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Country Overview
Country Description
The Philippines, an archipelago of some 7,107 islands, only 2,000 of which of which are
inhabited, is geographically considered a medium-sized nation with a total area of 300,000
km2; 298,170 km2 land area and 1,830 km2 water area.
The country is abundant in terms of water resources. Overall, the Philippines’ total available
freshwater resource is at 145,990 MCM/year(million cubic meter per year) based on the 80
percent probability for surface water, and groundwater.
One of the Islands in the Philippines is Palawan, where the city of Puerto Princesa is located.
THE LAND
Puerto Princesa is the least densely populated city in the Philippines. In terms of land area,
the city is the second largest geographically after Davao city with an area of 2,381.02 km2. It
has 66 barangays covering an area of more than 2,000 square kilometers. The area stretches
from the east on the Sulu Sea to the west on the South China Sea. There are three major
embayments in Puerto Princesa City. Two are located at the east side which are, Puerto
Princesa Bay and Honda Bay. The other one at the western shores and located more notherly
is the Ulugan Bay. The city’s topography features mountain ranges cutting across its entire
area. About 39.14% or 92,422.57 hectares of the city’s land area has an elevation of 0 to 100
meters above sea level(masl).
The City Annual Report of 2015 prepared by the Local Government Unit(LGU) of Puerto
Princesa states that around 142,000 hectares or roughly 65% of the city’s total land area has
been classified to have a rugged (18% - 30%) to broken (>50%) slopes. This makes the area
very susceptible to soil erosion, landslides and mudslides especially when areas with critical
slopes become deluded. On the other hand, the remaining 35% of the city’s land is comprised
of flat (0% - 3%) to moderate slopes (8% - 18%). These areas are suitable for developments
in agriculture, urban settlements, upland agriculture and low density housing. However,
developments within the identified areas with moderate slopes need to adopt engineering
intervention to ensure soil conservation and slope stabilization in order to prevent soil
erosion, mudslides and landslides.
Soil
According to Zones Management Report (2006), as part of the sustainable environmental
management project(SEMP) of Puerto Princesa, there are nine(9) types of soil found in the
city. These are the following; Bolinao Clay, Tagburos Clay, Tapul Clay Loam, Guimbalaon
Clay, Bay Clay Loam, Babuyan Silt Clay Loam, Babuyan Clay, Malalag Clay and Hydrosol.
In the southern portion particularly in the Irawan area, metamorphic rocks of the Inagawan
Formation can be found. The area is also partly composed of sedimentary Iwahig Formation,
alluvium of unconsolidated gravel, sand, pebbles and silt. Some ultramafic rocks of the
Palawan Ophiolite Complex also characterize the area.
The northern part of the City is comprised of ultramafic rocks. In particular, the Langogan
area is characterized by metamorphic rocks consisting of quartz-fieldspathic and mica
schists, phyllites, slate and quartzites. The ultramafic rocks consist of unaltered sepertenized
pridotite, dunite and pyrexomite.
Babuyan area is made up of Irahuan Metavulcanincs which resemble the quartz-hematite
schist in appearance and are also firable and weather into dark reddish gray platy fragments
which are usually scattered near outcrops of river beds. St. Paul limestone outcrops as small
patches are found in the south and Midwestern part of the catchment. It is comprised of a
very thick, massive, marbleized limestone with very well developed karst.
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park has karsts limestone formation
and is popular tourist destination among local and international tourist. The underground
river is about 8.2 kilometers in length and has been proclaimed under Proclamation No. 212
as a National Park. The part covers a protected area of 22,202 hectares. It is also included in
the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO because of its diverse ecosystem and the
presence of rare flora and fauna. The site, which is located in Sabang, barangay Cabayugan
has also fine white beaches.
The Climate
Puerto Princesa features two types of climate patterns that are distinctive for the east and
the west coast(dry and tropical wet climate). The east coast has short dry season and more
months of heavy rainfall. The area is dry from January to April and rainy season prevails
throughout the rest of the year. September was registered as the wettest month. The west
coast has equal lengths of dry and rainy seasons. Dry season begins in November and lasts
until April while the rainy months start in May and ends in October. The annual average
rainfall is 1,563.8 mm per year. The rainiest month in the west coast is September just like in
the east coast. February is the driest month in the area. The barangays falling under this
climate pattern are New Panggangan, Marufinas, Cabayugan, Tagabinet, Buenavista, Bahile,
Macarascas, Simpocan, Bagong Bayan, and Napsan.
The City has a uniform high temperature. However, there is no marked difference in
temperature between areas falling under the first and second type of climate. Generally the
warmest months are March, April and May, the coolest are November, December, January,
and February.
The city has more or less uniform humidity as well as high relative humidity. The range
is from 70 to 86 percent with an annual mean of 84 percent.
Fluctuations in relative humidity affect the rate of evaporation in such a way that if other
factors like moisture content of the soil and its temperature and temperature of the air
momentarily held constant, a lower relative humidity tends to enhance vaporization, while in
an extreme case, atmosphere approaches 100 percent, evaporation may cease and
condensation induced.