Mention Palawan and what comes to mind are Underground River and El Nido in the northern side of this richly-blessed province from its capital, Puerto Princesa.
This is my second time to visit RTNMC and it was good to note that the road was better and the trip was shorter by two hours. Five hours (including a lunch stop in Narra) this time compared to seven hours two years ago.
It shows how fast development in Palawan is. I was reading “Jewels of Rio Tuba,” the coffee table book on RTNMC and I was fascinated by anecdotes about Rio Tuba in the early 70’s. There were no roads. To go to Rio Tuba from Puerto Princesa, the pioneers of RTNMC travelled by land to Brooks Point and from there, a four-hour boat ride to a landing along the river.
The mine site was still a five kilometer hike on a muddy trail carved out by logging company that preceded RTNMC in the area.
One of the pioneers, Mario Sacluti from Laguna, who went to work in the mine in 1976 related a boat ride from Brooks Point escorted by sharks in the crocodile infested river.
To demonstrate how remote the place was, Sacluti related, “a girl I was after asked me to write to her about my intentions so she wouldn’t have to marry her mother’s choice of husband for her. But when my letter arrived, she was already married and pregnant!”
RTNMC is a showcase of responsible mining. RTNMC, by the way, is one of Nickel Asia Corporation’s mining sites. The others are Cagdianao mine in Dinagat Island in the northern tip of Mindanao; Tagamaan mine in Hinatuan island in the northern end of Mindanao; and the Taganito mine in Surigao del Norte, north-east corner of Mindanao.
Two concerns about mining are degradation of the environment and displacement of the indigenous inhabitants of the land.
Both have been adequately addressed by RTMN. Skeptics should visit Rio Tuba.
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A visit to Palawan is always a discovery trip with so many things, in terms of places and food, that the province offers.
JB Baylon, Nickel Asia’s vice president for communications, shared with us his recent discoveries and I’m sharing them with you:
The second one is Purple Fountain Courtyard, a European style boutique hotel where White Fence Country Café is also located. The coffee is very good. It’s on Manalo street in Puerto Princesa.
Drop by the White Fence Café even just to enjoy the ambience.
Bakers Hill is an old favorite for others but it was my first visit and I like it. I love their hopia.The “Little Hollywood” concept reminded me of Solvang, California’s Little Denmark. More arts and crafts stores would give more reasons for visitors to include the place in their itinerary.
Aziza Paradise Hotel in Puerto Princesa lives up to its name.
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