ALTHOUGH endowed with the natural resources to become a top tourism spot in the region, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan could not go on a promotions campaign abroad because it lacks the needed infrastructure to accommodate the influx of tourists.

Edward  Hagedorn, mayor of Puerto Princesa City, said even without undertaking any marketing campaign, they are already attracting about 176,000 tourists per year, 15 percent of them foreigners.

“They are coming here as a result of ‘word of mouth’ only,” Hagedorn told reporters at the sidelines of the South Luzon Area Business Conference at the Legend Palawan Hotel over the weekend.

Right now, Hagedorn said the city has no international airport, poor access roads to the tourist spots, huge backlog in hotel rooms and deficiency in power requirements.

The area’s top tourist attraction, the underground river considered as the longest navigable in the world at 8.2 kilometers, is now ranked No. 9 globally in the voting for the “new seven great wonders of nature.”

The local government is just finishing the works for the 40-km road leading to it in barangay Sabang in partnership with Holcim Philippines Inc. and aided by a P100-million funding from the national government.

With the current improvements, also funded by Puerto Princesa’s P260-million share from the Malampaya natural gas proceeds, travel time to the underground has been cut down by half to only two hours. But Hagedorn said the most important infrastructure project that they need is the conversion of the city’s airport into an international airport capable of landing 747 planes and with a terminal that will not turn-off the visitors.

“That is why we are really banking on the promise of the national government to finish the international airport by 2010. Once it is operational, we will really take off and we will start our aggressive promotions,” Hagedorn said.

Currently, Hagedorn said he has been turning down invitations to market Puerto Princesa to tourists abroad.

This, he said, is saddening considering the area is endowed with natural resources. Aside from the underground river, Hagedorn said Puerto Princesa has complete attractions from white-sand beaches, dive sites and waterfalls.

Samie Lim, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Puerto Princesa and the whole of Palawan have the capacity to attract 5 million tourists in five years once the needed infrastructure is in place.

In terms of power, Hagedorn said the city’s current capacity is only at 27 megawatts, while its peak season requirement is at 35 to 40 megawatts.

THE Board of Investments (BOI) will start accepting applications for government incentives under the new 2008 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) today, confident that it will be able to publish the specific guidelines within the week.

THE World Bank (WB) Group will allot an additional $6 billion in its next fiscal year to increase its support for global agriculture and food and will launch risk-management tools, as well as crop insurance for poor countries and small holders in developing economies.

A SENIOR House leader warned Sunday that if Congress fails to extend the land acquisition and distribution (LAD) component of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) before it expires on June 10, 2008, it would virtually kill CARP in violation of the Constitution.

PRODUCERS of processed meat such as corned beef, hot dogs and luncheon meat, face the possibility of having to pay more for imported buffalo meat due to a tightness in international supply.

ALTHOUGH endowed with the natural resources to become a top tourism spot in the region, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan could not go on a promotions campaign abroad because it lacks the needed infrastructure to accommodate the influx of tourists.

THE National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) has canceled over the weekend a compliance certificate it earlier gave to Platinum Group Metals Corp. (PGMC) and said it would reissue a new one to Citinickel Mines and Development Corp. on the nickel-rich Palawan mining concession, which the two firms are currently contesting.