Rep. Abraham Kahlil Mitra, son of the late Speaker Ramon Mitra, has filed a bill in Congress seeking to attach to Palawan the title "ecotourism capital" of the country in a bid to promote the province to the world and protect its natural resources.
Mitra’s House Bill 3453 has passed the committee level and may be enacted into law in the next few months. The bill, he said, is timely since 2002 is the United Nations’ International Year of Ecotourism.
"There is no doubt that Palawan fits the bill," he said. "The environmental attributes of Palawan show its potential to be the ecotourism capital of the country."
Ecotourism is a new way of traveling often marketed as a form of nature-based tourism. Defined by the World Conservation Union as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people," it is now a rapidly growing industry which countries all over the world – from Africa to the Americas all the way to Asia – are eyeing to promote.
And Palawan is perfectly suited for this brand of tourism, according to Mitra. Being the country’s largest province, Palawan has 1,708 islands that are home to white sand beaches, rich coral reefs, sparkling lagoons, tranquil coves and forested mountain ranges.
Mitra said his bill will not only attract local and foreign tourists to Palawan and boost the local economy but will also preserve the natural environment of the province.
Palawan’s lush forest, which used to comprise half of the province’s land area, is still 47-percent intact. Its flora and fauna, too, remain the most exotic in the world since they include rare species of flowers, fish, turtles, birds and other animals.
"There is an urgent need to preserve Palawan. And ecotourism will help," Mitra said.
This early, various sectors have expressed support for Mitra’s bill. Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon told reporters during the reopening of the Dos Palmas Resort over the weekend that the government is pushing Palawan to compete with the Maldives, an archipelago of 1,200 islands in the Indian Ocean. Despite its very small airport, the Maldives has become a favorite destination of European and American tourists, particularly the affluent ones.
"The Maldives is no match to Palawan when it comes to natural beauty. And going to the Maldives is very expensive, yet the Maldives gets more visitors than Palawan. We’re promoting Palawan to rival the Maldives just as we’re pushing Boracay to rival Guam and Cebu to go against Phuket (Thailand)," Gordon said.
Gordon expressed confidence that Palawan would become a major tourist destination in Asia. "I have no doubt that Palawan would make it, just as I never doubted that Dos Palmas would reopen," he said.
Dos Palmas – which occupies the 20-hectare Arreceffi Island in Honda Bay on the eastern side of Palawan – closed down after being attacked by Abu Sayyaf hostage-takers in May last year.
The resort is now being guarded by Marines, and tourists are beginning to arrive to once again enjoy its serene atmosphere, walk on its white sand beach, kayak through its mangrove forest and dive or snorkel in its marine life-rich waters.