The Puerto Princesa Underground River is a global icon. Its image has graced tourism brochures, UNESCO plaques, and travel blogs that treat the limestone caves and subterranean waters as near-mystical. Yet for many who live in this coastal city, the landmark has existed more in reputation than in lived experience.
That disconnect is what the program Alay sa Puerto seeks to mend. Revived this September after a six-year pause, the initiative invites residents of Puerto Princesa to visit the Underground River free of charge, not as tour guides, boat operators, or vendors catering to outsiders, but as guests themselves.
“This year, nagplano kami na ibalik ulit at nakakatuwa kasi na even ang mga local residents ay gusto rin talagang ma-experience kung ano mismo ang PPUR at ’yung nasa loob ng kweba kasi ang tagal din, from 2016, and 2025 lang namin binalik ulit,” said Jacinth D. Mabayag, Communication, Education and Public Awareness Officer for PPUR Management.
The free weekday tours opened on September 1 and immediately filled. Registration began on August 25 but was shut down days later after more than 2,000 residents claimed their slots. The program, supported by the city government and the Sabang Sea Ferry Multipurpose Cooperative, allows 100 residents a day to enter the park.
What the program covers is modest, a boat ride from the Sabang Wharf and a guided trip through the river’s dark caverns. Travel to and from Sabang, a village about two hours from the city center, is left to participants. But for many families, that is enough.
Alay sa Puerto first ran from 2016 to 2019 but was interrupted by the pandemic and by Typhoon Odette, which battered the province.
“Nag-recalibrate kami ng ideas para maipagpatuloy ang Alay sa Puerto, so in 2023 and 2024, ’yun na po ang planning process namin para ma-reopen,” Mabayag explained.
The return of the program this year highlights a subtle truth: even as Puerto Princesa depends on its natural wonders to draw global travelers, the city is still working to ensure that locals feel connected to those same landscapes.
By reserving days for residents only, the PPUR Management is signaling that conservation and community identity can reinforce each other.
The Underground River stretches more than 24 kilometers under jagged limestone, a fragile ecosystem that scientists and conservationists have long argued must be carefully managed.
Restricting visits to weekdays and limiting the number of participants to 2,200 for the month is as much about protection as it is about access.
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