Puerto Princesa City is the capital of Palawan, located in the heart of a long island province. It is in the extreme western area of the Philippines along the South China Sea. Puerto Princesa is the largest Philippine city in land area, containing 2,540 square kilometers stretched over 106 kilometers in length with the narrowest breadth of 8.5 kilometers between the South China Sea to the west of Palawan and the Sulu Sea to the east.  It is 300 nautical miles southeast of Manila and approximately an hour by air.

The City of Puerto Princesa is the main gateway to the rest of Palawan, an island with great development potential for swimming, reef diving, nature-watching, and other forms of eco-tourism. For a variety of reasons the island has thus far resisted immense development pressures from wealthy East Asian interests. Puerto Princesa strives to win and keep the honor of becoming the “Premier Tourist Destination” in the Philippines.

The city has become a natural destination for eco-tourists, nature lovers, and researchers. It abounds in bio-diverse resources and natural scenic spots. In 1996 the city was designated the “Cleanest and Greenest Component City in the Philippines.” This and a number of other awards for 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 a popular destination.

The Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features a spectacular limestone karst landscape and underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it flows directly into the sea, and the lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. At 25 kilometers in length it is the longest underground river in the world. The area also represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation; it contains a full mountain-to-the-sea ecosystem and protected forests which are among the most significant in Asia. Several years ago the Philippine national government devolved management of the park to the City of Puerto Princesa.

As the only city on Palawan, Puerto Princesa will continue to serve as the center of trade and commerce, communication, education and public administration in the province. Palawan State University, with approximately 8,500 students, Western Philippines University, estimated to have about 4,000 students, and several smaller colleges and technical schools are located in Puerto Princesa. More than 50 dialects are spoken in various areas in the Palawan province. Tagalog is the most widely spoken, but English is also commonly spoken and is the medium of instruction in the universities.

Puerto Princesa possesses a protected deep-water port on its east coast and has regularly been visited by U.S. Navy vessels on goodwill tours. The city was also the site of a well-known WWII tragedy in December 1944 in which the Japanese military killed approximately 133 American prisoners of war to keep them from being liberated by advancing American forces. Approximately twelve men survived, and they and the incident are commemorated in a park maintained by the city.

Recently Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn unveiled the environment-friendly and economical electric-powered “Trikebayan” (silent and pollution-free) at a commercial forum in Manila. The Trikebayan costs only P 48 (about $1.08) per day to operate, while a noisy gasoline-powered counterpart costs approximately P 200 ($4.50). Rolly Concepcion, who conceptualized the Trikebayan, suggests that converting a tricycle engine to electric will cost approximately P 68,000 ($1,500). The 36-watt rechargeable battery under the passenger seat can run for 12 hours. Concepcion’s electric trike is not yet in commercial production, although one Korean firm has expressed interest in financing a production plant in Puerto Princesa.

VISION:

"Towards a Model City in Sustainable Development"

The following concepts characterize the Vision:

· A park-like City demonstrating balance and harmony between development and environment.

· A center for eco-tours, healthful recreation, applied research on ecology, eco-system, marine and terrestrial flora and fauna and environmental management.

· A home for disciplined inhabitants who are responsible stewards of the City’s ecological system and resources; their quality of life improved as they enjoy directly or indirectly the bounties of nature and the fruits of their labor;

· Its major thoroughfares developed as boulevards, promenades and stretches of tree-lined and coastal highways interspersed with parks and resorts and provided with appropriate facilities for tourism, agriculture, commerce and environment- friendly industries.

MISSION:

The city of Puerto Princesa is set to accomplish the following mission:

1. Promote a high degree of citizen and private sector participation in attaining balance between development initiatives and environmental protection;

2. Provide quality social services, community facilities and economic support services;

3. Carry out programs, projects and activities that will support the development thrusts of the provincial, regional and national governments;

4. To ensure transparent, responsive and client oriented governance with the highest degree of professionalism and public accountability.