In January early this year, international travel magazine Travel + Leisure, which is published by the American Express Co., cited El Nido Lagen Island and El Nido Miniloc Island in the province of Palawan as among its 20 Favorite Green Hotels.

“Surrounded by 123,000 acres of protected forests, jagged limestone cliffs, and hidden lagoons, travelers to (the sister resorts) can take their pick of daily activities: bird-watching, kayaking, rock climbing, or simply watching fish swim below one of the guest cottages-on-stilts, which are set above the crystalline ocean,” the magazine read by over 4.6 million high-end travellers states.

More than any writer’s subjective take on a destination, however, the citation was of value because Travel + Leisure partnered with Washington-based non-profit organization Conservation International (CI) in identifying accommodations that actually have efforts to “conserve water and energy, reduce waste materials, and support their environment and local communities (in their green efforts),” making El Nido’s five-star accommodations at par with the solar-run Voyages Longitude 131 in Australia, and in South Andros Island in Tiamo, Bahamas; the electricity-free Whitepod, set near the Swiss Alps in Switzerland; and the geothermal energy-powered Devils' Thumb Ranch in Colorado in the US, among others. 


Citing the Obvious 
The citation that the province of Palawan received is, of course, understandably well-deserved, even largely expected. This place is, after all, home to 232 endemic species (including the metallic-colored peacock pheasant, the timid mousedeer, and the solitary scaly anteater), and is the habitat of over 200 kinds of birds, over 600 butterfly species, and over 1,500 plants – all contained in an island that is still 56% forest-covered (with additional 3.35% mangrove forest covering).

El Nido (or “The Nest” in Spanish), on its own, a 50-island archipelago situated on Bacuit Bay in the northernmost tip of mainland Palawan, has been described a virtual paradise – a packaging that has transformed what once was a sleepy town more popular for producing the world-famous ingredient of Nido Soup (nests of swiftlets that abound in the 18 barangays of the 50,000-hectare town) into a tourist haven.
Here, must visits include Miniloc Island’s rich underwater worlds, teeming with incomparable marine life, including gigantic groupers, fierce tiger sharks, visiting pawikan (sea turtles), and, on occasion, even glimpses of the rare dugong. In Lagen Island, mangrove tours allow for communing with the wild birds, many of them migratory, beauteous as they take flight. In Matinloc Island, there’s the not-so-secret Secret Beach, only accessible by snorkeling through a small crack in the limestone walls that envelope it. And then there are the Big and Small Lagoons, full of rock formations mimicking icons (from Batman, the caped crusader, to the Virgin Mary, and human genitalia, too), a world on its own.

Being recognized is an honor, indeed. But, no, it comes as no surprise.

Owning Paradise
A bigger news, perhaps, is that owning parts of Palawan is possible.

“Many who (just initially) visited Palawan ended up becoming regular inhabitants (of the place) after they recognized it’s many great potentials,” says Mickey Castaño of the Belcas Realty Corp. This, she adds, is understandable, since “you can actually own pieces of paradise (within your range) here,” she says.

Online publication Offshore and Real Estate Quarterly (escapeartist.com) cites that parcels of beachfront properties being sold in Palawan, usually with a frontage of about 300 feet (90 meters) and a total area of just under two hectares, cost less that P175 per square foot (approximately 20 US cents, or less than $2.25 per square meter). In El Nido, Castaño notes, lots of land sell for about P1,500 per square meter, while small islands can be bought for as low as P200 to P300 per square meter.

“This makes it an ideal time to invest (there now),” Castaño says.

There is, however, a need to rush when intending to invest in Palawan, mainly because “local officials (recognize) that in order to preserve Palawan’s beauty, over-development should be avoided, (and so) only a limited number of developments are allowed,” Castaño says.
Thus, for now, only 32 resort developments are allowed in El Nido, specifically, and safeguards, such as stringent building restrictions, have been put in place so as not to harm the environment.

For Castaño, “you can thrive here, (being able to) capture a niche market (since there are only a small number of players). Besides, come to think of it, when already experienced, who can deny the beauty of a place like Palawan?”


Complete Appreciation
Travel + Leisure’s citation of Palawan isn’t actually the first time the province of Palawan, long considered the last ecological frontier in the Philippines, has been cited for staying, well, green, despite becoming a popular, thus widely visited, tourist destination.

The National Geographic Traveler Magazine already earlier rated the province as the best island destination in East and Southeast Asia, and, globally, the 13th best island for its “"incredibly beautiful natural seascapes and landscapes. One of the most biodiverse (terrestrial and marine) islands in the Philippines... the island has had a Biosphere Reserve status since early 1990s, showing local interest for conservation and sustainable development.” Yet another international travel publication, Conde Nast Traveler Magazine, voted the island as the “tourist destination with the best beaches in Asia.” And the Forbes Traveler Magazine chose its aquatic views offered by the sunken Japanese warships off Coron Island as one of the top 10 best scuba sites in the world.

So, truly, this one deserves to be seen to be completely appreciated.

From Metro Manila, there are three ways to reach El Nido, Palawan – chartering a flight, which can cost from P21,500 roundtrip for two persons, exclud-ing of taxes; taking a commercial flight to Puerto Princesa (from P7,500, roundtrip), and then trav-eling by land via the El Nido-Taytay Access Road (bus fare starts at P350, while hiring private vehi-cles can cost from P5,000 to P10,000); or traveling by ferry for approximately 30 hours (from P1,100 one-way).

For more information, visit dot.gov.ph (Department of Tourism); or contact the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development at (+6348) 4344234, 4344235 in Palawan, and (+632) 3762060, 3762061 in Metro Manila, or email oed@pcsd.ph, and visit www.pcsd.ph.