Hagedorn sees Puerto Princesa as sports capital

MANILA, Philippines - Mayor Edward Hagedorn, Puerto Princesa’s tough political executive, is relentless in his drive to make Puerto Princesa and the province of Palawan one of the great wonders of the Philippines, probably the world.

This time he does his stuff in a new field called sports tourism.

While local government units like Camarines Sur and Subic boast of big attendance in marathon and triathlon, Siargao and San Juan, La Union have international participants in surfing, Benguet boasts of Mt. Pulag and Quezon has Mt. Banahaw that lure mountain climbers, Palawan has a lot more to offer.

Of course, Hagedorn’s first priority on his ecotourism agenda is the subterranean wonder known as Palawan’s Underground River Cave, which he himself wants to be known worldwide as one of the great wonders of nature.

Aside from promoting Palawan’s natural beauty, like beaches for the rich and famous, dense, lush forests that are home to eagles and rare species of birds, plants and flowers, Hagedorn’s administration is going beyond the simple joy of sightseeing.

He wants visitors not only to enjoy nature in the raw, he wants the province to be a playground for everybody. He challenges sports buffs and even the tough sportsmen of the world to showcase their sports skills in a clean environment, where the air is fresh and the grass is green.

Some of the sports that have become important fixtures in the city and province are the Asian motocross held on treacherous terrain every year. The Puerto Princesa leg is one of the stages of the Asian Motocross participated in by the country’s and Asia’s best riders.

The city is a regular host of PBA games, including the 2009 All Star Games, while Hagedorn had also offered the city’s facilities for the training of the national sepak takraw team, which until now doesn’t have a national training venue.

Two years ago, Hagedorn opened his city’s beaches to another sport – beach volleyball.

It all started when Hagedorn asked for a meeting with Tisha Abundo, a former Asian Gamer and PSC commissioner, on the possibility of organizing a beach volleyball tournament in Palawan.

Beach volleyball has since become a regular sport in the province, featuring the best volleyball tandems gunning for the top honors in the Petron Beach Volleyball Championships, a high-profile multi-leg tournament Abundo had staged the last seven years.

Impressed with the turnout of the competitions, Hagedorn again invited Abundo to extend his offer to other sports organizations which could hold their competitions in his city or in the province.

Abundo invited Philippine Swimming League president and co-founder Susan Papa to a meeting with the city executive. The meeting, held during the week celebrating the 65th birth anniversary of Hagedorn, turned out well for the PSL and its young members who would like to compete in a city like Puerto Princesa and have fun.

Hagedorn’s dream is to make the Underwater River Cave one of the wonders of the world, Palawan as a sports destination nobody should miss, and a hospitable city that will soon be the sports capital of the Philippines.

For a city which has many things nature can give and a political leadership that has an aggressive outlook, the job is more than half-completed.