The other is Honda Bay, an equally dazzling ecosystem that harbors marine and terrestrial attractions that include colorful corals, schools of fish, sandbars, mangroves, endemic and migratory birds, bats, and marine species like the dugong, whalesharks, mantas, marine turtles, and dolphins.
So diverse is the ecosystem of Honda Bay that one of the island resorts, the plush 24-hectare Dos Palmas Arreceffi Island Resort, has since its inception in 1995 taken the initiative to undertake conservation efforts in the bay, such as saving an orphaned dugong, bird conservation and preservation of the seagrass. Today, it serves as an exploration site for fisheries and is a research station for corals, marine life, mangroves and bird species.
The Dos Palmas Research Center has direct links with the Palawan Geographic Society (PGS) and the State Polytechnic College of Palawan (SPCP), which recently acquired the stature of a university and was renamed the Western Philippines University (WPU).
"Dos Palmas Arreceffi Island Resort is a prime example of a habitat or ecosystem that represents everything that Honda Bay harbors," said Dr. Carlos T. Reyes Jr., founding president of PGS. "The island resort has a land area of 24 hectares but is surrounded by hundreds of hectares of rich ecosystems that are so alive, so full of marine and terrestrial life," he stated.
The resort hosts an old-growth mangrove that is the habitat of families of herons, egrets, frigates and bitterns, including the great billed heron, purple heron, mangrove heron, Pacific reef egret and yellow bittern. A kayaking tour of the mangrove brings tourists to the sights and sounds of a veritable bird sanctuary with egrets and herons taking flight at every turn of a narrow water highway that snakes within the forest.
The bakawan, the most dominant of about 14 tree species in the mangrove, is priced for its red bark that is used as food coloring in many parts of the Philippines. Cutting and harvesting of the tree species, which is also used as firewood in bakeries, has already been banned throughout the country.
"The mangrove is also the nursery area of reef fishes like lapu-lapu (grouper), samaral (rabbit fish) and talakitok (trevally) and other popular commercial fish species," said Reyes.
Dr. Sabine Schoppe, Ph.D., head of the marine and aquatic biology department of WPU and research partner of Reyes, explains that "the root system of the mangrove filters large sediments from the island so that only finer sediments move on to the seagrass beds, another ecosystem found along the shoreline of Dos Palmas which sustains the dugong or sea cow. The seagrass, in turn, filters the finer sediments so what goes to the coral reefs are clear waters that do not harm the fragile coral ecosystem."
Reyes is a surgeon who lives in an upscale village in Makati. But he chose to migrate to Puerto Princesa where he now practices what he believes are two complementary passions – the practice of medicine and love of the outdoors. A dedicated marine expert from Germany, Dr. Schoppe was, at first blush, impressed by the still intact marine ecosystem of Honda Bay. She fell in love with the bay and decided to live close to it. To her, Palawan still lives up to its moniker as "the Philippines’ last frontier."
Both environmentalists attest to the fact that the reefs around the resort are in better condition compared to other reefs in Honda Bay. This is, in fact, a major contribution of Dos Palmas to the conservation efforts being mounted by various groups in the bay.
"The resort is able to watch over the coral reefs around the island which then serve as protected spawning grounds for reef fishes that help improve fish stocks in Honda Bay, similar to what the Tubbataha Reef is for the Sulu Sea," said Reyes. "Ultimately, the local communities around the bay also benefit from these efforts," he said.
Professional Dos Palmas divemasters organize daily scuba diving expeditions for beginners as well as advanced divers in the coral reefs situated on the island’s southern and eastern tips. Scuba diving and snorkeling is a favorite pastime at the resort among thousands of Filipino guests, Koreans, Japanese, Europeans and American currently visiting the island. It is a different world altogether, teeming with stag horns, brain corals, sea fans, gorgonians and other colorful corals – mesmerizing beauty that adds to the uniqueness of Dos Palmas Arreceffi Island Resort which is only about 45 minutes away by boat from the mainland of Puerto Princesa.
"The reefs around Dos Palmas and Honda Bay as a whole are rich in marine life," said Schoppe. "On a scale of one to 10, the Tubbataha reef, another UNESCO heritage site, would get a 10 while Honda Bay an 8."
Every year, the Japanese-Filipino Joint Field Training sends young students of biology, environment and other related disciplines to Palawan for what Schoppe calls a hands-on marine education. "The training is very informal with zero lectures," she said. With group coordinator Stefan Ottomanski, the students went directly to the mangroves and coral reefs of Dos Palmas to observe. "They went snorkeling and pointed at things that attracted them and then talked about their experiences at the Dos Palmas Research Center," she related.
According to Schoppe, the energy the students put up is very satisfying. In the informal discussions, they talked about hard and soft corals and species that have been recently killed or have been long dead as well as species that are coming to life. They learn by doing. They see things with a better understanding of the ecosystem that Dos Palmas Arreceffi Island Resort protects.
While discovering the rich marine and terrestrial life of the island, visitors are ushered into a resort with a refreshing, landscape garden, cozy air-conditioned Bay and Garden Cottages. They enjoy the lively sing-along bar, the sumptuous food and pampering by the friendly staff.
Indeed, it’s not the usual sea and sky adventure of fun in the sun and partying. Like the students of Schoppe, the Dos Palmas Arreceffi Island Resort visitors cherish the rich experience of exploring the famous sea life of Palawan. This interaction makes for truly memorable experience both for the young and young at heart.
Dos Palmas Arreceffi Island Resort is a landmark destination of Palawan, waiting to be discovered, savored, and treasu