This Week in Palawan (September 21 to 27, 2019)

Passing rain showers and a couple of thunderstorms could be experienced in the first few days in Palawan this week [1]. If you’re not into this gloomy weather, don’t cancel your Palawan getaway right away as the coming days will be sunny, perfect for whatever activities you may have in mind. Interestingly, this favorable weather will continue until the end of the week. Day temperature will range from 28°C to 32°C, so consuming lots of watery food and beverages would be nice to keep you hydrated. At night, wear thin fabrics as it’s going to be warm, with temperatures ranging from 24°C to 27°C.

The 500-meter cruise ship port in Puerto Princesa City is now 60% completed and may be finished by the end of 2020, according to City Mayor Lucilo Bayron [2]. He said the port could boost the city’s cruise ship industry as “it will be able to accommodate bigger ships” carrying 7,000 to 10,000 passengers and 5,000 crew members. Started a few years ago, the big-ticket project’s construction is funded by the national government’s “Build, Build, Build” through the Department of Public Works and Highways. Residents, who had settled in Barangays Mabuhay, Pagkakaisa and Bagong Silang where the project is located, have been relocated to give way for the port construction.

In relation, the city government is eyeing a sea route for small cruise ships that could sail to four tourist favorite destinations, Puerto Princesa, El Nido, Coron and Boracay [3].

Puerto Princesa City is in a festive mood as it celebrates the month-long Tourism Month this September [4]. One of the highlights of the celebration is the setting up of shops for locally-made products at the City Coliseum grounds, where tourism-related activities are also held until September 30. During its opening, City Mayor Lucilo Bayron urged residents to travel local to appreciate tourist attractions within their own backyard. The mayor also mentioned the city government’s plan to develop additional tourism destinations, including man-made parks which would help in attracting more tourists. Meanwhile, some of the activities you can check out when in Puerto Princesa this Tourism Month are the electronic dance music street party along Rizal Avenue (Sept 21), color fun run (Sept 22), native fashion show (Sept 24), among others.

The Puerto Princesa’s City Environment and Natural Resources Office will start the inventory of the business establishments next month in preparation for the full implementation of the City Ordinance No. 993 or the single-use plastic ban ordinance [5]. In particular, the said office will check the establishment’s remaining single-use plastics, including other prohibited items like disposable straws, utensils, coffee stirrers, cups, and Styrofoam. This is to see if they have started phasing out these environmentally harmful materials, as part of the one-year transition given to them before the policy will fully take effect in April 2020. Once implemented, establishment owners caught violating it will be fined PhP1,000, PhP3,000 and PhP5,000 for first to third offenses, respectively. Additionally, repeating violators will suffer permits revocation.

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