Featuring Teacher Benny Ong

How are you, Mr. Benny Ong?

Rubi Diao, Student and Benny Ong

Van, Benny and Anh Do

 

Click the pictures to enlarge.

 

 

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Puerto Princesa City

The Cleanest City in the Philippines

Puerto Princesa City, the second largest city in the Philippines and the capital of Palawan has been the face of the last ecological frontier in the Philippines. Lying along the midsection of the long island of Palawan province, the capital city of Palawan is considered to be a first class city among the cities of the Philippines.

Puerto Princesa City is also known as the cleanest city in the Philippines and one of the cleanest and safest cities in the world.

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral (Built by the Spaniards)

The best time to visit Puerto Princesa would be the summer months from April to June, when seas are usually calm. Humidity is high but annual average temperatures are comfortable at 27 degrees Celsius. Nights may be chilly during rainy days, especially in forested areas, so it is advisable for visitors to bring warm clothing at all times.

One of Puerto Princesa’s main tour attractions and a source of pride for the locals is the Subterranean River National Park one of the world’s new 7 wonders of nature. The site features a very spectacular limestone landscape display in its navigable underground river, which flows directly to the sea. The underground river represents a habitat for conservation biodiversity.

Puerto Princesa City Baywalk Park

(place where families and cultures gather)

Galloping dolphins are a common site on Honday Bay, Puerto Princesa, an additional treat to the locals and tourists while they go island hopping.

Puerto Princesa is also the jump off point for Honda Bay which is rich in pristine white beaches with fine white sand. You can find them anywhere in the island. These water sceneries provide quite a contrast to the island’s green canopies. The clear emerald-green waters are truly a fascinating sight to behold. The islands in Honda Bay give the beach lovers a much sought-after uncrowded and unspoiled haven that one can never find anywhere else in the Philippines.

Puerto Princesa Philippines climate consists of pronounced wet and dry seasons equally divided throughout the year. The wettest month is September while the driest month is February. From October to April, the northeast monsoon whips up waves on the coast facing the South China Sea. The southwest monsoon blows from April to August.

    This is the aerial view of Puerto Princesa.

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IMAGES OF HTC-PFAC PALAWAN

 IMAGES OF HTC-PFAC PALAWAN

                

 Andrew Taylor

Benny Ong, Jr.



Mr. Sammy Taylor 

Dr. Luis Medrano

Chris Nguyen (Cong) with

Sister Bernadette

Virgie P. Rana

 

 

UNHCR Logo

WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE OLD P.F.A.C.?

What happened to the refugee camp?

The Philippine First Asylum Center, more popularly known as the  P.F.A.C., permanently folded in 1996. The UNHCR determined that the remaining Vietnamese asylum seekers left in the camp were no longer automatically considered authentic refugees but merely economic migrants who left their country for economic reason not for political.  They thought that the asylum seekers should return to Vietnam.

The Vietnamese refused to return to the country that made their lives miserable. They strongly opposed mandatory repatriation. Many of them left the camp and lived all over the Philippines (Cebu, Manila, Cavite, Laguna, and Bohol to name a few). They survived by selling merchandise to Filipino communities or doing survival jobs making minimal income.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Manila intervened. With the financial donation from the Vietnamese around the world, CADP and the Catholic Church (of the Philippines) purchased a huge piece of land on Honda Bay (14 kilometers from the former PFAC) and then relocated the remaining Vietnamese there. That place is called Viet Ville.

Viet Ville is now one of Palawan's tourist attractions. Their restaurant serves authentic Vietnamese Cuisine. Only one Vietnamese lives there though. He's married to a Filipino and they have five lovely children. In 2005 and 2007, all others had been resettled in Canada, Australia and the USA on compassionate grounds.

In December 2005, these former Viet Ville Vietnamese residents had an orientation meeting in Orange County, California. A lot of familiar people, including the famous and respected Vietnamese actress Kieu Chinh, graced the occasion.

Vietnamese actress Kieu Chinh with American actor Alan Alda on the set of their Emmy Award winning TV series M.A.S.H.

At that momentous occasion, Andrew Taylor, a former PFAC Palawan volunteer, was interviewed by SBTN Television about his perspectives on the Vietnamese people and his experience in the refugee camp.

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 (See the pictures taken by Mr. Hai Duong during that momentous occasion.)

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