Puerto Princesa City sees fish port project, carbon-neutral policies driving growth

THE Puerto Princesa government said its investment promotion plan will center on the area’s fisheries and tourism potential, young workforce and favorable business environment.

“The city is poised to become the region’s economic growth hub,” it said, citing the city’s environment-friendly approach to economic development.

It said Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan province, is “one of the cleanest and greenest cities and the first carbon-neutral city in the Philippines,” Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron said in a speech delivered at the Puerto Princesa investment briefing on Thursday.

Puerto Princesa’s territory is 219,339.40 hectares across 66 barangays. According to the 2020 census, it is home to 307,079 people.

Mr. Bayron said Palawan waters are considered “the richest fishing grounds in the country.” He added that catch from the area supplies markets as distant as Metro Manila.

He said the city is developing the Puerto Princesa Integrated Fish Port, which will involve upgrades to fish ports in Barangay Bancao-Bancao, which is on the Sulu Sea, and Buenavista, in Ulugan Bay on the west coast of Palawan island.

Mr. Bayron said Puerto Princesa is working on Cuyito Bayfront, a 9.9-hectare site that will serve as a commercial and recreational space for locals and tourists. — Matthew Carl L. Montecillo