IT is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Philippines because of its vibrant tourism industry. As one of the Philippines’ major tourist drivers, it is in a class by itself. A World Heritage Site and countless other new and undiscovered wonders of nature can be found here.
The city has never been hit by a major earthquake in the last 500 years. This gives someone something that money can’t buy: peace of mind. Seldom visited by typhoons, it is shielded by eastern Philippine islands from the Pacific side.
Puerto Princesa City is the next big thing in real-estate development after Clark, Cebu and Davao. To begin with, it has a spanking-new international airport that can accommodate advanced-technology jetliners.
Prior to the temporary closure of Boracay Island, domestic airlines fly in and out of the city 125 times a week or 18 times a day from major cities like Manila, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo and Clark, including chartered flights from China, Korea and Taiwan. With 28 to 34 flights a day today, it is easily the busiest provincial city airport in the Philippines.
Right now, it is also the cruise-ship capital of the Philippines and its port continues to undergo modernization and upgrade.
Carbon-neutral
DIVERSE mineral and other natural resources abound in Palawan’s only city. Perhaps the only city in the country with a large forest cover still intact, the many treasures you will find in Puerto Princesa come in the form of affordable real estate.
The burgeoning city expands north to south. Primed for growth, these areas are all poised to experience an economic boom from 2020 and beyond.
Puerto Princesa originally failed to command the attention of big stakeholders, but the reverse is happening now. In recent years, the city’s real-estate market is beginning to throb and it is getting an eyeful from those who are thinking about the future.
Why not? The city is the center of communication, education and public administration for Palawan. It is a carbon-neutral city, has good and stable peace and order, warm and committed people, diverse and skilled manpower.
Investment haven
AFTER Camella Homes, Brighton Homes of Robinsons Land Corp., Regatta Bay of Cabanilla Marketing and Development Corp., Imperial Palace of Phil De Meer Corp., Shojin Herbal and Wellness Eco-Resort of Ai World Corp. and Harbor Springs of Santa Lucia Land are just some of the big brands that landed on the city. To date, the city’s investment portfolio has amounted to P3.380 billion.
Another big investor in the city that she cited is Ai World, a mountain resort nestled in a vast highland in Bacungan. The resort-and-park-in-one is under the development of Neogreen and being operated by World Ai Corp. It opened publicly on March 4, 2017, and has continuously drawn influx of tourists every day since.
Santa Lucia and Century Properties have also ventured into Puerto Princesa. John Eric D. Escanillas, VP for national sales and marketing at Santa Lucia, explained that they are investing in the city to further expand the company’s footprint.
Santa Lucia President Exequiel Robles has been quoted in reports as saying his company’s entry to Palawan is brought about by the demand it got from its offices abroad. According to Robles, there’s a “strong clamor” from overseas Filipino workers for national developers to come to Puerto Princesa.