Determined. Disciplined. Dedicated. These are the hallmarks of Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn as a person and as a public servant. The University of the East (UE) educated Hagedorn also wears other hats aside from being city mayor. He is also chairman of the League of Cities of the Philippines and Anti-Jueteng Task Force and Vice-Chairman of Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development.
Fourteen years and still counting as mayor in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Hagedorn was the country’s first political leader who focused on environmental protection. For such feat he was recognized internationally, among others, with the United Nations Global 500 Roll of Honour Award in June 1997 in Seoul, South Korea.
The multi-term mayor, a distinguished environmentalist and an upbeat trade and tourism promoter, is fiercely protective of his domain. Protecting and conserving the city’s natural assets, maintaining cleanliness and peace and order are consistently on top of his list. And he has never wavered ever since. After all, Palawan is dubbed as the country’s last frontier with Puerto Princesa, his turf as the capital.
Palawan is clustered in the Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan (MIMAROPA) region. It is the largest province in terms of land area and takes pride in two major tourist attractions, both of which were named two world Heritage Sites finalists in the Seven New Wonders of the World — the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park and Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.
Puerto Princesa is the jump-off point to Honda Bay cradling talcum-fine pristine white beaches with clear emerald-green waters. The Puerto Princesa subterranean river features magnificent limestone karsts landscape with its underground river flowing direct into the sea. The spot is also home to a large habitat for biodiversity conservation. It has a full mountain-to-the-sea ecosystem that prote forests, which are among the most significant in Asia.
Indeed an honor for Palawan’s natural gem to be juxtaposed amon the fourteen New Seven Natural Wonders of the World finalists: Chichen Itza (Mexico), Machu Picchu (Peru), Petra (Jordan), The Great Wall (China), Taj Mahal (India), Colloseum (Italy), and Chri: the Redeemer statue (Brazil).
Naturally blessed, 63 percent of Puerto Princesa is forested area that makes it a magnet to the cash-spinning logging business. Since tourism and agriculture rank as the top two main sources of the city’s income, Hagedorn is leaving no stones unturned to protect and conserve the environment even at his own expense.
Hagedorn admitted to be on the receiving end of threats for rejecting illegal logging proposals. Going against the wishes of some powerful, well-placed figures is no walk in the park. Particularly if the ravenous upper crust will always try to quash your goal, he said.
Still, the iron-willed Hagedorn is determined to carry out his objective to make Puerto Princesa as a modern city model for sustainable development. His trailblazing projects, namely Bantay Gubat aims to rid the city of illegal loggers, while Bantay Dagat targets illegal fishing.
Hagedorn expressed aversion to the illegal fishing method Muro Ami (reef hunters), which illegally employ children in destroying or pounding the reefs to drive away fishes to a net. Reefs are a crucial part of the aquatic creatures’ natural habitat that takes so many years to form and grow and only takes seconds to destroy.
“This is a very important part of our food chain. Palawan actually supplies the entire country with seafood. Everything we need comes from the environment, destroy the environment and we destroy life itself. There were also many instances recently wherein nature rebelled against humanity.”
Hagedorn had in mind the recent devastating typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng that whipped the country mercilessly triggering flash flood, landslides, unquantifiable loss of properties and precious lives as well.
Capping his pro-environmental blitzes are local laws on Clean Air, No To Mining Ordinance and Environmental Code.
A hall of fame awardee for being the cleanest and greenest city in the country Puerto Princesa also bagged accolades as among the best in the following categories — tourist destination, development management, public service, sports, local government unit (LGU), peace and order, to name a few.
Palawan is outside of quake zone and typhoon belt, but global warming disturbs the weather pattern. “Everybody talks about global warming and climate change but only very few are flexing their muscles to do something about it. If we do not act cohesively right away, with the continuing disregard for and abuse of nature, 10 years more and we’ll be in great danger. One meter increase in sea level will submerge Metro Manila and Mactan.”
Hagedorn answers this in his own humble way. While aggressively pushing for tourism development, infrastructure development, and upliftment of the economy and availability of basic services – health, education and food supply – he does not compromise environmental security.
He spearheaded programs such as Oplan Linis and Bantay Puerto with its components Bantay Gubat and Bantay Dagat utilizing volunteers. Institutionalized as well was the Pista Y ang Kagueban (Feast of the Forest), a yearly tree planting activity involving residents and tourists alike in reforesting denuded mountain areas. This movement has prompted more local and international plums for the princess city.
Trees, according to the mayor, are another lifeline to most living things in the forest. “Trees are refuge to many living creatures, and each has a role to play in life. Thus the clean and green as well as theregreening projects are very important to be carried out by whoever sits as mayor.”
Hagedorn also pushes for the continuity of mangrove reforestation and yearly tree planting by some residents. “Every Valentine’s Day whenever we hold free mass wedding, we encourage the newlyweds to start a love affair with nature by planting trees which also injects some kind of a social responsibility to every individual involved.”
The 270 million Puerto Princesa sanitary landfill facilities is another environment-friendly project of Hagedorn that makes the city a model in solid waste management.
To promote clean air and lessen the impact of pollution within the city, the mayor is pushing for the use of electric tricycles starting next year. The e-tricycle is an environment-friendly, economical electric-powered Trikebayan that is noiseless and does not emit carbon monoxide. It costs only P50 per day operation or more than US$1.00, while gasoline powered tricycles costs P200.00 per unit to operate. Converting tricycle engine to electric mode costs P68,000. The 36-watt rechargeable battery under the passenger seat can operate for 12 hours.
The tricycle is a mode of local transportation that is as local as our unique jeepney, or the so-called king of the road transportation.
Hagedorn said Puerto Princesa cannot as yet handle huge volumes of tourist influx as the city still needs to be spruced up, facilities and infrastructure-wise. Although some of the best names in hospitality brands are already nestled in Palawan, Puerto Princesa especially needs to be beefed-up as a travel and trade hub.
To get a chunky slice of the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry, a bigger ULTRA-inspired Puerto Princesa Coliseum is also in the making. It will host local and national conventions, activities and conferences.
An encouraging development, said the mayor, is that our tourist influx tripled from last year’s record and with one weekly flight from Manila to Puerto Princesa, we now have seven daily flights to the city.
Eager to launch Puerto Princesa as the country’s sports capital, Hagedorn said they will develop a natural wake-boarding site, promote motocross, boxing, sepak takraw, beach volleyball, basketball and other sports matching the safety and upkeep of the environment.
Culturally, Palawan is very engaging as a haven to distinctive multi-cultural groups such as the Cuyunons, Tagbanuas, Bataks, the oldest inhabitants of the province.
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Tags: honda bay, puerto princesa palawan, southern philippines, subterranean river national park, tubbataha reef