PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — The city government and the management of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) here are inviting the public to celebrate “Underground River Day” through the Subaraw Biodiversity Festival.
Jan Elmer Badilla, PPSRNP management information officer, said Tuesday the festival opened on Nov. 2 and will end on November 11.
Nov. 11 of every year was declared as “Puerto Princesa Underground River Day” based on Proclamation No. 816.
The Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and affirmed as the New Seven Wonders of Nature of the World on 11.11.11.
Badilla said Palaweños will enjoy the Subaraw, which has a lot of activities on biodiversity, as well as entertainment events.
The word Subaraw comes from the words, suba (river) and taraw (limestone cliff).
“We are inviting everyone to join the Subaraw. This festival is not only for the benefit of a few people. It is for the benefit of our tourism industry, which is our primary livelihood, and the conservation and protection of the PPUR,” he said.
Badilla said it was made grand on its fifth year of celebration, just like the Sinulog of Cebu, Masskara of Bacolod, and Panagbenga of Baguio City.
He noted that the festival’s theme, “Keeping the Balance of Transformative Tourism and Ecological Integrity”, is one of the internal key messages of the PPUR.
“This theme is like our mantra — in everything that we do, we always keep the balance between sustainable tourism and ecological integrity,” he explained.
Subaraw will be the country’s first celebration of the rich biodiversity of the underground river, which helps build up Palawan’s already outstanding image as “Best Island in the World.”
Badilla said the public can access the official Facebook pages of the Puerto Princesa City Information Office, the PPSRNP, and the Subaraw Biodiversity Festival 2018 to get more information regarding the schedule of events. (Celeste Anna Formoso/PNA)