(An Open Letter to the Authorities of Puerto Princesa City)
Puerto Princesa City has been known as the “City in the Forest.” Home to the world-famous Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature), the picturesque islands of Honda Bay, Napsan Beach, and other natural wonders: a pristine and serene paradise.
I was born in Puerto Princesa and witnessed its transformation from a sleepy town with occasional backpackers visiting the city in the ‘90s to a bustling urbanized city with a consistent stream of tourist arrivals in the thousands month in and month out. With the tourism boom came rapid urbanization. Commercial buildings and residential homes are popping up everywhere in the city proper, even in lots that were previously grazing areas for goats and cows. And, recently, there are also plans by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to turn Puerto Princesa into a major economic hub. This is good for the city, and I am proud of it. But what I am not proud of is its poor drainage system, the development of which seems to have fallen behind the city’s rapid urbanization.
The drainage system of Puerto Princesa, especially in the city proper, is in a sorry state right now that even a mere weather condition (not a typhoon) can cause widespread flooding in the city. Worsened by the La Niña, the city-wide flooding has become an almost monthly phenomenon from December 2024 up until 2025. Right now, I am writing this letter at a time when the worst flood in memory has hit the city proper. Flood water is inches from entering my house in Villarosa Road, Barangay Bancao-Bancao. The feeder road from our house leading to Villarosa Road is knee-deep. Villarosa Road has turned into a river. I am still lucky because video clips from social media users and shared in local media outlets show flooded streets and houses in Barangays San Jose, Sicsican, Sta. Monica, San Manuel, San Pedro and more.
It’s a sorry sight to behold, that the “City in the Forest” has become the “City of Flood.”
I love Puerto Princesa, the “City in the Forest” and want to keep it from turning into a giant swampland, a “City of Flood.” So I am calling on the City authorities to act quickly and carry out your obligation under Section 17 of the Local Government Code (Republic Act No. 7160) to provide an efficient and effective drainage, sewerage and flood control system for our City.
If you are a son/daughter of Puerto Princesa, please join me in my quest to keep our “City in the Forest.” Share this short letter with your friend, your relative, your co-worker, your classmate, your neighbor. Let’s work together in having our voices heard by the authorities. For a lone voice is just a whisper, but the cries of the many cannot be ignored.
– Ryan P. Acosta
Villarosa Rd., Bgy. Bancao-Bancao
Puerto Princesa City
February 9, 2025
