I would witness then mayor Edward Hagedorn going to one barangay after another helping with all their problems and taking as long as needed to resolve them. I was with him on his birthday when he encourages everyone wanting to give him a birthday presents to donate to
hospitals instead.

 At each hospital behind closed doors he would pay the bills of the needy…

 Join us in watching this movie and seeing how one man truly made a difference in this world.
Changing the environment and peoples lives in

“ THE CITY IN A FOREST.”

Edward Solon Hagedorn (October 12, 1946 – October 3, 2023)
was a Filipino politician who was the mayor of Puerto Princesa, Philippines, and later the representative of 
Palawan's 3rd congressional district.

Hagedorn, also an environmentalist and anti-mining advocate,^[1] served as city mayor of Puerto Princesa for two decades, only interrupted by a year since the Constitution set the limit at three consecutive three-year terms. He was first elected in 1992 and served until 2001 when he ran for governor of Palawan and lost; but was elected mayor again through the 2002 recall election, whose victory was later allowed by the Supreme Court,^[2] and continued to serve until 2013.^[3] He lost in his attempts in later elections, in Senate in 2013, as well as returning to mayorship in a 2015 recall and in 2016. In 2022, he was elected representative of Palawan's 3rd legislative district.^[2]
 

Hagedorn's leadership was directed towards establishing harmony between the environment and development.^[4][5] The mayor was credited with establishing the city as a model of eco-tourism
 for the country.^[4]

His leadership was noted for Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan, being declared in 2007 a highly urbanized city, thus independent of the province;^[4] and for the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park being included in the New 7 Wonders of Nature.^[2]

His administration enforced policies and programs, mainly in environmental management^[11] as well as community-centered development.^[21] Reforms were made in Puerto Princesa, especially within his first four years in office.^[8]
 

The city gained popularity, as it became a major eco-tourism destination^[8] and a model in environmental protection.^[7] In 1996, it was placed in the Hall of Fame for being the country's "cleanest and greenest" component city.^[8][7][21]
 

The city was transformed into the country's safest, with the lowest crime rate, mainly due to decrease of smuggling and illegal logging,^[8] both related to his advocacy of environmental activities. This resulted to, among other things, an increase of forest cover to over 2,000 hectares.^[22] On the other hand, the city was successfully made jueteng-free by 2003.^[6]
 

Hagedorn was an advocate of the Bantay Dagat program, initially implemented in Palawan and later adopted in other areas in the country following a legislation.^[7] He was also responsible for another law in which the city's move of declaring a state of calamity without the president's announcement was eventually adapted nationwide,^[9] thus allowing local government units to do so, which was enacted to support his initiative of stopping kaingin (slash and burn). As mayor, he had to use the calamity fund to provide alternative livelihood for affected farmers, the subject of later criminal charges which was then dismissed upon enactment of the said law.^[11]
 

It was also during his term when the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) was declared as a national park, and later, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[9] In 2011, PPUR was declared one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature,^[7] triggering a growth in the tourism business, particularly in tourist arrivals.^[11] The same year, the city was declared by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as the region's first carbon-neutral city.^[11][21]
 

Also, Puerto Princesa became 
independent from the provincial government.^[9]

CNN Call to Earth Day 2023, NYC

Back row
 Guido D, Argensio, Benjhie Tayag, Jorinda Flour, Lady Aurora Aquino,
 Jean Casio , Alcober Karjalainen, John Fisalbon.
Front row:
Nigel Cosans, Her Excellency Princess Merriam
Tanglao Kiram, Veneracion Sian
 

ECO QUEST
 CNN  Call To Earth Living Oceans:
Turning The Tide
#CalltoEarth @CNN

Eco Quest

 is a sustainable travel documentary series
 that will air worldwide
 (into 500+ million homes) soon.

Our "A CALL TO EARTH"

 event will engage a global audience with videos featuring the people and places who are making a difference to solve some of the ocean's biggest
 eco health problems, including

Puerto Princessa,
Palau, Palawan,
Saipan,
Elba Italy,
 Vanuatu
 and
 New Zealand.

This will also be a chance to meet the movers and shakers
in the Philippines striving to make a difference.

Goal:

To encourage other destinations to follow what Palau has been able to accomplish: a zero carbon country in order to help protect the ocean.

 Location:
Gramercy Residences,
 35th Floor Salamanca Street,
Makati Manila.

 November 3, 2022 4 - 7pm




Eco Quest

 tells the story of our planet, offering rare access and in-depth reporting about our beautiful natural world and access to some of its
most exotic and amazing places.

This important 6X one-hour series will engage a wide global television audience with pioneering technologies and solutions to help solve some of our planet’s biggest eco-health problems
with stories that will feature people who are making a difference
to share their unique hands-on experiences along the way
 
Ultimately, the series delivers a compelling global perspective on the wonders of our environment and those who work to preserve and play in it in a way never before seen.

This series will open the door to stories of species survival,
 and cultural curiosity as we explore our planet with those who have traversed its passageways, probe its scientific mysteries,
and advocated for its protection.

WITH UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS,
EACH EPISODE  WILL FEATURE A DIFFERENT ISLAND,
EACH WITH ITS OWN UNIQUE HIDDEN NATURAL WONDERS.



For More Information
please contact

Nigel Cosans
Executive Producer

nigelcosans@gmail.com

E1izabeth Turner Fox

elizabeth@turnerproductions.com

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