TRUE to its erstwhile recognition as “Unos de los mas bellas,” or one of the most beautiful towns in the Philippines during the Spanish era, Puerto Princesa keeps on bringing pride to the “Pearl of the Orient” as it endeavors to fulfill an ambitious project that will give her another crown jewel, besides its wonderful underground river.
The proposed Princesa Tower, as it is called, is envisioned as a symbolic towering structure the entire world will look up to (and the tallest structure of its kind) at 680 meters high, taller than the Grand Hyatt, and even the Trump Tower in Manila.
“When we first mentioned it, a lot of Puerto Princesans were laughing at us, and they were saying that we are fools to think of putting up one of the tallest towers in the world,” Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron recalled during the first Puerto Princesa City Business Forum held recently in Pasay City.
Amid criticisms, the mayor is determined to pursue the project after raising a total of P27.55 billion worth of investments pledged by 12 local and foreign companies during the event.
“The Philippines cannot boast of any iconic building. They have one in Malaysia and in several parts of the world, but none for the Philippines. So the only place where you can build a tall tower that will be safe is in Puerto Princesa,” he said, adding that the city is not prone to earthquake, typhoon and even volcanic eruptions.
The proposed 128-floor edifice forms part of the proposed Sta. Lucia Environmental Estate, one of the six state-owned properties that the city government of Puerto Princesa plans to develop into tourism, agriculture and commercial hubs that will not only spur economic activities, but also generate livelihood and employment opportunities.
“We are offering all these properties for partnership, either by joint venture, public-private partnership [PPP], or long-term lease,” Bayron said.
Pawikan home
SITTING just across the bay of Puerto Princesa, the sprawling 1,702-hectare estate stands to be a home also to the Pawikan International Convention Center (PICC).
Its conceptual design, highlighting six exposition hubs that resemble the sea turtle (one of the marine creatures the city is famous for), will certainly break the prestige of all iconic structures in the world.
With a capacity to sit 35,000 people, it seeks to cater to the growing meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, or MICE, market.
“We now have a policy here in the Philippines, where the professionals have to undergo continuous education, [through] yearly conventions or seminars. If we concentrate on the Professional Regulation Commission’s policy of requiring professionals—nurses, teachers, lawyers, doctors, and others—to undergo continuous education, then that convention center can be of big use to the City of Puerto Princesa,” the mayor said.
Complementing the PICC and the Princesa Tower are the high-rise commercial and residential buildings, theme parks, golf courses, and several other tourism-related entities.
Cuyito property
RECLAMATION in this 8-hectare property has already begun to give way to the city’s proposed Cruise Ship Tourism Development Plan.
Known as the country’s capital for such luxurious sea activity, the Port of Puerto Princesa accommodates an average of 12 cruise ships annually.
In 2018 alone, they carried over 9,000 persons, more than 6,000 of which were passengers and about 3,000 were crew members.
The reclamation project will, likewise, see the establishment of the second biodiversity museum in the world.
According to Byron, this is better than the first and existing one that is located in Canada since Puerto Princesa and Palawan are within the “biodiversity hotspot of the world.”
Also part of the proposal for the Cuyito reclaimed area is a shell-like convention center, with a 12,000-seating capacity. Adjacent to it are the Marina office and the lighthouse tower.
“We also envision the construction of hotels in partnership with hotel owners. These will be fronting the Puerto Princesa Bay,” Bayron said, while adding that dining and amusement facilities will be put in place. “We also propose the establishment of restaurants, disco, dance studio, Internet cafes, and anything that will serve the interest of our tourists.”
Coliseum lot
RIGHT at the heart of the city, the coliseum never fails to attract a horde of people who flock to it for various social events.
Because the area lacks space for vehicles to park in, bottlenecks usually build up in the surrounding vicinity, especially during rush hours.
“So we proposed the construction of a steel park building,” the local chief executive said of their plan for the 6-hectare vacant lot.
“It’s also intended for the establishment and construction of commercial buildings, with BPO [business-process outsourcing] facilities,” he added.
What’s more, the mayor bared that the coliseum lot will also pave the way for a proposed elementary school complex.
Irawan Integrated Agriculture Center
FRONTING the Crocodile Farm, this 13-hectare property will be developed into a mix-used area for the city’s burgeoning trade and agriculture industries.
The lot was handed to the local government of Puerto Princesa by the Provincial Government of Palawan on their usufruct for 99 years.
“We are looking for partners to invest in a halal slaughterhouse,” Bayron said of the planned abattoir that follows the practice of killing animals for consumption in a manner permissible according to Islamic law.
Accessibility is guaranteed in this integrated center because of its strategic location: it faces the six-lane-wide highway that will connect Northern Palawan to its southern part.
“We are anticipating the arrival of tourists from Malaysia using the Ro-Ro [roll-on/roll-off] connection from Kudat to Southern Palawan. If we’ll be able to establish a halal slaughterhouse there, we’ll be able to cater to all these people because there’s no such kind of facility yet in our province,” he explained.
Soon to rise there also are two public markets. The bigger one will be built for the producers for the wholesale trade of their agricultural products, while the smaller structure will be for retail purposes.
What’s more, a dormitory, police building, souvenir shops and restaurants will open in the area. There will also be a bus and jeepney station for public transport.
“We have a terminal now at Barangay San Jose, but we have decided to transfer that to this area because we know that five years from now, that community will be full of vehicles, thus causing traffic there. So to lessen the impact, we’re going to transfer the land transport terminal to this Irawan Integrated Agriculture area,” the mayor said.
Beach estates
SURROUNDED by the ocean, Puerto Princesa boasts of coastal areas teeming with fine sand and crystal-clear water.
Two of the beach properties owned by the LGU are located in barangays Simpocan and Inagawan.
The former is around 3.5 hectares facing the West Philippine Sea, while the latter is about 55 hectares fronting the Sulu Sea.
“They are very attractive areas, where you can put up tourism-related businesses,” Bayron said.
Bullish prospects
WHILE plans for all of the state-owned properties are still on the drawing board, Bayron disclosed the favorable response that they have been already receiving from prospective investors.
“We have talked to some, but we are still waiting for them to submit their proposals for evaluation,” the local chief executive told reporters at the sidelines of the forum.
Potential partners, in particular, have shown interest in the Simpocan beach property, coliseum lot, and Sta. Lucia Environmental Estate.
Yibu Education Technology Co. Ltd., for instance, has committed to put up an academic institution within the latter property.
With a pledged investment of P2.1 billion, this Japanese firm plans to build a new university that will offer programs to Chinese nationals and help facilitate their studies in the country.
“Puerto Princesa provides a supportive environment that addresses investor needs,” Bayron said. “We have instituted sound business reforms to promote a better environment for investments.”
The city government, through the Local Enterprise Investment Project Office, provides financial and non-financial incentives for business locators. Also, it offers fast response to investor needs and requirements.
“We have a simplified process in business registration and in securing building permits and certificates of occupancy,” he said of the required documents that can be issued in as fast as three days.
Likewise, the mayor gave credit to their continuous overhaul of roads, improvement of transport and communication systems, ample supply of basic utilities like water and electricity, and expansion of local and international gateways through airports, seaports and even RoRo facilities.
“I invite you to consider investing in Puerto Princesa City,” he said. “Come, join us and let us make history together. I look forward to welcoming you to the City of Puerto Princesa.”
Image credits: Namhwi Kim | Dreamstime.com, Klodien | Dreamstime.com
1 comment
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