PUERTO Princesa hopes to pump-prime its economy badly battered by the pandemic when it stages the Ironman 70.3 triathlon event on its famed pristine beach for the first time on Nov. 13 as one of the highlights of its annual colorful Subaraw Festival.
“Our tourism was badly hit by the pandemic but we hope that the staging of the Ironman 70.3 will help pump-prime our economy,” Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron said yesterday during the online press conference launching the event.
The Subaraw Festival celebrates the province’s rich bio-diversity that has made it one of the country’s major tourism hubs.
“We planned to hold this event last year but we had to reschedule it because of the pandemic. We aim to roll out the record carpet for this world-class event drawing top athletes from all over the globe,” Bayron said.
He expressed hope the grueling swim-bike-run event organized by local franchise holder Sunrise Events Inc. headed by Princess Galura would become a regular fixture in the Palawan provincial capital’s sports calendar “that can last for at least 10 years.”
Galura thanked Bayron and Puerto Princesa for hosting the event, which she acknowledged had to hurdle a lot of logistical challenges before the official hosting chores was finalized.
