The Royal Treatment at Puerto Princesa

With safety protocols firmly enforced, Puerto Princesa is poised to again welcome tourists with open arms. In recent years, the highly urbanized city and tourist haven has been paralyzed by the Covid-19 pandemic, then pummeled by Typhoon Odette. But it is now on the road to recovery---as spectacularly as its scenic, romantic and gastronomic attractions.

“The tourism industry is the lifeblood of Puerto Princesa, along with agriculture. Almost 15,000 people directly or indirectly benefit from tourism. In varying degrees, most of the recent construction and development projects are related to tourism: hotel-building, parks, cruise-ship ports, street lights, roads and many more. Unfortunately, some of these have been on hold since the onset of the pandemic,” discloses Demetrio “Toto” Alvior Jr., the city tourism officer.

The Royal Connection

Puerto Princesa, the capital of postcard-perfect Palawan, sprawls across 253,982 hectares of captivating coastlines stretched over 106 kilometers. Due to its strategic geographical location, it has sufficient depth to allow ships of all sizes to anchor, earning a reputation as a “Princess of Ports,” or in Spanish, “Puerto Princesa.”

There’s no contention that Puerto Princesa is one of the country’s greatest pleasures. A holiday destination universally beloved by travelers, beach-combers and trekkers; a bustling business center with a rural allure; a provincial vibe with modern amenities; and a clean and green city recognized for its lush forests, fresh air and frontier character.

Rising Above Covid-19

The city of Puerto Princesa has been struggling to get to its feet since the outbreak of Covid-19 in early 2020. The lack of tourists, which is the main industry, has forced hundreds of tourism-related businesses to close, leaving thousands of tourism workers unemployed.

“The public-health crisis forced them to find alternative sources of income, which was made more difficult because of the restrictions of movement due to several lockdowns,” Mr. Alvior reveals. “One factor of low tourist arrivals is the fluctuating number of Covid cases, which in turn affects the determination of quarantine requirements and national government intervention policies.”

Today, Puerto Princesa is experiencing record lows in terms of economic losses, losing around P5 billion a year for the past two years from potential tourist receipts.

“The City Tourism Department has been strengthening its social media campaigns to encourage local tourists to visit local attractions, in a bid to boost much-needed revenues to the ailing tourism sector,” a cautiously optimistic Mr. Alvior says. “We have one important wish in the City Tourism Department, and that is to prioritize the aids for the Typhoon Odette-affected tourism industry here.”

The goal is to regain the city’s glory as an eco-tourism capital. “Our 2022 goals are full restoration of all the tourist attractions affected by Typhoon Odette such as the completion of the construction of the cruise-ship port and other man-made tourist attractions. There will be wide, extensive and aggressive promotions of Puerto Princesa to the local and international market.”

The Last Frontier

Puerto Princesa has a plethora of tourist spots. But many tourists who visit the city put the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, one of the New7Wonders of Nature, on top of their list. As the jump-off point for exploring the world-famous Tubbataha Reef, the city also hosts a fair share of adventurers.

“Since the Covid-19 outbreak, we have never ceased to hope that the future will be better. This year 2022 is no different. And while what we want is a full recovery, we cannot afford to be careless when taking big steps. As we begin to truly understand the gravity of the situation, we also come to realize that our moves must be consistent with the bigger picture such as the national situation,” Mr. Alvior says.

Since February 10, the city has been happily welcoming more visitors once again, hoping that the arrival numbers will soon be back to pre-pandemic levels. In this initiative, the tourism department shares the privilege on with the private sector.

“While the government is the administrator of the State, the private sector is the bloodline. The government and the private sector are two inseparable factors for Puerto Princesa to prosper, and more importantly, to recover,” Mr. Alvior says. “The key to recovery is to enable and support the private sector to keep or resume their business operations. When it comes to the city’s biggest partners, apart from government agencies, it is the collective impact of small-business operations.”

Puerto Princesa may be “The Last Frontier,” but the City Tourism Department is confident that it will always be the first choice of every traveler.

With the rapid growth of e-commerce, more women are exploring the tech industry and finding success online. Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, continues to provide members of its platform with the support needed to thrive in tech. In time for Mother’s Day, three mothers share their experiences on how they ventured out of their comfort zones and into e-commerce. Karen, Primarose, and Glenda are a testament to what working mothers in tech are capable of achieving –  whether they are riders, livestream partners, or employees of Shopee.

Karen: Homegrown Shopee Leader 

Having previously worked in the operations side of the FMCG industry, Karen Perez, a wife and mother to two daughters, made the switch to join Shopee and become its first employee in the Philippines seven years ago to lead its Operations Team. She had hesitations, but she knew that being part of the tech industry would help her develop even more as a professional. “I already had one daughter and was pregnant with my youngest by the time I joined Shopee, and I had apprehensions about joining a young company. Eventually, I accepted the opportunity because I was excited to be part of the growing e-commerce sector.”

She recently took on a new role as the Head of People at Shopee Philippines. For those around her, this comes as no surprise as she has always approached leadership by building personal relationships in the workplace. She went from dealing with the backend aspects of the business to focusing her time to caring for people and their well-being. Karen shares, “I am grateful that my unique skill sets are recognized and I am given all these opportunities to grow within and lead the organization.” Despite the differences between the two fields, Karen believes that her experience both as a mother and wife helped mold her into the leader that she wanted to be. She credits the culture of Shopee for allowing her to be that. “Being both a mother and a department head has shown me what it means to be a good leader. Much like motherhood, leadership, at its very core, is caring for one’s people.” 

What is most rewarding for Karen is getting the admiration of the people whose opinion matters to her the most: her children. “Recently, I asked my eldest daughter what she wants to be when she grows up and she simply said, ‘I want to be like you.’ I am grateful to be doing meaningful work, and I hope my children strive to do the same someday.” 

Primarose: Rising to the challenge at Shopee Xpress

Primarose is a wife, a mother to three children, and a Shopee Xpress rider. Her unique journey with Shopee Xpress first began in June of 2021 after the pandemic forced her to close her souvenir store.

Being one of the few female riders in her line of profession, Primarose knows she has to be determined, and she has no regrets. She shared “Iba na ang panahon natin ngayon, hindi lang lalaki ang pwede magtrabaho. Nais ko ipakita sa mga ibang ina na kayang kaya rin nila makamit ang kanilang mga hangad.” (We live in a different age where women also have the opportunity to work. I want to show other mothers that they are capable of reaching their aspirations.)

She is now reaping the rewards of her efforts as she is now able to help provide for her family, and even take them out to eat in restaurants and go on outings. “Sa lahat ng nangyari mula sa pandemya, nagpapasalamat ako ng lubos na nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataon na magiging Shopee Xpress rider. Naging makahulugan ang pagiging ina at asawa ko dahil nabigay ko sa kanila ang pangangailangan nila mula sa trabaho ko bilang rider.” (Of all the things to have come out of this pandemic, I am most grateful that it gave me the opportunity to become a Shopee Xpress rider. I feel fulfilled as both a mother and wife knowing that I am able to provide for my family through my job.)

Mommy Gee: Finding balance as a working mother

Prior to becoming a Shopee livestreamer, Glenda, also known as Mommy Gee, started her journey in creating online content by posting about what means most to her: her children. She is a single mom working multiple jobs to support her three children, and struggled with something most moms would know about: time management. Besides doing online content, Mommy Gee is also a licensed real estate agent and entrepreneur as she owns a Korean food franchise. When the pandemic struck, her real estate job experienced a hit which is why she chose to become a Shopee livestreamer. She shared, “As a single mother to three children, I felt the need to take on as much as I could to make up for the many lost opportunities I faced during the onslaught of the pandemic. ” 

Mommy Gee chose to persevere doing livestream. At first, she wasn’t confident doing it but as time went by, she became more confident and eventually began to enjoy it. She loves helping people find their Shopee budols, and more importantly, connecting and making friends online. “As a single mother, I feel very blessed to have a job that allows me to spend more time with my children at home while also also giving me the opportunity to connect with a supportive online community.” shared Mommy Gee.

She encourages other working mothers to venture out of their comfort zones and persevere. Mommy Gee said “Starting out as a Shopee Livestreamer did not come easy for me, but I stuck with my decision and persevered. Seeing how much I have grown and learned since then is what pushes me to continue challenging myself.”   

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

Pag-IBIG Fund named Lumina Homes one of the country’s Top Developers. The announcement was part of Pag-IBIG’s Stakeholders Accomplishment Report 2021 (STAR) held via a virtual event last April 8.

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