Puerto Princesa to host National Caving Congress
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY -- The city government is poised to host the 7th National Caving Congress scheduled on March 5 to 10, next year.
A group of archeologists from the Philippine Speleological Society and GAIA Exploration Club will be arriving here on Nov. 28 to conduct a meeting with Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB) of St. Paul Subterranean River National Park (SSRNP) in relation to the five-day congress.
The presence of a magnificent park, known as the "Underground River" in Sitio Sabang, Barangay Cabayugan, this city, was the deciding factor in selecting Puerto Princesa as the venue of the gathering of local and foreign archeologists, James Albert Mendoza, park manager, said.
Dr. Elevy Hamilton of the World Conservation Union, Dr. David Gillieson of James Cook University and Mayor Edward Hagedorn are the expected resource speakers at the congress which has for its theme "Safeguarding our Underground Treasures: Caves at the forefront of cave conservation."
The Underground River, which was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Environment, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is a "best seller" attraction for tourists, both local and foreign.
It is said to be the longest navigable underground river in the world, runs for eight kilometers and spills out into the South China Sea.
It also features cathedral-like caverns and domes, with stalactite and stalagmite formations that resemble religious images.
(PNA)