Puerto Princesa, known as an emerging birding capital of the Philippines, is set to welcome birders from across the country, as well as from other countries for the anticipated Puerto Princesa Underground River 8th International Bird Photography Race on November 7-9, 2025 part of the activities coinciding the city’s Subaraw Biodiversity Festival.
The activity promotes endemic birds and wildlife and is relevant to the Subaraw Biodiversity Festival, as a biodiversity related activity.
The annual event, which attracts professional and amateur bird photographers alike, highlight the rich birdlife of Puerto Princesa and Palawan through photo competitions held at the different birding spots within the city.
For this year, the organizers expect fierce competition with the presence of strong lineup of local and international challengers.
The annual International Bird Photography Race is a celebration of Puerto Princesa’s rich biodiversity.
Throughout the event, participants will photograph a range of bird species within the PPSRNP’s forested areas and the surrounding city landscapes.
The bird photography race not only highlights Puerto Princesa’s unique avian diversity but also encourages awareness of conservation efforts in the city’s protected areas.
Atty. Carlo B. Gomez, the city environment and natural resources officer (City ENRO) of Puerto Princesa, who is also a professional bird/wildlife photographer and an official of the Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines, highlight the importance of environmental protection and conservation, emphasizing that the event is more than just capturing photos but rather protecting the nature that are essential to our ecosystem and identity.
Atty Gomez was also the brainchild of the International Bird Photography Race that started in 2015. As a zealous bird photographer, he is passionate about Palawan’s native bird species through the event, seeking to contribute to wider conservation initiatives.
As part of the event’s countdown, the Office of the City ENRO through its official social media page has features different endemic birds in Palawan such as Palawan Peacock Pheasant, Palawan Flowerpecker, Olive-winged Bulbul, Pale Spiderhunter, Spot-Throated Flameback, Red Headed Flameback, among others.
Data from the City ENRO’s Wildlife Management Services Division headed by Environmental Management Specialist Myla Adriano showed that during the last year’s event, the participants has spotted a total of 25 Palawan’s endemic birds out of 27.
Vicente Cornello “Vinz” Pascua, last year’s Birdman of the Year said that he was impressed with the outcome of the two-day activity.
“In just 2 days, we photographed around 125 species of birds, with amazing views of incredibly elusive birds like the Palawan Flycatcher, Falcated Wren-babbler, and the best views of the Red-headed Flameback… grabe ang galing,” Pascua said.
“Birds are excellent indicators of the health and sustainability of natural environments. They are also practical indicators, in that they are typically easy to find, count and identify, and are sensitive to changes in land use and climate,” an article of PanEuropean Common Bird Monitoring Scheme published by the European Union reads.
