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About Us
Location
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) is located in the midwest coast of Palawan approximately 365 nautical miles south of Manila, facing the South China Sea. It is lies, some 81 km northwest of Puerto Princesa City. It lies within portions of Bgys. Cabayugan, Marufinas, and Tagabinet, Its geographic coordinates are 10′ 10 north, 118′ 55 south.
History
The PPSRNP was established on March 26, 1971, by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 835 issued by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos. It was created primarily to protect the unique geological features and rich natural resources of the area. Formerly known as the St. Paul Subterranean National Park, it initially comprised of 3,901 hectares of terrestrial reservation.
To ensure long-term viability, former president Joseph E. Estrada signed Proclamation No. 212 on November 16, 1999 expanding the area of the Park to 22,202 hectares that now included the entire catchment for the Underground River and significant forest important for biodiversity conservation. It was also renamed Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park to properly identifying it with the place.
The PPSRNP was also declared as a National Geological Monument on December 11, 2003 by the National Committee on Geological Sciences (NCGS).
Early History
There is no existing document that shows who or when the underground river was first discovered, but it is believed that the islands early inhabitants were the first to know of the existence, but their fear of spirits that they believe inhabit the caves prevented them from exploring the depts. The earliest mention one could hold of would be that of an Assistant Professor of Zoology at the University of Michigan who later became the Secretary of Interior at the first decade of American rule, Dean C. Worcester who wrote in 1887 while touring the island of Palawan “if accounts are to be believed, of a lake opening to the sea by a Subterranean River”.
Legal Basis
Management of the Park falls under the scope of Republic Act No. 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Area Systems (NIPAS) Act of 1992, Republic Act No.7611 or the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan Act of 1992n and Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines Act of 1999.