sari-sari stores are also found in there. Another activity is honey gathering and non-timber forest products.

The Community-based Sustainable Tourism recommends the following activities: paddleboat/sailing paraw, snorkel and mobile beach facility; permanent beach front bay shelter rental; a view deck in Manyukos Island; interactive/educational farm-stay tourism and a roadside view deck along a high section of the road to Sabang and possibly an Ulugan Bay showroom.

The first proposal is to provide simple mobile beach facilities for hire to visitors to allow them to relax in the beach while enroute to Sabang.

This can be complemented by snorkel. Paddleboat and sailing paraw rental service to explore the marine and near-shore environment.

There is great potential for sailing paraw due to its uniqueness.

The second proposal is to provide more permanent beachfront shelter rental on hourly or daily basis for the convenience of families or groups. Provisions be made to make available food, drinks and other personal needs.

The Manyukos Island view deck would provide the visitors or tourists a dramatic view of Rita Island, Oyster Bay, and the ‘Tres Marias.’ In fact the islet could be rented put complete with paddleboat and snorkel equipment on an hourly or daily basis.

The interactive/educational farm-stay tourism is a concept designed to access the growing market for interactive and education tourism.

Buenavista is ideal because its farms are located in small valleys adjacent to the road. These picturesque valleys contain small streams that provide the water necessary for irrigation. The fields are bounded by an intricate network of small ditches, canals and embankments to control the flow of water from one field to the next. This water resource management system is a skill that is often under estimated by those not engaged in its use. Visitors can stop in the barangay and learn to take part in farming activities, a rare and unique experience. They may also be interested to stay overnight and experience rural life.

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The Buenavista view deck/showroom along a high section of the road to Sabang has a commanding view of Ulugan Bay, Oyster Bay, Rita Island, the Tres Marias and sections the karts formation of Saint Paul’s in the north. There is no telling the project can generate income.

Barangay Tagabinet. The barangay is situated on the northeastern flank of Ulugan Bay, along the northern section of the road from Puerto Princesa City to Sabang. It includes a short stretch of Ulugan Bay coastline, edged with mangrove, sea grass and corals. The main settlement is situated a few kilometers inland of Tagnipa Inlet. Rugged uplands, dramatic karts outcrops and dense areas of primary forest characterize the barangay’s hinterland, whose northeastern border adjoining Kayasan with easy access to the Babuyan River. The barangay lies close to the southwestern margins of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and is linked to the park’s extension and declaration as “World Heritage Site”.

In 1998, the population was calculated to 864 individuals living in 407 households spread across seven purok’s or sitio’s. The population is expected to more than double by the year 2010. The barangay main family size is 4.91 persons per household and a population density of 0.256 per hectare, considered the second highest among the barangays of Ulugan Bay. The greater portion of the lands in Tagabinet depend upon semiartesian wells, jetmatic pumps and water from the Babuyan River. The water in the Centro is fed by rivers and springs and distributed through communal faucets.

Some houses are connected to a centralized electrical supply system.

For cooking residents use LPG, charcoal and kerosene.

The residents engage in small-scale fishing; farming fruit trees, rice, grains and vegetables; raise livestock, pigs, poultry and cattle for domestic consumption; making nipa shingles, weaving buri mats, making rattan furniture, gathering almaciga resin and honey are some of the livelihood activities of the people.

The proposed tourism activities in Tagabinet are: carabao carriage service; Ugong rock spelunking and summit view deck; butterfly trail; Babuyan river recreation; and Tagabinet-Kayasan CADC bush trail.

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The proposal to provide carabao carriage service was conceived to allow visitors to experience the extensive inland areas towards and over the Babuyan River. Tourists could take a guided tour of the barangays numerous trails in a locally constructed carriage drawn by a carabao with a guide either leading the animal or riding on its back. The carriage would be more comfortable rather than back riding because the back of the carabao is wide which could make riding uncomfortable to the uninitiated. The carriage could bring the tourists along a winding trail from the main roadside location to an impressive tower-karst formation Ugong Rock. This would enable the guide to explain the geology and geomorphology of the tower karst.

A short distance from the Barangay Hall in Tagabinet Centro, a dramatic tower-karst formation rises from the surrounding farmland to a height of between 60 to 79 meters. This outcrop, Ugong Rock, is composed of black, white and gray marbles interspersed with lime stones that typify the area. Over time, the tropical climate has eroded the geology, exploiting weaknesses within the body of the rock. This process has resulted in the creation of sharp pinnacles and ridges on the exterior with numerous fissures and tunnels containing speeothems or flowstones in the interior, stalactites, stalagmites and pillars. In one chamber, a large flowstone has formed which when tapped lightly, produces haunting musical notes. It is this flowstone which Ugong Rock got its name.

The Tagabinet butterfly trail is an extension of developing butterfly farms where trails are lined with plants to attract butterflies and to sustain them.

The community of Tagabinet proposed to develop the Babuyan River into a water-based recreation for swimming, paddleboat riding and rafting. The journey along the trail leading from Tagabinet Centro takes twenty to thirty minutes on foot.

The Babuyan River which flows all the way to Honda Bay on the east coast of Palawan attracts tourists to take a ride for a two-hour trip downstream to the bay.

The Tagabinet-Kayasan CADC bush trail from Tagabinet to Kayasan CADC Centro is some eight kilometers away. The trail passes 244 |

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through areas of tall rifer grasses and secondary growth forest, crossing the Babuyan River a number of times. The trail itself is comparatively flat and so arduous and can be completed in a little over two hours each way.

Kayasan CADC. In order for the Batak and Tagbanua to develop CBST initiatives within Kayasan CADC, development strategies must build upon their environmental and cultural potentials without degrading these resource bases. These assets include: extensive areas of primary forest, massive karst formation contain numerous cave systems; an extensive foot-trail network; the Babuyan River and its waterfalls, feeding into Honda Bay on the east coast of Palawan; numerous creeks feed into Babuyan River; a wide variety of wildlife, wild boar, primates, Palawan bear-cat, wild cat, porcupine, monitor lizard, flying squirrel, Palawan peacock, talking mynah birds, Palawan eagle and parrot, etc.

To attract tourists, the following activities may be undertaken: Kayasan trekking trails, presentation of traditional ceremonies and practices and sale of handicrafts; visitor accommodation; and KayasanHonda Bay river rafting.

One of the activities recommended is to formalize trekking service along the extensive trail network within the CADC. As of now occasional groups of hikers from the outside have began arriving in the CADC on a trail leading out of the neighboring barangay of San Rafael. The people of Kayasan do not feel well as they are not benefited in any way and that they do not have control over the intruders. To ward off this misgiving, is to require tour operators and visitors to first obtain entry permit for a fee from Kayasan CADC. The attraction of the trekking are the rivers, creeks, waterfalls, caves, forest where one finds “mother trees” and various wildlife can be seen in the areas.

Another viable activity is presentation of traditional ceremonies and practices and sale of handicrafts. Such traditional ceremonies and practices as tarek, a male dance; diwata, a healing ritual; saad, a war dance; and lakwang, tree climbing technique. It is best that they be performed on the basis of the lunar cycle (once or twice a month) to make its more symbolic.

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Both the Batak and Tagbanua produce a number of products that could be sold to visitors such as musical instruments, hunting and gathering implements, wooden pouches, baskets and traditional form of backpack. Special sessions could be arranged where the old folks demonstrate their traditional system of ‘syllabary’ writing. This is used as a mechanism for both generating income from and conserving it.

Visitor accommodation as an activity could provide a place to stay overnight before exploring the area, departing from Babuyan River for Honda Bay or returning to Tagabinet on foot. “Rest houses” and cottages along the trail network could spell the difference of attracting more visitors or tourists to the area.

Kayasan-Honda River Rafting. Babuyan River is the longest river in the province, rising in the hinterland of Kayasan CADC and flowing to Honda Bay on the east coast. This natural feature can be developed for a rifer ride from Kayasan to Honda Bay as the visitors trek from Barangay Tagabinet to Kayasan, explore the CADC on guided bushtrails before returning to the east coast and Puerto Princesa, bythe river.

At present, the residents use the river on a regular basis using bamboo rafts and/or ‘dug out’ canoes in transporting people and goods.

Barangay Cabayugan. The barangay is 72 kilometers from Puerto Princesa City. Part of the St. Paul Subterranean River National Park is within the boundaries of Cabayugan. There are about 1,700 residents of the barangay which constitute the largest single population in Ulugan Bay. The barangay has five puroks or sitios, the main settlement is located some distance inland from the coastline. A significant part of the barangay is forest land which lies close to the coastline and is incorporated into Cabayugan Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim (CADC). It contains extensive karst which form part of the Saint Paul formation.

Much of the land are public lands around Barangay Centro are found ‘alienable and disposable.’ The areas towards the Ulugan Bay and South China Sea are classified as ‘forestry lands,’ which are reservations of the CADC. The present residents are worried about their tenure of ownership of the land they now occupy. They feel insecure for they are squeezed between the national park, which has been declared as World Heritage Site and the CADC. 246 |

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The main sources of water supply are shallow and deep wells, improved springs and rain collectors. The more densely populated areas are supplied with water from communal faucet. Cabayugan is connected to centralized electrical system supplied by a diesel generator, but the majority still uses kerosene and LPG lamps for lighting and wood, charcoal and LPG for cooking.

For toilets, the residents use pit latrine and water sealed. However, gray waters are discharged into gardens or in small open canals that drain into nearby rivers. Solid wastes are burned, buried or compost. There are some informal refuse dump sites.

The residents engaged in such livelihood activities as: small-scale farming, rice, root crops and vegetables; small-scale fishing; carpentry, masonry, manufacture of rattan products; and sari-sari stores and small market stalls.

The CBST proposals are: access to “passing trade” generated by visitors traveling enroute to Sabang from Puerto Princesa City; harness day excursions, from the established center at Sabang; initiate a close cooperation between the communities; access to Ulugan Bay marine environment via the sheltered rivers of Tagnipa Inlet; and use the Radio Station located in the barangay.

One of the activities suggested is to develop trekking along trails and the old logging road leading to the neighboring CADC and Tagnipa Inlet.

The other is developing a combined snorkel, paddleboat and sailing paraw service. The service will focus on the sheltered stretches of coastline where mangroves and coral reefs are found. The proposal of sailing paraw is the use of out-rigger boats, especially designed for shallow coral waters. This can blossom into ‘hobby cats’ and annual ‘regattas’ the lie activities.

All this would depend upon CBST advertising via local radio station.

It takes a little more imagination to sell what Cabayugan and the rest of the communities in Ulugan Bay can offer.

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or tourists a good view of the small coves and beaches for ‘beach hopping.’

The CBST Proposal in Cabayugan CADC. The Cabayugan CADC has a number of environmentally/cultural assets and strategic advantages: extensive primary forest, numerous caves, rivers and waterfalls, stretches of rugged coastline, extensive network of foot-trails, various wildlife, sea eagles and sea turtles, close proximity to Sabang; and prior experience of educational/research tourism.

With all this, trekking tourism within Cabayugan CADC is considerable. The area has extensive areas of primary forests which contain ‘mother trees’ and stretches of unspoiled coastline to which visitors could go via numerous trails. The variety of flora and fauna in the area suggests wildlife for bird watching and wildlife photography; a number of the beaches are nesting sites of endangered sea turtles. Some of the caves could be developed for spelunking activities.

As in other barangays visitor accommodation be installed for those who wish to stay overnight or longer to explore the foot-trails of the CADC. Home stay can generate “a hard contact” situation with trekkers which may affect the traditional family life of the local residents, but this is to be expected. The beneficial effects could be both ways.

With regard to Education/Research Tourism, Cabayugan provides a unique situation. The CADC has been ‘host’ to the Japanese Wildlife Research Center (JWRC) for two years. This organization brings Japanese students to the CADC where they learn about the traditional skills and lifestyle of the Tagbanua and engage in environmental research and conservation work.

It may be too early to definitely ascertain the impact of the project, it nevertheless provided the CBST workshop with some inputs for the furtherance of Ulugan Bay. The Meso-Scale CBST Development at Ulugan. Is designed to foster inter-community cooperation, coordination and information exchange without each community losing its individuality as it generates as “Ulugan Bay Identity.”

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which are competitive in terms of design, quality, price and access. The development of ‘Ulugan Bay Showroom’ may provide local handicrafts producers to share costs, achieve economies of scale and present their goods for sale in a quality retail environment.

Integrating Pump-boat Operations. This is essential to provide connections in the operation of the different pump-boats in the area for economy, safety and efficiency.

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his Chapter may be summarized as an example of the symbiotic relationship between man and nature. An intervention by man in the natural environment can either be favorable or disastrous. In the case of Puerto Princesa City, earlier development interventions proved disastrous because the activities were not well planned. There was wanton destruction of the natural resources unmindful of the consequences, but profit. The once rich fishing grounds have been badly damaged by fishing through the use of toxic chemicals and of banned methods of fishing. Once abused, nature has its own way of fighting back. This was the situation of the environment of Puerto Princesa City when Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn assumed office in 1992.

Drastic measures were immediately instituted to arrest and prevent further damage to the environment, such moves as Oplan Linis, Bantay Gubat and Bantay Dagat, complemented by such activities as the creation of Task Force aimed to seriously implement existing ordinances and statutes on the exploitation of natural resources. The success of these moves to protect the environment found support from the Sangguniang Panlungsod by passing ordinances relevant to the issues and problems on the environment and authorizing funds thereof. At this point in time, the support and cooperation of the populace made considerable difference in its success. Needless to say, but the truth of the matter is all this bespeak of a strong leadership.

The Green Globe Ltd. Has produced a Master Plan for CommunityBased Ecotourism in Ulugan Bay, as UNESCO/UNDP Coastal

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Resource Management and Sustainable Tourism Project. While this applies particularly in Ulugan Bay, the experience will most likely benefit related areas for sustainable development.

The community based ecotourism in Ulugan Bay involves the primary and secondary stakeholders. The primary stakeholders are the five barangays: Bahile, Macarasca, Tagabinet, Buenavista and Cabayugan.

Two areas, Kayasan and Cabayugan are CADC’s of the indigenous Batak and Tagbanua tribes. What is unique in the Master Plan is the adoption of the “bottom-up approach” wherein the proposals of the primary stakeholders carried much weight in the formulation of the plans and the activities for its implementation.

As anticipated, the well-laid plans will largely depend upon local leadership and availability of funds. A review of the livelihood activities of the residents in the five barangays indicate that the barangays cannot fund the projects, much less sustain its development. Obviously, the secondary stakeholders must necessarily provide the funds to finance the recommended meso-scale development of Uulugan Bay, such as (1) the developmentof the Ulugan Bay handicrafts; (2) integrating pump-boat operations; and (3) integrating stakeholders interest at the Ulugan Bay. One special thorny issue in the development of Ulugan Bay is the presence of the WESCOM/NAVFORWEST. This can be resolved only in the highest centers of power as the value of keeping the reservation for national security.

Another issue that needs resolution is the expansion of the St. Paul’s Subterranean River National Park and plans for CBST development involves the communities of Cabayugan CADC, Tagabinet and Kayasan CADC. More importantly, the management of the CBST development at the Ulugan Bay must be given to the “Ulugan Bay Community Tourism Management Team” wherein the primary and secondary stakeholders are adequately represented. As it is now, Ulugan Bay Management Board or PAMB oversees the national park as provided for in Republic Act No. 7586, “An Act Providing For the Establishment and Management of National Integrated Protected Areas System, Defining Its Scope and Coverage, and For Other Purposes.” or NIPAS Act. 250 |

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Kalinisan, Katahimikan At Kaunlaran

Edward Solon Hagedorn (inset) when he first run for Puerto Princesa City Mayor in 1992.

Mayor-elect Edward S. Hagedorn takes his oath of office before Senator Ramon V. Mitra, Jr. With him are his mother, Gliceria (standing behind), wife Ellen, daughter Eva and provincial officials.

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Banner programs of governance to pursue his vision to make Puerto Princesa City a Model Sustainable Development.

First Day at work

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City-Provincial Athletic Meet (left) Palawan Provincial Board Member Andres Baaco, Sr., Congressman Alfredo Abueg, Jr. and Palawan Provincial Governor Salvador P. Socrates.

Puerto Princesa City Department Heads and Program Directors

Barangay visit

Planning Conference (from left) City Vice Mayor Vicky de Guzman, and (center right) City Administrator Atty. Agustin M. Rocamora.

Oplan Linis Program Director Maria Elena Marcelo Hagedorn conducts informationeducation campaign in elementary schools on Clean and Green Program.

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Balayong Lions Club President Ellen with sisters Teresita Maslog, Editha Bayron and cousin Julie Russell spearhead the cleanliness campaign at Mendoza Park.

Oplan Linis Awarding Ceremony for Cleanest and Greenest City Barangays.

Grass cut

Street sweepers jump-off point

Coastal clean-up

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Garbage truck

Bantay Gubat personnel inspects ilegally cut forest tree

Groundbreaking of markers that define forest boundaries of Puerto Princesa City called Eco-center of the World.

City Civil Security Wilfredo E. Lapuz (Special Operations Officer III), City Vice Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron (center) and Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn inspect a truck load of illegally cut lumber.

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Baywatch

Bantay Dagat – Program Director Ian Marcelo and PNP officials with Mayor Edward Hagedorn and PNP Chief Arturo Lumibao at the turn over ceremony of the Armored Speed Boat.

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Philippine Navy Boat patrols Puerto Princesa Bay

Bantay Dagat ground sea vessels for illegal fishing

Kilos Agad Action Center (KAAC)

117 Assistance Center (Vice Mayor Lucilo Bayron with Fritz Toral & Elroy Hagedorn during the visit of DILG Secretary Angelo Reyes)

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Satellite hospital

Satellite hospital ambulance

City Health Department Medical Mission

Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn with DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman spearhead the City’s Supplementary Feeding Program for Malnourished Children.

The City Mayor looks after the welfare of the school children.

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Edward S. Hagedorn building

Day Care Center

First Public Montessori

Satellite library

City Public Libraries in strategic barangays

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Maahadul Farouq (Al Farouq Institute of Islamic studies)

Green Homes at Barangay Mangingisda housing project

Mayor Hagedorn with Congressman Abraham Khalil Mitra and Engr. Eduardo C. Driz of City Housing present an award of certificate of ownership to Mangingisda Housing Project beneficiary.

Carabao pool

Tractor pool

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Barangay Mangingisda Fishport

Fish trading at Puerto Princesa City Fishport

Fisherman dries salted fish on bamboo mats

Puerto Princesa Public Market

43 hectares housing project in Barangay Mangingisda to accommodate 1,030 units of duplex housing.

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Slaughterhouse

Cashew production

Grass weaving

Bamboo basket weaving

Pearl craft

Rurungan sa Tubod workers weave pinya and silk fibers into cloth.

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Hand paint designs on pinya and silk cloth

Pinya-silk cloth hang dry

Clean Cities Clean Air Program

Launching of the City’s Clean Air Program

World Water Phils, Inc. representative John D. Herman signs Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Solar-Powered Water Project in Barangay Luzviminda.

Mayor Hagedorn plays tricycle driver to kids

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Widening of Rizal Avenue

Puerto Princesa City Coliseum

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Tenement House for fire victims

H.E. Ambassador Li Jinjun of China on a goodwill visit in Puerto Princesa City at the Baywalk.

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Mayor Hagedorn shows the baywalk to foreign investors

Coastal road runs through the baywalk to the wharf

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Puerto Princesa Land Transport Terminal

Side view of PPLTT

Multi-Species Fish Hatchery and Sea Ranching Project

PAL-KORS International Trading H.E. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Corporation representative Hae Kap Kim unveiling the marker of the Puerto signs the Memorandum of Agreement Princesa Nor Hsinrth road.

(MOA) on Fishery Development in Puerto Princesa City.

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Mayor Hagedorn inspects the progress of work at 200-million Sanitary Landfill, Barangay Sta. Lourdes – the first local government controlled sanitary landfill.

Mobile garbage plastic bins

Composting trucks

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Weigh bridge

Leachate Treatment Plant

7th Meeting of the BIMP-EAGA Working Group on Fisheries Cooperation, June 10-12, 2003, Barcelo, Asturias Hotel, Puerto Princesa City.

26th National Executive Board Meeting – League of Cities of the Philippines, Asturias Hotel, Puerto Princesa City.

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Delegates to the Asian Cities Against Drugs (ASCAD) Conference, forge an Accord – the Puerto Princesa Declaration Against Illegal Drugs – at Legend Hotel, Puerto Princesa City.

Papal Nuncio Archbishop Fernando Feloni and Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales visit Puerto Princesa City

H.E. Ambassador Hsin Hsing Wu Representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office at the 10th International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics (ICAL), Asturias Hotel, Puerto Princesa City.

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Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn receives an award from H.E. President Fidel Ramos at Malacañang Palace.

H.E. President Joseph Ejercito Estrada swears into Office Chairman Nur Misuari and Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively of the Southern Philippines Council for Development (SPCD) at Malacañang Palace.

Nur Misuari visits Puerto Princesa City

Motorcade with H.E. President Joseph Ejercito Estrada and Minister Teodoro Q. Peña.

Order of the Agustinian Recollect (OAR) General Fr. Lauro Larlar of Spain and OAR Provincial Fr. Bancayan of Cebu bless Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn during their pilgrimage to Puerto Princesa to celebrate the 100th year death anniversary of St. Ezekiel Moreno on March 4, 2006, the City’s 134th Founding Anniversary.

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H.E. President Benigno Simeon Aquino visits the Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park (Underground River).

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F

ounded on a plateau of virgin forest at the edge of a beautiful bay, Puerto Princesa has since 4 March 1872 risen to a most coveted place among the family of nations in the international hall of fame, with the eighth wonder of the world, the St. Paul Subterranean River, now named Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Sitio Sabang, has been inscribed on the World Heritage List on 4 December 1999. The PPSRNP, along with the whole of St. Paul limestone rock formation 81 kilometers north of Puerto Princesa City has been declared National Geological Monument in the Philippines.

The wilderness image of Puerto Princesa has long been attributed to be the reason for its slow development, let along neglect. Greed, power, and authority abused its natural resources, forests and fishing grounds, were wantonly exploited, which gave Puerto Princesa a “damaged image.” It took years to rehabilitate the damaged natural environment, slowly but steadily, concerned citizens began to restore and transform the damaged image into an asset which culminated with the election of Edward S. Hagedorn as City Mayor in 1992.

The City of Puerto Princesa is fast becoming a popular tourist destination capitalizing on its endowed natural beauty and rich biodiversity.

Over a period of five years (1995-2000), the city’s yearly growth rate of tourist arrivals was 22 percent. Although it declined in 1998 by 10 percent, the tourism industry has remained stable.

On the average, tourists stay in the city for three or four days, spending Php 1,400.00 per person per day. The estimated amount of cash inflow from tourism industry in 2000 ranged from 400 million to 600 million pesos. This illustrates the impact of tourism industry in the city’s economy.

Existing and potential tourism areas in the city are being zoned and classified including the coastal zones of Napsan, Bagong Bayan, Simpocan, Nagtabon, and Tagcauayan in Bacungan and that of the northwestern and northeastern barangays as well as the islands and islets in Honda Bay. Likewise, there are existing and potential ecotourism areas in the City of Puerto Princesa which have continued to attract ecotourists 274 |

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into the city. These areas include Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP), Honda Bay, Ulugan Bay, Salakot Waterfalls, the surrounding forest and other natural and manmade sites. Its development have been done with minimum disturbance to ecology, consistent with the theme ecotourism.

Puerto Princesa’s beautiful islets, scenic spots and places that evokes the pristine image of some exotic wonderland, is a living paradise.

The City has become a natural destination for ecotourists, nature lovers, vacationists and researchers. It abounds in diverse resources and natural scenic spots which attract both local and international tourists to come to Puerto Princesa. The City won in 1996 the “Hall of Fame” Award for being the “Cleanest and Greenest Component City in the Philippines.”

Together with this is a number of other awards in the area of environmental protection, sustainable agriculture, rural health delivery services, peace and order and functional literacy have supplemented the natural attraction of the City and made it more a popular destination point.

What Mayor Hagedorn did upon assumption of office after the Recall Election can best be appreciated in his message in THE 2003 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT. This report may be a good basis in projecting the future of Puerto Princesa City.

Every award and recognition that Puerto Princesa received became topics of discussion in the national tri-media; television, radio and print which generated plenty of goodwill for the city and its people, thereby helping Puerto Princesa regain its position as the haven of tourists and investors in this part of the world.

Today, Puerto Princesa is “A City Paradise” according to Jose Galvez.

(Leader February-March 2003): If one is to describe the meaning of paradise and haven’t been to Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan, then there will surely be a missing link to perfectly describe this scenic city.

In its tantalizing greenery and sparking blue hues, this wholesome city is literally full of natural surprises the springs from nature’s womb. An unimaginable concrete city built amidst the lushness of an island’s chameleon green cover and the mighty emerald blue sea.

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Puerto Princesa City – capital of Palawan, lies in the heart of the long canopy-laden island province. ...If I were to describe Puerto Princesa, I would probably call it the “magical window to ecology.” ...everything in the city seemed to be in perfect harmony with mama nature. Yet, in invoking the name of the Divine Providence, where can one find a super-clean city?

Nary a butt of spent cigarette nor a candy wrapper can be seen on the concrete streets and sideways.

Ecology and ecosystems are defined for better understanding and appreciation why Puerto Princesa City is “a paradise.”

Ecology, Is the study of relationship of plants and animals to their physical and biological environment. The physical environment includes light and heat or solar radiation, moisture, wind, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, in soil, water and atmosphere. The biological environment includes organism of the same kind as other plants and animals.

An increased public awareness of environmental problems has made ecology a common but often misused word. It is confused with environmental programs and environmental science. Although the field is a distinct scientific discipline, ecology does indeed contribute to the study and understanding of environmental problems.

The term ecology was introduced by German biologist Ernst Heinrich Haeckel in 1866. It is derived form the Greek oikos (“household”).

Sharing the same root word as economics. Modern ecology in part, began with Charles Darwin. In developing the theory of evolution, Darwin stressed the adaptation of organisms to their environment through natural selection. Also making important contributions were plan geographers, such as Alexander von Humbolt, who were deeply interested in the “how” and “why” of vegetational distribution around the world.

Ecosystems. A more useful way of looking at the terrestrial and aquatic landscape is to view them as ecosystems, a word coined in 1935 by the British plant ecologist Sir Arthur George Tansley to stress the concept of each locale or habitat as an integral whole. A system 276 |

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is a collection of interdependent parts that function as a unit and involve inputs and outputs. The major parts of an ecosystem are the producers (green plants), the consumers (herbivores and carnivores), the decomposers (fungi and bacteria), and the nonliving or a biotic, component consisting of dead organic matter and nutrients in the soil and water. Inputs into the ecosystem are solar energy, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and other elements and compounds. Outputs from the ecosystem include water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrient loses and the heat released to cellular respiration or heat of respiration.

The major driving force is solar energy. (Robert Leo Smith. Ecology.

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001).

WORLD HERITAGE SITE

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he World Heritage Committee is an intergovernmental organization responsible for cataloguing and protecting sites throughout the world that possess significant historic and cultural value. The World Heritage Committee operates under the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It was established to implement the terms of the World Heritage Convention, an agreement to preserve world’s natural and cultural heritage adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO in 1972. To date, 147 nations have signed the agreement.

The World Heritage Committee selects a diversified number of sites for preservation, including monuments, sculpture and paintings, cave dwellings, architecturally significant buildings and places of natural importance. Site chosen by the Committee receive international protection through the resources of the World Heritage Fund, which provides both financial and preservation assistance. There are more than 500 World Heritage Sites. (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 200)

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The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park At Marrakesh (Morocco) the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee inscribed Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park on the World Heritage List on December 4, 1999, with this inscription: The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park features a spectacular limestone karst landscape with its underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it emerges directly into the sea, and the lower part of the river is subject to tidal influences. The area also represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation. The site contains a full “mountain-to-the- sea” ecosystem and protects some of the most significant forests in Asia.

On the merit of its magnificent subterranean river with unique natural formations that empties into the sea. Furthermore, the whole Park, with the exception of small areas near the underground outflow and the administrative area of the Central Park Station, is covered by primary forest which is home to many endemic species of animals and plants. This dense tropical forest which forms the watershed area of the river is within the boundaries of the Park. It also encompasses an unusually wide variety of ecosystem. It is therefore of high scientific and conservation interest.

The PPSRNP is the only national park in the Philippines situated within the city’s boundaries. Thus, all the environmental preservation programs and maintenance are meticulously undertaken by the City of Puerto Princesa under the leadership of Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn, whose successful environment programs have won national and international awards for the city government.

On December 11, 2003, the PPSRNP was also proclaimed a “National Geological Monument” by the National Committee on Geological Sciences in recognition of its scientific importance as a permanent laboratory for studies on geological processes, uniqueness and high scenic value.

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Subterranean River National Park (SPSRNP) was established on March 26, 1971 by virtue of Presidential Decree (P.D.) 835 to protect its unique and cultural features. Originally, it encompassed 3901 hectares.

Inspired by the City Leadership’s strong determination to preserve and conserve its forest resources, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in conformation with Republic Act No. 7160 of 1991 or the Local Government Code transferred to the City Government in 1992 the management, protection, rehabilitation, development and control of the world-renowned 5,753-hectare St. Paul’s Subterranean River National Park (SPSRNP). The devolution of management from the national to the local government unit is the first in the history of the country.

Then on November 12, 1999, the President of the Philippines signed Proclamation No. 212 renaming the St. Paul Subterranean River National Park to Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) and expanded its area of coverage from 3,901 hectares to 22,203 hectares.

Its main feature is an 8.2 kilometer long underground river that flows toward the South China Sea under a spectacular massif limestone or karst known as the St. Paul Mountain Range, rising 1028 meters above sea level. The river is claimed to be the longest in the world. At the entrance of the river’s mouth is a clear lagoon teeming with brackish water fish and other forms of marine life. A white sand beach clumped by ancient trees meanders at the water’s edge. Monkeys, monitor lizards and squirrels find their niche on these trees.

The lowest four-kilometer of the river is navigable by small boats and now attracts 40,000 visitors annually generating considerable revenue, equivalent to over 80 percent of Park expenditure.

The Park strictly enforces a “NO PERMIT, NO ENTRY” policy. Visitors are required to register and given a short briefing at the Park Headquarters before being allowed to proceed to the Park area.

History. The St. Paul Subterranean River has a very long history.

Commander Bates of the English navy, while exploring the coast of Palawan in 1850 saw the subterranean river. He named it St. Paul for he likened it to the dome-shaped St. Paul Cathedral in London.

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The Batak tribe lives in the area call the subterranean river as Natuturingan Cave, because of their fear of spirits and animals living inside the caves prevented them from going inside its depths.

Geology. The first documented exploration inside the cave was led

by Dean Worcester, an American, in 1887. The cave has a total surveyed length of 22 kilometers, making it the longest cave in the Philippines.

The navigable portion is 8.2 kilometers.

The gray rocks, making the walls are called limestone. They were formed under the sea about 23 million years ago. Changes in the earth caused the limestone to be exposed above the sea; allowed rain water to move through the small cracks in the rocks and dissolved 65 the limestone much like hot water melting a block of ice. It took rain water thousands or even millions of years to enlarge the cracks into the passages as caves.

The yellow rocks are called cave formations.

It is interesting to note that the spectacular karst limestones in the St. Paul area and El Nido area that Palawan is somewhat famous for, are of different origin and age. The limestones in the St. Paul National Park east of Ulugan Bay (where the famous Undeground River is located) are relatively young. Based on their fossil content they are assigned an Oligocene-Miocene age (~30 to 15 million years old). These younger limestones formed largely as reef structures on the bit of continental crust that drifted south from China during the opening of the South China Sea. These are the same limestones that host most of the oil and gas that is being extracted offshore in the South China Sea. In contrast, the limestones in the El Nido area are largely Permian in age (~300-250 million years old). They are related to the karst limestones of Vietnam and China.

Intruding these rocks in central Palawan (Cleopatra’s Needle area) and northern Palawan (Mount Capoas or Kapoas area) are young granite bodies (true granite to granodiorite) of Miocene age (13-15 million years old based on zircon and monazite U-Pb dating). In the Taytay area of northern Palawan, a young basaltic cinder cone is another manifestation of young magmatic activity. The granitic magmatism and basaltic magmatism are both expressions of what has been identified as a widespread post-South China Sea spreading magmatism that has 280 |

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affected many areas around the South China Sea. Hydrothermal activity associated with mercury mineralization near Puerto Princesa is yet another sign of recent magmatic-hydrothermal activity. Surprisingly though, Palawan is relatively “quiet” in terms of seismic activity. Very few moderate-sized earthquakes are recorded in the area in contrast to the rest of the Philippines east of Palawan which are very seismically active.

Tectonically, Palawan with the Calamian Islands, is considered to be a north-east extension of the Sunda Plate, in collision with the Philippine Mobile Belt at Mindoro The St. Paul Underground River is part of the Cabayugan River which disappears into the ground and becomes the St. Paul Underground River.

Inside the cave is a large formation called “Cathedral” because it resembles the dome of a huge cathedral. At the right of the cathedral is a formation which resembles the Virgin Mary and a Giant Candle, these are examples of stalagmites. They were formed from water dropping from the ceiling to the floor which left behind minerals that dissolved it into calcite. This is a very slow process, the changes of which cannot be noticed even in a lifetime. The estimated normal rate of growth of these formations is only a fraction of a millimeter per year.

The candle is called stalactite. This was formed when water escaped the cracks in the ceiling which left behind some minerals before it dropped to form a stalagmite.

The formation of jellyfish inside is an example of a flowstone. It was formed when water flowed on the walls of the caves and left a blanket of minerals. The giant mushroom is a beautiful flowstone. There are a series of blankets called growth rings which were formed over the previous blankets.

The highest point is 65 meters above the water level. This was formed due to the abundance of cracks in the area and the fast flow of rain water. At the walls are a seriesof grooves. These are called notches and were formed by water. This indicates that the water level was once at that level.

The small stalactites are called soda straws because they resemble straws’ hollow centers where water flows through in droplets.

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The Highway is 200 meters portion of the cave which follows the large cracks, a result of the flow of rain water through the cracks.

The thin formations found on the parallel walls of the Highway called curtain or draperies. They are special type of flowstone. They are also called bacon as they look like it. The black and white lines that make the curtain resemble that of bacon was caused by the flow of the water over the thin portion of the walls.

The weird stalactite in the cave is called Egret because of its eccentric formation which is different from the other stalactites. This was formed when the water droplet hanged on for a long time before it dropped that allowed the wind to move it from side to side where it left behind the dissolved minerals.

Cave Biology. The bats and swifts found in the cave, live part of their lives inside and outside the cave. They leave the cave only to look for food. They rest and breed inside the cave. They are called troglophiles.

They use sound, called echolocation, to fly and locate themselves in the dark. There are 65,000 of individuals of eight species of bats and at least two species of swiftlet roost in the cave. The other animals that live throughout their lifetime in the cave are called troglobites. While those who only visit the cave for short time called trogloxenes, such as snakes and other fishes. Occasionally, shrimps and eels are found inside.

It is not known whether or not they stay permanently in the cave or just washed in from the open sea.

The St. Paul Limestone Rock Formation and the Petroleum Wealth of Palawan. The limestone of Ulugan Bay and the limestone of Bacuit Bay are two totally separate rock formations. They are also ages apart, the one in Puerto Princesa is only 50 million years old while the one in El Nido is 250 million years.

If the St. Paul Limestone Rock Formation is an iceberg, then Mt. St. Paul is only its tip. The main body of the rock formation is under the sea and extends all the way to the Malampaya oil fields of Palawan.

It is in fact the reservoir rock for Palawan’s offshore petroleum. If this is difficult to believe look at a map of the world and note how tiny the entire archipelago of Palawan is compared to Saudi Arabia. The reservoir limestone formation of Saudi Arabia petroleum is even more 282 |

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extensive than the St. Paul limestone. Unfortunately, the petroleum maps of the Malampaya oil field has been erroneously referred to as El Nido limestone instead of St. Paul limestone. (Recommended Script for SPRNP Boat Guides, Dr. Antonio Socrates) Places to Visit in the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. Apart from the 8.2 kilometers long Underground River are attractions where community guides are available. The tour guides are out-of-school youths who have been trained for the purpose.

Jungle Trail The Park’s 1.5 kilometers Jungle Trail is a good treat to hikers and trekkers. Guided only by orange marks on trees, this trail leaves one to explore on foot the Park’s intact tropical rainforests. The Park’s diverse form of land systems represents all except two of the lowland forest formations of the tropical Far East Asia.

Monkey Trail An alternate route to the underground river is through the Monkey Trail. A four-kilometer trail passing Sabang beach leads to the interior forest of the park where monkeys and other forms of wildlife may be seen. The two-hour hike ends in the 355 wooded and paved steps up toward the underground river. The climb atop the steps gives the hiker a fresh view of the Park over the karst. Note: Beware of playful monkeys.

Daylight Hole. It takes about one hour and 30 minutes hike from the main road in Cabayugan to the foot of the Daylight Hole, which is found at the top end of a 150-meter climb up the karst. So-named because of the large hole that opens to the sky at the end of the cave’s high and wide mouth. This is where the sunlight streaks through forming a cascade down to the bottom of the limestone wall. The hole provides the only ray of light to the visitors paddling their way in the long, pitchblack river underneath.

The trail to the Daylight Hole passes by the inflow, the point where Cabayugan River disappears through the massive limestone walls and continues inside forming the underground river.

Lion’s Cave. The cave is eight kilometers away from Sabang. It is 200 meters from the side of the national highway towards Barangay Cabayugan.

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Its dry cave entrance is guarded by a lion- shaped stalagmite. From the wall at the opening on the other side are various figures likened to be carved from an artist’s hand. The lion-shaped stalagmite was formed by droplets from a drape-like stalactite. The cave offers a good view of the rice fields below.

Cawili Cave. It is 30 minutes hike from the main highway. An opening halfway to the top provides a window with a fresh view of Mt. Capuas and the rice fields over Cabayugan. The cave has main galleries and openings on its sides.

Sabang Waterfalls. It is a short twenty minute hike from the Sabang pier and offers a cool, refreshing water pool at the base before emptying into the sea.

Park Visitor Center. It is a semi-concrete structure of native design with a 40-person capacity main gallery. The main building serves as the main booking and administrative office in the area, while a separate structure in the same site houses a canteen and public comfort rooms.

The project was financed by a grant from the European Union through its Palawan Tropical Forestry Protection Programme.

The Visitor Center also serves as the picnic area, designated by the Protection Area Management Board (PAMB) chaired by Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn.

Malipien Ranger Station. Formerly known as the Central Park Station, the area has been converted into a restoration zone and renamed Malipien Ranger Station. It is the habitat of some of the City’s and Province’s endangered species such as the cockatoo or katala, scaly anteater or binturong and the Palawan porcupine or durian, to name a few.

The Central Station used to provide the only accommodation for Park visitors in the early days when the Park was created in 1971.

Transport then to and from the Park was difficult by sea enroute Ulugan Bay in Barangay Bahile.

Century-old Mangrove Forests. Latest of the opportunities opened in the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) is the Mangrove Interpretative Paddleboat Tour, a 45-minute tour through the Sabang River in Barangay Cabayugan. It showcases the Park’s almost four hectares of century-old mangrove forests.

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Paddleboats with a carrying capacity of eight persons and operated by trained oarsmen take walk-in visitors to a tour through the fourkilometer long Sabang River. With the package is an interpreter-guide who explains the mangroves ecological importance, uses and its significance for conservation. The tour employs out-of-school youths as guides and boat-paddlers The project is an initiative of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park under the City Government of Puerto Princesa City in cooperation with the Conservation International (CI), the Palawan Conservation Corp (PCC) and the local communities of Barangays Cabayugan and Tagabinet.

Ethnographic Site Museum. The site museum in Barangay Cabayugan, right in the heart of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) presents two very distinct ethnic groups: the Batak and Tagbanua. These two groups show different cultural perspectives that play a major social context in Palawan and Puerto Princesa City in particular, in the conservation and preservation of their living heritage.

The Bataks, the smallest of the Palawan ethnolinguistic groups are rapidly disappearing. There are approximately 1,780 Bataks occupying 13 settlements located along the seacoast and in the interior mountains of Puerto Princesa, between the Babuyan River and Barangay Malcampo.

Their language is Atronesian in origin.

On the other hand the Tagbanuwa is one of the few remaining ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines still using a type of syllabic writing which was widely spread in the country prior to the coming of the Spaniards. Their system of writing has been declared in 1999 by the UNESCO as “Memory of the World.”

PROMINENT LANDMARKS

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laces are easily identified with prominent landmarks, man-made or natural, which attract visitors or tourists.

The Roman Catholic Cathedral. The majestic semi-Gothic style Cathedral of our Lady of Immaculate Conception, located near •

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the waterfront, stands on the same spot where the Catholic Church in Puerto Princesa was built in 1872. Bishop Gregorio Espiga in 1965 reconstructed the Roman Catholic Cathedral. It is said to be a replica of the Church of Sto. Domingo de la Calzada in Logronio,Spain. It was designed by Architect Mañalac and constructed under the supervision of Civil Engineer Florencio Llacuna of Cuyo, Palawan. The wood carvings, the wooden Stations of the Cross, the pews and heavy wooden doors were all made by the inmates of the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm. In the two 60-meter high belfries were eight bells two dedicated to San Nicolas de Tolentino and Ezekiel Moreno in 1958; four dedicated to San Fernando Rey de España and Saint Joseph in 1921; and two to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Maria Consolatrix Afflictorum in 1965.

On March 10, 1961 the Cathedral was blessed by Archbishop of Manila Rufino Cardinal Santos. It was consecrated on August 15, 1964.

The cathedral stands as a monument of the unparalleled missionary work of the Augustinian Recollects Order (OAR) in Palawan in general and Puerto Princesa City in particular. The prominent landmark is considered one of the best in the country.

The Palawan State University. Tiniguiban Campus. Built in 1976 in a forested hill donated by City Mayor Feliberto R. Oliveros, overlooking the scenic Puerto Princesa Bay, its well-planned and clean-trimmed campus was one of the early tourist attractions of Puerto Princesa City.

The University was a conversion of the Palawan State College which was also a conversion of the Palawan Teachers College which was established on 2 March 1972 in Puerto Princesa under Republic Act No. 4303, “An Act Providing for the Establishment of a Teachers’ College in the Municipality of Puerto Princesa, Province of Palawan to be known as Palawan Teachers’ College, Providing for a Board of Trustees, Defining the Board’s Responsibilities and Duties and authorizing the Appropriation of Funds Therefore.” Approved by President Diosdado Macapagal on 20 June 1965. Its Founding President is Dr. Walfrido Rafols Ponce de Leon, Ph.D. It was converted into Palawan State College on 27 April under Batas Pambansa Bilang 797, sponsored by Member of Parliament Teodoro Q. Peña and signed into law by President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

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The Provincial Capitol Building. The Provincial Capitol Building is a stand-out in architectural design which depicts Moslem influence indicated in the dome-shaped center roof. It was constructed through the initiative of Speaker Ramon V. Mitra, when Victoriano J. Rodriguez was Governor of Palawan. It is a two-story building with large stairways at each floor, lighted from the transparent dome-shaped center roof.

In front of the Provincial Capitol along Rizal Avenue is a Memorial Marker, a bust of the donor of the lot, Pedro M. Vicente, who served as Mayor of Puerto Princesa for three terms.

The New City Hall and Justice Buildings at Sta. Monica. The architectural design of the City Hall in Barangay Sta. Monica is unique.

Its imposing location at the top of the hill gives it an air of strength.

Below the City Hall is the open stadium or the Sports Complex. Along the concrete road from the national highway are the Justice buildings that house the Regional Trial Courts, the City Trial Court and the Prosecutor’s building. The compound is something not found elsewhere, the blending of resources.

Mendoza Park. The Mendoza Park is unique for its skating rink dug in front of the stage with elevated benches around the ring. It is named in honor of Dr. Higinio Acosta Mendoza, Sr., a Provincial Governor of Palawan and hero of the Second World War. It boasts of modern landscaping, mercury lights and marble benches donated by civic-spirited citizens. The walks in the park are concrete and a permanent spacious stage along Valencia Street. Within the Park is the old City Hall, now a Museum.

The Park is the center of activities during fiestas and other celebrations.

Plaza Cuartel. It is the restored ruins of an old Japanese encampment.

Beneath the thick towers which serve as the Plaza’s portals are shallow underground dungeons or holding cells. These also served as air-raid shelters.

In the center of the Plaza is a Memorial Marker, the spot where the 154 American Prisoners of War (POW) under the custody of the Japanese Kempei Tai, were gathered and burned to death with gasoline and grenades. Only 11 prisoners lived to tell the story about what •

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happened inside the tunnel. The names of the living soldiers with their address are engraved on the Marker, a grim reminder of World War II atrocities.

They are: Rufus Smith, Huges Spring, Texas; Ernest John Cablos, Chicago; Edwin Petry, Venice, Chicago; Eugene Nielsen, Utah; Elmo Deal, Uba City, Californis; Tommy Daniels, USA; Don T, Schlot, USA; Fern Joseph Barta, Salt Lake Clty; Glen Weddal McDole, Dismoises, Iowa; WMJ Balchus, Martinville, New Jersey; and Alberto D. Pacheco, Denning, New Mexico.

During the Balikatan Exercise 2004 in Puerto Princesa City, two American soldiers: Major Clay Tipton and Lt. Timothy Pound visited the Park and replaced the marker with a new Bronze Memorial Marker, which according to them is “A grim reminder of the realities of war as a price for freedom and the burning to death of American Prisoners of War (POW) inside the tunnel on this very spot on that fateful evening of December 15, 1944.”

Princess Eulalia Park. Puerto Princesa was named after Princess Eulalia of Spain. She was born in 1864 to the reigning monarch, Queen Isabella II and her consort Dr. Francisco de Asis. However, with the Princess’ untimely death, the Queen changed the name to Puerto de la Princesa or Princess of Ports. Later it was reduced to Puerto Princesa as it is known today.

The Park which features a pocket forest is located across Rizal Park along Quezon Street. A statue of the Princess serves as a marker as it stands on the spot where the Decree of the Foundation of Puerto Princesa was read by Governor Don Jose de Sostoa y Orduñez, head of the Spanish expedition, on March 4, 1872.

Canigaran Beach. It is a long stretch of white sand fringing the shoreline of Puerto Princesa City. When the Americans Liberation Forces landed in Canigaran on February 28, 1945 they used it for their military base.

Prior to its being a military camp, Canigaran was a favorite haunt among young and old alike especially during moonlight nights, where they gather around a bonfire and sing country songs. More enterprising individuals would bring along their battery powered phonograph and 288 |

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dance the night away. The place was also a favorite for weekend picnics.

Picnickers either take a bamboo raft or just wade towards the white sand bar in the middle of the bay.

When WESCOM, during the Martial Law years established its military camp in the area, Puerto Princesan’s were kept from Canigaran.

Today the place is once again perking with so many activities. It has regained its honor as a popular place for picnics, swimming and large group gatherings particularly the BM Beach Resort and Morato Beach at the Clark side, which can readily accommodate several big groups at one time.

L.S. Tidepole Point. Locals call the place Parola, the native word for Lighthouse. The Lighthouse Reservation was established through Executive Order No. 60 dated July 28, 1903 covering an area of 2,960 square meters. Its tower stands 32 feet above sea level with a visibility range of seven nautical miles flashing red every five seconds with coordinates at 090 43’53’ north latitude and 118043’50.9’ east longitude.

It is within the Area of Responsibility (AOR) of the Philippine Coast Guard Station, Puerto Princesa City.

It is the place where the old folks claim they used to see a beautiful princess-like maiden sitting on the rocks during moonlight nights at certain times of the year.

On the promontory of the hill lie the remains of the late Speaker of the House of Representatives Ramon V. Mitra, Jr. It is located in Barangay Bagong Silang, Puerto Princesa City.

RESORTS AND RECREATION AREAS

Located within the City are resorts and recreation areas which the residents and visitors can go to relax and appreciate the soothing scenery around the area.

Montible and Balsahan Swimming Pools. Located within the Iwahig Penal Colony reservation are Montible and Balsahan swimming pools which were constructed by the government using prison labor.

Montible is located in Montible Sub-colony, while Balsahan is in the Central colony. The waters are cool in a natural setting.

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Sta. Lucia Hot Springs. Located at Sta. Lucia Sub-colony are hot springs which have medicinal and curative properties. It provides an alternate destination for those who are tired of the sand and sea. A series of pools, picnic huts with tables and dressing rooms are among the amenities found in the area. The place is landscaped with trees; ornamentals and flowering that provide a perfect setting for a spa resort.

Sta. Lourdes Hot Springs. Located in Barangay Sta. Lourdes, some 14 kilometers from the City proper, the hot springs are contained in swimming pools. It is very accessible as land transportation such as tricycles and jeepneys are available any time of the day.

Elsa Park. It is located 36 kilometers from the City proper in Sitio Nagsaguipi, Barangay Sta. Cruz. The park is surrounded with tall trees and crossed by the Nagsaguipi River. It has a primitive enchanting beauty with one side of the river a good swimming area. The park was named after Elsa Macalinao, first wife of Governor Salvador P. Socrates. It covers an area of 700 hectares. Resolution No. 356-2002 passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod renamed it Elsa Socrates Park and Ecological Management Project.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF HONDA BAY

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onda Bay is one of the several areas that can be cited for its sustainable development into resorts of paradise.

The natives call the place “unda”, which means “deep”. Authorities contend that Honda Bay was derived from the Spanish words “honda aqua” which mean “deep water.”

A Japanese visitor described the interesting details of Honda Bay’s terrain which is sloping down towards the bottom of the bay, rising up towards the surrounding mountainous landscape.

Honda Bay’s rich fishing ground is blessed with extensive coral reefs and gardens teeming with varied and colorful marine life where thousands of fish and larger marine animals such as sea turtles, sea cows and whale sharks make their home. It also nurtures different species of sea grass 290 |

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and mangroves, referred to as “nurseries of the sea” because so many fish and shellfish are born and reared in these food-rich environment.

Its string of 12 islands, islets and sandbars of fine powder white sand are clumped with thickets of mangroves and coconut palms.

It is a diver’s haven where clusters of submerged reefs as shallow as ten feet near the small drop-off at Pandan Island, down to 24 feet where you can find small reef aquarium fish play in and out of the reefs. Within the vicinity of Arreceffi Island are Panglima reefs which lie submerged at 20 feet, where you can find coral boulders and gray reef sharks.

Arreceffi Island, 45 minutes away by boat, one of the farthest of the island in Honda Bay, covers over 20 hectares of which 60,000 square meters have been developed into a resort, Dos Palmas Resort. The rest are mangrove and coral reefs. Seagrass meadows are found among the roots of the mangrove and surround most of the island. Researchers claim that it has more seagrass species than the whole of Thailand with eight species and Japan with seven. These fertile seagrass explains the frequent presence of dugongs or sea cows in the area, as these shy, endangered mammals feed on seagrass. Even juvenile sharks have been observed searching for food in the shallow coral reef areas and seagrass beds.

The Resort is also host of about 70 kinds of birds of which 40 migrate from the cold of Japan and China, these include herons, egrets, frigate and bitterns.

For swimmers who just want to snorkel or merely laze under the sun, take your pick from any of these islands: Señorita Island; Meara Island; Snake Island (a long strip of island shaped like a snake slithering on the sea’s surface); Starfish Sanbar (a stretch of some 600 meters of white sand towards its crystal clear waters); Cowrie Island (named after the seashell, the golden cowrie, is a typical island of coconut palms along its white sand beach); and Lu-Li Island (name was derived from two Filipino words Lulubog and Lilitaw which in English means SubmergeEmerge due to its characteristic to disappear and reappear with the tide’s rise and ebb).

For those who have the penchant for fruit bats, Bat Island is a spectacular sight to watch from a distance, as the bats in various flight •

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formations fly off the island at sunset to nearby islands to search for food.

An added attraction is to watch the sunset in its outburst of colorful hues of red and orange slowly disappearing from one of the islands.

Tara Country Golf Course. The Western Command took over large tracts of public and private lands as military reservation along the airport when it was established in 1976, for reasons of national security.

The developed areas were used for housing the headquarters and construction of other facilities, but a larger portion remained a forest.

When the Vietnamese refugees who were rescued in Palawan waters were settled in Puerto Princesa, part of the Wescom reservation along the south side of the airport was used as Vietnamese Refugees village or camp.

It took several commanders to realize the dream of constructing a golf course in the area. It was finally constructed with the help of the Philippine Tourism Authority and City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn and on November 28, 1994 it opened with an inaugural Golf Tournament participated by military and civilian golfers from Manila and Mactan, Cebu.

To complete the par seventy-two, eighteen holes golf course, the jungles were cleared of undergrowth in the north side of the airport and its squatters.

The project is an example of cooperation of the local stakeholders in development and boost tourism, and more importantly a showcase of an environmentally friendly project. It did not only give Wescom a new look but also promoted the clean and green program of the city government.

Vietnamese Village. It is located in Barangay Sta. Lourdes, some 14 kilometers north of the City. The village is home to the “boat people� who came in Puerto Princesa in 1979. It gives visitors a glimpse of Vietnamese culture and arts. The Vietnamese asylum seekers who now live a normal life are gainfully engaged in jewelry making and merchandising. But the village is more known for its Vietnamese cuisine.

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processing of Vietnamese asylum seekers for eventual resettlement in countries willing to accept them as refugees and repatriation to their mother country.

However, in June 30, 1996 the logistical and financial support for the Vietnamese and administration of these Vietnamese in the PFAC has been withdrawn by the UNHCR in accordance with the 1989 Comprehensive Plan of Action (CPA) for the Indochinese Refugees.

On February 12, 1998 the 8th Sangguniang Panlungsod passed Resolution No. 770-98 endorsing to His Excellency President Fidel V. Ramos the granting of permanent residency status to the remaining 400 Vietnamese nationals in the City. The Vietnamese were administered and supervised by the Center for Assistance to Displaced Persons (CADP), Inc., led by the Director and Program Coordinator Sister Pascale Le Thi Triu, under the auspices of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). A Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the CADP was signed on July 17, 1996, thus the birth of the Vietnamese Village.

With the signing of the MOU, the administration of the PFAC was turned over from the Wescom to the CADP. The asylum seekers were guided by the church to be progressively self reliant and productive.

Vietnamese abscondees or those who departed from PFAC were advised to return to camp not later than November 16, 1996 for them to register for accreditation under the MOU. Their failure to register within the period mentioned meant they had waived their privileges under the MOU and be subjected to immigration rules and regulations.

The Vietnamese asylum seekers departed from PFAC at the end of the year 1996 and were relocated at Barangay Sta. Lourdes, Puerto Princesa City.

On May 12, 1996 all parties gathered at the forum led by City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn and City Vice Mayor Ceferino Dimalanta signed the Declaration of Support to the efforts of the Catholic Church in addressing the problem of the Vietnamese asylum seekers in the Philippines. That they would extend assistance to make the self-reliant program of the Church-NGOs a reality. •

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Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center. Formerly known as the Crocodile Farming Institute, the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (PWRCC) is located in Barangay Irawan. A joint project of the Philippines and the Japanese governments, it is a showcase of successful conservation project.

It breeds two endangered crocodile species found in the country including the endemic Philippine crocodile.

In June 2000, the Center not only housed the fresh-water and saltwater crocodiles but also of Palawan’s unique wildlife such as the Talking Mynah or Tiao; Palawan peacock pheasant; bear cat; buzzard eagle and others. The Center is nestled in a lush nature park. The main attraction of PWRCC is still the large and baby crocodiles which visitors can watch at close range while being fed.

FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS Fiestas are traditionally Filipino which might have been influenced by the Spanish colonizers in the evangelization of the people. Every Barangay today celebrates its own fiesta in honor of a Patron Saint. This practice has been criticized as expensive which allegedly is the cause of poverty. Be it as it may, fiestas are enlivening activities that rekindle the spirit of unity, cooperation, belongingness and pride.

Pista Y Ang Kageban. The Pista Y Ang Kageban or Feast of the Forests was conceptualized by the Development Communication, Training and Community Project Office (PIADPO), now the Palawan Council for Sustainable development Staff (PCSDS), more popularly known as the Development Communication (DEVCOM) Group, with an objective to make people fully and widely aware of environmental protection and conservation issues through the creative use of various media.

As envisioned, the Pista is “something big, action-oriented and challenging” not only for the older folks but also for the youth and the children. When the plans were finalized, a massive information and education drive ensued while government and private entities were mobilized for logistical support. The “bayanihan” spirit came out easy and enjoyable, establishing a great outdoor activity for the whole family.

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The voluntary massive tree-planting is also a significant step towards solving the problem of water supply shortage. The Irawan Watershed Area, site of an annual activity, is the main source of potable water for the city residents. More importantly, the PISTA shall in a subtle way inculcate in the hearts and mind the true value of conservation and gain a new generation of pro-active environmentalists.

The United Nations declared June as the environmental month.

Coincidentally, on June 30, 1991, PCSDS launched the first Pista Y Ang Cagueban. From only 2,500 volunteers from all walks of life who participated in the planting of trees in 1991, it grew to 7,500 in 1992.

The succeeding years catapulted this event into something that was and will continuously by viewed by all social institutions as a shared responsibility, a direct involvement of the local community and as strict enforcement of the environment laws.

In 1993, Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn adopted and strengthened the Pista, making it the centerpiece of his environmental rehabilitation program. The Information and Education Campaign (IEC) has been intensified covering all the 66 barangays and linkages with the different sectors of the community established for maximum participation. The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) handled the technical preparations like: nursery establishment; site preparation; tree-planting activity; and the protection and maintenance of the trees. Arrangements for transportation, security, recreation and other activities are likewise given full support by the city government in cooperation with other government agencies and private groups and individuals. Mayor Hagedorn, known as an assertive, erudite leader and an environmentalist in his own way made a great impact on the community when he led the tree-planting activity. His exemplary effort on environmental protection and PISTA’s ingenuity brings new hope for future generations to enjoy the bounties as well as the beauty of nature. There had been birth pains but our leaders has provided the direction vis-a-vis the necessary support and the people, the inspiration. Thus the number of participants grew to 31,000 in 1993 and 1.3 million trees have been planted covering an area of 135.5 hectares with a survival rate of 80 percent. In 1997, Mayor Hagedorn •

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was among the 21 persons honored by the UNEP for his contributions to environmental protection.

The tree planting activity which highlights every PISTA celebration consists of four major elements: nursery establishment; on site preparation; actual tree planting; and, protection to attain maximum survival rate. Nursery establishment includes soil potting in plastic bags, seeds-gathering and propagation, and care for the seedlings until its plantable stage. Site preparation includes not only the clearing of the area and digging of holes where the seedlings will be planted but also the construction of accessible roads and trails for the participants. Tree planting covers such activities as delivery of seedlings to the planting site, the actual planting and inspection by field personnel. Finally the young plants are periodically visited by Plant Propagators and Forest Rangers and given the proper care and protection until maturity.

Local cultural and environmental groups together with guest artists hold concert in the forest to add color and life to the celebration, a most awaited event by adventure seekers who set up camp days before the tree planting to enjoy a closer encounter with nature. This activity has made tree planting and environmental protection one big fun. Aside from the local leaders and residents, officials from the national government and other personalities have continually take part in the annual celebration held every 3rd Saturday of June.

This can be said of the PISTA Y ANG KAGEBAN: a fitting tribute to Mother Nature, is a celebration of life, of fun and thanksgiving; a constant reminder of our individual responsibility to care for each other; and for Puerto Princesans, is a way of life.‘ City Fiesta. Puerto Princesa City celebrates its fiesta in December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. It takes off during the first week of the month with a series of religious activities particularly the nine-day Novena to Our Lady of Immaculate Conception which culminates with a caracol in December 7.

Like other fiestas in the Philippines, colorful processions on land and sea held in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary highlights the city’s fiesta.

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this honor and tribute to Mama Mary as we lovingly call the Mother of Jesus.

Ma. Rowena G. Pareja in her article “Caracol” Revisited made mention that the Dominicans, who were the first missionaries to come to Puerto Princesa, could have introduced the “caracol” which continues to gain for us the favors of the Almighty through the most powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Name it and you will have it from the bountiful harvest on land and sea, to the safety of travelers and to just about anything.

A resident of Puerto Princesa, Mrs. Flora Ancheta vividly recalls how colorful and well-participated the procession used to be. The procession of the image of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception passes through Conception Street where the men, women and children lined up in the street and sang religious songs to the accompaniment of two bands.

Carpets were rolled out, candles lit, and kwitis (firecrackers) exploded.

Prominent men of the community were cantors and they joined the fluvial procession.

Msgr. Mario A. Magbanua, P.C., opines that the “caracol” was an activity inspired by the victories of the La Naval de Manila. On the other hand, Mrs. Carolina Fernandez San Juan states that the “caracol” must have been adopted in the city as early as the Spanish period.

To many, joining the Blessed Mother in her tour of Puerto Princesa Bay is an experience which one would not want to miss.

“Balayong” Floral Festival. Each year in March 4, the city celebrates its founding anniversary which coincides with the time when the Palawan Cherry burst into an array of colors from white to pink, signaling the start of another season. To the students, its time for school prom and graduation. However, for the religiously inclined, it means that “Flores de Mayo” is just a pace away.

Since the annual activity has no name so to speak, the organizers named it “Balayong” Festival a fitting name for an annual celebration of Puerto Princesa City’s Founding Anniversary.

Republic Act No. 7684, approved on February 23, 1994, declared March 4 of every year a special non-working holiday.

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for Miss Puerto Princesa City, merrymaking, street dancing, sports events, Tabuan parade and the massive planting of the Palawan cherry or Balayong.

Sad to say, this specie of ornamental plant is slowly disappearing as this is being replaced by new types of ornamental plants. Thus on March 4, 2004, in celebration of the 133rd Founding Anniversary of Puerto Princesa City, the massive planting of balayong was launched through the initiative of Mrs. Ma. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn, wife of Mayor Hagedorn.

On September 26, 2005 the 11th Sangguniang Panglunsod during its 64th Regular Session passed Ordinance No. 288-2005 entitled AN ORDINANCE DECLARING 4TH DAY OF MARCH OF EVERY YEAR AS “BALAYONG FESTIVAL” IN THE CITY OF PUERTO PRINCESA. In line with the program of the City Government on Urban Reforestation and Beautification, the main objective of the Ordinance is geared towards the maintenance of a sound ecological balance by preserving and enhancing the quality of environment and natural resources through the propagation and planting of Palawan Cherry (Balayong) an ornamental flowering tree.

It also enjoins all City employees, schools and barangays within the Poblacion to hold the Balayong Tree Planting activity.

Love Affair with Nature. The City Government together with the TagBalay Foundation, Inc. launched “Love Affair with Nature on February 14, 2003 at Barangay San Jose, three months after City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn assumed office as a Recall-elected Mayor in November 2002.

It was conceived out of eagerness to celebrate “love” every Valentine’s Day. It is a way of expressing love from a personal affair to one which embraces the environment. Its main activity is massive mangrove planting with the aim to rehabilitate the coastal area of Puerto Princesa.

Like the Pista Y Ang Kageban, it has generated much participation from the people where some would even camp overnight along the shores to wait for the break of dawn to plant the mangrove propagule.

The activity is led by Mayor Hagedorn and Vice Mayor Bayron.

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Aside from the planting of mangrove propagules, those who come the night before are entertained by cultural and environmental groups with concert at the seashore and other fun games, contests such as Environmental Quiz Bee and Search for Ms. TagBalay Foundation.

The TagBalay Foundation, Inc. (TBF), a non-profit environmental organization founded on February 14, 2003 in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines is incorporated as a non-government organization under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines on May 29, 2003.

Balay in the Cuyono dialect means house or home while the prefix tag generally means actor or doer. TagBalay therefore refers to the owner of the house and emotional home and the one responsible for it.

TagBalay is “intercappes” (in modern computer language, the components have their initial letters capitalized without a space separating the components) to reflect the larger symbolic meaning.

TagBalay then is used to refer as to one who considers his environment his house and home under his stewardship entrusted to him by the real owner- God. Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn who is the Señor TagBalay together with Mr. Peter Flewelling, Mr. Ed Aurelio Reyes, Ms. Sophia R. Jumlani and Ms. Mitzie Gay Bustamante pooled resources together to establish an environmental organization to fight against environmental degradation.

Retiring from the city’s political arena having served three consecutive terms, Mayor Hagedorn decided to continue his service to the people of Puerto Princesa City by way of protecting the environment.

The Foundation’s philosophy is to promote environmental protection and preservation through education, innovation, organized action, sustainable development and enforcement activities that will improve the livelihood opportunities and the quality of life of the people of Puerto Princesa.

“Just as I do not violate our own home, so must I not violate my environment.

Instead, I can only preserve, protect or restore it to life. Because, I have embraced it as my own.” This according to the TagBalay precepts is how they want every member of the organization to think of himself/herself, and of the organization as a whole. It is first a personal belief, then an organizational •

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principle and finally the philosophy of an environmental organization.

“KAPALIGIRAN KO, TAHANAN KO” On September 20, 2005 during the 64th Regular Session of the 11th Sangguniang Panglunsod, passed City Ordinance No. 287-2005 otherwise known as AN ORDINANCE DECLARING FEBRUARY 14 OF EVERY YEAR AS “LOVE AFFAIR WITH NATURE DAY” IN THE CITY OF PUERTO PRINCESA. The Ordinance aimed to institutionalize the “Love Affair With Nature” and to expand Valentine’s Day expression of love from the customary person-to-person concern to one that embraces Mother Nature and as a continuing call to ensure the protection and sustainable use of our natural resources.

It also enjoins all the residents of this City, government and non-government agencies and the youth sector to participate in this celebration by planting beach trees such as the mangrove, talisay, dangcalan, etc.

Pangalipay Sa Baybay Festival. Pangalipay takes its roots from the Visayan word lipay which means merriment. In the native Cuyono dialect, pangalipay means festivity. Baybay in Visayan and Cuyono means the same thing seashore or shoreline. Literally, Pangalipay sa Baybay means merriment or festivity in the seaside.

The festival is celebrated at the three-hectare reclamation area in Barangay San Isidro in April 22-26. The five-day multi-festival is an extravaganza of songs, dances, music, sports and outdoor recreational activities in one setting. Complimenting the activity is a food fair where people can get their choice of food and beverage in food stalls strategically located in the area.

Aside from providing a venue for wholesome recreational activities for the summer, Pangalipay sa Baybay aims to make people aware of the developments in the area which was once polluted area occupied by illegal settlers.

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several barangays to be the site for tenement housing for the poor, sixlane boulevard, restaurants, parks and recreational areas.

Karagatan Festival. In response to the mandate of Presidential Proclamation No. 57 declaring the month of May as the Month of the Ocean, Mr. Manuel “Boy” Macasaet together with Mr. John Gaston, both environmentalist and nature lover organized the Fiesta ng Karagatan.

It aims to promote Ecotourism in the west coast of Puerto Princesa.

At the same time project to the resident and visitors alike the importance of protecting its natural habitat from persons who destroy the coral reefs through the use of dynamite, sodium cyanide and other forms of illegal fishing and its forests from illegal loggers. It was first celebrated on May 24-25, 2000 at Matinlo Beach, a private resort owned by Boy Macasaet. It started as a simple gathering of the western barangays of Bacungan, Bagongbayan, Napsan and Simpocan.

The highlight of the fiesta was the release of baby sea turtles hatched in the vicinity of Matinlo Beach led by City First Lady Ma. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn. What made the occasion more memorable was the sports event wherein an 81 year old grandmother won the two-way 50-meter swimming competition.

The Fiesta ng Karagatan was a great success that the organizers agreed to make it a yearly event with one of the barangays as sponsor of the fiesta. Each year the visitors grew in number and the activities more interesting. Additional activities are the “Robo-Robo” group headed by the Motorcross Legend, Mr. Butch Chase; Jean Paul de los Reyes; Harry and Clint Ponce de Leon; Chris Chase; and Jay Macasaet.

In 2004, its fifth year, the name was changed to Karagatan Festival with added features such as: mountain trekking from Irawan to Tagkawayan spearheaded by the Suakwal Mountaineers; the mountain bike race; the Westkini (bikini open) replaced the search for “Mutya ng Karagatan” and beach concert and party to include beach sports activities at the kilometer long stretch of white sand Tagkawayan beach some 35 kilometers west of Puerto Princesa City, coastal clean-up, boat sailing, banca tug-of-war, beach volleyball and football, sand sculpture and a host of other activities.

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Some tents were pitched in the beach while others opted to camp at Tent City located at Eagle Point, a kilometers walk from the beach. It gives a panoramic view of the festival grounds and the ocean.

Oplan Linis Story

C

ity Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn in his DEDICATION written in the brochure, Oplan Linis Story, said: “A trace of our forefathers’ battle cry yet this simple line provided to be the very life that this once ignominious city held on to, to become what it is today - a Hall of Fame in the Clean and Green National Program and a multi-awarded local government unit in various fields of endeavor.”

The Program. Operation Cleanliness or Oplan Linis Program was first implemented in August 1, 1992, a centerpiece of managing the environment. Since then the City has been recipient of awards and recognition, from the national government, the non-government organizations and other prestigious awards giving bodies, which made the City, in more ways than one, famous. The Oplan Linis Program attracted a number of leaders of cities and provinces who came to Puerto Princesa City to see for themselves how the City managed to keep its environment clean.

Oplan Linis aimed to clean up not only the body of Puerto Princesa City but also the soul as well, the latter being its people. Central to this concept is value formation through massive information and education campaigns to instill in the mind and heart of the people, especially the children the importance of a clean and green environment. By environment, it meant not only the physical but the spiritual, moral and psychological aspects as well.

Goals and Objectives. After three years of successful implementation, the program has adopted the following goals and objectives: (1) To continuously make the city environmentally clean, more beautiful and sanitary and therefore more healthful to live in and work; (2) To instill in the citizenry the habit of maintaining a clean, beautiful and sanitary environment; (3) To create an awareness that cleanliness and sanitation is 302 |

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the concern of every citizen; and (4) To actively involve the civic groups and business sectors in the cleanliness, beautification and sanitation drive of the city government.

Components of the Oplan Linis Program.

1. Cleanliness component, is tasked to maintain cleanliness in all public places by sweeping, complemented by cleanliness contests in the different barangays, schools and institutions.

2. Sagip-Dagat Operation Basura, involves the continuous operation of redemption centers in the coastal barangays for all types of biodegradable and non-degradable wastes improperly dumped into the coastal areas.

3. Beautification Component, is focused on activities which helped in the beautification efforts of the city government, includes painting of sidewalks and planting of ornamental plants and trees.

4. Sanitation Component, takes charge of the installation of garbage receptacles along the main streets and other conspicuous places of the city, includes putting up of selfhelp comfort rooms in the coastal and rural barangays and maintenance of the existing public toilets.

5. Information and Education Component, is tasked to disseminate information regarding the program, by an information team compose of representatives from the city government and civic organizations.

6. Operation Sagip-Hangin, is tasked with minimizing or totally eradicating pollution by strictly enforcing the no smoking and anti-pollution ordinances of the city, 7. Solid Waste Management, handles the daily garbage collection and disposal.

Impacts of the Oplan Linis Program.

A. Economic 1. An impressive number of ninety-six thousand local and foreign tourist arrivals in three years compared to a meager 20,000 •

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arrivals in previous years.

2. A corresponding 10.44% increase in the number of persons employed in the industry and 49.65% of the productive age group (15-65 years old) are engaged in gainful occupation.

3. At least seventy persons from poor families were hired by the government for the operation of the program.

4. The program produced thirty sacks of high grade organic fertilizers used in the government nurseries.

5. Ten (10) barangays were given P25,000.00 each as incentive to maintain a clean and healthy environment for two consecutive years.

B. Social Impact The sanitary and healthful environment has considerably lessened the incidence of epidemic where in prior years at least 100 families are infected by contagious diseases and viral infection due to the unsanitary surroundings. The program also lessened the incidence of malnutrition.

The traumatic effect of apprehension for violation of antilittering ordinances had been minimized as less and less persons were apprehended.

More significant is the impact on the attitude of the people with regards to cleanliness. In prior years, cleanliness was just taken for granted. The strict enforcement of anti-littering ordinances dramatically changed the negative attitude to more positive ways, such that, the public carriers, have devised a system whereby garbage receptacles have been strategically placed inside vehicles. Even the balut and other ambulant vendors provided themselves with handy receptacles for clients to put waste or food refuse.

The Oplan Linis Program gained perceptible acceptance with increase of the number of Oplan Linis Families, an organization composed mostly of elementary school pupils and high school students, who have been truly motivated to make cleanliness and sanitation a way of life. Only one family is organized in every school with not more than 50 members.

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Succinctly, the impacrt of Oplan Linis Program’s non-quantifiable indicators is expressed in the brochure as: We really can not place a price tag for the acquired self-esteem.

Encouraged by the success of the program the individuals who once were skeptical to government initiated activities are now properly motivated with the right attitude and proper values. Disciplinred as they are now, the people continuously played a major role to support the gains acquired thru the program. We can only listen to their anecdotes of things they have done here and wherever they may be that they are Puierto Princesans – proud of having imbibed the virtue of cleanliness.

City First Lady and Project Manager of Oplan Linis Program says of the future of the program:

High expectations based on the program’s success is not remote. At our end we want the program to be sustainable, to go beyond the term of the present administration. We will be proud to see the same things happening in most part of the country as well.

Basically, the program envisions a zero waste community. Garbage receptacles will no longer be installed in major thoroughfares. Trash coming from the households must be properly disposed based on its classification as to wet which is mostly biodegradable, non-biodegradeable and a separate container for the bottles. This in effect, will minimize thise that need to be collected and dunped at the site. The present rate of garbage disposed of, have been reduced from an average of 8.5 tons per day two years ago to the present average of 3 tons per day. The bulk of garbage comes from the market place. Except in this area, we are targeting a once a week garbage collection in Puerto Princesa’s households.

Technology transfer in recycling will also be conducted as an alternative livelihood activity. Garbage classified to be of value will be utilized for this purpose. The program is now improving on the quality of organic fertilizers produced. Once developed, it answers the fertilizer requirement of the city Government’s agricultural program. As future production warrants the same will be made available to the private sector.

As we aspire for a higher degree of discipline,based on the people’s sense of pride and commitment. Only through this, can we really look back and •

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say “we made a significant mark in the establishment of a model community.

(Brochure: Oplan Linis Story. The Puerto Princesa Experience.)

As testimony to the success of Oplan Linis Program, Eleazar M. Famoran in his article, “Puerto Princesa City: Where Cleanliness is a Way of Life,” (Health and Home. November-December 2000), said, “I had doubts about the city’s clean reputation, until I went there to see the place for myself.” After the visit, “The city of 130,000 lying in the heart of the island province of Palawan and endowed with a beautiful, princess-like location for a seaport from where it got its name is unlike any other population centers in the Philippines. Pristine sceneries, it has them all, including an awe-inspiring navigable underground river which is believed to be the world’s longest... But if there’s one thing that sets Puerto Princesa apart from other places, it’s a reputation of being one tidy Eden.”

Included in the article is “Number Matters” with the following captions Some things about Puerto Princesa’s Oplan Linis are hard to quantify for example, we couldn’t count the number of its strategically placed signages and the abundant ornamental plants, trees and flowers planted in side streets, parks and other places. But we got a few statistics: 120 tons-minimum garbage generated per day, two thirds of which is urban in origin took collectors two shifts and at least eight trucks and two compactors to haul it away; 240 violators apprehended for littering in 1993, the number of offenders since then : 130 in 1994; 82 in 1996; 75 in 1999; 500 was the approximate number of garbage receptacles, mostly donated by the business sector...every city block usually has three to five of these drums; 200 paid street sweepers in 1999... four years earlier, there were 77 sweepers, with each of them maintaining an average of 1.33 kilometers; and P1,000.00 maximum penalty meted out to threetime violators, plus a short jail term.

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THE ROLE OF WOMEN The role of women in the development of Puerto Princesa City is best attested by the awards given particularly to Mrs. Ma. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn, one is for Outstanding Woman in Tourism in 2000 by the organization of Women in Travel (WIT), Manila. The award was given in recognition of the “achievements of prominent women in government who have dedicated themselves to the growth of tourism in their own areas”, making their respective cities well known the world over.

Mrs. Hagedorn was awarded Outstanding Woman in Tourism for her contributions as key partner in the several ecotourism awards such as the Philippine Earth Award for Wildlife Protected Area Management; the Grand Award in the First Macli-ing Dulag Environmental Achievement Award, and other clean and green awards for the City and in the region.

Her other achievements in the promotion of tourism are: the Palawan visitors exhibit of local tourist attractions was chosen for five consecutive years the Travel Mart’s Best Tourism Destination Booth; in 1994 Travel Mart chose Puerto Princesa Palawan as the country’s best tourism destination and received a citation from SKAL for espousing cleanliness, peace and order, and economic progress which continued to attract foreign and local visitors. Moreover, the visitors enjoyed such ecotourism activities as caving, scuba diving, jungle trekking and the like.

Dr. Jorefina Dineros Pineda, Chairman and Ms. Myrna Yao of the National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP), presented to Mrs. Ma. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn as one of the Ten Outstanding Women of the Philippines In Community Service Award on April 3, 2003 for steadfast and dedicated service in empowering women and other margibalized sectors for the innovative contributions towards the achievement of fuller opportunities for a better life.

Ellen, as friends fondly call Mrs. Hagedorn, is known for her big heart to help the underprivileged women particularly in the coastal communities in the City of Puerto Princesa improve their financial status in life. She founded in August 1988 the Charity Women’s Association (CWA). Its mission is to provide opportunities and assistance and inculcate the •

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virtues of cooperativism and hard work towards the upliftment of the standard of living of the poor and needy.

The association which started in nine (9) coastal barangays in the City proper with a membership of 180 women had grown to over 194 chapters with a total membership of 18,000 women, composed of retirees, professionals and those who are gainfully employed resulting from the continuous skills-trainings for women in dressmaking, stuff toy making, hair science, bag making, sandal/slipper making, Christmas décor making, food processing and other forms of livelihood programs.

She saw to it that these skills did not only end up in the training room.

She saw to it that the women applied what they learned and passed it on to the other members of the family, thus making it a profitable venture for family business and their peers. In other areas, the participants organized themselves into a cooperative and established their own dress or tailoring shops.

On September 15, 2000 the association’s status was converted to a Foundation, thus named Charity Women’s Foundation, attributed to its increasing number in membership.

The major role played by Mrs. Hagedorn is best shown in the Oplan Linis Program of which she is the Project Director. Eleazar M. Famorcan, writing about “Puerto Princesa City: Where Cleanliness Is a Way of Life,” said of Ellen Hagedorn: “Two days after we arrived in the city, I met the vivacious lady in a quiet, unassuming room where she does much of the planning and paperwork for her myriad civic activities.”

It is worth repeating what has been said earlier, how Oplan Linis was launched. “We started with the adults,” Ellen Hagedorn says, “But they were usually busy with other things. So we changed strategies.”

The fallback plan was to educate the young especially elementary and high school students. “We’d go to schools and talk about cleanliness,” Ellen remembers. “Afterwards, we’d serve snacks for a purpose.” The idea was to see whether after eating, the children would properly dispose their food wrappers in a trash can. “May bantay kami. Pag nakita nilang may isang hindi itinatapon sa basurahan ang kalat nila, kahit isa lang, babalikan namin ang school.” (Someone keeps watch over the children, if they throw their food wrappers properly in the trash can. If they failed even just a 308 |

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piece of wrapper is not properly disposed of, then we go back to the school until they do things properly.

In time, more and more young people would enlist in Oplan Linis, serving as promoters and enforcers of cleanliness in homes, schools even far flung areas where the program is hard to implement.

CLEANEST AND GREENEST HALL OF FAME AWARD In 1894, Puerto Princesa said to be the smallest among the Hispanic settlements in the island of Paragua, became known as “Unos de los mas bellas,” an award of recognition as one of the most beautiful towns in the Philippines for its orderly distribution of streets and houses and its cleanliness. A century later, regained its title, when in a joint search launched through the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG); Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); Department of Tourism (DOT) and Civic Groups by First Lady Amelita Ramos, has chosen Puerto Princesa City as the “CLEANEST AND GREENEST COMPONENT CITY IN 1994.”

Then in 1995 it continued to hold the distinction as the Cleanest and Greenest City in the Country when it won the AWARD OF EXCELLENCE given by His Excellency President Fidel V. Ramos at Rizal Park, Manila on December 19, 1995. Likewise, the City was adjudged as the Cleanest and Greenest in Region IV and CLEANEST INLAND BODY OF WATER. The City’s sustained drive to maintain cleanliness, beautification and environmental sanitation thru its OPLAN LINIS Program, has for three consecutive years held the distinction as the CLEANEST AND GREENEST CITY in the Country, earned the 1996 HALL OF FAME AWARD. The awards received by Mrs. Ma. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn symbolized the role of women in public affairs. It can be said without reservation, that society must now recognize the important and significant role of women in government as well as in the community. It can also be said without gainsaying the fact that the stability of society can be attributed to the great strength of women, particularly in the moral aspects.

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SUMMARY

P

uerto Princesa has been called “A City Paradise” by Jose Galvez in these words: “IF ONE is to describe the meaning of paradise and haven’t been to Princesa... then there will surely be a missing link to perfectly describe this scenic city.”

The City of Puerto Princesa is now well-known to be a paradise.

But little is known how the idea of Oplan Linis was conceived. In a radio interview, Mrs. Ellen Hagedorn disclosed how the idea was born.

In that interview, she said, the idea was conceived while sitting in one of the benches in Rizal Boulevard in Dumaguete City with her sister Mrs. Teresita M. Maslog and her mother, Mrs. Aliva C. Marcelo that they observed a little girl eating corn-on-the-cob. They made guesses on what the little girl will do with the empty corn cob after eating. One was the little girl will throw it away on the street. The other was throw it out in the sea. Both guesses were wrong. To their amazement the little girl walked a short distance to the nearby trash bin and placed the empty corn cob into the bin. Mrs. Hagedorn “if this can be done in Dumaguete City, then, why not in Puerto Princesa City.”

Upon returning to Puerto Princesa, Ellen “lost no time in bringing out the idea with Mayor Feliberto R. Oliveros, Jr.,” who immediately passed an Ordinance in Anti-Littering authored by Mr, Lucilo R. Bayron (as of this writing, the Vice Mayor of Puerto Princesa City, known to be the Father of the Oplan Linis Program) . The implementation of the Ordinance in earnest came when Edward Hagedorn assumed office as Mayor in 1992.

The implementation of the Oplan Linis Program was not an easy task. Mrs. Hagedorn spent sleepless nights planning and organizing its effective and productive implementation. It is said the “the negative forces worked at night where mounds of garbage would be seen the next day in the middle of the street.”

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Heritage List. Inscription on this List confirms the exceptional and universal value of a cultural or natural site which requires protection for the benefit of all humanity. The inscription reads: “The PPSRNP features a spectacular limestone karst landscape with its underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it emerges directly into the sea, and the lower part of the river is subject to tidal influences. The area also represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation. It contains a full “mountain-to-the-sea” ecosystem and protects some of the significant forests in Asia.”

A trip to the World Heritage Site is a must if one is to learn more about nature and appreciate it at its best. The Park offers: Park Visitor Center, jungle trail, monkey trail, trip to Daylight Hole, Cawili cave, Sabang waterfalls and Malipien Ranger station, habitat of some of the endangered species and century-old mangrove forests.

A bonus to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is Ulugan Bay Complex, site of Community-Based Ecotourism Project.

The five barangays included in the project offer: pump-boat connections, paddleboat and trail tours; bay mangrove tours; picnicking in waterfalls; snorkel trips; sailing paraw; island view deck; farm stay (Buenavista); Ugong Rock spelunking and summit view deck (Tagabinet); butterfly trail (tagabinet) and bush trail (Tagabinet-Kayasan CADC).

Puerto Princesa is easily identified with its prominent landmarks: The Roman Catholic Cathedral; the Palawan State University, Tiniguiban Campus; New City Hall at Sta. Monica; the Provincial Capitol site in Junction I; the Mendoza Park; and the Eulalia Park.

Resorts to cater to the needs of the visitors are: Montible and Balsahan Swimming Pools, Antipolo Beach Resort, Sta. Lourdes Hot Springs, Elsa Park, etc. In Honda Bay there are the Dos Palmas Arreceffi Island Resort, Bat Island, Snake Island, Lu-li sandbar, etc.

Tara Country Golf Club in the Wescom Camp is available for civilian golf enthusiasts. Pista Y Ang Kageban and other festivals are celebrated annually to promote the image of Puerto Princesa as environmentfriendly city.

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Hagedorn administration in 1992. In order to better understand and deeply appreciate what has been done and the awards and recognition given, it is most apropos to shed light into the meaning of ecology and ecosystem.

An increased public awareness of environmental problems has made ecology a common but often misused word. It is confused with environmental programs and environmental science. Although the field is a distinct scientific discipline, ecology does indeed contribute to the study and understanding of environmental problems.

Ecology is the study of the relationship of plants and animals to their physical and biological environment. The physical environment includes light and heat or solar radiation, moisture, wind, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrient in soil, water and atmosphere. The biological environment includes organisms of the same kind as other plants and animals.

The term ecology was introduced by German biologist Ernst Heinrich Haeckel in 1866. It is derived from the Greek oikus (“households”), sharing the same root word as economics. Modern ecology, in part, began with Charles Darwin. In developing his theory of evolution, Darwin stressed the adaptation of organisms to their environment through natural selection. Also making important contributions were plan geographers, such as Alexander von Humboldt, who were deeply interested in the “how” and “why” of vegetation distribution around the world.

Ecosystem is a word coined in 1935 by the British plant ecologist Sir George Tansley to stress the concept of each locale or habitat as an integral whole. A system is a collection of interdependent parts that function as a unit and involve inputs and outputs. The major parts of an ecosystem arte the producers (green plants), the consumers (herbivores and carnivores), the decomposers (fungi and bacteria), and the nonliving or abiotic component consisting of dead organic matter and nutrients in the soil and water. Inputs into the ecosystem are solar energy, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and other elements and components.

Outputs from the ecosystem include water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrient loses and the heat released in cellular respiration or heat of respiration. The major driving force is solar energy.

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It can therefore be said that any intervention in the ecosystem that ultimately cause imbalances have corresponding consequences, such as pollution, floods, drought, whatsoever. It becomes imperative that the citizens must be most vigilant in protecting the ecosystem. The responsibility of protecting the ecosystem is the concern of all. A monitoring system must therefore be implaced.

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St. Paul Dome towering over patches of white sand beach, Sitio Sabang

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“Tres Marias” rocky outcrops in Ulugan Bay

Underground River

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Limestone massif

Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn at the entrance of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP)-inscribed by the United Nations Educational and Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a world Heritage, (inset top-bottom) bancas anchor, daylight hole and view of the river inside-out.

A dramatic karst outcrop with a view deck and the Ugong rock inside, Barangay Tagabinet

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Ugong rock, a flowstone that gives a haunting musical tone when tapped

A caver scales the cave’s inner recesses

Bats hang from the cave’s dome

Mangrove boardwalk at Barangay Bahile

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A paddleboat tour through a canopy of century-old mangrove trees

HOBBAI Tourist Station at Honda Bay

Sea turtle swims far off to sea

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Coral reefs and garden teeming with marine life

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Lu-li (Lulubog-lilitaw or Submerge-emerge) Island Starfish Island

Cowrie Island, named after the Golden Cowrie Seashell formerly Isla Cañon

Isla Pandan

Arreciffi Island – Dos Palmas Beach Resort

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Dolphins at play in Puerto Princesa Bay

Snake Island

Kayaking

Mitra Ranch

Puerto Princesa Park

Balsahan River Swimming Resort

Sta. Lucia Hot Spring Pool

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Fountain in front of City Coliseum

Vietnamese Village

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Children’s playground at Mendoza Park

Babuyan River

Salakot Waterfalls

Puerto Princesa Bay

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Cleopatra’s Needle

Green Parrot

Grande Flora – wild white butterfly orchids

Philippine Cockatoo

Leaf Bird

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Palawan Owl

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Palawan Pheasant Peacock or “Tandikan”

Palawan Eagle

Talking Mynah or “Tiyaw”

Tabon Bird

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Palawan Hornbill

Crocodile Skeleton at Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (PWRCC)

Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn holds a two-year old baby crocodile

An old crocodile

Palawan Bearcat or “Binturong”

Macaque Monkey

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Mousedeer or “Pilandok”

Wild Boar or “Baboy Damo”

Malay Civet or “Musang”

Scaly Anteater or “Balintong”

Monitor Lizard or “Bayawak”

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Baker’s Hill

Itoy’s Coffee Shop

Seafood Galore at Ka Lui’s

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Puerto Princesa Sports Complex

BIMP-EAGA Friendship Game

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Flag raising during opening ceremony of Asian Mountain Bike Tournament at Mendoza Park

Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn and Efren Bata in a friendly game of billiards

Asian Mountain Bike Championship

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2001 International Motocross Championship at Motocross Tracks, Sta. Monica

International Boxing Competition at the City Coliseum

Sepak Takraw

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Sepak Takraw

Go Cart Competition at the Airport Terminal grounds

Football game

Pista y ang Kageban or Feast of the Forest

Thousands of participants qeue for a tree seedling at the nursery

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One of the million trees at the Kageban site, Barangay Irawan

City Mayor and wife Ellen with some guests plant at the planting site

A concert in the forest follows the planting of tree seedlings. Mayor Edward Hagedorn joins the City Government cultural group “Sinika� as they sing environmental songs.

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Mayor Edward Hagedorn with Miss Earth 2011 candidates and wife Ellen Marcelo Hagedorn and son Elroy (wearing dark glasses behind Mayor Hagedorn) participate in tree planting at Pista Y Ang Kageban on 18 June 2011.

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Caracol is a fluvial parade in honor of Our Lady of Fishermen decorate their fishing boats the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of Puerto for the fluvial parade.

Princesa City.

Mabuhay Singers perform at the City Coliseum.

Mayor serenades wife Maria Elena Marcelo Hagedorn in a City’s special occasion.

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Love Affair with Nature

(Rehabilitation of the Mangrove Forest)

Planting of mangrove propagules start a break of dawn.

Lush mangrove grow in the once denuded area.

Mayor Hagedorn wades through the planting site.

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Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn with Vice Mayor Lucilo Bayron, City Councilors: Hon. Becky Labit and Hon. Feliboy Oliveros and Western Commander Vice Admiral Tirso Danga.

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Balayong Festival

Palawan Cherry Blossoms

Contestants of the First Balayong Festival Beauty Pageant

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Mayor Hagedorn takes the lead in the Puerto Princesa City Founding Anniversary parade

Street Dancing one of the highlights of the Founding Anniversary Parade

Sinika and Pangkat Kalinangan, the City’s Cultural Groups

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Pangalipay sa Baybay

Boat sailing competition in Puerto Princesa Bay

Children at play in the Baywalk

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Pista ng Karagatan

Sports Competition at Tagkawayan Beach, a kilometer long stretch of white sand

Cockfight

Pagdiwata Festival

Tagbanua tribal songs and dances at the Pagdiwata Arts Festival at Kamarikutan Kapé at Galeria “Pabilugon of Bulabulawan Festival” is a tribute to the full moon

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Lightening of Christmas Tree

Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn lights the 120- feet tall Christmas Tree in December 2, signal the start of “Pista Na Pasko Pa” or City Fiesta and the Christmas Season

One of the choirs which participated in the Christmas Carol singing competition

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T

here is no gainsaying that Puerto Princesa City has built an image of par excellence in the field of sustainable development in the restoration and rehabilitation of its denuded forests, heavily damaged fishing grounds through indiscriminate use of toxic chemicals and destructive fishing methods and whatever interventions in the ecosystem that caused pollution and other dreadful consequences in the once beautiful environment.

The preceding chapters have loudly and clearly shown how Puerto Princesa City has come to be “a magical window to ecology.” The numerous awards and recognition accolades under City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn triumphantly attest to all this.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

O

n top of all the awards and recognition is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscription of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) on the World Heritage List on December 4, 1999 at Marrakesh (Morocco), “confirms the exceptional and universal value of a cultural or natural site which requires protection for the benefit of all humanity.”

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1. 1994 CLEANEST AND GREENEST COMPONENT CITY IN THE PHILIPPINES Given by His Excellency President Fidel V. Ramos at Rizal Park, Manila, December 14, 1994.

2. 1995 CLEANEST AND GREENEST CITY IN REGION IV & THE CLEANEST INLAND BODY OF WATER (Irawan River) Given by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region IV at The Coconut Palace Cutural Center of the Philippines Complex on November 9, 1995.

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3. 1995 CLEANEST AND GREENEST COMPONENT CITY IN THE PHILIPPINES Given by His Excellency President Fidel V. Ramos, Manila, December 10, 1995.

4. GANTIMPALANG PANG-LINGKOD POOK (GALING POOK) AWARD Oplan Linis Program, City Satellite Hospitals and City Satellite Libraries Sponsored by the Asian Institute of Management in coordination with the Local Government Academy. Awarded

by His Excellency President Fidel V. Ramos on July 18, 1995 at Malacañang Palace.

5. 1996 CLEANEST AND GREENEST COMPONENT CITY IN THE PHILIPPINES Given by First Lady Amelita M. Ramos on December 15, 1996 at the Rizal Park, Manila.

6. NATIONAL HALL OF FAME 1966 AWARD For bagging the “Cleanest and Greenest Component City” Award for three consecutive years: 1994- 1996. Given by First Lady Amelita M. Ramos on December 15, 1996 at the Rizal Park, Manila.

7. MOST ACTIVE PROPONENT OF COASTAL CLEAN-UP Given by His Excellency Fidel V. Ramos in Malacañang on October 4, 1996.

8. REGIONAL HALL OF FAME AWARD Awarded by the Regional Search Committee for the Cleanest and Greenest Local Government Unit in Region IV on October 17, 1996 at DCIEC Building, Penthouse, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Complex, EDSA. 9. PRESIDENTIAL GAWAD PAMANA NG LAHI AWARD FOR EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT Given by DILG , awarded by Pres. Benigno S. Aquino, October 11,2011 at PICC.

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CLEANEST AND GREENEST HALL OF FAME AWARD In 1894, Puerto Princesa said to be the smallest among the Hispanic settlements in the island of Paragua, became known as “Unos de los mas bellas,” an award of recognition as one of the most beautiful towns in the Philippines for its orderly distribution of streets and houses and its cleanliness. A century later, regained its title, when in a joint search launched through the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG); Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); Department of Tourism (DOT) and Civic Groups by First Lady Amelita Ramos, has chosen Puerto Princesa City as the “CLEANEST AND GREENEST COMPONENT CITY IN 1994.”

Then in 1995 it continued to hold the distinction as the Cleanest and Greenest City in the Country when it won the AWARD OF EXCELLENCE given by His Excellency President Fidel V. Ramos at Rizal Park, Manila on December 19, 1995. Likewise, the City was adjudged as the Cleanest and Greenest in Region IV and CLEANEST INLAND BODY OF WATER. The City’s sustained drive to maintain cleanliness, beautification and environmental sanitation thru its OPLAN LINIS Program, has for three consecutive years held the distinction as the CLEANEST AND GREENEST CITY in the Country, earned the 1996 HALL OF FAME AWARD. TOURISM 1. BEST TOURIST DESTINATION IN THE PHILIPPINES Awarded to the Puerto Princesa-Palawan delegation in the 1994 Philippine Travel Mart, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.

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ENVIRONMENT 1. PHILIPPINE EARTH DAY AWARD For wildlife and Protected Area Management, given by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on April 22, 1993 at the Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City.

2. GRAND AWARD OF THE FIRST MACLI-ING DULAG ENVIRONMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Given by Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation and the Rotary Club of Makati on April 25, 1994 at Malacañang Palace.

3. GANTIMPALANG PANLINGKOD POOK (GALING POOK) AWARD Given by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on June 28, 1994 at Malacañang Palace with His Excellency President Fidel V. Ramos as Guest of Honor for Puerto Princesa City’s Bantay Puerto Program.

4. 1995 LIKAS YAMAN AWARDS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE Given by DENR on June10, 1996 at the Heroes Hall of Malacañang Palace with His Excellency President Fidel V. Ramos as the Guest of Honor for Puerto Princesa City’s Bantay Puerto Program as Best LGU-initiated Environmental Program.

5. UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL 500 ROLL OF HONOUR AWARD Given by UNEP Executive Director Elizabeth Dowdeswell on June 5, 1997 in Seoul, Korea during the World Environment Day celebration. Mayor Edward S. Hagdorn has been recognized as the first Filipino political leader who made environmental protection as the centerpiece of administration.

6. MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT AWARD 2004 Given by the Development Bank of the Philippines, DBP Unlad: Pinoy 2004 Project to Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn on January 14, 2004 at Bulwagang Pilipino DBP Penthouse.

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7. DUBAI INTERNATIONAL AWARD 2000 BEST PRACTICES AWARD FOR BANTAY PUERTO 8. GUSI PEACE PRIZE Given by the Gusi Peace Prize on November 22, 2005 at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Commissioned Officers’ Club, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City for Mayor Edward S. Hadedorn for protection of biodiversity and ecosystem.

9. ASEAN MINISTERS AWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES on 2008 in Hanoi, Vietnam 10. PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL CITY IN THE PHILIPPINES declaration of Fr. Jose Ramon “Jett” Villarin, June 6, 2011, Malacanang Palace (via link www.youtube.com/voteppur).

MANAGEMENT 1. “HOY! GISING” AWARD Given by the Management and Staff of Hoy! Gising TV Program at the ABS-CBN Broadcast Center, Quezon City on July 3, 1993.

2. NATIONAL DISTINCTION AWARD FOR THE BEST GOVERNED LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT Given by the Progressive Alliance and Citizens for Democracy (PACD) on January 6 1994 at PICC in recognition of the City’s various community development programs notably in the field of cleanliness, environmental protection, peace and order and ecotourism.

3. THE DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT AWARD OF ASIA Presented by the Asian Institute of Management in cooperation with the Far Eastern Economic Review and the Management Association of the Philippines on March 7, 1996.

4. GAWAD PAMANA NG LAHI Awarded by the DILG at the Malacañang Palace in April 1996 for being a consistent best performer in local governance.

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5. FIGHTING COCK AWARD: MOST OUTSTANDING PERFORMER OF THE YEAR Given by the Progressive Alliance of Citizens for Democracy on January 7, 1996 in Davao City.

6. GANTIMPALANG PANLINGKOD POOK (GALING POOK) AWARD FOR CARABAO AND TRACTOR POOL Given by the Asian Institute of Management and the Department of Interior and Local Government in 1997 7. OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD Given by Consumers Union of the Philippines, 1999.

8. THE KRUSADANG BAYAN AWARD OF THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES (CBCP) Given by Archbishop Oscar Cruz and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina, Jr. to Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn on April 8, 2003 for his successful campaign to make Puerto Princesa City jueteng-free.

EDUCATION, CULTURE AND SPORTS 1. NATIONAL LITERACY AWARD Given by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, 1999.

2. 2004 NATIONAL LITERACY AWARD- REGION IV-B Given by Department of Education Region IV-MIMAROPA on September 2, 2004.

3. CHAMPION NATIONAL OPEN MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SEPAK TAKRAW CHAMPIONSHIP, December 2002.

4. CHAMPION-MIMAROPA REGIONAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION MEET, March 2003.

5. CHAMPION-SEPAK TAKRAW DIVISION IN THE 3RD BIMP-EAGA FRIENDSHIP GAMES Hosted by Puerto Princesa City on August 25-26, 2003.

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6. OUTSTANDING LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT CITY LEVEL Given by Department of Education Region IV- MIMAROPA on September 2, 2004.

7. NATIONAL LITERACY AWARD FOR MOST OUTSTANDING LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT MIMAROPA REGION IV Given by the Department of Education on September 19, 2003 for the City Government’s successful Non-Formal Education Program.

8. CHAMPION- MIMAROPA REGIONAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION MEET Hosted by Calapan Mindoro on February 28, 2004.

9. CHAMPION – MIMAROPA REGIONAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION MEET Hosted by Puerto Princesa City on April 24-27, 2005.

10. BEST EVENT ORGANIZER OF THE ASIAN MOTORCROSS SERIES Given by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) on February 22, 2005 PEACE AND ORDER 1. THE PEACE AWARD Given by His Excellency President Fidel V. Ramos in recognition of the City successful implementation of its Peace and Order Program 2. BEST POLICE STATION OF THE YEAR Given by the Philippine National Police, Region IV on February 1, 1996.

3. BEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT OF THE YEAR: MAYOR CATEGORY Given by the Philippine National Police Region IV on February 1, 1996

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4. BEST POLICE STATION OF THE YEAR FOR 2003 IN REGION IV Given by the PNP Director for Region IV Medardo Benjamin Apacible for the 85 percent success rate of the City’s anti-drug campaign.

5. BEST POLICE STATION AWARD FOR 2004 IN REGION IV Given by PNP Director for Region IV Alejandro Lapinid for the City’s PNP successful maintenance of peace and order.

6. 2 PLAQUES OF RECOGNITION LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT IMPLEMENT REPUBLIC ACT 9003 Given by DILG Assistant Secretary Austere Panadero at Sulo Hotel, Quezon City on March 26, 2004.

WOMEN 1. OUTSTANDING WOMAN IN TOURISM 2000 – GOVERNMENT SECTOR Given by the Women in Travel (WIT), Manila on May 4, 2000 to Mrs. Ma. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn in recognition for her achievements as Provincial Promotion Tourism Officer from 1974 to 1993 and as wife of City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn.

She has contributed as key partner in the City’s many ecotourism related awards.

2. TEN MOST OUTSTANDING WOMEN OF THE PHILIPPINES AWARD IN COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR STEADFAST AND DEDICATED SERVICE IN EMPOWERING WOMEN AND OTHER MARGINALIZED SECTORS FOR THE INNOVATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS THE ATTAINMENT OF FULLER OPPORTUNITIES FOR A BETTER LIFE. Given by the National Council of Women of the Philippines to Mrs. Ma. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn, Oplan Linis Program Manager on April 3, 2003.

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OTHERS 1. COMMERCE AND CONSCIENCE AWARD Given by the Dewyer and Rice Foundation on January 30, 1995 in Puerto Princesa City 2. NATIONAL AWARD FROM THE PHILIPPINE MARINES Given by Brigadier General Guillermo R. Ruiz on November 6, 1995 at Fort Bonifacio in recognition of Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn’s invaluable support and services to the Command.

3. 1994 NUTRITION GREEN BANNER AWARD Given by the Regional Sub-Committee on Nutrition Sectoral Committee on Social Development IV on December 15, 1995.

4. GREEN BANNER AWARD Given by the DILG on October 2, 2003 for the City’s successful Nutrition Program.

PORTRAIT OF SUSTAINABILITY

E

very executive has his own vision of development; each has his own style of management and governance. There are those who are more aggressive while others timidly cautious. Puerto Princesa is one of the 1,692 local government units and City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn is one of the local executives with one difference. On January 7, 1994, Puerto Princesa City was adjudged and awarded the National Distinction Award as the Best Governed Local Government Unit, impliedly Mayor Hagedorn is the best local executive in the country at the time.

When Mayor Hagedorn opted for sustainable as opposed to extractive development and implemented nature conservation measures, his sole interest is to preserve nature for the next generations. Thus, Puerto Princesa City became the center of national and international attention because of his administration’s astounding success in ecological conservation.

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loggers; slash and burn farmers or kaingineros, and illegal fishing, focus was directed at the prevention and regeneration of the environment.

In recognition of the Bantay Puerto Program, in 1993 the City’s first Galing Pook Award was given by the Asian Institute of Management and a Macli-ing Dulag Award for Environmental Leadership.

As shown earlier, more awards and recognition were given to Puerto Princesa City, an indication of exemplary leadership.

Obviously, reports on outstanding performances in sustainable development are aplenty, but Puerto Princesa experience is exceptional.

This account is unreservedly attributed for having a “quintessential leader” in the person of City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn.

THE KEY QUALITIES OF SUCCESSFUL LEADER

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n one of his columns, Conrado de Quiros, wrote “We need an ordinary mortal who rises to extraordinariness... We need someone who is humble enough to hear the voice of the people and is proud enough to bend the world to their will. We need someone who can push people to transcend themselves and, doing thus, pulls them to reach for things beyond their grasp.”

The above description of a leader was what Puerto Princesa City was looking forward to in 1992, when “Puerto Princesa before 1992 was “a place only very few people bothered to know.” Moreover, Puerto Princesa City has a negative image because of malaria and Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, twenty-two kilometers south of the city proper. Added to this was the gloomy situation: deteriorating peace and order and economic slump caused by undisciplined police force, uncooperative populace, absence of a master plan, 9,500 homeless families, lack of educational support, very few banking institutions , lack of air/sea transport, lack of power supply, lack of telecommunications, very few tourist arrivals, lack of roads and poor medical services.

The situation in Puerto Princesa City was so bad to the point that the streets were dirty and lined with uncollected garbage. Its forest cover have been greatly reduced from 75% in 1978 to less than 53% in 1992

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because of slash and burn farming or kaingin (Swidden farming) and illegal logging activities. The once rich fishing grounds destroyed by the use of toxic chemicals, dynamite, and illegal methods of fishing.

Invariably, the situation in Puerto Princesa City called for a strong leader. It is therefore relevant to gain some knowledge from the study made by Robert Dalleck on the elements of presidential greatness among the forty-nine presidents of the United States of America. Dalleck found out “that there are six key qualities in presidential success: activitism, vision, pragmatism, charisma, census building and credibility. Luck also plays a part. (What Makes a Great President? Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001).

Just like any other leader, everyone wants to be remembered as an outstanding leader. Even the most conservative, wants to be recalled as leaders who made significant difference in public affairs, though limited by self-knowledge of what makes a great leader.

The first key quality of great president is activism. Great presidents, for the most part, have been aggressive activist’s leaders who asserted themselves in response to domestic and global crises. They have been presidents who rallied the nation to meet large challenges and who found workable answers to big questions.

But Dalleck says, “activitism is only one element in the mix ingredients that make a great president. Throughout American history at least six other influences have been at work in contributing to success in the White House.” The country’s most highly regarded presidents have all been great visionaries who could imagine a new national future.

The second requirement is “vision of the ideal.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt may have stated it best when, borrowing from the Book of Proverbs in the Bible, he declared in his first inaugural speech in 1933: “Where there is no vision, the people will perish.”

Vision has been especially compelling when it has concrete results, as was most notably true to George Washington’s efforts to create a working national government, or Abraham Lincoln’s determination to preserve the integrity of the Union during the American Civil War in 1861-1865. But vision alone is not enough, but a “compelling set of achievable objectives is a superb start.” It is often repeated, “the only 354 |

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thing worst than clinging to a failed vision is having no vision at all.”

The third attribute of great presidents is pragmatism. Collorary to the proposition “without vision will perish” is “that without the balance of political give and take, little, if anything can be achieved.” Successful presidents have always realized that they could not get very far without constantly accommodating to change in events, a change in mood, change to ideas, change that offered opportunity to advance interests.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, may have captured the spirit best where he wrote: “I simply experiment, an endless seeker, with no Past at my back.”

Accordingly, “the leaders who survived and prospered in the White House must have been those who had the keenest political sense. This sense required the presidents to combine a clear understanding of their goals with both a carefully judged assessment of what degree of change the opponents was ready to accept, and a strategic sense of when to accommodate themselves to opponents who were ready to yield on significant points. Without this skill, presidents have set their objectives too low, or expanded all their political capital in hopeless battles.”

The fourth key quality is charisma. The most successful presidents “have been larger-than-like figures,” actors on the stage of history with an uncommon capacity to bring drama to the office.” Presidential scholar James David Barber says, “The media bring across the president not as some neutral administrator or corporate executive to be assessed by his production, but as special being with mysterious dimensions.”

Evidently, “the most capable have been able to reduce the distance between themselves and the people by diminishing the impersonality of the office, or by using their personal appeal to excite public interest and affection.”

A recent case in point is “Bill Clinton is an interesting example of how charisma serves a president. Despite his impeachment and trial for high crimes and misdemeanors, Clinton’s approval ratings remained as high as any two-term president this century. Clinton’s personality included personal; failings that many Americans could identify with and forgive. With the American economy consistently expanding, Clinton maintained an extraordinary hold on the public... Clinton seemed to be •

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a moderate spokesman for the national interests who was victimized by vindictive opponents.”

The fifth key quality is credibility and trust. Successful presidential leadership has always depended on presidential administration’s credibility and the public’s trust in a president’s word. In the words of George Schultz, Secretary of State during the Reagan administration, said, breaking with accepted standards of national governance or by promising more than they could deliver.” Indeed, observing traditional rules and fulfilling avowed goals have been crucial tests of presidential effectiveness.

Again citing Bill Clinton, is an interesting example of how contemporary public differentiates between lying in a private matter and credibility in public service. “By lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton compromised his reputation. But the revelation that he lied about his involvement with a 21-year old White House intern did not shatter his presidential credibility. Because his domestic and foreign policies seems effective, the public did not lose faith in his capabilities as a president, despite impeachment charges against him for having little to do with his integrity as a public official.

The sixth key element is consensus building. Vision, pragmatism, charisma and trust have all been put into the service of building a national consensus for a president’s leadership. America’s most astute presidents have understood how vital a broad consensus is to any far reaching domestic or foreign policy. They have also appreciated how fickle and unreliable the public mood has been, and how difficult it can be to get the national to support a presidential proposal, especially if it represented a departure from customary patterns. In the 1990s Bill Clinton’s inability to win support for comprehensive national health-care is as good an example as one can find in recent presidential history to illustrate the point.

The best example of presidential success in consensus building is Franklin Roosevelt’s effective direction of the national affairs in the early years of World War II, from 1939 to 1941. Roosevelt believed that the United States had no choice but to help the democracies defeat Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, and militaristic Japan. The mass of Americans, 356 |

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however, wished to avoid involvement in the conflict. Roosevelt, understanding that the requirement of an effective policy abroad was a stable consensus for that policy at home, worked tirelessly to convince the public to shift ground. He deftly crafted programs that supported the Allied countries but did not exceed the public tolerance for involvement in the war. The lend-lease program for example, gave American weapons to Allies on generous financial terms. Roosevelt’s gradual expansion of participation in the war. The decision to fight, of course, was compelled

by Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941. The attack was a genuine surprise and solidified public opinion behind the commitment to fight that Roosevelt had been urging for months.

Great presidents have come to their standing not simply by vision, pragmatism, charisma, trust and consensus building, but also by lucky circumstances that favored their goals. The condition surrounding the administrations of the nation’s most highly regarded presidents have been uniformly favorable to getting significant things done.

THE QUINTESSENTIAL LEADER

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uch has been said about the achievements and the corresponding awards given to Puerto Princesa City. All this in more ways than one, unmistakably point to strong leadership a leader with key qualities that made greatest presidents in the United States of America or “an ordinary mortal who rises to extraordinariness.” Whichever, Puerto Princesa City has one City Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn.

Guiding Principles. Upon assumption of office as City Mayor was guided by four basic principles: Positive Mind Power; Political Will; People Participation; and Prayer. He attributed to these principles for success of his three-pronged program, Kalinisan, Katahimikan at Kaunlaran (Cleanliness, Peace and Order and Development), in these words, “When Puerto Princesans clamored for change, I happened to be there. I was then made to carry the torch of new light and it was there that I realized the flames had to be continuously lit up with the 4 Ps that was soon gifted us. Positive Mind Power, Political Will, People Participation, •

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and Prayer. Guided by these gifts, we were able to transcend barriers that allowed our community to rise up and shine as an example of how people can live, work and grow together harmoniously taking cognizance of the very important role our environment play in our lives.” (Oplan Linis Story. The Puerto Princesa Experience. Brochure).

Positive Mind Power. Indeed, it must be Edward S. Hagedorn religious upbringing, in discernment internalized, the Instructions of Saint Paul to the Philippians 4:54, “Show a gentle attitude toward everyone,” and “Don’t worry about anything,” (6) and “In conclusion, my brothers, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise; things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.” (8).

Political Will. Political will is the exercise for political prerogatives in making a reasoned choice or decision or controlling one’s own actions.

Simply stated, it is oft repeated saying “where there is a will there’s a way.”

In other words it is spontaneous action, similar to serving God, where one must be prepared to meet trials and adversities, when done with sincerity, steadfastness and fidelity. Misfortune and humiliation merely purify man and prove his worth.

People Participation. The principle of Vox Populi or voice of the people cannot be taken lightly. To succeed, the people must be consulted and their wholehearted support and cooperation enjoined. This is the most positive way of getting things done. Philippine experiences have shown the world how “people power” toppled a strong president and a “popular” one.

Prayer. This is the last but not the least of the principles. Saint Therese of Lisieux said, “For me, prayer is the surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven; it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” To others, “prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God: Philippians 4:6 tells us, “in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.”

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Messages In affirming his performance in office, City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn, in his Annual Report in 1997 said: “The Hall of Fame Award that the City of Puerto Princesa rightfully earned in 1996 ably demonstrated what partnership between the government and the people can do in achieving development goals. This spirit is the secret of our success in many other common undertakings.”

With reference to his program of government: Protect, Rehabilitate, Plan he said: “These have been the key management thrusts of the City Government of Puerto Princesa since the assumption into office in 1992 of the current administration. Protect what is there, rehabilitate what has been destroyed and plan for the intelligent utilization of the City’s resources. This is the action cycle upon which the sustainable development of the City is anchored.”

In 1999 he said: “The year 1999 was the threshold in so far as the incumbent leadership of the City of Puerto Princesa was concerned, not only because of the end of the past millennium, but more so because it underscored the shortness of time within which the administration can work to deliver the promise to make Puerto Princesa a model city in kaunlaran (development) and kapayapaan (peace and order) during the first two terms. If anything, the year was characterized by a sense of urgency and challenge.” His parting words in 2001: “My three consecutive terms of office are about to end. This accomplishment report for the year is the last that I as City Mayor will make for the City of Puerto Princesa.

It is indeed a pleasure and a comforting memory for me to have served the people of Puerto Princesa in that capacity. I realize that without your support we would not have achieved the good things the Puerto Princesa now enjoys and is proud of.

Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn’s State of the City Address on the 4th Regular Session of the 12th Sangguniang Panlunsod and 2nd for Highly Urbanized City – 15 years ago today, I stood before you, the people of Puerto Princesa, and took my First-ever Oath of Office as Public Servant.

I say first-ever because I never worked in government before except that day when I was sworn as the new Mayor of this City (1992).

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It was a very challenging experience for me because for the first time in the political history of Puerto Princesa, its people had elected as mayor one who is not a native of the place. So out of gratitude, I promised during my inaugural speech that I would protect the resources that rightfully belong to the Palaweños.

That day also became the turning point of my life. I was completely transformed from a lost soul to a new man; from an illegal logger to a crusader against illegal logging; from a jueteng operator to the Chairman of the Anti-jueteng Task Force; and from a law breaker to an enforcer of the law.

My eternal gratitude to you my beloved Puerto Princesans for giving me a chance to prove myself.

But perhaps you are all wondering why I am relating these stories to you. Why talk of the past when my report to you is supposed to be the state of the city? Well, it is simply because I believe that we can only fully appreciate all the blessings that we are enjoying at present, if we first revisit the past and find out what we were before. People tend to have very short memories and we easily forget where we came from.

May kasabihan nga po na. “Ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay di makakarating sa paroroonan’. So please allow me to turn back the hands of time and reminisce what Puerto Princesa was before becoming a Highly Urbanized City.

I still remember very clearly when I first set foot here in Puerto Princesa sometime in December 1963. I was sent here by my father not as a reward but as a punishment for my misdeeds in Manila. Yes, it may sound funny but it’s true. Everytime my brothers and I would misbehave in Manila, we were thrown here to work in our logging camp as form of punishment. I learned how to drive tractors and bulldozers, overhaul 6 X 6 engines and operate a two man hand saw. I also learned to survive the scorching heat and heavy rains in the mountains of Irawan for days and sometimes weeks. But our worst fear at that time was Malaria mosquitoes in the jungle. I’ve been hit several times with Malaria and there was a time when I swore to myself I would not come back anymore but then I fell in love with my wife Ellen, and I told myself, to hell with Malaria.

I want to settle down here.

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My first trip to Puerto Princesa was on board an old ship that traveled at a snail’s pace and had such a terrible smell, one didn’t need big waves to go down with nausea. Puerto Princesa was then only a municipality.

There was only one cemented road in the poblacion and two tricycles plying the streets of Rizal Avenue, one unit being run by a scooter was owned by a certain Tony Medel.

The Power Plant at that time was being operated by the Tinio Family.

We enjoyed good electricity in the morning but when households started opening their lights, the electricity fluctuated and most of the time it just shut off completely. The basic services were conspicuously wanting, and illegal activities in our marine and terrestrial jurisdictions were rampant.

Clearly Puerto Princesa at that time was a microcosm of the Philippines’ environmental drift. Our forest and our seas were the favorite sources of income by both the needy and the greedy. And to top it all, one of the biggest businesses operating in Puerto Princesa aside from illegal fishing and logging was the Mercury Mining in Sta. Lourdes operated by the Palawan Quicksilver Mines and owned by the Marsman Group of companies. It was a classic example of how mining can destroy our forest cover, pollute our waters and expose people to sickness and calamities.

In short, almost all the businesses operating in Puerto Princesa were slowly decimating our forest and killing our seas. Law and order was the biggest headache of our local government officials, obviously something must be done and done immediately.

In 1969, the growing predicament reached the attention of then Congressman Ramon V. Mitra, Jr. and to be able to cope up with the problems brought about by the increasing population, Cong. Mitra together with Mayor Feliberto R. Oliveros, Jr., decided to convert the municipality into a city. To be honest, Mayor Hagedorn said, “I campaigned for ‘No’ in that plebiscite simply because I was aligned with the other camp”. In retrospect, I now say that “ it was fortunate that we lost the fight, and the ‘yes’ vote won resoundingly”.

So in January 1970, Puerto Princesa became a component city and it was there that I realized the wrongness of our stand during the plebiscite because after being declared a component city, I saw a lot of improvements in the succeeding years under the leadership of •

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Mayor Oliveros: more schools, more roads, a new city hall, a beautiful sports complex, better ships, bigger airport, bigger airplanes, more land transportation and many more. But still the money was not enough to cope up with the pressing demands of urbanization. The income of the city was simply inadequate for huge construction backlog. It seemed that the local government had no other choice but to rely on national or congressional aid to address the problems brought about by the rapid increase in in-migration and population.

But when everything already seemed hopeless, a new twist of event happened. The New Local Government Code was passed thru Republic Act 7160, giving local government units more autonomy to chart their future and allow cities to elevate their status to a higher level. The devolution of centralized powers from national to local governments began. It was like manna from heaven, Local officials rejoiced!

And luckily for me, that was the time I decided to run for Mayor and won, and as the clichĂŠ goes, the rest is history.

I am sure most of you will remember that immediately after taking over the city administration, we launched important programs meant to clean up the city and to protect its environment: these are the Oplan Linis and Bantay Puerto Programs.

When we embarked on these ambitious programs, particularly the Oplan Linis and its avowed goal of making Puerto Princesa the cleanest and greenest component city in the Philippines, many eyebrows were raised. Some said it was not doable, that we were just hallucinating. But in a matter of months, we did it! And after several years of consistently winning the National Clean and Green Award, we were elevated to the Hall of Fame category and if there is any measure of this success, it is that the people of Puerto Princesa have internalized the virtue of cleanliness.

When we staked our claim on the Underground River, a National Park, people laughed and asked how can that be when the Park is covered by the NIPAS Law? But in less than seven (7) months’ time the Park was turned over to us by no less than the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Honorable Angel Alcala. A few years later, it was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

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When we declared a State of Calamity to solve environmental problems, our detractors challenged us in court. We did not only win the case, but what we did became a national law.

When we banned the shipment of live fish to stop the use of cyanide, we were again brought to court, this time by the shippers. The Supreme Court upheld us and even commended the City government’s initiative and challenged other cities to do the same.

When we called on MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari and his Army to disarm themselves during the scheduled peace talks here in our City, even H.E. Fidel V. Ramos, President of the Republic of the Philippines, thought it was impossible for us to convince a rebel soldier to travel without a gun. But the outcome of that meeting is now a part of our history. It was not only the MNLF alone that voluntarily disarmed. Even the noble Marines under Major General Guillermo Ruiz laid down their arms during the Peace Talk.

All of these major achievements brought honor and recognition to our beloved City as a matter of fact, because of our vision and sustainable development, we were the First Local Government Unit to receive the United Nations Global 500 Roll of Honour Award and your humble servant (Mayor Hagedorn) here as the 2nd Asian Leader to have been given such a prestigious recognition.

Now that we are a Highly Urbanized City, we aim to address soonest the following top-priority concerns: • Electricity – This continuing menace of brownouts and blackouts will have to end. If the power producers will not put their act together, we will put up our own power plant and operate it ourselves. We were the ones who initiated the entry of an individual power producer in the City. The IPP we brought in produces and sells electric power at P6.00 per kwh while the NAPOCOR Gensets in Barangay Irawan sell at P12.00 per kwh. We must resolve the power outlook of the city. We will do so not only in the area of reliable availability, but also on pricing. Only recently we were informed that NAPOCOR’s spug applied to increase the generation and transmission charges to consumers in Palawan by P2.00 per kwh. I assure our consumers •

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that we fight this increase with all the ability and goodwill that we have established through the years through effective networking with the agencies and officials involved in managing the energy sector.

Water Supply – in tandem with the Puerto Princesa City Water District, we have to adequately address today the current water needs of our people and up to ten years from now. Already there are three big companies that expressed their interest to establish our bulk water supply and treatment plant.

We have to enhance the Agricultural Sector so that we may not only achieve food sufficiently locally but also be able to contribute to the National Food Security Program. We will build more farm-to-market roads but we should identify even now what crops to plant that will bring us export revenues. We should emulate Malaysia, if possible, which is now the world’s number one supplier of palm oil. It is a waste to see hectares and hectares of land lying idle.

We will develop a more active Tourism Attractions Program so that we may truly become the Ecotourism capital in this part of the world. This will include Medical Tourism. We will work for the completion of the Sabang Road and the Renovation of the Airport Terminal.

Through the active partnership of the City Government and the Philippine National Police, we used to pride ourselves of having been known as the most peaceful city in the country with the lowest crime rate and the highest crime solution efficiency rate. That honor should be gained back. No better gauge of our success in this endeavor exists than the entry of several banking institutions into the city from a minimum of five (5) banks in the past to 18 banks at present.

Our children should have quality education – Eastern Visayas, considered one of the poorest provinces of the country, continues to register higher-than-average education development of their children. Why this has not happened here in our city should be a challenge to our education officials.

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We would like our children to learn and learn well so that they become, if possible, the most intelligent children the country will have produced.

Sports Excellence – Even when we were part of a bigger Regional Grouping which was the Southern Tagalog Regional Athletic Association or STRAA, we used to bask in the glory of being champions. Our youth have the skills and dedication to make us champions. There is therefore no reason why we should not be. Our sports people should ascertain that this honor is brought back to us.

We will pursue our Coastal Development Program to include such amenities as a marina, waste water treatment facilities, construction of additional tenement homes and the lease of commercial lands.

The Environmental Estate will be put to maximum use. We have already signed a Memorandum of Agreement with a group that is very serious in its development.

We will require all telephone cables and electrical wirings to be transferred underground in order to do away with the unsightly spaghetti wires. We will continue the use of attractive electrical posts.

We will strengthen our health and medical programs by pursuing the construction of a City Hospital in line with our Medical Tourism Plans. We will give our indigenous people more medical missions in their areas and give them continuous supply of vitamins and medicines, aside from financial support for their cooperative projects.

We will protect our terrestrial and marine resources even more zealously as we believe that the essence of sustainable development is in seeing to it that the needs of the present generation are met without compromising the ability of the succeeding generations to meet their own needs. We will manage our solid waste in such a way that even the sanitary landfill that we already have, and for which many cities are only in the process of developing, may eventually become redundant. This

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is by adopting the Zero-Waste Management System which I fervently believe the Puerto Princesans are ready.

• To the Business Sector of the City, I assure you that there will be no increase of taxes within the next three years but you will see a lot of improvement in tax collection efficiency. We will cut red tape and do everything to facilitate transaction at the City Hall, continue to build infrastructure but we will have to appeal to you to pay the right taxes religiously. To encourage investments, we have amended our local Investments Incentive Ordinance with more attractive benefits, and have seen to it that outside investors will find locating in our city in partnership with our local businessmen more attractive by giving them more tax perks.

• To the Tricycle Sector and the commuting public, tricycles will remain in the highway until alternate roads will have been built.

• Finally, in order for us in the City Government to do all the above, we will have to professionalize the bureaucracy from the lowliest utility man to the department heads. We will introduce early retirement programs for senior employees, more incentives for the industrious, punishment for violators of basic Civil Service rules, and sanctions on lazy and uncooperative employees. I am happy to inform you that the Asian Institute of Management and the University of Asia and the Pacific will be helping us in this endeavor.

In closing his message, Mayor Edward S, Hagedorn said: “Mga minamahal kong mamamayan ng Puerto Princesa, muli kong sasabihin sa inyo na magmula ng ako’y manungkulan bilang inyong alkalde, ay wala akong hinangad kundi gawing isang modelong siyudad and Puerto Princesa. Kahit kailan ay hindi ako nagdala ng kahihiyan as ating Lungsod, bagkus tayo’y lalong kinikilala hindi lamang sa ating bansa kundi maging sa iba’t ibang dako ng mundo.”(My beloved citizens of Puerto Princesa, once again I tell you that since I assumed Office I had no other goal in mind than to make this a model city. Never have I brought shame to our City but instead brought fame and is known not only in our country but also in other parts of the world.)

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“Ngayong tayo ay isa ng Highly Urbanized City, ay pinapangako kong mas ibayong kasaganaan at karangalan ang dadalhin natin sa Puerto Princesa. Nais kong maiwang ala ala sa mga darating nating saling lahi, na minsan, sa isang bahagi ng Pilipinas, mayron isang Lungsod, na dahil sa masidhing pagkakaisa ng mamamayan at ng pamahalaan ay tinanghal na Modelo sa Kalinisan at Katahimikan, sa pangangalaga ng kalikasan at sa kaunlaran... yan ang Puerto Princesa”, (Now that we are a Hughly Urbanized City, I promise to bring more economic development and honor to Puerto Princesa. It is my ardent wish that to leave behind to the next generation an economically stable and progressive Puerto Princesa, that will be remembered that once in this part of the Philippines was a city who through its citizen’s support and cooperation became a Model of cleanliness, peace, environment conservation and development... that is Puerto Princesa.

EDWARD SOLON HAGEDORN AN ENVIRONMENTALIST The definition in Webster’s New World Dictionary of an environmentalist is “a person working to solve environmental problems such as air and water pollution, the careless use of natural resources, uncontrolled population growth, etc.”

The above definition fits to the minute details what Edward Solon Hagedorn, with the invaluable support and cooperation of the Puerto Princesans, has done and will continue to do, to protect, preserve and conserve the environment.

Edward Solon Hagedorn was born on October 12, 1946 in Parañaque City, Metro Manila. His parents were Alexander Carlos Hagedorn of German descent, who was born in Concepcion, Tarlac in the early 1900s and beautiful Cebuana Gliceria Solon. Edward is the youngest of the six children. The five other children are: Elizabeth, Frederick, Melanio, Douglas and Linda.

Edward was brought up in a family rich in different tradition and gelled with conservative Cebuana trait. His grandfather Hans Josef •

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Hagedorn was an engineer when he came to the Philippines at the turn of the century.

When asked how he would describe himself, he openly replied in a humorous yet in succinct tone, “I am everything a mother would not want his son to be”.

Edward S. Hagedorn is not what a person would call an altar boy type.

In fact, he admitted that during his primary school days in Parañaque, he and a school mate had an altercation with a certain Father Peter of Saint Andrews School that later ended with the priest being kicked on the behind.

“Those were my boyhood years,” he confided. “I was happy-golucky from my elementary school days in Parañaque to high school in San Sebastian College - Recolectos, then up to college at the University of the East where I eventually caught the ire of my dad and sent me to Palawan to work in my father’s logging business as sort of punishment .”

His father ventured in the logging business during the early forties up to the sixties. Fate must have beckoned his coming to Puerto Princesa for he met Ma. Elena Clark Marcelo, a teacher at the Palawan High School.

He never left Puerto Princesa until Ellen accepted his proposal of “love and be loved till death shall not part.” The couple has two children: Eva Christie Fatima married to Gregorio Villegas of Tanjay, Negros Oriental with three children: Vaughn Edward, Val Edric and Vince Alphonse; and Elroy John married to Marijo Villena of Puerto Princesa with also three children: Emmanuel Christopher, Engelbert Christian and Elijah Cayle, a total of six grandsons.

It was while tending to the family’s logging business that Edward comes to love the environment. This was accentuated when he built a restaurant to accommodate ethnic and cultural Pinoy bands. Spelled by what he jokingly said as a fairy’s intervention, his environmental concerns started as he witnessed the denudation of the forests in Luzon and Mindanao.

It is of this thought of “forest denudation happening to Palawan in the future was enough to scare his living daylight out of him.”

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the good quality Palawan logs were exported to several countries. He was scorned by the illegal loggers. Luck must be with him when in 1992 Edward S. Hagedorn was elected City Mayor. He said, “it was about time that we put a stop to all these environmental exploitation. The people of Palawan had had enough. They wanted a leader who could put a stop to all illegal activities in the island so they urged me to run for mayor.”

First elected on June 30, 1992. He served as an Assemblyman of the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD), a body created by President Corazon C. Aquino which was tasked to oversee the establishment of an autonomous region for Muslims in Mindanao and it included Palawan.

Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn was also Representative of the League of Cities of the Philippines for Region IV and member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

It is said that Edward’s life had been a tightly guarded secret even until “action king Fernando Poe, Jr. personified him in a movie that depicted his intrepid and challenging life story. His “legendary” and “heroic” sagas had given birth to speculations as to what he was really made of.”

Modesty aside, his arboreal person is now probably the most loved local government leader by environmentalist not only in the Philippines but by environmentalists from all over the world. This was clearly manifested when City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn was presented the prestigious United Nations Global 500 Roll of Honour Award by UNEP Executive Director Elizabeth Dowdeswell on June 5, 1997 in Seoul Korea during the World Environment Day celebration. He has been recognized as “the First Filipino political leader” who made environmental protection as the centerpiece of his administration. Macli-ing Dulag is a highly respected leader of a gentle people in northern Philippines. He gained the limelight when he defended his people and their natural patrimony against the “development” of Chico River Dam which threatened their lives as this was foreseen to wipe out the whole community. He bravely fought against its construction and died in the process. This act of bravery for a worthy cause made him an epitome of an environmentalist for which the Macli-ing Dulag Environment Achievement Award was installed in his honor.

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On April 25, 1994, City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn received for the people of Puerto Princesa City the FIRST MACLI-ING DULAG ENVIRONMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD at the Kalayaan Hall, Malacañang.

A year earlier, on April 22, 1993 Puerto Princesa City was awarded a special EARTH DAY AWARD for Wildlife and Protected Area Management by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

In recognition of City Mayor Hagedorn’s environmental programs and Puerto Princesa’s reputation as the Environmental Capital of the Philippines, the Rainbow Warrior headed by Capt. Daniel Risotti, the world-famous flagship of international environment protection advocate Greenpeace headed by Von Hernandez, Greenpeace Southeast Asia; Red Constantino, Regional Energy Campaigner; Francis de la Cruz, Event Coordinator; and Athena Ronquillo, Greenpeace International, in arriving in the Philippines, made Puerto Princesa City its first stop in their Southeast Asian Tour.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in recognition of Mayor S. Hagedorn’s role as the country’s foremost champion of sustainable development nominated him to the prestigious First Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Environmentally Sustainable Cities Award.

On October 17, 2008 together with City Councilor Miguel Cuaderno, Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn received the award in Hanoi, Vietnam. In accepting the First ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable Cities Award, He said, “we are happy and proud and grateful to have represented the Philippines in this very prestigious ASEAN search for the region’s most environmentally sustainable cities. This is a very meaningful award because it recognizes and validates the correctness of our long-avowed policy of sustainable development in lieu of the destructive boom-andbust cycles of environmental exploitation characterized by wanton abuse and destruction of land, air and water resources – the very sources of life – as it these were infinite.”

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in the country. The residents are aware that what causes global warming and environmental degradation are illegal logging; indiscriminate and irresponsible mining; and other destructive activities that decimate the forests, carbon dioxide emissions caused by factories, power plants and vehicles and improper solid waste management.

Accordingly, the City Government under the leadership of Mayor Hagedorn having been “forewarned and forearmed,” instituted measures that will help, somehow prevent global warming.

In a nutshell, Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn’s environment protection and conservation initiatives as: • Banned logging and mining throughout the City.

• Institutionalized tree-planting and made it a merry activity by conducting them through “Pista Y Ang Cagueban” or Feast of the Forest and mangrove rehabilitation in “Love Affair With Nature,” holding these activities annually.

• Established a number of tree nurseries to allow continuous supply of seedlings for reforestation.

• The City’s success in forest protection and rehabilitation has been proven by the fact that its forest cover increased by 2,088.3 hectares. It may be the only City in the country to have achieved such as feat.

• .Implementation of the 50/50 scheme to minimize carbon dioxide emissions caused principally by tricycles, which effectively reduced everyday the number of tricycles on the road by 50 percent.

• Adopted an economic development plan anchored in ecotourism, agriculture, and marine-fisheries develop ment and light industrial activity that disallows pollutive economic ventures. As a result, there are no carbon monoxide emitting factories or industries in the City.

• The use of renewable solar energy at the City’s foremost tourism destination, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and the City Satellite Clinics.

• Plans to embark on an electric system powered by renewable energy source like solar, wind and natural gas.

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• Officially adopted the zero-waste management program which aims to ultimately render its Sanitary Landfill redundant in the future.

Mayor Hagedorn has relentlessly worked hand-in-hand with other non-government organizations and the private sector who are concerned with environment protection such as the Greenpeace. He is committed to further enhance and expand the environmental protection, conservation and sustainable development programs of the City of Puerto Princesa.

Unmistakably, City Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn is an embodiment of an environmentalist in is own right. All the awards and citations of Puerto Princesa City speak resoundingly of his unprecedented and incontrovertible accomplishments and achievements.

Evidently, Edward S. Hagedorn is endowed with such sterling qualities of quintessential leaders “an ordinary mortal who rises to extraordinariness”.

ROLE OF WOMEN

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mong the awards for Women, Ellen M. Hagedorn has the distinction of being one of the TEN OUTSTANDING WOMEN OF THE PHILIPPINES IN THE YEAR 2003. Before this Ellen Marcelo Hagedorn was also awarded the MOST OUTSTANDING WOMAN IN TOURISM in 2000.

The awards received by Ma. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn symbolizes the role of women in public affairs. It can be said without mental reservation, that society must now recognize the important and significant role of women in government as well as in the community. It can also be said without gainsaying the fact that the stability of society lies to the great strength of women, particularly in the moral aspects.

The organization of Women in Travel (WIT), Manila, in its initial search for women in tourism confined its selection to the private sector. Later, however, the association recognized the “achievement of prominent women in government who have dedicated themselves to the growth of tourism in their own areas” making their respective 372 |

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cities well known the world over, such prominent leaders as, Mayor Kate Gordon of Olongapo City, former Secretary of Tourism Mina Gabor; former Secretary of Tourism and Doña Maria Clara Lobregat, Mayor of Zamboanga City.

Mrs. Ma. Ellen M. Hagedorn was “Outstanding Woman in Tourism in 2000.” The award was given by WIT for her contributions as key partner in the several ecotourism awards, such as, the Philippine Earth Award for Wildlife Protected Area Management; the Grand Award in the First Macli-ing Dulag Environmental Achievement Award and other clean and green awards for the City and in the region.”

The other achievements of Mrs. Hagedorn in the promotion of tourism are: the Palawan visitors exhibit of local tourists attractions was chosen for five (5) consecutive years as the Travel Mart’s Best Tourism Destination; and received a citation from SKAL for espousing cleanliness, peace and order, and economic progress which continued to attract foreign and local visitors. Moreover, the visitors enjoyed such ecotourism activities as caving, scuba diving, jungle trekking and the like.

The National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP), awarded Mrs. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn the Ten Outstanding Women of the Philippines on 3 April 2003 for her outstanding accomplishments that have contributed to the advancement of women’s welfare and has painstakingly dedicated her life to the cause of women’s empowerment Ellen, as friends fondly call her Mrs. Hagedorn, is known for her big heart to help the underprivileged women improve their financial status in life, particularly those in the coastal communities in the City of Puerto Princesa.

She founded in August 1988 the Charity Women’s Association (CWA) together with her sister Ma. Editha “Girlie” Marcelo Bayron.

Its mission is to provide opportunities and assistance and inculcate the virtues of cooperativism and hard work towards the upliftment of the standard of living of the poor and needy.

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women, composed of retirees, professionals and those who are gainfully employed resulting from the continuous skills-trainings for women in dressmaking, stuff toy making, hair science, bag making, sandal/slipper making, Christmas décor-making, food processing and other forms of livelihood programs. She saw to it that these skills did not only end up in the training room. She saw to it that the women applied what they learned and passed it on to the other members of the family, thus making it a profitable venture for family business and their peers. In other areas, the participants organized themselves into a cooperative and established their own dress or tailoring shops.

On September 15, 2000 the association’s status was converted to a Foundation, thus named Charity Women’s Foundation, attributed to its increasing number in membership.

The major role played by Mrs. Hagedorn is best shown in the Oplan Linis Program of which she is the Project Director. Eleazar M. Famorcan, writing about “Puerto Princesa City: Where Cleanliness Is a Way of Life,” said of Ellen Hagedorn: “Two days after we arrived in the city, I met the vivacious lady in a quiet, unassuming room where she does much of the planning and paperwork for her myriad civic activities.”

It is worth repeating what has been said earlier, how Oplan Linis was launched. “We started with the adults,” Ellen Hagedorn says, “But they were usually busy with other things. So we changed strategies.”

The fallback plan was to educate the young especially elementary and high school students. “We’d go to schools and talk about cleanliness,” Ellen remembers. “Afterwards, we’d serve snacks for a purpose.” The idea was to see whether after eating, the children would properly dispose their food wrappers in a trash can. “May bantay kami. Pag nakita nilang may isang hindi itinatapon sa basurahan ang kalat nila, kahit isa lang, babalikan namin ang school.” (Someone keeps watch over the children, if they throw their food wrappers properly in the trash can. If they failed even just a piece of wrapper is not properly disposed of, then we go back to the school until they do things properly.

In time, more and more young people would enlist in Oplan Linis, serving as promoters and enforcers of cleanliness in homes, schools even far flung areas where the program is hard to implement.

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The awards received by Mrs. Ma. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn symbolized the role of women in public affairs. It can be said without reservation, that society must now recognize the important and significant role of women in government as well as in the community. It can also be said without gainsaying the fact that the stability of society can be attributed to the great strength of women, particularly in the moral aspects.

A PROFILE Ma. Elena Clark Marcelo Hagedorn comes from a prominent clan in the City of Puerto Princesa. She is the eldest of the nine children of Aliva Palanca Clark and Benito Jason Marcelo Jr. Ellen was born on December 31, 1941; Benito III, April 28, 1944; Anita, August 9, 1945; Benjamin, October 12, 1947; Ma. Teresita, March 24, 1950; Ma. Editha, April 14, 1953; Ma. Antonietta, August 8, 1956; Benigno Alberto, July 11, 1958; and Bernardo, August 2, 1959. All the children were born in Puerto Princesa City.

She finished her intermediate and secondary education at the Holy Trinity College, a Catholic institution of learning under the Dominican Sisters of Sienna. She graduated from the Philippine Women’s University, Manila, with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Home Economics.

The comely mestiza started her career as a classroom teacher at the Palawan National High School in Puerto Princesa. She stayed only for one school year, 1964-1965. In 1967, she was appointed Administrator of the Philippine National Red Cross.

Then in 1973, she served as researcher at the Provincial Development Staff in the Office of the Governor of Palawan and the succeeding years held the positions of: Tourism Researcher and Tourism Coordinator (1974-1976); Tourism Officer (1976-1979); Tourism Promotions Officer (1979-1986); Tourism Officer II (1987-1993); and Supervising Tourism Operations Officer (1994).

Mrs. Ellen Hagedorn was elected in 1990 as the first lady President of all Women “Balayong” Lion’s Club in Puerto Princesa City; elected Zone Chairman in 1991 and the first lady Regional Chairman of Lion’s Club International in 1992. She received various prestigious local and national awards.

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PROMINENT FAMILIES OF PUERTO PRINCESA

What Puerto Princesa City is today can in more ways than one be attributed to the pioneering spirit of the early families of Puerto Princesa.

Culled from Carolina F. San Juan. Ed. Puerto Princesa during the Second World War: A Narrative History (1941-1945). (Quezon City, Philippines: Kadena Press Foundation, Inc. 1998), are some of the earliest families of Puerto Princesa.

The Family of John Tompson Clark John Tompson Clark was born on September 9, 1874 in Perry Pike County, Illinois. His parents were Charles Folsom Clark and Aliva Read, whose ancestral lineage came from England. His maternal great grandfather, Robert Read was born in Norfolk, England born in Yorkshire, England. His paternal grandfather, Benjamin Clark, served in the English Army in 1812.

Robert Read and wife Susannah traveled from England in a slow sailboat arriving in Baltimore, Maryland on July 4, 1835. They crossed the Allegheny Mountain in a stagecoach via Virginia, Cincinnati and Missouri, arriving at Perry, Illinois (then called Booneville after Daniel Boone) that same year. Their son, John C. Read was born in American soil. John married Lucy Brower; a Dutch girl from New York (once called Amsterdam). Their first child was Aliva.

When John T. Clark was old enough to leave home, he went to Dodge City in Kansas. He grew up there and took up studies in the A and M College of Oklahoma where he obtained a degree in General Science in 1898.

In June 1901, he took the United States Civil Service examination for “Philippine Service”. He then left for the Philippine Islands on board the USS Thomas. John got an appointment in the Office of the Treasurer of Cagayan de Misamis. Then he was assigned as Secretary Treasurer of Palawan on October 16, 1906. He wrote a letter to a cousin, “I have been sent to this Isla de Paragua for an indefinite period. It is not a bad island just like Mindanao, except that it has fewer people, but it is lonesome, only one boat a month and there is not much work but lots of traveling 376 |

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about to get to different towns. I have just finished a trip of 3,000 miles in a row boat and it is tiresome.” He added, “They raised my salary or I would not have taken this place.” He continued that he was “sailing again but by steamer this time.”

In 1910 he again made a trip to the United States. He came back in August that same year on board the S.S. Manuel Calvo. Palawan, having no roads in those times, he had to do his traveling by sailboat along the coastal towns of the mainland. In so doing, he acquired a lot of friends and experienced real Palaweño hospitality. One of those who according to him welcomed him warmly even if he arrived in the middle of the night in Tumarbong, was Jeku Hara, a Japanese. John said, “he’d open the house to me, make me some hot tea and serve me warm food even in the wee hours of the morning.”

On October 25, 1911, John married a local girl, Concepcion Miraflores Palanca. She was born on July 16, 1896 in Inagawan, Puerto Princesa. The couple was blessed with nine children: Esperanza, Alfredo, Trinidad, Daniel, Patricia, Aliva, Virginia, Elizabeth and Jackie. Concepcion’s mother, Antonia Miraflores descended from the Mondragon and Miraflores families of Cuyo, Palawan. Her father, Yu Dee Hu was from Amoy, China but later adopted the Christian name Joaquin Palanca.

John Tompson Clark, was one among the famous American educators called the Thomasites who settled in Puerto Princesa. He became Deputy Officer of the Provincial Governor of Palawan.

In February 1914, John T. Clark resigned from government service.

He concentrated in planting coconuts in his land in Canigaran. His mode of transportation to and from the seven kilometers stretch of narrow and rocky road was by horseback, “Nelly.” In 1934, he got his first car just in time for “Nelly” to retire due to old age.

John Tompson Clark passed away on October 5, 1942 in their evacuation place called “Tarao” which he likes to call “Castle Rock.”

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The Family of Vivencio Herrera Vivencio Herrera was born in Polilio, Quezon. He graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Nursing and belonged to the 3rd Class of Nursing Students who graduated in 1913.He married Teresa Abaya, a graduate of the same school in 1912.Their first assignment was Brooke”s Point. They transferred to Puerto Princesa to establish the Puerto Princesa Provincial Hospital. For this achievement, Mr. and Mrs. Vivencio Herrera, Sr. were awarded the Mayor’s Award in 1973 for pioneering the establishment of the first hospital in Puerto Princesa. They also established the first drugstore in Puerto Princesa the Herrera Palawan Drug Store.

The Family of Ciriaco Leaño Castro Colonel Gregorio C. Castro, PAF (retired) wrote: “My grandfather is Maximo de la Cruz of Malolos, Bulacan who with his brother was exiled by the Spaniards to Puerto Princesa because of his being a member of the Katipunan. My grandmother is Dolores Batul who orugninally came from Capiz. Their marriage produced several children with my mother, Concepcion, as the eldest. Her sister Maura (who became Mrs. Flores) was crowned Miss Puerto Princesa before World War II. Her two brothers, Pascual and Paterno de la Cruz were members of the old Philippine Constabulary and the Philippine Army, brother Germiniano became the Provincial Agriculturist of Palawan while the other brother Moises settled in Tabud, Quezon in southern Palawan.

My father, Ciriaco Leaño Castro was born in Piddig, Ilocos Norte and became the first Post Communication Officer of Puerto Princesa immediately after the First World War. He met my mother Concepcion B. de la Cruz in Puerto Princesa. Their marriage brought about six children two of whom died at early age.. I only remember our eldest Josue “Peping,” followed by Maximino, Rosario and Gregorio. All of us children were born here in Puerto Princesa City. I, for one, was told that I was born at the site of the present CIRCON (contracted name 378 |

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of Ciriaco and Concepcion) building located on J.P. Rizal and Valencia streets.”

The Family of Agaton Gonzales Magay Agaton Gonzales Magay was born in San Antonio, Zambales. He was a musician-composer. He traveled with his band to Shanghai and Sandakan, Borneo. It was in Sandakan that he met Soledad Baron de los Reyes, the only daughter of Tiburcio de los Reyes, a colonel in the regiment of General Emilio Aguinaldo in Imus, Cavite. Very much concerned with the safety of his only daughter, he entrusted Soledad to an uncle and auntie in Sandakan, Borneo. After some time of courtship, Agaton married Soledad, who then was only sixteen years old. The couple’s children, Jacinto, and Dominica were born in Sandakan. The couple then left for Balabac through Zamboanga. From Balabac they left for Puerto Princesa, arriving thereat Agaton was offered the position as band master of the Iwahig Penal Colony sometime in 1896. He stayed in Iwahig until his retirement.

Upon retirement, the couple returned to Puerto Princesa where they made a permanent residence. He served as councilor of Puerto Princesa during the administration of Teodoro Malate, Pedro Vicente, Severino Vicente and Vicente Palanca.

SUMMARY

P

uerto Princesa has now a par excellence image in the field of sustainable development in the restoration and rehabilitation of its natural resources which were wantonly destroyed by illegal logging and to some extent the use of swiden farming of the hill sides. The use of toxic chemicals destroyed the breeding places and fishing grounds.

The depletion of its fishery resources was considerably caused by over fishing and the use of such illegal methods off fishing. Like muro-ami, not overlooking the destructive effects of dynamite fishing. The once rich fishing grounds provided about sixty percent of fish consumption •

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in Metro Manila.

Not only was the natural resources of the City damaged but the “attitude” of the people aggravated the situation. Indifference, if not total negativism, and lack of confidence and trust on those entrusted with the protection and conservation was at its lowest ebb. Lack of civic conscience and moral degradation were factors that subtly demeaned dignity.

Conscious of his responsibilities, City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn faced the issues squarely with firm determination to succeed in reversing the alarming situation. Guided with the principles of positive mind power, political will, people participation and prayer, he pursued his vision of making Puerto Princesa a model city of sustainable development. His successes are evidenced by the various awards and recognition from national and regional government and from nongovernment organizations. On top of all this came from the World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO which inscribed the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in the World Heritage List.

On top of the national awards is the “NATIONAL HALL; OF FAME 1996 AWARD” on 15 December 1996, after bagging the AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE as “Cleanest and Greenest Component city in the Philippines” for three consecutive years, 1994, 1995 and 1996.

Also awarded the “1995 Cleanest and Greenest City” in Region IV and the “Cleanest Inland Body of Water (Irawan River) and the 1995 GANTIMPALANG PANG-LINGKOD POOK OR GALING POOK AWARDEE - OPLAN LINIS PROGRAM for its City Satellite Hospital and City Satellite Libraries by the Asian Institute of Management in coordination with the Local Government Academy by President Fidel V. Ramos on 18 July 1998 at Malacañang Palace.

Not to be left behind is the REGIONAL HALL OF FAME AWARD, Cleanest and Greenest Local Government Unit in Region IV, 17 October, 1996.

Puerto Princesa was awarded BEST TOURIST DESTINATION IN THE PHILIPPINES, 1994 AND BEST CITY/MUNICICPALITY TOURISM BOOTH, 1999.

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For environmental protection and conservation, Puerto Princesa City received the PHILIPPINE EARTH DAY AWARD on 22 Aril 1993. 1995 LIKAS YAMAN AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE, 10 June 1998.

For management, among others, NATIONAL DISTINCTION AWARD FOR THE BEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT In 1994 and THE PEACE AWARD.

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Awards and Recognition

Gawad Galing Pook 1995

1997 National Hall of Fame Award for Carabao and Tractor Pool

Development Bank of the Philippines on January 14, 2004 confers to the City Government of Puerto Princesa the Most Environmetally Responsive Local Government Unit Award (Waste Management Program and Bantay Puerto Project.

The numerous trophies and plaques of the city government of Puerto Princesa distinctly show Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn’s effective leadership and management style.

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1995-1996 Gawad Galing Pook for PPC Oplan Linis

1997 UNEP United National Greenest Global 500 Roll of Honour Award

Presidential Gawad Pamana ng Lahi Award for exemplary performance on local government given by dilg awarded by Pres.

Benigno S. Aquino, October 11, 2011 at picc.

Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn in Seoul, Korea to receive the prestigious United Nations Global 500 Roll of Honor Award by UNEP on June 5, 1997 – in recognition for being the first Filipino political leader to make environmental protection the centerpiece of his administration.

With US Vice President Al Gore

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A congratulatory hand shake from the World Bank President.

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Maria Elena Marcelo Hagedorn receives from Women in Tourism (WIT) Manila the Outrstanding Women in Tourism 2000 Award – Government Sector, for her achievements and contributions to the Tourism Industry as Provincial Tourism Promotion Officer and the City’s key partner in ecotourism related programs.

Ma. Elena Marcelo Hagedorn 2003 National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP).

Outstanding Women in Community Service Award for steadfast and dedicated service in empowering women and other marginalized sector for the innovative contribution towards the achievement of fuller opportunities for a better life given by Dr. Josefina Dineros Pineda and Myrna Yao, President.

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Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn and ISO Consultant Joseph Server unveil the International Organization for Standardization or ISO 9001:2000 Marker.

Vice Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron and Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn show the City’s ISO Certificate from Certech Registration Philippines Inc.

ISO:9001:2000 Marker

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A

S THE Inventory has established, Puerto Princesa City is not only carbon-neutral but, in fact, significantly carbonnegative. Despite this and consistent with its avowed commitment, the City does not wish to rest on its laurels.

Already, opportunities for improvement exist, specifically in terms of cleaner sources of energy and a more efficient transmission and distribution system. The increasing number of

vehicles, now registering a higher per capita average than the rest of the country, is also another area of concern. The forests – the main reason for the City’s carbon-neutrality – must be continuously protected against possible socio-economic impacts.

Long term, growth is inevitable. People will always aspire and strive hard to improve their standard of living, more often than not influenced by and patterning after the capitalist/

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL CITY IN THE PHILIPPINES declaration of Rev Fr. Jose Ramon “Jett” Villarin, President, Ateneo de Manila University, June 6, 2011, Malacanang Palace (go to www.youtube.com/voteppur for the Malacañang declaration).

Source: Puerto Princesa City / THE SEED INSTITUTE

consumerist culture of the West. And because the City will have to find ways to satisfy the needs and aspirations of its citizens, the environmental impacts of production and consumption systems will have to be minimized while consumer behavior is shifted to more sustainable patterns.

Puerto Princesa, like many other cities, must meet this challenge: ensuring development is achieved in a sustainable manner – not at the expense of the environment, the less privileged and future generations.

“If YOU CAN’T MEASURE IT, YOU CAN’T MANAGE IT.”

– Peter Drucker, Management Guru

Edward Solon Hagedorn

One-year old Edward (encircled) with mother Gliceria Solon and father Alexander Hagedorn; sisters: Elizabeth and Linda; and brothers: Douglas, Melanio and Frederick (Boy).

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(Left) Douglas, Melanio and Edward; standing behind is Frederick.

Dress rehearsal for a school play

A happy gathering of friends

Best friend City Councilor Miguel Cuaderno

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A favorite hang-out in Parañaque

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Ellen and Edward

Ellen and Edward with their two children and in-laws and two grandsons

Hagedorn Family get-together: (left) Douglas and wife Mercy Morato; Michael and wife, sister Aurora (center), Edward and Ellen.

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Mom Gliceria with (left) brother Douglas, sister-in-law Puti, sister Linda and wife Ellen greet Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn on his birthday.

A pose with Mom Gliceria, wife Ellen and sister Linda.

Mayor’s Birthday

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A birthday blessing from Bishop Pedro Arigo, D.D. of the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princes.

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Maria Elena Marcelo

Alva Read Clark, John’s mother

John Tompson Clark

Yu Dee Ho-Concepcion’s father who adopted the name Joaquin Palanca.

Clark Family Reunion

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Concepcion Miraflores Palanca Clark – John’s wife

Tarao or Castle Rock, John’s favorite haunt. Rising majestically above a mountain slope between Babuyan and Tanabag.

New Years Day 1953

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Nine-year old Ellen

Piano recital of three siblings Ellen, Jun and Tessie at Holy Trinity Jr. College (now Holy Trinity University) performs a six-hand piano piece.

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Elizabeth Clark Alba at the Clark’s ancestral home

Ellen (highlighted) with Holy Trinity Jr. College athletes – Provincial athletic Meet Track and Field champions.

Family Portrait. Mother Aliva Clark (center) with Ellen on her left, brothers, sisters and in-laws.

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Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn (second left, third row), wife Ellen (center), daughter Eva Christie Fatima Villegas (left), daughter-in-law Marijo Villena (right) son-in-law Gregorio L. Villegas (standing left, third row), son Elroy John Hagedorn (fourth left, third row). Also in photo are their six grandsons: Vaughn Edward, Val Edric and Vince Alphonse Villegas, Emmanuel Christopher, Englebert Christian and Elijah Cayle Hagedorn.

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P

rovidence must have intervened in Puerto Princesa City, when on July 2, 2002, a year and one month after Victorino Dennis M. Socrates assumed office as City Mayor, a Preparatory Recall Assembly (PRA) convened at the San Jose Gymnasium and approved Resolution No. 01-02, to hold a Recall Election for city mayor, pursuant to Section 69 of Republic Act No. 7160 which provides: “The power to recall for loss of confidence shall be exercised by the registered voters of a local government unit to which the local elective official subject to such recall belongs.” Section 70 of the same Act provides: “Recall may be initiated by preparatory assembly or by the registered voters of the local government unit to which the local elective official subject to such recall belongs.” Accordingly, “in the city level, the preparatory recall assembly is composed of all punong barangays and sangguniang barangay members in the city.”

On August 21, 2002, the Commission on Elections issued Resolution 5673 which scheduled the recall election on September 7, 2002. Edward S. Hagedorn filed his certificate of candidacy as Mayor on August 23, 2002.

On August 27, 2002, Ma. Flores Adovo and Merly E. Guilo petitioned the Commission on Election to disqualify Edward S. Hagedorn on ground that he had already been elected and served as mayor for three (3) consecutive terms, namely in 1992, 1995 and 1998, docketed as SPA 02-492. At the same time Dennis Socrates petitioned the Supreme Court to annul Resolution EM 02-010, which dismissed his petition to deny the PRA Resolution on his recall.

On August 30, 2002, Genaro V. Manaay and Bienvenido Ollave, Sr. filed separate petitions with the Commission on Elections to disqualify Hagedorn.

On September 3, 2002 Vicente Sandoval, Jr., a candidate in the Recall Election, petitioned the Supreme Court to annul Commission Election Resolution which fixed the election on September 7, 2002 and to give the candidates at least fifteen days more to campaign. In response to Sandoval’s petition, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) to reset the election date. The Commission on Elections thereby set the Recall Election on September 24, 2002.

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The petitions of Adovo, Gilo, Manaay and Ollave were dismissed by the Commission on Elections on September 20, 2002, for lack of merit.

It declared Edward S. Hagedorn qualified to run and be elected in the Recall Election on 24 September 2002. “It was held that the invoked Section 8 of Article 8 of the Constitution prohibits immediate reelection after serving three consecutive three terms, did not apply to the case of Edward S. Hagedorn because he did not run for mayor immediately after his consecutive three terms. His third term ended in May 2001 when he ran for governor of Palawan June 2001 to September 2002 he was a private citizen. His was a unique situation in that his eventual election as mayor was not seen as a fourth term, but only his first term in the second cycle of three years.

In the Recall Election, Edward S. Hagedorn got 20,238 votes, whereas V. Dennis Socrates 17,220 votes and Vicente Sandoval, Jr. 13,241 votes.

The Supreme Court, however, restrained the City Board of Canvassers from proclaiming Edward S. Hagedorn. Thereupon he filed two very Urgent Motions to lift the High Court’s Order on September 27 and 30, 2002.

For more than a month, there was much tension in the City Hall while votes from sixty-six barangays were counted.

On November 12, 2002, the Supreme Court lifted the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), allowing the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to proclaim Edward S. Hagedorn as Mayor of Puerto Princesa City on 13 November 2002.

City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn officially assumed office on November 18, 2002. What he did upon assumption can best be appreciated in his message in THE 2003 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT. The report may be a good basis in projecting the future of Puerto Princesa City.

Excepts from the 2003 Annual Performance Report: As the first full-year report of our administration since we re-assumed the mayoralty post in November 2002 after a successful recall election, we are very pleased that we were able to deliver on our campaign promise •

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to bring back the honor and vigor (dangal at sigla) of Puerto Princesa through the effective delivery of the entire range of local government services.

Every award and recognition that Puerto Princesa received became topics of discussion in the national tri-media: television, radio and print which generated plenty of goodwill for the city and its people, thereby making Puerto Princesa regain its position as the haven of tourists and investors in this part of the world.

Proof of this is the entry of the Cebu Pacific Air which invested millions of pesos to include Puerto Princesa as its service area, and the Asian Spirit thereby making the City accessible from Manila four times a day by air with one flight in the afternoon and from the City of Cebu. Also noteworthy are the WG & A and Negros Navigation Ships making the City accessible by sea twice a week. Negros Navigation also plies the Manila Negros-Mindanao routes while the Milagrosa and Montenegro Shipping Lines the Puerto Princesa-Iloilo routes.

All these became necessary because of the 23.88 percent increase in tourist arrivals.

Another consequence of the “goodwill” that Puerto Princesa earned through effective local governance may be gleaned from the decision of the Malaysian-based airline, Layang-Layang Aerospace (LAY) to establish a direct flight between Puerto Princesa and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

The State of Sabah is perhaps one of the most visited places in Malaysia, garnering about 1.2 million visitors annually. Even if we get only a ten percent spill over from Sabah’s volume of tourists through the direct flight provided by Lay, that would translate to about 120,000 additional tourists for the city per year, very certainly a big boost to our local tourism industry.

Finally, in 2004 City Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn said: “Although what we have achieved in 2004 are quite substantive, we wish we could do more in terms of spurring the economy; protecting the environment; providing social services; and constructing roads, bridges, school buildings and other necessary infrastructure. But constrained by budgetary limitations, we have to console ourselves with the fact that even Rome was not built overnight. So as we pled on, we have to make 400 |

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use of the distinct advantages that we enjoy over many local government units in the country, which is that we know the road we are traveling, and we have our people’s full support and cooperation in all our endeavors.

Even as we continued to implement with zeal the City’s various award winning projects and programs on cleanliness, environmental protection, housing, agriculture, education, health, peace and order all of which brought fame and honor to Puerto Princesa we embarked on a frenetic infrastructure program aimed at complementing Puerto Princesa’s world-class natural beauty with world-class facilities, namely: Puerto Princesa City Coliseum. The Coliseum was abandoned for almost two years was finally completed. Since then, it has become a new landmark in the City playing host to numerous activities local, national and international. With this “world class facility”, many events such as the prestigious PBA Games are now held in Puerto Princesa.

In 2004, the City of Puerto Princesa recorded a total tourist arrival of 120,674 or an increase of 23 percent from the 2003 figure of 98,118.

The hosting of two international sports events: the 2004 Puerto Princesa City International Motorcross Championship, sanctioned by the Federation Internationale Du Motorcyclistas (FIM) and the Asian Mountain-Biking Championship, has in many ways contributed to the increase in tourist arrivals on the same year.

Puerto Princesa City Slaughterhouse. The modern Puerto Princesa City Slaughterhouse which has the capacity to slaughter 150 pigs and 55 heads of cattle in two hours, is classified “AA” by the National Meat Inspection Commission (NMIC). It is said to be known as the safest and cleanest slaughterhouse in the country. An assurance that the meat sold at the city markets is clean and safe from any disease or contamination. This could be attributed to the modern facilities found in the slaughterhouse such as stunning machine, splitting saw, vertical elevator, dehairing machine and others wherein the livestock being slaughtered is barely touched by hand.

Aside from a 5,000 gallon-capacity tank, it has a Waste Treatment Facility which recycles water used in cleaning animal wastes into clean water which may be used for watering and cleaning its surroundings.

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Coastal Renewal Project. The City’s Coastal Renewal Project consists of three-hectare coastline land reclamation to accommodate a coastal road that will provide access to the old town site. It is envisioned to ease traffic at the City proper as this will provide an alternate route for vehicles traveling in and out of the City port.

The 23-million housing project financed by the City government, facing Puerto Princesa Bay, now stands in the area.

The frenetic phase of development of the City within such a short span of time is difficult to match. City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn and the Sangguniang Panlungsod headed by City Vice Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron has not only provided the people of Puerto Princesa City with the necessary facilities for comfortable living, but also served to enhance Puerto Princesa’s image as a modern metropolis, within an island of lush virgin forests and an ecologically-preserved marine environment one’s perfect idea of a tropical paradise.

Sanitary Landfill. The first of its kind in the Philippines, it is another infrastructure project that will promote even more the image of the City as The Environmental Capital of the country.

This Php 200 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded Sanitary Landfill in Barangay Sta. Lourdes, 12 kilometers from the City proper.

This is one of the projects submitted for ADB funding in 1991 under the Philippine Regional Municipal Project (PRMP). It is now operational and the Mayor is inculcating in his constituents the importance of solid waste management by having a proper waste disposal from the source.

The Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Program is envisioned to address the garbage problem which might arise with the influx of tourists in the City. The project will cover the entire urban population and more than half of the rural population. The required capacity is for 20 years waste generation. With the implementation of the zero waste management program under Republic Act No, 9003 otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of the Philippines 2000, enacted on January 26, 2001, it is expected that the Sanitary Landfill will extend to 50 years or more.

The Sanitary Landfill will be implemented in six phases on a 26.9 hectare lot. At the site are found a leachate treatment plant 402 |

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and pumping stations; composting plant; and auxiliary facilities like access road, perimeter fence and gate; cut-off ditches and drainage system, monitoring wells, protection dikes, gas vents, waste recovery shed, equipment yard and wash bay, weighbridge, guardhouse and administrative building. Dump trucks and a landfill vibratory compactor were also purchased.

Modern Solid Waste Collection System. The modern waste collection system complements the Sanitary Landfill and the highly effective street-cleaning program of the City, the award winning Oplan Linis Program by the use of mobile garbage bins (wheeled waste bin) that can be readily lifted mechanically by modern trucks.

Clean Air Program. Executive Order No. 007 issued by Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn, established the Clean Air Program for the City of Puerto Princesa.

A unique project backed by a U$240,000.00 grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) gives alternate livelihood to tricycle operators and drivers who opt to change their motorcycle engines from twostroke for four-stroke engine thereby cut down the City’s air and noise pollution.

The ADB grant which was extended through the Poverty and Environment Program (PEP) will fund the testing of a number of technical and policy strategies designed to cut the growing air and noise pollution threats from two-wheeler (motorcycles used for personal transportation) and three-wheelers (tricycles or motorcycles with sidecars that can carry three to ten passengers) using two-stroke engines in the City.

The project will effectively stop the air and noise pollution threats on Puerto Princesa City that Bangkok and other cities in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia have encountered with the proliferation of the tricycles and two-wheeled vehicles.

Puerto Princesa Comprehensive Public Market. The 32-million peso new Puerto Princesa Comprehensive Public Market located in Barangay San Jose became operational in 1995. Of the total amount of the construction cost, 50 percent is a grant from the USAID. It is starting to perk up with the operation of the Bus and Jeepney Terminal in the area.

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The city’s existing urban built-up area covers around 2,376 hectares. Based on the standard ratio (1.5 % to 3% of the total builtup area), the entire commercial area of the city covering an area of 327 hectares is more than enough to meet the current demand of a rapidly urbanizing community …Furthermore, electric power and water supply, telecommunication lines, road network, transport and other support facilities are already available within these areas.

Puerto Princesa Land Transport Terminal. The City Government of Puerto Princesa, by virtue of Ordinance No. 123-1999, amended by Ordinance No. 232-2003, established a Transport Terminal at the Puerto Princesa Comprehensive Market Complex, Barangay San Jose, to induce socio-economic activity in the area as well as minimize traffic congestion and pollution in the Central Business District of the City.

The bus and jeepney terminal serves as the central transportation node between the urban areas, the government center, and the rural areas. It is strategically located adjacent to the new market site. This development has brought about the opening of a new commercial business district. The proposed commercial area in San Jose-Sta. Monica covers an area of 198 hectares. This new commercial business district is very accessible and appropriately located to serve the new core for urban activities due to its proximity to residential areas.

Kilos Agad Action Center. The Kilos Agad Action Center, popularly known as KAAC was created on February 25, 2003 and is being funded by the City Government of Puerto Princesa. It typifies City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn’s philosophy of public service to fill the needs of his constituents as best as he can and to provide it promptly.

As an Emergency Rescue Unit, KAAC was established to assist in the operations of the Philippine National Police and Bureau of Fire Protection in terms of peace and order in the City and the implementation of its 117 Center which is similar to how the US Rescue 911 program and the spirit of volunteerism, private and civic groups combined strengths in support of the Center.

The KAAC is effectively and efficiently managed by the Project Director Mr. Elroy John M. Hagedorn.

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Drug Enforcement Action Division. The City of Puerto Princesa like other developing cities, its peaceful existence is threatened as cases of illegal drug abuse start to appear. This can be traced to the swelling volume of people coming in and out of Palawan and Puerto Princesa City in particular.

In line with the City’s proactive participation to combat the worldwide drug epidemic, the City Government created Task Force DEAD. The Drug Enforcement Action Division or popularly known as DEAD, started its operations in November 2002 but it was on January 2, 2003 through Executive Order No. 01 issued by City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn that Task Force Dead was created and became a regular program of the City Government. Its primary goal is to address the proliferation of illegal drugs and to mobilize the community to work together with local authorities in controlling illegal drug abuse especially among the youth in Puerto Princesa City.

It has been tasked to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the Anti-Illegal Drug Campaign of the City Government. In close coordination with the City Philippine National Police, Task Force DEAD monitors, reports and investigates illegal drug related activities in the City. It takes the lead in the apprehension of illegal drug dealers or pushers in accordance with the due process of law.

Since the illegal drug abuse problem is a social issue, the Task Force maintains its network with various government agencies, nongovernment organizations and socio-civic groups to ensure and facilitate efficient partnership in addressing the problem. Thus, membership of Puerto Princesa City to the Asian Cities Against Drugs (ASCAD) where Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) President and City Councilor Douglas Solon Hagedorn who is Head of Task Force DEAD sits as Vice Chairman of the said association.

During the 2nd ASCAD conference held in Puerto Princesa City in 2005, the 200 delegates composed of mayors and national officials from 17 Asian cities headed by ASCAD 2005 Chairman Datuk Hj Md. Nor, and Vice Chairman Douglas S. Hagedorn unanimously supported the accord “Puerto Princesa Declaration Against Illegal Drugs.” The accord forged by the delegates has been conceived to expedite illegal drug •

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cases involving their respective countrymen including the investigation, prosecution and extradition of convicted criminals.

On hot pursuit, the points of entry and exit of suspects will be guarded and the pursuing law enforcers from the concerned country will be assisted by lawmen of the host country. Considering its huge membership and the people leading, ASCAD is the strongest in Asia that deals with illegal drug demand and supply reduction.

Assistant Secretary Rodolfo Caisip, Deputy Director General of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) commends Task Force DEAD under its Head Douglas S. Hagedorn who has primarily focused on enforcement, has made a dent in the world of illegal drugs by effecting buy bust operations and the apprehension of major “big time” distributors in the City operating for the past years.

Jueteng Free City. The City Mayor’s environmental concerns were not only focused on the destruction of our forest and marine resources but also in cleaning the City of illegal gambling. When he decided to run for City Mayor, his “jueteng” career was put to a test. He was made to choose between his candidacy or the “jueteng”. Aware of the power of the church over its electorate. He approached Bishop Francisco San Diego of the Vicariate of Palawan for support. The Bishop told him that in order for him to get votes, he must stop the “jueteng” operations in the City. He was made to sign a covenant that win or lose, he will stop “jueteng”. It was a painful decision on the part of Hagedorn. There is the human resources to take care. Many will end up in the streets jobless. But for him to win the elections he must show by example that he is “Maka Diyos, Maka Bayan at Maka Tao”. He took the risk. In 1992 elections, he won with a big margin against his opponent the incumbent City Mayor Feliberto Oliveros, Jr. He lived up to his promise. He stopped the “jueteng” operations in Puerto Princesa City. Many said it was easy for him because he was the “jueteng” operator. For this he was given on April 3, 2003, the Krusadang Bayan Award of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines for his successful campaign to make Puerto Princesa City Jueteng Free. He is the First Mayor nationwide to completely eradicate jueteng on the very day in his new job as City Mayor of Puerto Princesa.

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During the leadership of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in recognition for his successful eradication of jueteng, Puerto Princesa City Mayor Hagedorn has been tasked to Head the Anti-Jueteng Task Force of the country, thus making him popularly known as the “Anti-Jueteng Czar”. He was successful in ending jueteng in Regions 1 to 5 and the Cordillera Administrative Region. He said he started his twomonth campaign which he had set to end September 15, 2005, through “friendly persuasion” but then the policy is now over, the full force of the law must be applied.

PUERTO PRINCESA ISO 9001:2000 CERTIFIED Puerto Princesa City is one of the few if not, the only Local Government Units (LGUs) in the country that has been certified for ISO 9001:2000, and therefore, is globally at par with its other counterparts. It took 15 months of preparation, commitment and hard work to achieve this status.

An audit conducted by the Audit Team from Certech Registration Inc., on April 28-29, 2006 showed that the city had passed the requirements and standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2000 and has recommended it for ISO Certification on Quality Management System. Thus, strengthening the capability of the City Government of Puerto Princesa in the provision of its community public services.

The audit of the CGPP has been undertaken by the team to establish the level of its conformance against the requirements specified within ISO 9001:2000 particularly on the effectiveness of the system at achieving identified objectives and to identify opportunities for improvement. At the close of the audit, it has been found that the policy and planning are aligned with the operational system of the CGPP and that the quality management system is efficient and effective despite of some identified areas which need improvement. The internal audit program has also been found to be effective.

Among the different departments and offices of the CGPP, the City Mayor’s Office was observed to have many noteworthy projects •

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that are “truly in line with the mission and vision of the organization and that Management commitment and support are evident in these projects”.

The audit team observed the positive attitude of the CGPP towards auditing including the importance and benefits of ISO implementation in the different departments audited. Most offices have high customer satisfaction ratings and are consistently monitored, evaluated and analyzed on a quarterly basis. The competences of the employees interviewed are evident during the audit as well as their openness, honesty and cooperation.

City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn expressed his gratitude to all the employees and workers in the City Government of Puerto Princesa for their unwavering commitment to public service that led to the ISO 9001:2000 certification.

The ISO 9001:2000 certification was issued to the CGPP on May 5, 2006 with both Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Product Standards and ANAB accreditation.

Certech Registration Phils. Inc, the Certifying Body for the CGPP is known to provide “Value-Added ISO Auditing, The Best For Less”.

The team was led by Ms. Jean Jimenez as Lead Auditor and Ms. Estrella Tianco, Auditor. Certech will conduct surveillance visits to ensure the CGPP’s implementation of its quality policy and standards is in accordance with ISO 9001:2000 requirements.

A QUALITY POLICY A Quality Policy has been duly approved and signed by City Mayor Hagedorn as follows: The City Government of Puerto Princesa is committed to provide its constituents quality public services such as: a. Social (Health, Housing, Education, Peace and Order, Civil Registry, Employment, Culture and Arts, Population Management, Sports and Social Welfare) b. Environmental (Terrestrial, Coastal & Marine Sustainable Development and Air Quality.

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c. Economic (Agriculture, Tourism, Public Market, Livelihood, Veterinary) d. Infrastructure (Transportation, Communication, Housing, Utilities) e. Local Administration and Finance (Tax, Barangay Budget and Disbursement, Human Resource Management, Legal, Planning & Policy Legislation) PUERTO PRINCESA: A HIGHLY URBANIZED CITY Section 452 of the Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991 states “that cities with a minimum population of two hundred thousand (200,000) inhabitants as certified by the National Statistics Office and with the latest income of at least FIFTY MILLION PESOS (P50,000,000.00) based on 1991 constant prices as certified by the City Treasurer, shall be classified as highly urbanized cities.”

Likewise, Section 453 of the LGC of 1991 “provides that is shall be the duty of the President of the Philippines to declare as highlyurbanized within thirty (30) days after it shall have met the minimum requirements prescribed in Section 452 of the same Code, upon proper application therefore,” However, the city will legally be declared as highly-urbanized city only upon ratification through a plebiscite by the city’s qualified voters.

The rules and regulations implementing the LGC of 1991 states the following procedures: 1. Resolution – The interested city shall submit to the Office of the President of the Philippines as resolution of its Sangguniang adopted by a majority of its members in a meeting dully called for the purpose, and approved and endorsed by the city mayor, Said resolution shall be accompanied by a certification as to income and population.

2. Declaration of Conversion – Within thirty (30 days from receipt of such resolution, the President of the Philippines shall, after verifying that the income and population requirements have been met declare the city as highly-urbanized.

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3. Plebiscite – Within one hundred twenty (120) days from the declaration of the President of the Philippines or as specified in the declaration, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) shall conduct a plebiscite in the city proposed to be converted.

Such plebiscite shall be preceded by a comprehensive information campaign to be conducted by the Comelec with the assistance of national and local officials, media, nongovernment organization and other interested parties.

On January 15, 2007, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Puerto Princesa passed and approved Resolution No. 614-2007 requesting the President to declare the city as highly-urbanized city. Thus the Office of the President, after having conducted a thorough verification and found out that Puerto Princesa city has met the minimum requirements prescribed for a city to be classified as highly-urbanized, President Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo effected the conversion of Puerto Princesa into a highly-urbanized city throughProclamation No. 1264 which she signed on March 26, 2007. This is on consonance with the national government’s policy to support the initiative of local government units to become selfreliant communities and effective partners in attaining national goals.

However, Presidential Proclamation No. 1264 has given Puerto Princesa City only ninety (90) days to affirm the presidential declaration in a plebiscite. Thus on July 9, 2007, the Comelec conducted the plebiscite.

The final tabulation of the City plebiscite Board of Canvassers (BOC) showed that 21,896 out of the 34,797 registered voters voted “yes”, leading by 9,093 votes as against 12,803 “no” votes approved by the cities conversion from component to highly urbanized city. The Comelec noted that the plebiscite in Puerto Princesa with a 31.25 percent voter turnout of its 111,340 voters is still the highest in terms of participation compared to other plebiscite conducted in the country.

Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn said “the conversion of Puerto Princesa city into a highly urbanized city is a solid proof the tremendous growth and development of the city, which the people and the city’s elective officials have jointly achieved since he first assumed office in 1992.” He assured his constituents that there will be no increase in taxes, tricycles will remain in the city’s thoroughfares, that the city gets a share 410 |

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from Palawan’s natural wealth and is optimistic that its conversion will fast track developments focused on tourism and agriculture.

Puerto Princesa, according to the League of Cities of the Philippines is the first component city to successfully hurdle a plebiscite for conversion to highly urbanized city. There were two component cities – Cabanatuan and Tarlac both lost in the plebiscite of 1997 and 2006 respectively.

The conversion of Puerto Princesa into a Highly Urbanized City (HUC) makes it independent of the province from which it had been a component of, while it will no longer be under the supervisory control of the provincial government, referring to the city’s autonomy, is also excludes it from voting for elective provincial officials. It is envisioned that it will open up the creation of separate legislative districts by virtue of a corresponding legislation from Congress PUERTO PRINCESA – A LEGEND Legend attributes the name of Puerto Princesa to a princess-like maiden of rare beauty who roams around the bay during moonlight nights on certain times of the year. At other times, she is seen sitting on a rock of the shore of Parola beach looking far out sea, waiting for her sailor-lover to come home.

Authorities, however contend that the name was derived from the geographical location of the place as a port, being a cove, it is naturally protected year round from inclemency of the weather. It has sufficient depth to allow ships of all sizes to anchor. It is truly a “Princess of Ports” or in Spanish “Puerto Princesa”.

Historical records, however, show that the place was named in honor of Princess Eulalia of Spain, She was born in 1864 to the Reigning Monarch, Queen Isabel II and her consort Dr. Francisco de Asis. But when the princess met an untimely death, the Queen changed the name to “Puerto de la Princesa”. Eventually, it was reduced to Puerto Princesa as it is known today.

National Significance. Puerto Princesa has become the premier tourist destination in the Philippines. It has good access to Southeast Asian sea lanes and is near Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

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The Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) which brings in the participation of Puerto Princesa and Palawan in the growth initiative among the four (4) countries has resulted in increased trading activities in the City. The perceived borderless economy has hastened joint venture cooperation, tourism activities and business travel within the area.

The upgrading of the Puerto Princesa airport has brought about increased air traffic and trade links between Puerto Princesa City and the rest of the region.

Regional Significance. Puerto Princesa is part of Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan (MIMAROPA) Region IV-B and among the active players in the regional development. Its airport and seaport are among the importance transport links in the Region.

The City’s inclusion in the Special Zone of Peace and Development (SZOPAD) under Executive Order No. 371 has helped the City Government in its intensified development efforts particularly in the poor and depressed communities. Projects undertaken through the SZOPAD funds include water supply, irrigation, roads and other humanrelated development projects.

Provincial Significance. Puerto Princesa is the capital city of the Province of Palawan. It is the center of trade and commerce, communication, education and government service. It divides Palawan into northern and southern parts, a component city of the province, it constitutes about 17 percent of the total land mass of the province.

The Northern Palawan Tourism Master Plan has made Palawan one of the priority tourist destinations in the country. With an improved airport and seaport, a paved northbound highway together, with improved access roads to tourist areas in the City plus good support services.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) 1.6 billion Palawan north road is a 134 kilometer road stretching from Puerto Princesa City to the Municipality of Roxas. The concrete road is made with special concrete pavers, making it much smoother than normal concrete roads thus cutting travel time from four-to-five hours to 1.5 hours. Engineers boast that it is a world-class road.

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The road which was completed in 2004, is part of ADB’s Sixth Road project that aims to improve infrastructure in the countryside to boost economic development. The project located in the northeastern coast of Palawan consists of 80.34 kilometer Puerto Princesa-Langogan Road and 54.14 Langogan-Roxas Road.

Puerto Princesa has continued to enjoy the competitive advantage as the main gateway to the rest of the province. Thus it provides a good share of revenue benefits for its inhabitants.

Under the law, Puerto Princesa will have a financial share in the revenue benefits that Palawan gets from the operation of the Malampaya Natural Gas. Geographical Location. Puerto Princesa lies in the heart of the long and narrow island Province of Palawan. It is approximately 300 nautical miles from Manila, 206 from Panay Island and about 250 to Zamboanga.

It is 55 minutes by commercial airlines to Manila. It takes 18-20 hours by sea aboard modern shipping lines that service the area from Manila and is about almost the same travel time from Negros Island.

The territorial jurisdiction of the City is bounded on the north by the Municipalities of San Vicente and Roxas and on the south by the Municipality of Aborlan. Its western side is the coastline of the South China Sea and on the east lies the Sulu Sea. The Land. It is considered one of the largest cities in the country with a land area of 253,982 hectares or 2,539.82 square kilometers stretching over 106 kilometers lone with its narrowest breadth of 8.5 kilometers at Barangay Bahile. Apportioned to sixty-six (66) barangays of which 35 are urban and 31 rural.

While large in size, only 1.8 percent of the area is inhabited and forest cover of 151,405 hectares believed to be the biggest in any city in the Philippines. Puerto Princesa is aptly referred to as the “Princess City in the Last Frontier” of the Philippines. Today it is called “The City in the Forest”.

From the town, a chain of tall and majestic mountain ranges could be seen: towards the northwest. Mt Pulgar (1,208 meters) and Mt. Beaufort (1,121 meters); and towards the southwest, the Cordillera of the Aldea and the Tes Pisos; The mountain ranges traverse the entire •

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central length of the City, dividing it two distinct areas; the east and the west coast. The eastern side is characterized by thin strand lines bordered by swamplands, following a series of white flat plains to hilly terrain.

The west coast has less to offer, being pinched by craggy foothills and rugged mountain areas in the interior. Its highest peak is Cleopatra’s Needle at 1,605 meters.

The City has large productive areas of diverse marine ecosystems that provide shore protection and main source of food and employment in the fisheries and tourism sectors. Its coastline stretches over 416 kilometers and its waters cover an area 327, 586 hectares, its mangroves which are important links between the shore and coastal ecosystems, cover an area of 5,917 hectares. Presidential Decree No. 2152 of 1982 declared the whole province of Palawan including Puerto Princesa City a mangrove reserve area.

Climate. Puerto Princesa enjoys good climatic conditions. It is outside the typhoon belt of the Philippines and is rarely affected by the direct and strong winds of a typhoon.

The City has two (2) prevailing types of climate. The type that prevails in the west coast has two (2) distinct seasons: six months dry (November to April) and six months wet (May to October) with the heaviest record rainfall in September. The lowest or driest months occur in February. Western Barangays of New Pangangan, Marufinas, Cabayugan, Tagabinet, Buenavista, Bahile, Macarascas, Simpocan, Bagong Bayan and Napsan fall within this type.

On the other hand, the east coast has a short dry season with varying heave rainfall months. Dry months have been recorded during the months of January to April.

It has two (2) prevailing winds: the northeast (NE) monsoon and southwest (SW) monsoon. Northeast monsoon generally sets in October and continues until April. While the southwest monsoon prevails from June to October. Slight winds are present with some regularity during the two (2) monsoons from December to April. With the change of winds come slight tempests that bring a sudden rush of winds with slight rains accompanied with thunder. These lightning and thunder do not usually cause accidents or calamities, since they are effected on the 414 |

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peaks of the mountains, which by their natural location and proximity to the shores, serve as natural lightning barriers to protect the inhabitants in the coastal areas.

The calm months of the year are from April through June on both the eastern and western side of the city.

Temperature. The city has a uniform temperature. Generally, the warmest months are March, April and May. The coolest are November, January and February. It has more or less uniform as well as high relative humidity that range from 79 to 80 percent with an annual mean of 84 percent.

People. Puerto Princesa is a melting pot of people with different cultures. This is attributed to the influx of migrants from other Philippine provinces, one of the reasons for the City’s high annual growth rate at 6.5 percent. The 2000 National Statistic Office (NSO) census showed that it has a total population of 161,912 of which 121,748 urban and 40,164 rural with 33,306 households.

The predominant local tongue is Cuyono. However, other languages like English and Filipino and dialects such as Cebuano, Ilocano and other dialect groups are spoken. But Filipino emerged as the common language of communication.

The people are predominantly Roman Catholics but all other religions such as Islam, Jesus is Lord, Baptist, Iglesia ni Cristo, etc. are practiced freely.

While Puerto Princesa is a culturally rich, lively and diverse community, there is respect for individual worth, tolerance of differences between people and collective responsibility for common goals. People have high regard for the environment and recognize the consequence of previous environmental neglect and lack of respect for natural resources. This explains why the City of Puerto Princesa continues to be always No. 1 – Always First!

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Preparatory Recall Assembly Liga ng mga Barangay President and Preparatory Recall Assembly ChairmanMark David Morato Hagedorn checks the number of PRA participants present for an assembly quorum.

Barangay Chairman Earl Buenviaje confers with other members on assembly proceeding.

Placard bearing people from all walks of life rally for support of Hagedorn’s candidacy for City Mayor.

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Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. (extreme right and Commissioner Luzviminda Tancangco proclaim Edward S. Hagedorn winner of the 2002 Recall Election.

“Balik ang Dangal at Sigla sa Puerto Princesa City” the people’s battle cry.

People nudge in to get near Mayor Edward Hagedorn (center), with brother Douglas Hagedorn (in blue shirt with shades).

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People’s Choice, People’s Voice. During the 2002 Election, where an overwhelming support was made for Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn when, everyone thought he had lost but the recall showed who the people’s choice really was.

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APPENDIX LIST OF MUNICIPAL PRESIDENTS 4 July 1902- 28 February 1945 Honorable Jose Fernandez 1902 - 1906 Honorable Jose Valencia 1906 - 1907 Honorable Juan Liwag 1907 - 1909 Honorable Manuel Delgado 1909 - 1911 Honorable Jose Valencia 1911 - 1912 Honorable Vicente Reynoso 1912 - 1913 Honorable Reymundo Bonoan 1913 (resigned before

the year end) Honorable Pedro Vicente 1913 - 1914 Honorable Geronimo Carandang

1914 - 1916 Honorable Pedro Vicent

15 October 1916 15 October 1919 Honorable Teodoro Malate

16 October 1919 15 October 1922 Honorable Jose Fernandez

16 October 1922 15 October 1925 Honorable Aniceto Lacao

16 October1925 15 October 1934 Honorable Vicente Palanca

22 October 1934 31 December 1937 Honorable Severino Vicente

1 January 1938 31 December 1940 Honorable Vicente Palanca

1 January 1941 31 December 1943 Honorable Teodoro Malate 1 January 1944 3 July 1944 Honorable Eduardo Valencia 22 June 1944 28 February 1945

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THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL 4 July 1946-31 December 1947 Honorable Donato Manga Honorable Domingo E. Vicente Councilor Florentina Reago Councilor Remedios O. Borja Councilor Crispulo Pilapil Councilor Casimiro Mendo

Municipal Mayor Municipal Vice Mayor

1 January 1948 - December 1951 Honorable Donato Manga Honorable Remedios O, Borja Councilor Federico R. Valencia Councilor Restituto Lumbre Councilor Ramon Palanca Councilor Valentin Macasaet Councilor Manuel Caabay Councilor Nicolas Cayanan

Municipal Mayor Municipal Vice Mayor

1 January 1952 to 31 December 1955 Honorable Arturo Magay Honorable Lope Nadayao Councilor Jose T. Toribio Councilor Loreto O. Dacuan Councilor Manuel Dagsa Councilor Zoilo Jalandoni Councilor Juliano Gadiano Councilor Lorenzo Cervancia Councilor Antonio Palay Councilor Dionisio Garma

Municipal Mayor Municipal Vice Mayor

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1 January 1956 to 7 December 1957 Honorable Donato Manga Honorable Zoilo E. Jalandoni Councilor Eduardo V. Valencia Councilor Juliano Gadiano Councilor Modesto Gonzales Councilor Antonio Amar Councilor Dionisio Garma Councilor Federico Provido Councilor Maria R. Gomez Councilor Perfecto Cabrestante

Municipal Mayor Municipal Vice Mayor

7 December 1957 to 31 December 1959 Honorable Zoilo Jalandaoni Honorable Eduardo Valencia Councilor Juliano Gadiano Councilor Maria R. Gomez Councilor Modesto Gonzales Councilor Federico Provido Councilor Antonio N. Amar Councilor Bernardino de Guzman Councilor Dionisio Garma

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Municipal Mayor Municipal Vice Mayor

1 January 1960 to 31 December 1963 Honorable Severino E. Vicente Honorable Juliano Gadiano Councilor Valentin Macasaet, Sr. Councilor Luciano Nale Councilor Miguel Tesorio Councilor Cresencio Dagomboy Councilor Leoncio Rabang Councilor Silvestre Nolasco Councilor Ramon Palanca, Sr. Councilor Basilisa S. Guinto

Municipal Mayor Municipal Vice Mayor

1 January 1964- 31 December 1967 Honorable Lope Nadayao Honorable Feliberto R. Oliveros, Jr. Councilor Isabelo Mirano Councilor Miguel Reynoso Councilor Nilo Caabay Councilor Basilisa S. Guinto Councilor Benjamin Javarez Councilor Ramon Palanca, Sr. Councilor Gil Layacan

Municipal Mayor Municipal Vice Mayor

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1 January 1968- 31 December 1969 Honorable Feliberto R. Oliveros, Jr. Honorable Isabelo M. Mirano Councilor Miguel Reynoso Councilor John A. Mendoza Councilor Panfilo Racuya Councilor Quirino San Juan Councilor Bayani Inocencio Councilor Isidro Palmes

Municipal Mayor Municipal Vice Mayor

FIRST CITY COUNCIL 1 January 1970 Honorable Feliberto R. Oliveros, Jr. Honorable Isabelo M. Mirano Councilor Miguel Reynoso Councilor John C. Mendoza Councilor Panfilo B. Racuya Councilor Nilo Z. Caabay Councilor Juan B. Radoc Councilor Quirino San Juan Councilor Bayani Inocencio Councilor Isidro Palme Mr. Marino R. Valencia

Mr. Vicente S. Licerio, Sr.

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City Mayor City Vice Mayor

Secretary to the City Mayor (1 January 31 December 1970) Secretary to the City Council (1 January -31 December 1970

SECOND COUNCIL 1 January 1972 - 31 December 1975 Honorable Feliberto R. Oliveros, Jr. Honorable Isabelo M. Mirano Councilor Higinio C. Mendoza, Jr. Councilor Miguel R. Reynoso Councilor Ricardo V. Dimalanta Councilor Gonzalo C. Fernandez Councilor Antero R. Rodriguez Councilor Apolinario S. Rengel Councilor Nilo Z. Caabay Councilor Loreto B. Dacuan Mr. Vicente S. Licerio, Sr.

City Mayor City Vice Mayor

Secretary to the City Council (1 January 1972-31 December 1975)

THIRD CITY COUNCIL 1 January 1976- 2 March 1980 Honorable Felibero R. Oliveros, Jr. Honorable Isabelo M. Mirano Councilor Ricardo V. Dimalanta Councilor Apolinario S. Rengel Councilor Nilo Z. Caabay Councilor Loreto S. Dacuan Councilor Higinio C. Mendoza, Jr. Councilor Gonzalo C. Fernandez Honorable Rowena Obeda G. Acosta

Honorable Antonio G. Macasaet

Honorable Daniel P. Caclunos Honorable Roman S. Carlos

City Mayor City Vice Mayor

President, Kapisanan ng mga Kabataang Barangay President, Kapisanan ng mga Punong Barangay Barangay Captain Barangay Captain THE PUERTO PRINCESA STORY

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Honorable Sebastian P. Labrador Honorable Telesforo C. Paredes, Sr. Honorable Benigno M. Ustares

Honorable Felix Rafols, Jr.

Honorable Alfredo N. Baloloy

Mr. Vicente S. Licerio, Sr.

Mrs. Belinda L. Dequi単a

Barangay Captain Representative Professional Representative Agriculture Labor Group Representative Capital Sector Representative Industrial Labor Group Kalihim, Sangguniang Bayan (1 January 1978 30 September 1978) Pangalawang Kalihim, Sangguniang Bayan (16 August 1979 2 March 1980)

FOURTH CITY COUNCIL 3 March 1980 3 March 1986 Honorable Feliberto R. Oliveros, Jr. Honorable Isabelo M. Mirano

Kagawad Felix M.Rafols, Jr. Kagawad Ricardo V. Dimalanta Kagawad Alfonso Lacao Kagawad Apolinario S. Rengel Kagawad Alejandro M. Santiago Kagawad Benjamin D. Javarez Kagawad Gil M. Layacan Kagawad Leoncio H. Rabang Honorable Rowena Obeda G. Acosta

Honorable Leonila Acabado

Mr. Felipe P. Dacuan

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City Mayor City Vice Mayor

President, Kapisanan ng

Mga Kabataang Barangay President, Kapisanan ng mga Punong Barangay Kalihim Sangguniang Bayan (3 March 1980 31 March)

Mr. Edwin R. Sandoval

Mrs. Belinda L. Dequi単a

Executive Assistant, Acting Kalihim (1 April 1983 1 January 1984) Administrative Board Secretary Acting Secretary, (1 January- March 1986)

FIFTH CITY COUNCIL 3 March 1986 2 November 1987 Honorable Alfredo E. Abueg, Jr. Honorable Higinio C. Mendoza, Jr. Kagawad Benjamin S. Carlos Kagawad Carolina F. San Juan Kagawad Ceferino S. Dimalanta Kagawad Pablo S. Ebol Kagawad Alejandro M. Santiago Kagawad Antonio P. Romasanta Kagawad Epitacio C. Abrea, Sr. Kagawad Gaudencio Z. Gabuco Kagawad Danilo L. Gloria Kagawad Panfilo B. Racuya Kagawad Michael G. Tan Mr. Felipe P. Dacuan

Mr. Marino R. Valencia

Mr. Marino L. Arzaga

Officer-in-Charge/City Mayor City Vice Mayor

Kalihim, Sangguniang Bayan (3 March 1986 31 May 1986) City Administrator Acting Secretary Sangguniang Panlungsod (1 June 1986 15 September 1987) Assistant Board Secretary Acting City Secretary, 16 September 1987 THE PUERTO PRINCESA STORY

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Mr. Emilio L. Arzaga

City Secretary, Sangguniang Panlungsod (1 October 1987 1 February 1988)

FIFTH CITY COUNCIL 2 November 1987- 2 February 1988

Honorable Higinio C. Mendoza Officer-in-Charge/City Mayor Honorable Eva P. Ponce de Leon Officer-in-Charge/

Vice City Mayor Kagawad Antonio P. Romasanta, Sr. Kagawad Carolina P. San Juan Kagawad Danilo L. Gloria Kagawad Pablo S. Ebol Kagawad Epitacio C. Abrea, Sr. Kagawad Teofilo M. Palanca Kagawad Reynaldo C. Claud Kagawad Carmy R. Cervancia Kagawad Carlos A. Aballa Mr. Bobby C. Castro

Officer-in-Charge,

Sangguniang Panlungsod

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SIXTH CITY COUNCIL 2 February 1988- 30 June 1992 Honorable Feliberto R. Oliveros, Jr. Honorable Ceferino S. Dimalanta Kagawad Rogelio ZM. Castro Kagawad Michael G. Tan Kagawad Amado L. Lucero Kagawad Gil P. Acosta Kagawad Rogelio M. Jimenez Kagawad Alejandro M. Santiago Kagawad Daniel T. Josol Kagawad Francisco C. Payuyo Kagawad David D. Javarez Kagawad Alroben Goh Mr. Emilio L. Arzaga

Mr. Benjamin C. Sebido

Mr. Evaristo D. Fuertes

City Mayor City Vice Mayor

City Secretary, Sangguniang Panlungsod (2 February 1988 30 September 1989) Acting City Secretary, Sangguniang Panglungsod (1 October 1989 15 November 1989) City Secretary, Sangguniang Panlungsod 16 November 198930 June 1992)

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CITY MAYOR 30 June 1992 21 May 2001 HONORABLE EDWARD SOLON HAGEDORN

SEVENTH CITY COUNCIL 30 June 1992 30 June 1995 Honorable Mil Miguel City Vice Mayor/Presiding

Officer Councilor Vicky T. de Guzman Councilor Amado L. Lucero Councilor Gil P. Acosta Councilor Rogelio M. Castro Councilor Benjamin S. Carlos Councilor Francisco C. Payuyo Councilor Daniel T. Josol Councilor Jessie A. Tabang Councilor Alroben Goh Councilor Frederick A. Ylaya Honorable Rafaelita S. Oliveros President, Liga ng Barangay

(June 30, 1994) Honorable Antonio P. Cabrestante President, Sangguniang

Kabataan Honorable Douglas S. Hagedorn President, Liga ng Barangay

(July 20, 1994) Mr. Evaristo D. Fuertes City Secretary,

Sangguniang Panlungsod

(1 July 1992 7 June 1995) Mr. Benjamin C. Sebido

Board Secretary III,

Acting Secretary,

Sanggunian Panlungsod

June 8-30, 1995

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EIGHTH CITY COUNCIL 1 July 1995 30 June 1998 Honorable Ceferino S. Dimalanta

Councilor Vicky T. de Guzman Councilor Amado L. Lucero Councilor Gil P. Acosta Councilor Frederick A. Ylaya Councilor Rogelio M. Castro Councilor Joaquin V. Palanca, Jr. Councilor Rowena Obeda G. Acosta Councilor Jessie A. Tabang Councilor Alroben J. Goh Councilor Daniel T. Josol Councilor Reynaldo D. Vigonte Honorable Douglas S. Hagedorn

Vice City Mayor/ Presiding Officer

President, Liga ng mga Barangay 12 September 1997- assumed Liga ng Barangay Provincial Chapter President, Ex-Officio Member

Honorable Mark David M. Hagedorn Ex-Officio Member

Liga ng Mga Barangay

President (26 March 1997)

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(Douglas S. Hagedorn, Liga ng mga Barangay President Filed his Certificate of Candidacy as Governor) Honorable Antonio P. Cabrestante

Honorable Luis M. Marcaida III

Mr. Felimon R. Sabas

Mr. Samson A. Negosa

President, Sangguniang Kabataan 3 January 1993 31 June 1996 Ex-Officio Member, President, Sangguniang Kabataan Federation ( 8 July 1996- 30 June 1998) Board Secretary IV, Acting City Secrtary

Secretary to the Sanggunian (1 August 1995 14 May 1998) 15 May 1998 (on detail Manila)

NINTH CITY COUNCIL 1 July 1998- 30 July 2001 Honorable Vicky T. de Guzman

Councilor Jimmy L. Carbonell Councilor Gerardo O. Abordo Councilor Rowena Obeda G. Acosta Councilor Frederick A. Ylaya Councilor Gregorio Q. Austria Councilor Telesforo C. Paredes, Jr. Councilor Jessie A. Tabang Councilor Filomeno A. Vergara Councilor Agapito A. Maduro Honorable Mark David M. Hagedorn

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City Vice Mayor/ Presiding Officer

Ex-Officio Member, President, Liga ng mga Barangay

Honorable Luis M. Marcaida

Kabataan Federation Mr. Samson A. Negosa

Mr. Felimon R. Sabas

Ex-Officio Member, President, Sangguniang

Secretary to the Sanggunian (On detail Manila, 15 May 1998) Board Secretary IV, Acting City Secretary

CITY MAYOR HONORABLE VICTORINO DENNIS M. SOCRATES 30 JUNE 2001-12 NOVEMBER 2002 Councilor Rebecca V. Labit Councilor Telesforo C. Paredes, Jr. Councilor Gregorio Q. Austria Councilor Nesario G. Awat Councilor Rudolf V. Baladad, Sr. Councilor Reynaldo D. Vigonte Honorable Mark David M. Hagedorn President,

Liga ng mga Barangay

Ex-Officio Member Honorable Luis M. Marcaida III President, SK Federation

Ex-Officio Member Mr. Samson A. Negosa City Secretary

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ELEVENTH CITY COUNCIL 1 July 2004 Honorable Lucilo R. Bayron City Vice Mayor,

Presiding Officer Councilor Feliberto R. Oliveros III Councilor Rebecca V. Labit Councilor Gregorio Q. Austria Councilor Mark David M. Hagedorn Councilor Rogelio M. Castro Councilor Henry A. Gadiano Councilor Ma. Teresa C. de la Cruz Councilor Joaquin V. Palanca, Jr. Councilor Rudolph V. Baladad, Sr. Councilor Jimmy L. Carbonell Honorable Douglas S. Hagedorn Ex-Officio Member President,

Liga ng mga Barangay Hon. Dianne Kristel Z. de la Torre President, SK Federation

Ex-Officio Member Mr. Samson A. Negosa City Secretary

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BIBLIOGRAPHY I. BOOKS Agoncillo, Teodoro A. Filipino Nationalism, 1872-1970. Quezon City: R.P. Garcia Publishing Co., 1994 Blair, Emma Helen and James Alexander Robertson. The Philippine Islands, 1943-1898. Vol.12. Reprinted. Mandaluyong, Rizal: Cacho Hernandez, Inc.,1973.

The Philippine Islands, 1943-1898. Vol.28. Reprinted. Mandaluyong, Rizal: Cacho Hernandez, Inc.,1973.

The Philippine Islands, 1943-1898. Vol.44. Reprinted. Mandaluyong, Rizal: Cacho Hernandez, Inc.,1973.

Corpuz, O. D. The Roots of the Filipino Nation. Vol.11. Quezon City, Philippines: Aklabi Foundation Inc., 1998 Delacour, Jean and Ernst Mayr. Birds of the Philippines. New York: The Macmillan Company,1946.

Eder, James F. On the Road to Tribal Extinction. Berkerly University of California Press,1987.

Fox, Robert B. “Looking at the Pre-Historic Community”. Filipino Heritage Vol.2 ed. Alfredo R. Roces. Lahing Pilipino Publishing, Inc., 1977.

Francisco, Juan R. “Two Views on the Origin of Philippines Script”.

Filipino Heritage. Vol.3 ed. Alfredo R. Roces. Lahing Pilipino Publishing, Inc., 1977.

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Fernandez, Jose, Fe Fernandez, Edna Imelda Fernandez Legaspi.

Palawan Flora and Fauna. Palawan Tropical Forestry Programme, 1965.

Kaskins, Jim General Editor. The Filipino Nation. Vol.1 Grolier International. Printed in the United States of America,1982.

Kent, Sherman. Writing History. New York: F. S. Croft’s & Co.,1947.

Malcolm, George H. The Government of the Philippine Islands.

Manila, 1916.

Marcelo III, Benito C. “Baywatch: The Coastal Areas Protection Program.” The Management Systems of Marine Fisheries and Other Coastal Resources of Palawan, Philippines. ed. Michael Pido, Robert S. Pomeroy, Brenda M. Katon, Melvin B. Carlos, Adelvisa C. Sandalo.

International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management and Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff. R. P. No.4, September 1996.

Marche, Alfred. Luzon and Palawan. Trans. Carmen Ojeda and Jovita Castro. Manila: The Filipino Book Guilds, 1970.

Ocampo, Nilo S. Katutubo, Muslim, Kristiyano Palawan: 1621-1901.

Kolonya, Alemanya: Salazar at Mendoza,1985.

Ponce de Leon, Walfrido R. Palwan: Land of Promise Dumaguete City:2001.

Quisimbing, Eduardo. Checklist of Palawan Greenery and Wildlife.”

Filipino Heritage. Vol.7 ed. Alfredo R. Roces. Lahing Filipino Publishing Inc., 1977.

Rizal, Jose. El Filibusterismo Trans. Leon Ma. Guerero. Longman Group (Far East) Limited. Quarry Bay, Hongkong,1965.

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Saleeby, Najeeb Mitry. History of Sulu. Manila: Filipiniana Book Guild,1963.

Sandalo, Ricardo M. “Sustainable Development and the Environmental Plan for Palawan.” Ed. James F. Eder and Janet O. Fernandez. Palawan at the Crossroads. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press,1996.

San Juan, Carolina F. ed. Puerto Princesa During the Second World War: A Narrative History 1941-1945. Quezon City, Philippines: Kadena Press Foundation, inc.,1998.

Sualog, Delia F. “The Coastal Environment Program: The Case of Palawan.” The Management Systems of Marine Fisheries and Other Coastal Resources of Palawan, Philippines. ed. Michael Pido, Robert S. Pomeroy, Brenda M. Katon, Melvin B. Carlos, Adelvisa C. Sandalo.

International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management and Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff. R. P. No.4, September 1996.

Sawyer, Frederick. The Inhabitants of the Philippines. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1900.

Sibal, Divina P. “The Experience of the Ulugan Bay Foundation Incorporated in Community-Based Coastal Resources Management.”

The Management Systems of Marine Fisheries and Other Coastal Resources of Palawan, Philippines. ed. Michael Pido, Robert S. Pomeroy, Brenda M. Katon, Melvin B. Carlos, Adelvisa C. Sandalo.

International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management and Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff. R. P. No.4, September 1996.

Sides, Hampton. Ghost Soldiers. New York: Doubleday, 2001.

Warren, Charles P. “The Bataks of Palawan: A Culture in Transition.

Research Series No.3 Philippine Studies Program. University of Chicago, 1964.

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Zafra Nicolas. Philippine History Through Selected Sources. Quezon City, 1967.

Zaide, Gregorio F. ed. Documentary Sources of Philippine History.

Vol.1. Navotas Metro Manila: National Book, Inc., 1990.

Zaide, Sonia M. The Philippines, A Unique Nation. All Nations Publishing Inc., 1999.

II. MAGAZINES Famorcan, Eleazar M. “Puerto Princesa City: Where Cleanliness is a Way of Life.” Health and Home. November-December 2000.

Galvez, Jose. “Puerto Princesa: A City of Paradise.” Leader. FebruaryMarch 2003.

“Through the Sabang River.” Bulletin. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Puerto Princesa, March 2001.

Halcon, Carl Bryan. “Dos Palmas.” Palawan Community News.

Palawan. February 2004.

III. NEWSPAPERS Patanne, E. P. “Palawan’s Lost Tribe.” The Manila Times. 22 February 1963.

Quiros, Conrado de. “There is a Rub.” Philippines Daily Inquirer. 2004

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IV. PUBLIC DOCUMENTS Master Plan For Community-Based Ecotourism in Ulugan Bay, Palawan, Republic of the Philippines. UNESCO/UNDP Coastal Resource Management and Sustainable Tourism Project Phi/98’007.

Green Globe LTD. January 2000.

Mineral News Service. January 1970.

Socio-Economic Profile. City of Puerto Princesa 1998. Vol.I. Prepared: City Development Council and Office of the City Planning and Development Coordinator. June2000.

Tara Country Gold Course. Western Command. Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

1992 Local Government Performance Report. City of Puerto Princesa.

1994 Local Government Performance Report. City of Puerto Princesa.

1995 Local Government Performance Report. City of Puerto Princesa.

1996 Local Government Performance Report. City of Puerto Princesa 1998 Local Government Performance Report. City of Puerto Princesa.

2000 Local Government Performance Report. City of Puerto Princesa 2003 Annual Performance Report. Documented: City Planning and Development Coordinator March 2004.

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Republic Act No.7586, “An Act Providing for the Establishment and Management of National Integrated Protected Areas System. Defining Its Scope and Coverage and for Other Purposes.

National Protected Areas System (NIPAS), Implementing Rules and Regulations, Department Administrative Order, No.25, Series 1992, 29 June 1992 Republic Act No. 5906, “An Act Creating the City of Puerto Princesa.”

Approved by President Ferdinand E. Marcos on 21 June 1969.

Republic Act No. 6608, “An Act Amending Certain Provisions of Republic Act Numbered Fifty-Nine Hundred Six, Known as the Charter of the City of Puerto Princesa and for Other Purposes.

Enacted without Executive Approval, 23 October 1992.

Presidential Decree No. 437, “Repealing and Amending Certain Section of Republic Act No. 5906, Otherwise Known as the Charter of the City of Puerto Princesa. Promulgated by President Ferdinand E. Marcos on 16 April 1974.

Republic Act No. 7684, “An Act Declaring March Four of Every Year A Special Nonworking Holiday in the City of Puerto Princesa.”

Approved by President Fidel V. Ramos on 23 February 1994.

Sangguniang Panlunsod Resolution No.4-95, “A Resolution Declaring the City of Puerto Princesa A Zone of Peace.” Approved: Edward S. Hagedorn, City Mayor, 19 July 1995.

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V. REFERENCE WORKS Dajer, Tony. “Blackwater Fever.” Discovery Magazine. May 1992.

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001.

Dalleck, Robert. “What Makes A Great President.” Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001.

Efron, Sonni. “Victims Not Ready to Close Books on Minamata Saga.”

Los Angeles Times. 1 August 1997. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001 “Instructions.” Philippians. Good News Bible. Manila, Philippines.

Philippine Bible Society, 1982.

World Heritage Committee. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001.

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Jams and Me

By Ellen M. Hagedorn

E

dward and I eloped in August 1966, moving to Manila. We lived with Tia Dely, Edward’s aunt. Edward wrote to my mother and father promising he wouldn’t hurt me. My parents didn’t reply because they were so angry about what happened and they really didn’t approve of him. They couldn’t understand why I chose Edward over all the other prominent suitors I had. I decided I wouldn’t go home until I gave birth.

I thought that it will be easier for them to forgive me if I brought my baby.

What Edward didn’t know is that Mama was sending me money.

The day of reconciliation came when Petikay was four months old. We decided to go home to Puerto and at the airport, we were met by Aling Juaning (Mother of Mrs. Lanzanas) and Aunt Pining Palanca who took Petikay and brought her to my mother.

In the meantime, I came across Nyde Dacuan, who told me that my father was still very mad at me. I was scared, but I remembered what Mama told me: my father was no longer angry. When I arrived the house, Mama was sitting under the coconut tree carrying Petikay. Mama told me that she was surprised to see Aunt Pening with a baby. She even told her that the baby looked like my daughter. That was when Aunt Pening cried and told her that the baby was indeed my daughter. She told me that was the “Call of the Blood”.

Papa didn’t know that we were coming then. He was in church when we arrived. When word reached him that I was home, he suddenly left for Tagburos. Mama requested Manong Peping Valencia, Papa’s closest friend, to help reason with Papa to forgive and accept us back in the family. Papa and Mama were crying as they took turns in holding Tikay in their arms. Tikay then was the peace offering.

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Edward As Husband Co-existence is the simple explanation to the strength of our relationship. He never mind doing household chores. He did the laundry, ironing, and cooking. An added task which I believed he enjoyed very much as he says was the only way he could get back at me is pulling the hair on my head as much as he could to relieve me of the excruciating pain whenever I had a migraine. He also sang to me at night until I fall asleep.

Like most couples, we, too had our share of problems. We have opposite tastes in a lot of things, but it was never really an issue. I guess our being friends first before becoming a couple has helped us a lot to tide over our differences.

He’s a very good provider. He is by nature very generous to the point that there are times he had to pawn some of our things so that he could help others. He however, is able to get the things back, anyway. One time I cried when I saw our refrigerator being carried away to the pawnshop because someone needed help for the operation of his mother.

Edward As Mayor Our relationship didn’t change much when he became mayor. He was still the same husband who hugged and kissed me. We just had more issues to debate about because he was already in politics, but the sweetness was still there, such as the way he would massage my back so I could fall asleep, although he couldn’t do it as often anymore because of his work.

He still didn’t like it when I was mad at him because it made him lose his concentration. One time when I got sick, he said he lost his direction and was only able to sleep for two hours out of 24 hours that day.

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Edward As A Father He acts as a Santa Claus every Christmas. He really wears the costume, which fits him very well. He sings and carries all the kids. He tried not to speak so that the kids won’t recognize him. We have to turn the lights dim, so they won’t see him leave, and when the lights open, he would be out of his costume. We do that every December.

When we got a house in San Pedro, he handpicked all the things Petikay needed for her room. He knew Petikay’s taste, even if she was a girl. It was the same for Klink. Every detail of Klink’s room was Edward’s idea.

Edward also became the architect, engineer and carpenter of the whole house until it was finally finished. He loves the kids very much! But he doesn’t spoil them. He doesn’t scold them. When they do something wrong, he talks to them with a really soft voice. He treats the kids as if they were his friends.

When the kids are sick, he takes care of them because I get migraines when I stay up too late. He would read books while watching over them so that he wouldn’t fall asleep.

Am I His Inspiration?

I think he wouldn’t reach his position now if I didn’t support him as much as I did. I can certainly say that even though we went through a difficult time . And I had to face the responsibility of being the mother and father to my children. I could say that the pain and heartache we felt through those trying years brought us as a family much closer to each other. We have so much love for each other that there was no room for dissension, and no matter what people say, it never crossed my mind to leave him, We, our children and me an my family were the only ones who stood by him then.

There were moments when I felt so desperate, but I did not succumb to the temptation on giving up on him – because I knew I was all what Edward got and on my part, he was the only one for me.

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THE PUERTO PRINCESA STORY

At this point, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my officemates in the Provincial Development Staff/Palawan Economic Development Council (PSD/PEDC) and the late Governor Salvador P. Socrates for their patience in bearing with me in moments I couldn’t concentrate on my work. I was never absent then, but more often than not, there were times when I just really couldn’t concentrate on what I had to do at work because my mind is in turmoil over Edward’s cases in court.

Jams I call him Jams because that was the code we used before. My parents didn’t like him so when he would write, he would say that it was from Jamal, the code for mahal or love. It was then shortened to Jams. A lot of people imitated us, but I wonder if they really know what it means.

We were married thrice. The first time was before we eloped. We went to Narra and were wed by Mayor Ricardo Baldeviso. He hid our papers then because he was scared of papa. Then we were married again in September 29, 1974 by Fr. Garnica. Fr. Cosmilla was our sponsor.

This is the official date that we celebrate as our wedding anniversary.

The third time was then when I went to the United States in 1984, because the embassy needed civil wedding papers. We had lost the first set of papers by Mayor Baldeviso, so we had to go through it again.

We were married this time by Dr. Yangzon, the civil registrar then.

I remember our sponsor this time was Rey San Gabriel. He was driving a tricycle then and was about to apply or renew his license so we asked him to be the witness of our third wedding.

Poor Edward, he really can’t get away from me.

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THE Author

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alfrido R. Ponce de Leon is an educator, founding President of the Palawan Teachers’ College, now the Palawan State University, which he envisioned in his dissertation, A STATE UNIVERSITY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PALAWAN, for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.) at Centro Escolar University, Manila, in October 1970.

He has written four other books: Historical Development of San Jose, about the history of Old Ayuquitan in Oriental Negros, was one of the founding leaders in its conversion into the present municipality of San Jose on May 9, 1955, particularly focused on the administration of its first Lady Mayor Fe Pareja Montaño, Copyright in 1998, Registration Number 48-641; Palawan: Land of Promise, is the history of the Province of Palawan from the discovery of the Tabon Caves up to 1987. Copyright, 2001, Registration Number A 2003-2084.

Reorienting Barangay Governance, was conceived to bridge the gap between the implementation and purpose of Republic Act Number 7160, better known as the Local Government Code of 1961 to make the barangays more self-reliant as active participants in development.

Copyright 2002, Registration Number A 2003-2084.

Learn, Love Serve, was hopefully written with the vision and mission of life as an endless quest for eternal life expressed in John 17:3, “eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.” Copyright 2006. Registration Number A 2006-961, May 2006.

WALFRIDO R. PONCE DE LEON, PH.D.

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Bernard Weber President and Founder of n7wonders with Mayor Hagedorn (Visited Underground River October 23, 2011).