The city government has partnered with the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragonboat Federation (PCKDF) to stage the 2nd Puerto Princesa International Dragon Boat Festival in November.

Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron and PCKDF president Leonora Escollante signed the memorandum of agreement at the city hall in Barangay Sta. Monica on Friday, solidifying their commitment to host the dragon boat festival from Nov. 17 to 19.

Bayron said staging the water sport event here positions the city as a premier destination for sports tourism in the country.

He expressed his optimism that the event will attract both local and international participants, contributing to Puerto Princesa’s vision of becoming a prominent sports hub.

“Our goal is to establish Puerto Princesa as a sports tourism capital, and this dragon boat festival is an integral part of our broader sports tourism program. We anticipate a vibrant economy as we welcome numerous participants to the event,” he added.

Escollante said the sport competition which will take place at Puerto Princesa Bay expects the participation of 10 to 12 teams of paddlers maneuvering their dragon boats.

“We will also involve our local dragon boat players and may even offer a clinic for them. Consequently, there will be separate categories for local participants and international paddlers,” she said.

This marks the second time that Puerto Princesa will host the international dragon boat festival, Escollante said.

The city previously organized a local festival in 2017, followed by the inaugural international edition in 2018.

Meanwhile, Bayron revealed that Puerto Princesa has lined up several sports events as the year comes to a close.

Among these are the World Table Tennis Championship in October and the Ironman 70.3 Puerto Princesa on Nov. 12.

The city aims to leverage these sporting events to boost its reputation as a thriving sports tourism destination. (PNA)