A Prediction for Visitors to Puerto Princesa, Palawan
by Donna Amis Davis
Donna-On-Palawan can see into your future. Creepy, huh? My prediction: If you visit Puerto Princesa, you will go at least once to NCCC.
NCCC is not on the tourist ‘must see’ list. It’s not even on the ‘try to see’ list. But I lay very good odds that you will see it. Because, you see, NCCC (New City Commercial Center), is Puerto’s major grocery and department store. It carries almost everything you could possibly need. Bakery, pharmacy, health and beauty goods, groceries, hardware, clothing, shoes, office supplies, toys, watches and jewelry, fabric, luggage, furniture, household goods, drinking water and snacks for your hotel room – you name it, they probably have something in that category.
As you approach the entrance, you will see ATM machines from a number of Philippine banks, as well as donut kiosks, and newspaper sellers. You will have to go through a token security check, segregated male-female, at the entrance. These checks are common here in the Philippines, due to past terrorist bombings in malls (mostly in Manila).
If you arrive when NCCC opens at 9 am, expect to hear praise music over the PA system. After awhile it will switch to pop music. Then in the afternoon, steal your nerves as you shop, because you will be bombarded with loud techno ‘music.’ Alas, no amount of requests left at the suggestion box over the years have convinced the management to play nice music like classic rock, smooth jazz, or country.
While you stand in line behind that woman with a cart full of bottles of rum, relax. She’s not an alcoholic, though probably some of her neighbors are. She is shopping for her little house-front store, called a sari-sari (meaning assorted-assorted, or varied-varied). And the woman with a gigantic clear bag filled with chips, crackers and cookies is not a junk food addict, though probably some of her neighbors are. She’s also shopping for her sari-sari store. And if she’s buying that many snacks, look again at her cart and you will probably see strings of individual foil packs of shampoo, toothpaste, or sandwich filling. People from all over the island shop for stock for their sari-sari stores and small groceries at NCCC.
If you happen to be in NCCC at certain times during the day – when it opens at 9 am, or at noon or at 3 pm, you can watch the NCCC Dancers. Check out a video clip of that here.
See you at NCCC!
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- Three Days in Puerto Princesa (donnaonpalawan.wordpress.com)
The Chinese started those sari-sari store systems in Manila centuries ago and was eventually devised by the Filipinos. So as you can see Donna, we already have a 7-11 convenience store here in the Philippines a long long time ago. You have a strong prediction there. I only hope NCCC’s observing the no-plastic-bag policy. Good day!
Thanks for the ‘Like’, Elmer. Love sari-sari stores. So very convenient! Now especially that many of our neighbors also sell cellphone load, we can just pop out the gate, and get our phones loaded with more minutes.
I think Puerto Princesa and NCCC are working toward the no-plastic-bag policy, but it isn’t fully enforced yet here.