Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital, beckons and among those who have heard its siren call is Henry “Big Boy” Sy Jr. who has been quietly snapping up beach properties in Barangays Napsan and Simpocan on the southwest coast of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, according to Mayor Lucilo “Cecil” Bayron.
Mayor Bayron was recently in Manila to entice more investors to his city, even as other top property developers, specifically Sta. Lucia and Andrew Tan’s Megaworld had early on placed their bets and started developing their real estate projects in Puerto Princesa, the largest city of the island province.
Mayor Bayron revealed to Business Snippets that Big Boy Sy has been buying most of the beachfront properties in Barangay Napsan, all the way to Barangay Simpocan, both of which are on the southwest coast of Puerto Princesa City.
The SM Group, of course, already has a beach resort development straddling the borders of Cavite and Batangas — the Hamilo Coast and Pico de Loro Cove, which is a massive 5,900-hectare beach resort town spanning 13 coves along the West Philippine Sea.
The SM Group, through its SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. recently signed a joint venture deal with the Shangri-La Group to develop an ultra-exclusive, eco-luxury resort, Shangri-La Santelmo Cove within its Hamilo Coast development.
The Napsan and Simpocan area, at present, is quite remote and undeveloped, and can only be reached by using four-wheel drive vehicles or motorbikes, passing through still rugged terrain across mountain ranges from Puerto Princesa.
Napsan and Simpocan’s beaches face the West Philippine Sea and offer pristine deep blue water.
Mayor Bayron said he recently spoke with Big Boy, who told him that his son, Hank Sy, would take the lead in the future development of their properties in the area.
Big Boy, Mayor Bayron added, said that his plans for Napsan and Simpocan are to develop it like Indonesia’s world famous Bali beach which boasts high-end luxury beach resorts.
However, Mayor Bayron said that he is also trying to entice Big Boy to put up some hotel developments in Puerto Princesa in the meantime since it would still take some time to develop the Napsan and Simpocan properties.
Palawan is located in the Pacific Ocean basin and is flanked by the West Philippine Sea — as we prefer to address what is otherwise known as the South China Sea — and our very own Sulu Sea where the famous internationally-known dive destination Tubbataha Reef is located.
With a land area of 53,982 hectares (the largest city in the Philippines by land area) and a population of 316,384 people, its current leader – Mayor Bayron, who is known for his aggressive and hands-on governance style, is wasting no time to attract more investors to the island province to fast-track economic and infrastructure recovery, and transform Puerto Princesa as the Convention Capital of the Philippines.
Mayor Bayron recently hosted the 2026 Puerto Princesa Investment Forum at Conrad Manila, where the Palawan local government aggressively courted national and international business leaders to back major infrastructure and ecotourism projects.
Mayor Bayron emphasized that the local government is heavily prioritizing flexible public-private partnerships, joint ventures and long-term lease structures to accommodate new developer entry, emphasizing that their aim is to attract integrated tourism development rather than just individual projects, citing as an example the Santa Lucia Environmental Estate, a 500-hectare master-planned eco-tourism estate with a stated total investment potential of up to P200 billion. Its development plans include a mega convention center within the Santa Lucia estate.
The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority presented plans for a massive 15,000 to 20,000-seat convention center paired with a dedicated 10-site hotel and hospitality district. This would scale up the city’s rapidly expanding MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) industry, which grew from 956 events in 2024 to 1,246 events in 2025.
On a much smaller scale, Mayor Bayron cited, is Megaworld’s Baytown Palawan: A six-hectare, Bonifacio Global City (BGC)-inspired mixed-use lifestyle township featuring smart condominiums and commercial hubs.
According to Megaworld Corp. first vice president Harold Geronimo who spoke during the investment forum, Megaworld intends to increase its initial P7 billion investment in Puerto Princesa and replicate its BGC township — Forbes Town — in Puerto Princesa, offering a more vibrant commercial and entertainment area to visitors in the island’s capital city.
Mayor Bayron revealed that Ayala Land had attempted twice to buy some property in Puerto Princesa, but those projects unfortunately did not push through.
Ayala Land, however, has invested in a 320-hectare sustainable, master-planned eco-community located in El Nido, Palawan, known as the Lio Tourism Estate. Additionally, Ayala Land’s hospitality group operates two resorts in El Nido — the high-end private Pangulasian Island and Lagen Island.
One other development that Puerto Princesa is hoping to develop with the help of the national government is its Puerto Princesa Airport which Mayor Bayron explained, needs to expand its runway by an additional 600 meters to be able to accommodate larger aircraft.
Likewise, he said, the airport needs a bigger terminal that must be equipped with jet bridges or jetways for more efficient boarding/embarkation and deplaning/disembarkation. In the past, he revealed, Korea had expressed interest in providing funding assistance through its Korea International Cooperation Agency or KOICA.
Unfortunately, Mayor Bayron said, the Palawan LGU cannot directly borrow funds from foreign banks as it is limited by law to borrow only from the Development Bank of the Philippines or the Land Bank of the Philippines. Only the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines or CAAP is authorized to tap foreign-aid financing. When he asked the CAAP for help finance the Puerto Princesa Airport upgrade, he was told that they were in talks with the Villar Group. Unfortunately, those talks never materialized.