Palawan: What enigma is there?

A view from the plane was telling me that the islands down there were different from the rest. At about 15,000 feet, while the plane was descending and readying for landing, my eyes feasted on the natural beauties below: verdant mountains, crystalline waters and white beaches. So this is Palawan.

As soon as the plane encountered the runway, I was so excited to discover the charm of this island which claimed itself to be the country's last frontier.

Perchance, my expectations were just so high that when I checked out of the airport, I saw nothing but a familiar sight, a view similar to my place and while I was convincing myself that there's much more to see, the sights and sounds hitherto did not appeal at all to me.

Ordinary. For a mountainer like me, there was nothing special with a city inside a forest. While the cleanliness of the city was the talk of the country and the world, my eyes caught sideviews which failed my expectations. Perhaps, I just expected so much.

To borrow a line from my aunt: "Do not expect too much. Because too much may be too little and too little seldom satisfies."

I was in Palawan for a business trip.I was one of the poster presenters in the 23rd Symposium on R&D Highlights. Below is the poster.

I always love attending research conventions and symposia. This year, I am really amazed of the breakthroughs done by the University of the Philippines in Los Baños. I had this feeling of being dwarfed by their molecular studies and by establishing strong partners from other famous universities abroad. Romblon State University has yet a long long way to go to be at par with the national university.

The city government of Palawan sponsored a dinner for the attendees, a treat that showcases the culture of Palawan, their pride and their heritage. Unfortunately, Mayor Hagedorn was not able to attend due to a health problem. I took a picture of the event.

Someone told me that what is beautiful in Palawan are the natural parks and sites. Those that attract tourists. According to the city council, in 2009 they were able to accomodate about 300,000 tourists. Having the tour package on my lap, I know that I will be short of bucks if I would go to their tourist spots. So what my friends and I did was to hire a tricycle to tour us around the city and to places like Mitra's house and Baker's Field. Along the way, I saw Uncle Nick Hernandez's mansion along the national road. He is an uncle of my wife. The place is so beautiful and gandiose.


I bought hopia and pearls at Baker's Field, a children's park that is a dead ringer of disneyland. A fairy tale park actually. It was a pleasure having a roundabout walk in their proto zoo-botanical garden. Mayor Eduard Hagedorn, the city's mayor who is now being called as the latest the tourist attraction in Palawan by chance passed by Baker's Field where we had a photo opportunity with him.

The flea market was where the cheapest of the pearls were sold. Dried fishes and live seafoods were also bestsellers. One product at which Palawan is known for is their cashew nuts, fried and roasted. There was one thing that caused me to smile as I went to the inner market. Wastes were properly managed. Someone told me that the newly built market is a state-of-the-art, but it was still few kilometers away from the flea market.



Palawan is just like a naive lady. Its beauty grows the more it is being explored and discovered. And if there was one thing that amazed me about the place, it would be the people: the drivers, the pension house owners, the sales ladies... They knew their place, the laws and their environmental accountabilities.

Imagine this: I just received a lecture on solid waste management, sanitary landfill management, reduction of air pollution by converting motorcycle engines into four stroke, and others from a tricycle driver who also became our tourist guide and photographer during my brief trip in Palawan.