Arts & Leisure

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Posted on March 22, 2016 05:07:00 PM

By Nickky F. P. de Guzman, Reporter

Saving grace: Why San Sebastian should be part of your Visita Iglesia

A SIGHT of towering beauty in the midst of a busy street in Quiapo, the San Sebastian Church -- also known as Basilica Menor de San Sebastian -- has witnessed the cries for help and of worship of churchgoers ever since it opened in 1891. But for this Holy Week -- and the coming days and years -- the centuries-old church itself is appealing to its visitors to help its current restoration crusade.

  

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SAN SEBASTIAN’s columns and dome, the altar and the church’s facade. There is a restoration project ongoing to repair the damage caused by rust in the country’s only all-metal church. -- ESTAN CABIGAS

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On March 24, Maundy Thursday, the country’s oldest basilica and the first National Shrine for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, is inviting visitors to take a 10-minute free tour between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to get to know the history and importance of the church and to witness its beauty, and, unfortunately, the deterioration of the country’s first and only all-metal building.

“Just as Visita Iglesia is an expression of our devotion, our penitence, and our faith, so, too, is the Minor Basilica of St. Sebastian,” Fr. Antonio Zabala, Jr., OSA, San Sebastian’s parish priest and the rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is quoted saying in a statement.

The San Sebastian Conservation and Development Foundation, Inc. (SSBCDFI) is the foundation at the helm of the church’s restoration. It offers year-round paid tours for at least P80 for students, but the tour is free for all visitors and pilgrims tomorrow.

“We rally the faithful to help us in its restoration project so that we can truly affirm the strength of our faith,” said Fr. Zabala.

The SSBCDFI is a Security and Exchanged Commission-approved organization composed of Recollect friars and professionals with one target in mind: to finish the restoration process by 2022.

“The problem is not that the building is in a tropics environment, but that it has over 300 leaks. For steel to not rust, the paint on it must be intact. This way, it can survive easily in the tropics. So the problem is not steel in the Philippines, but that deferred maintenance, some poor repairs, and some flaws in design or construction in the past have encouraged these leaks, which causes rust,” said SSBCDI executive director Tina Paterno in an e-mail interview.

The basilica has had previous repair campaigns. “I don’t know if they were full-fledged restorations,” said Ms. Paterno, but according to their historic research, there were about 11 (and “probably more unrecorded”) restoration campaigns.

To prevent the recurrence of the same problem after the ongoing restoration campaign ends in 2022, Ms. Paterno said: “We currently run tours and have a merchandise program that will help make our work sustainable during the restoration, and can carry over when the project is done. That money will be used for [the church’s] proper maintenance so that we do not find ourselves in the same situation in the future.”

As for how much the project will cost and how are they going to cover it, Ms. Paterno begged off from stating a specific amount until the foundation’s final study. “The funding for the diagnostic phase was through the Recollects and the US Department of State through the Ambassador’s fund for Cultural Preservation, administered through the Embassy Manila,” she said. They also received grants from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Bakas Pilipinas, a Philippine historic preservation society in New York.

Designed by Genaro Palacios, the structural metal of the church was manufactured in Belgium and erected by Belgian engineers. It took a decade to finish the church from concept to execution. According to Ms. Paterno, seven countries came together to produce the church, “and now nationals from different countries are again coming together to save it.”

They have sought help from consultants who have worked on similar structures including San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and New York’s Statue of Liberty. But contrary to popular belief, the church is not related to Paris’ Eiffel Tower, although both are made of steel.

“Do not believe what you read online!” said Ms. Paterno. “We’ve been researching [about] this (the relationship between Eiffel and San Sebastian) for a while, and it does not look likely.”

This is just one of the educational tidbits the church tours share with pilgrims and visitors.

Oftentimes, people who are used to seeing and passing by a historical edifice tend to take for granted its meaning and importance, and will only remember it once it is already deteriorating. So when asked why people should visit San Sebastian, Ms Paterno said: “[The churchgoers] should walk out recognizing what a unique building this is. That this is one of the last remaining churches with authentic interiors...”

Author and philosopher Alain de Botton in his book The Art of Travel emphasized this when he said, “Try, before taking off for distant hemispheres to notice what we have already seen.”

TOUR ITINERARY SUGGESTION: 
If you plan to do your Visita Iglesia in the Manila area, here is a route suggested by the folks of San Sebastian:

Start with the twin churches of Our Lady of Loreto and Saint Anthony on J. Figueras St. (old Bustillos); then move on to the Our Lady of Montserrat chapel at San Beda on Mendiola St., followed by Saint Jude Church and San Miguel Church along J.P. Laurel Sr. St., in Malacanang. Continue the pilgrimage at the Quiapo Church, and then end at San Sebastian church on Plaza del Carmen, R. Hidalgo St., Quiapo, Manila.

For more information, contact the foundation through e-mail (savesansebastian.org@gmail.com) and landline (708-5122).

Al Gore: A will to act is in itself a renewable resource

Nation

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Posted on March 14, 2016 10:48:00 PM

By Nickky F. P. de Guzman, Reporter

Gore sees ‘more sun’ in Manila, urges solar use

SOLAR ENERGY is becoming globally cheap, “because we’re reaching a grid parity,” said Albert Arnold “Al” Gore, Jr., former US vice-president and Nobel Prize-winning climate change advocate, before an audience on Monday of more than 700 representing the Philippines and 80 other countries.

Former US Vice-President Al Gore speaks at the Climate Reality Corps Training in Pasay City yesterday. -- Philippine Star_Krizjohn Rosales

Mr. Gore is in the country for a three-day leadership corps training by The Climate Reality Project, which he is the founder.

Grid parity happens when a developing technology like solar can produce electricity for the same cost as the traditional source, like coal energy, the Nobel laureate said.

Yet, despite a global slowdown in coal demand, coal consumption in the country is practically more than threshold the global demand, as Sen. Loren Legarda, a participant in this forum, noted in her separate presentation.

“Why is the Philippines taking the opposite track?”

She answered her own question: because coal is “widely available” and affordable.

For Mr. Gore, the principal part of the climate change problem is that “we still rely on dirty carbon based fuels for 85% of energy used in [the] global economy.”

“We can get rid of dirty fossil fuel. We need to put a price on carbon in the markers and put a price on denial in politics,” he said.

Ironically, as Ms. Legarda in her turn pointed out, the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that the Philippines has 246,000 megawatts of untapped capacity for renewable energies that could generate 175,000 jobs.

“It is unforgivable not to tap them,” she said.

Mr. Gore: “It’s not impossible to see the Philippines going [100%] solar... because it’s becoming the cheapest energy -- except the coal companies don’t like it.”

He urged the Philippines and the rest of the world to go solar because “enough solar energy reaches the earth every hour to fill all the world’s energy needs for a full year.”

In his two-hour presentation, Mr. Gore mentioned countries like Chile, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Cambodia, among others, as among the nations slowly buying solar panels.

“You get more sun than Chile,” he said.

The Philippines relies on coal and fossil fuels as energy sources, but some are already tapping into renewable energy.

According to Ms. Legarda, the country is the first in Southeast Asia with large-scale wind and solar energies, “but we’re still far away from maximizing renewables.”

In 2008, the country enacted the Progressive Renewable Energy Law, which gives incentives for renewable energy suppliers.

The senator promised to monitor the compliance of laws on renewable energy law, clean water, clean air, and solid waste management. “All we need is to cooperate [in ensuring] these laws are followed,” she said.

In her meeting with BusinessWorld editors last year, Mary Anne Lucille L. Sering, then Climate Change Commission secretary, said the country has no baseline data yet to start maximizing renewable energy technologies.

“We don’t subsidize fossil fuels. In short, our policy in terms of energy and lack of subsidy makes it [an] ideal country to bring in renewable. We’ve been acting like one grid country when we’re an archipelago. Maybe we should look at off grid areas doing independent energy mix,” she said.

Mr. Gore is optimistic. He likens the growth of solar energy technology to that of mobile phones, which saw overtime a “sharp cost dropped,” “dramatic quality improvement,” and “all the low-income nations with no landline grids leap-frogg[ing] the old technology.”

“Because of [the] impact of climate-related extreme weather, it has become a simple choice of what is right and what is wrong...This is a people’s movement from [the] grassroots up to confront decision makers for [a] decision to make yes instead of no and right instead of wrong,” he said.

He added: “A will to act is in itself a renewable resource.” His audience roared as he closed his power point presentation.

 Arts & Leisure

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Posted on March 14, 2016 05:36:00 PM

CineFilipino: going beyond rom-coms

By: Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

THERE’S MORE to Filipino movies than romantic comedies. Proving this is the second installment of the CineFilipino film festival -- running from March 16 to 22 at select cinemas -- where story is king and diversity rules.

  

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“Let’s prove that Filipino movies are not just about rom-coms and that there are rom-coms that offer even greater substance than their theme song,” said film competition director Jose Javier Reyes.

He acknowledged the importance and existence of other festivals including Brillante Mendoza’s Sinag Maynila, Quezon City’s QCinema, and Cinemalaya, but he said: “There’s no competition [between the festivals]. But it only opens new doors to new voices and gives opportunities to new directors. CineFilipino is palatable to any audience... it is not insulting their intelligence.”

Unitel Productions, in partnership with the MVP Group of Companies, organizes the film festival.

“The essence of the story will always be at the core of CineFilipino, and with this year’s various categories, moviegoers are offered a more enriching experience,” said film festival director and Unitel Productions President and Group COO, Madonna Tarrayo.

The festival’s competition categories are: feature-length films; documentaries; TV series; short features, and; online and mobile content. But only the feature-length films, short features, and documentaries will be shown in cinemas with ticket priced at P180 and P100 for students. Where the rest will be shown is yet to be announced.

The participating cinemas are Gateway Cineplex, the Edsa Shangri-La Cineplex, the Greenhills Theater Mall Cinema, New Port Cinemas, Robinsons Galleria Movieworld, Robinsons Manila Movieworld, Robinsons Metro East Movieworld, and Festival Cinemas.

“[The festival hopes to have] more Lav Diaz and more Brillante [Mendoza],” said Mr. Reyes, referring to two of the countries most recognized independent film directors. “But moreover, more intelligent movies, not only in independent films, but more especially for the mainstream industry,” said Mr. Reyes, who directed the 2015 rom-com box-office hitMy Bebe Love: #KiligPaMore.

He added: “Diversity is a word often used and overused, but in this case, it is most appropriate. We can see even from the trailers of the films that it is very diverse in the sense that the themes cut across an entire spectrum, from a boy undergoing the trauma of his first semester down to a lesbian tattoo artist who wants to bear a child.”

Mr. Reyes was referring to two of the nine full-length entries: 1^st Sem and Ned’s Project.

STORIES WORTH TELLING
Directed by Dexter Hemedez and Allan Ibanez, 1^st Sem is about the love-hate relationship between a mother (Lotlot de Leon) and her son, who suffers from #sepanx (separation anxiety) a day after starting to pursue an education in Manila. He insists in studying in his hometown but his mother refuses, and their relationship soon starts to fall apart.

Ned’s Project is a story of lesbian tattoo artist (Angeli Bayani) and her dream of bearing a child. She joins a talent reality show for lesbians in the hopes of making enough money to finance the needed artificial insemination. The film’s director, Lemuel Lorca, said the story came to him over bottles of beer, when a friend confided that she wanted to have a child.

The directors, who were granted P2 million each to create their films, said the Filipinos should watch the films because the stories talk and tackle the lives of anybody who has experienced failed relationships and frustrations. Some stories also even touched the plights of the LGBT community.

The other full-length entries are:

• Ang Taba ko Kasi (directed by Jason Paul Laxamana; starring Cai Cortez, Mark Neumann, and Ryan Yllana), about a fat girl who, wanting to lose weight, enrolls in a night swimming class, and finds herself even more motivated when she sees her hot instructor. Soon, she’s torn between two men: the instructor who wants her to lose weight and a plus sized friend who accepts her as she is.

The film is “a light rom-com that’s grounded on reality,” said its director, Mr. Laxamana. “I want to show a protagonist who’s not an object of ridicule. This is my story, and everybody’s. After all, we all have insecurities.”

• A Lotto Like Love (directed by Carla Baful; starring Martin Escudero and Isabelle de Leon), about two people who are polar opposites but whose interests converge; thanks to lotto. Kayela (De Leon) asks a random guy, Itot (Escudero), for numbers to fill her lotto ticket -- which turns out to win the grand prize. But on their way to claim the prize, they lose the bag containing the winning ticket while avoiding thieves and must find a way to retrieve it.

• Ang Tulay ng San Sebastian (directed by Alvin Yapan; starring Joem Bascon and Sandino Martin). On midnight of Good Friday, while on a provincial rode after dropping off a patient; a nurse and a driver recount ghost stories to keep themselves awake. But traditions have it that it’s bad luck to tell scary stories on a Friday because they might come true. Indeed, the two men find themselves encountering the ghost stories they just told each other. Will they be able to cross past the San Sebastian bridge in time?

• Buhay Habangbuhay (directed by Paolo Alessandro Herras; starring Iza Calzado, Meryll Soriano, Ricci Chan, Jake Macapagalas, and Rocky Salumbides). When homemaker Sandy (Calzado) dies during a cooking accident, she decides to stay on Earth and dutifully wait for her husband to die so they can move on together in the afterlife. While waiting, she learns to accept her husband’s new life and new wife. But when he eventually dies, he is nowhere to be found, and it dawns on Sandy that she waited in vain. Her journey now begins as she moves on from her past life, albeit as a ghost.

• Straight To the Heart (directed by Dave Fabros; starring Carl Guevarra, Gwen Zamora, Ricci Chan, Vincent de Jesus, Nico Antonio, Kiko Matos, Dina Padilla, Cris Lomotan, and Gilleth Sandico. A friendly gay hairdresser falls into a coma after a violent fight with an ex-boyfriend, and wakes up from the coma as a straight man -- an arrogant, sex-obsessed man who offends his close friends and disrespects his lesbian best friend. He and his friends then struggle to find the true meaning of love and friendship.

• Star na si Van Damme Stallone (directed by Randolph Longjas; starring Candy Pangilinan, Acey Aguilar, Sarah Brackensiek, Ebong Joso, Isaac Aguirre, Paolo Pingol, and Jadford Dilianco). Based on true story about a single mom who raises a child with Down Syndrome named Van Damme Stallone. When he tells her he would like to be a TV artist, she works to fulfill her son’s dreams.

• Sakaling Hindi Makarating (directed by Ice Idanan; starring Alessandra De Rossi, Pepe Herrera, Teri Malvar, JC Santos, and Karen delos Reyes). Devastated when her fiancee calls things off two months before the wedding, Cielo receives a mysterious series of handpainted postcards and sets off on a journey by land and sea to seek the writer. “Beyond the love story, it aims to show the beauty of the Philippines. Bago ibang bansa, sa atin muna (Before you travel abroad, discover the country first),” said the film’s director.

The winners will be announced at the CineFilipino’s Awards Night on March 19 at Teatrino Greenhills.

NO TO PUBLIC AND DOMESTIC WOMEN VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT

FOCUS

‘We’re not asking for it’

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By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

He was holding it, caressing it. A man, a stranger, wearing short shorts, sunglasses, and cap, was masturbating in a jeepney I was riding in Manila. The other passengers were all women. Some were oblivious, but I, I was sitting in front of him and saw him doing it. As quick as I could, I hopped off. I didn’t call anyone for help, but only texted a friend to tell her the story. It was infuriating, at the same time frightening.

One in two women do nothing after being sexually harassed in public places. This is according to the latest, and “perhaps the first survey ever in the Philippines” on street harassment.

“Because they were overcome by fear,” said Social Weather Stations (SWS) project director Jay Sandoval about this reaction. 

The study was done on Feb. 13-18 in Quezon City, which has a population of more than three million and has one of the biggest urban poor populations in the country.

The SWS baseline study on street harassment was made possible in cooperation with the United Nations (UN) Women and Quezon City, which signed a partnership for the Safe Cities for Women initiative as a campaign in celebration of the National Women’s Month. The project aims to increase awareness of sexual harassment and safety in public places. Quezon City is the pilot city of the global initiative implemented by UN Women but will also soon include other cities in the country.

“Thirty nine percent of the surveyed women said the sexual harassment on the street was ‘negligible’,” said Mr. Sandoval.

Some reasons for not reacting include: “I would be in greater danger if I take any action” (23%); “Nothing would happen anyway” (20%); and “I was stunned” (20%).

The study surveyed 400 men and women in Barangay Payatas and Bagong Silangan in Quezon City. The city project “serves as a foundation or benchmark for project development and evaluation,” said Mr. Sandoval.

To kick off the initiative, UN Women and Quezon City are circulating a “Stop Now” video they shared on social media and will circulate soon as commercials on television and cinema. Campaign materials displayed on lampposts and bus seats will be set up this month.

“The Stop Now video aims to promote awareness, but most especially its target is the men and bystanders,” said UN Women Safe Cities program head Katherine Belen.

According to the study, majority of the sexual harassment comes from strangers and happens on the street and in public transport.

Elyssa Lopez, 21, was only waiting for a jeepney ride home when, “a stranger whispered in my ear and said, ‘Hi, sexy.’” Apparently, she was unaware her bra strap was showing, but “I was wearing a decent sleeveless shirt and jeans. And, no, I didn’t feel sexy. It didn’t feel like a compliment. I felt harassed.”

The study said one in seven (or 15%) of women have experienced sexual harassment in public places at least once a week. This includes catcalling, lascivious language, voyeurism, indecent gestures, stalking, public masturbation, sending pornographic videos and photos, and groping, rubbing, and touching.

“Be a decent human being,” Ms. Lopez said. She is one of the many people who have shared the Stop Now video on their Facebook accounts. It has 110,000 views and counting.

But the men — surely they know what they’re doing?

According to the study, three of five men have admitted to committing a form of sexual harassment at least once in their lifetime, while two out of five men have committed the worst forms of harassment: public masturbation and groping.

According to SWS project director Mr. Sandoval, sealed envelopes were given for questions on male perpetration because some may not admit it when asked face to face.

Unfortunately, the survey said more women than men thought the harassment was their fault and blamed themselves because of “how they’re dressed” and because “there are women who deserve to be harassed.”

I asked a friend through Facebook on her thoughts about this. My friend, who begs not to publish her name, often complains about men who ogle her breasts. She said, “I value the thoughts of the surveyed women [in Quezon City], but I strongly believe that it’s not our fault. We didn’t ask for it. Could the men imagine if the tables were turned?”

“While we have the rape law, there’s no specific law when a woman is outside her home,” said UN Women program head Ms. Belen.

The country has law on rape, the Magna Carta of Women, and Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) desks at barangays and police stations. But then, advocates say the laws are not implemented well.

Even 70% of the surveyed self-proclaimed harassers said increased sanctions “will deter them from committing sexual harassment again.”

So to start, Quezon City amended its Gender and Development Code this month. It is increasing the penalties: 30 days of imprisonment or a fine of P1,000-P5,000 for light and medium harassments including verbal and visual harassments, respectively; and 30 days to one year and a fine of P3,000-P5,000 for sever violence including physical harassment.

According to Ms. Belen, P5,000 is the ceiling fine allowed for local codes.

The “Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces” global initiative builds from its “Safe Cities Free of Violence Against Women and Girls” global program launched in November 2010. It aims to develop, implement, and evaluate policies and comprehensive approaches on the prevention of sexual harassment and violence. It started in cities like New Delhi, India; Cairo, Eygpt; and Kigali, Rwanda, among others, and is now in Quezon City, Philippines.

Ms. Belen told BusinessWorld the program — including the videos, posters, and training — would start in Quezon City, but would soon be launched in other cities. The program training of local government officials, according to the UN Women web site, include “techniques and tools to develop skills and changes in attitudes and behaviors. It is a continuous and long-term process that requires political will and commitment of all parties in order to create inclusive societies that recognize the need to promote gender equality.”

“I deserve a safe street where I can walk anytime without fear,” said Anne Arguil, 25. She works in a business process outsourcing (BPO) company in Taguig and goes home late at night or at dawn.

The study says 80% of women will be encouraged to report the harrassment because of sanctions. 

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TRAVEL & TOURISM

Puerto Princesa: Fireflies, an audio tours, and a penal farm

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By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

PALAWAN OFFERS the picture of the perfect island life, with beaches and secluded islets ideal for swimming and diving. It isn’t surprising that Conde Nast Traveler magazine named Palawan the world’s best island in 2014 and 2015. But Palawan has more to offer — capital city Puerto Princesa has other secret weapons to lure its tourists, both local and foreign, to keep them coming back for more.

Puerto Princessa Sights: Iwahig at daytime. — Iwahig Firefly Tour

Last year, the tourist arrivals in Puerto Princesa hit 800,000. “We are expecting one million tourist arrivals [in Puerto Princesa] for this year,” city tourism assistant officer Demetrio Alvior, Jr. told BusinessWorldduring a media visit on Feb. 16 to 18.

The increased number of flights is one of the reasons for the increasing tourists arrivals, said Mr. Alvior. For instance, there’s now a direct flight from the city to Taiwan twice a week. The members of the media meanwhile flew via AirAsia, which has direct daily flights from Manila to Puerto Princesa.

The city is also reinventing its offerings to attract more tourists.

First on the list is the new audio tour of Puerto Princesa’s famous underground river, its most famous attraction, luring 1,200 visitors a day. The local government has decided to mute its bangkeros (boatmen), who often draw loud cheers from their passengers thanks to their witty puns and jokes, in favor of an audio tour which started being offered in January. This way, the bats inside the 8.2-kilomoter (km) river — said to be the longest underground river in the world — can roost at peace.

Puerto Princessa Sights: The new Canvas Botique Hotel, near the airport, is one of nearly 1,000 hotels in the city.

Located 80 km north of the capital city, it takes a 45-minute trip by land to reach the Puerto Princesa Underground River, which is a World Heritage Site and also one of the New 7 Wonders of the Nature. The subterranean river journey costs P250 for foreign tourist and P175 for local tourist. To reach the cave, tourists must travel a further 20 minutes by sea, with a risk of seasickness when big waves hit. Upon arrival at the shore outside the cave — and taking a few pictures at its pristine beach — visitors are asked to pay an extra P85 for earphones. The language options include Filipino, French, English, Japanese and Chinese. According to media friends who visited the river before, while the pre-recorded explanation aims to reduce noise inside the cave, they said they missed the live interaction with the bangkeros. Sometimes the recordings are not in sync with the pace of the tour so it gets hard keep up. But one can opt not to wear the earpiece, and instead, marvel at the cave’s natural beauty at your own pace.

Stalactites and the stalagmites fill the underground river’s course, some formations glistening as if adorned with diamonds, some rough and edgy. “Nature is a good artist that likes to incorporate textures,” said the recording. Some rock formations look like fruits and vegetables, others seem to offer more religious imagery. “Use your imagination,” the recording encouraged the tourists.

The tour lasts 40 minutes before the banca turns back, even though the river stretches farther into the pitch darkness. Much of the river still remains uncharted.

FIREFLIES AND PRISONERS
The trip to the Underground River requires a full day. But if you still have the energy for another trip after, the Iwahig firefly adventure should be included in the list. After all, it happens once the sun sets.

The Iwahig firefly tour — two-km river cruise that lasts for 30 minutes — started being offered in early 2000, thanks to the initiatives of the locals and its partnership with ABS-CBN Foundation.

Thirty minutes away from the capital city, on a dark river illuminated only by the bright stars in the clear sky, tourists play hunters in the jungle, searching for the alitaptap or firefly, whose bioluminescence attracts both mates and prey. According to our boatman, Jonathan, fireflies thrive among the bakawan or mangroves. Once a common sight all over the country, including the cities, pollution has shooed these twinkling insects away. Now, to see an alitaptap in the city is almost impossible for they can only live in a place with clean air — such as that in Iwahig. The Ihawig firefly tour is so popular that sometimes, especially at the peak summer season, there can be tours as late as two in the morning. The boat ride costs P600 for three persons.

The Puerto Princesa goverment is preparing another tourist attraction that is adjacent the Iwahig firefly tour: the Iwahig penal farm.

At 28,333-hectares, Iwahig — one of the largest penal farms in the world — is safe to visit. There is barely a fence to mark its boundaries, but the prisoners aren’t tempted to escape. After all, the inmates under rehabilitation are allowed to earn their own income to help them once they are free. The penal farm — established in 1904 during the American Occupation — is green, peaceful, and scenic, home to vegetable farms, crocodile farms, and the Balsahan river, which, according to Ihawig Superintendent Antonio Cruz, is slated to be eventually have its own version of Bohol’s Loboc river cruise where one can eat lunch on a boat while leisurely sailing down the water. The plan, however, isn’t concrete yet.

Puerto Princessa Sights: Going into the bat cave that is the Puerto Princesa Palawan Underground River.

The visiting media were able to visit the penal colony’s souvenir shop, which offers artworks and souvenirs made by prisoners from found objects.

In the works are historical tours of the city said tourism officer, Mr. Alvior. The city, after all, is celebrating the 71st year of Palawan Liberation on April 21 to 23.

“The role of Palawan guerrillas who liberated the island from Japanese invaders during World War II was crucial to Philippine history,” said Palawan Governor Jose Ch. Alvarez in a statement. “It’s about time we recognize their heroism through historical tourism programs.”

The new tourism package offering includes a heritage tour and visit to the World War II Museum, which features the role of the Palawan Special Battalion who fought side-by-side with the Americans. A walkable tour, the tourists can hop from one heritage site to another, including the creepy Plaza Cuartel, found in the heart of the city. Here, explained our tour guide, lie the bodies of American soldiers who were tortured, burnt  and buried alive by Japanese soldiers.

Whether a trip to the beach, an educational tour of an underground river, or a trip down memory lane, one’s visit at the Puerto Princesa, Palawan begs to be remembered and revisited.

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