Champion of Nature: Ed Hagedorn

Edward Solon Hagedorn or better known as Ed Hagedorn currently the Mayor of Puerto Princesa City in the province Palawan in the Philippines. He started his career in politics as the mayor of Puerto Princesa City in 1992, years later in 2007 Puerto Princesa was declared as one of the highly urbanized city. Mayor Hagedorn is recognized as one of the most successful leaders in the local arena in Philippine Politics because of his strict policies especially in terms of development of the city while preserving the nature. In an interview with CNN Hagedorn said that "he was a logger then became the kingpin of city's gambling ring" but now he leads the fight for the nature.

Here are some of Mayor Hagedorn's accomplishment in Puerto Princesa City

Oplan Linis Program (Clean and Green Campaign) - Launched on August 1, 1992, the program aims to sustain cleanliness, beautification, and sanitation in the city through active and continuing partnership among government agencies, non-government organizations, the private sectors, and citizens. The program has earned for Puerto Princesa the coveted label of being the cleanest and greenest city in the Philippines.

Bantay Puerto Program (Puerto Princesa Watch) - Protect + Rehabilitate + Plan - These are the program’s key management thrusts. Protect what is there, rehabilitate what has been destroyed, and plan for the intelligent utilization of the city’s terrestrial and marine resources. This is the life cycle that the program envisions for the community to achieve sustainable development.

Tourism Program - Puerto Princesa City was a place no one really bothered to know, except of course the Puerto Princesans. What little that people knew about Puerto Princesa were mostly conjured images of a not-so-wholesome place like being the abode of prisoners, and where malaria abounds, but Hagedorn has built an image for the city as a place to go for eco tourism, seeing a developing city yet maintains a balance with nature, a city in the forest.

E-tricycle - On January 19, 2007, Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn unveiled the environment-friendly and economical electric-powered “Trikebayan” (which does not emit any noise or carbon monoxide)

Mayor Hagedorn is very strict in terms of preserving the nature, in Puerto Princesa each tricycle has its own trash can inside; and there was one story in which a senator who visited Puerto Princesa threw his cigarette butt on the streets and then a street aid approached the said senator and gave him a ticket. With those strict measures that Mayor Hagedorn placed in the city, it is now a leader in terms of eco-tourism in the country that made the Puerto Princesa Underground River as one of the new 7 wonders of nature which attracts a lot of tourists everyday that creates an income for the local town folks.

Turismo. Trabaho. Mismo! Hagedorn for Senator!

Here is the link of Mayor Hagedorn's interview with CNN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kedD1rPrlvY&feature=share