The Puerto Princesa City Council is pushing for the rehabilitation and renovation of facilities in Tagkawayan Beach in Barangay Bacungan.
Councilor Matthew Mendoza, chairman of the Committee on Tourism authored a resolution which was approved during their session on Monday, noting the current state of the facilities in the city’s beach which are now dilapidated and needs to be fixed.
“Napansin natin ‘yong mga structures complete pa, pero ‘yong mga ceiling medyo outdated na at ‘yong mga windows sira na,” Mendoza told Palawan News in an interview.
“Kaya nag-request kay mayor kung puwede maisama sa 2023 budget ‘yong rehabilitation/renovation ng city beach,” he added.
Mendoza also urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) through another resolution to fast-track the concreting of the road leading to Tagkawayan, stressing the necessity to complete it so that it may be accessible to both local and foreign tourists.
“Mas maganda sana kung matapos ng DPWH ‘yong completion ng road from Bacungan all the way to Tagkawayan. Kung hindi ako nagkakamali more than two to five kilometers pa ‘yong hindi nagagawa. Total kapiraso na lang ‘yon at mabubuo na ‘yong west coast natin,” he said.
Aside from Tagkawayan Beach in Bacungan, the community-based sustainable tourism (CBST) sites recently opened include The Mother Tree, the Marine Sea Turtle Reserve, and the Tagkuriring Waterfalls.
The city, which is now on Level 1 of the Alert System, recently opened the CBST sites, which are now open to both domestic and foreign visitors. Though these destinations were already being visited by locals because of Tagkawayan’s surfing scene. The area is also being eyed by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Authority (TIEZA) to be developed into a more sophisticated destination, complete with rental stalls for local entrepreneurs.
