Born to be Wild: Palawan: The Last Frontier

Watch GMA7 TV's "Born to be Wild" feature about Palawan entitled Palawan, the Last Frontier



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Born to be Wild takes you to the country's last nature frontier. Considered a haven of biodiversity and the environment's strong hold, Palawan Island is slowly threatened by various issues.

Romi Garduce and Doc Ferds Recio go on an adventure to discover what truly makes this island worthy of its title, "The Last Frontier." While many other parts of the country have denuded forests, exploited mineral reserves and grave degradation of the environment, Palawan boasts of lush mangroves teeming with wildlife and green forests home to hundreds of species, many of which can be found only in the island.

Romi explores Puerto Princesa's subterranean area and finds a truly awesome underground river and nature preserve which is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But what makes this geological wonder remarkable is that it serves as home to native wildlife, including a very playful endemic bird which has taken a liking to Romi!

Palawan's beauty lies not only in its geology and rich wildlife, but also in its pristine seas! Doc Ferds goes underwater to prove why Palawan's waters hold some of the most well-preserved marine ecosystems in the country. He takes a boat ride along the rich mangroves that make up Palawan's waters and marvels at how lush these fish sanctuaries really are.

But as Doc Ferds and Romi discover, Palawan also faces peril with the arrival of new environmental threats. Its rich sediments and minerals are the target of industrial progress. While some see Palawan as a source of energy and resource for the rising demand of the population, environmental groups caution that Palawan should remain untouched and unexploited. As the last remaining environment frontier, they believe that island must be preserved for future generations.

Nominees in the New 7 Wonders of Nature

Two of the most popular sites in Palawan have been consistently in the top 10 of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, the Tubbataha Reef and the Undergorund River.

Other sites from the Philippines that made it to top 20 are the Chocolate Hills in Bohol and Mayon Volcano in the Bicol Region.

As of this writing, however, these places were down from their previous higher rankings.

- Tubbataha reef now at rank number 5, down from number 4.

- Chocolate Hills at number 6, down from 5.
- Underground river at number 8 from 6.

- Mayon Volcano eased down 3 notches to 12th place.

Support and vote for these great places! Truly nature's masterpieces.

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world's longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.

The Tubbataha Reef

Tubbataha Reef is an atoll coral reef in the Sulu Sea that belongs to the Philippines. It is a marine sanctuary protected as Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park. The reef is composed of two atolls, North and South Reefs. Each reef has a single small islet that protrudes from the water. The atolls are separated by a deep channel 8 kilometers wide. Over one thousand species, including many that are endangered, can be found at on the reef. These include manta rays, lionfish, tortoises, clownfish and sharks.