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Palawan (/pəˈlɑːwən/, Tagalog: [pɐˈlaː.wan]; officially the Province of Palawan; Cuyonon: Probinsya i'ang Palawan; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Palawan) is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area, with 14,649.73 km2 (5,656.29 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Puerto Princesa which is geographically grouped with but administered independently from the province. Palawan is known as the Philippines' Last Frontier[5] and as the Philippines' Best Island.[4]

Key Information

Palawan Provincial Capitol in Puerto Princesa.

The islands of Palawan stretch between Mindoro island in the northeast and Borneo in the southwest. It lies between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. The province is named after its largest island, Palawan Island, measuring 450 kilometers (280 mi) long, and 50 kilometers (31 mi) wide.[9][10]

In 2019, it was proposed to divide Palawan into three separate provinces, though the proposal was rejected by the local population in a 2021 plebiscite.

History

[edit]

Pre-history

[edit]
Further information: Palawan (island) § Prehistory

The early history of Palawan was determined by a team of researchers led by Robert Bradford Fox. They found evidence in the Tabon Caves that humans have lived in Palawan for more than 50,000 years. They also found human bone fragments, from an individual known as Tabon Man, in the municipality of Quezon, as well as tools and other artifacts.[9]

Two articulated phalanx bones of a tiger, besides another phalanx piece, were found amidst an assemblage of other animal bones and stone tools in Ille Cave near the village of New Ibajay. The other animal fossils were ascribed to macaques, deer, bearded pigs, small mammals, lizards, snakes and turtles. From the stone tools, besides the evidence for cuts on the bones, and the use of fire, it would appear that early humans had accumulated the bones.[11] Additionally, the condition of the tiger subfossils, dated to approximately 12,000 to 9,000 years ago, differed from other fossils in the assemblage, dated to the Upper Paleolithic. The tiger subfossils showed longitudinal fracture of the cortical bone due to weathering, which suggests that they had post-mortem been exposed to light and air. Tiger parts were commonly used as amulets in South and Southeast Asia, so it may be that the tiger parts were imported from elsewhere, as is the case with tiger canine teeth, which were found in Ambangan sites dating to the 10th to 12th centuries in Butuan, Mindanao. On the other hand, the proximity of Borneo and Palawan also makes it likely that the tiger had colonized Palawan from Borneo before the Early Holocene.[12][13]

Using the work of Von den Driesch,[14] all chosen anatomical features of appendicular elements' anatomical features which were chosen, besides molars, were measured to distinguish between taxa that had close relationships, and see morphometric changes over ages, though not for pigs or deer. For the latter two, cranial and mandibular elements, besides teeth of deer from Ille Cave were compared with samples of the Philippine brown deer (Cervus mariannus), Calamian hog deer (Axis calamianensis), and Visayan spotted deer (Cervus alfredi), and thus two taxa of deer have been identified from the fossils: Axis and Cervus.[15] Remains of pigs were compared with the Eurasian (Sus scrofa) and Palawanese wild boar (Sus ahoenobarbus). It is known that the Eurasian wild boar was imported as a domesticate to the islands from mainland Southeast Asia to the islands during the Terminal Holocene.[16][17][18][19][20]

Palawan was a major site for the Maritime Jade Road, one of the most extensive sea-based trade networks of a single geological material in the prehistoric world, operating for 3,000 years from 2000 BCE to 1000 CE.[21][22][23][24][not specific enough to verify]

Early history

[edit]

Palawan is home to several Indigenous groups. The oldest inhabitants are the Palaw'an, Batak, Tagbanwa, and Tau't Bato who are from the interiors and highlands of Palawan, as well as the Calamianes Islands. They traditionally practice animist anito religions. Palawan's coastlines were also settled by later groups that are now collectively known as "Palaweños". Prior to Islamization, the islands of Palawan, Calamian, and parts of Luzon were under the jurisdiction of the nation Sandao (In Chinese records at the 1200s). Sandao was a vassal-state to the more powerful Ma-i nation in Mindoro. Thereafter, groups like the Islamized Molbog people of southern Palawan (possibly originally from Sabah), and the Cuyonon and Agutaynon groups (from the nearby islands of Cuyo and Agutaya settled in.[25][26]

Palawan was mentioned as "Pulaoan" or "Polaoan" by Antonio Pigafetta in 1521 during Magellan's expedition. They called it la terra de missione ("the land of promise") due to the fact that they were almost starving by the time they reached the island. The local datu made peace with the expedition through a blood compact. The ships' crews were welcomed to the island with rice cooked in bamboo tubes, rice wine, bananas, pigs, goats, chickens, coconuts, sugarcane, and other supplies. Pigafetta described the inhabitants as being farmers. Their primary weapons were blowguns with iron tips that could both shoot thick wooden or bamboo darts (some poisoned) and function as spears once their ammunition were exhausted. Pigafetta also described the islanders as keeping roosters for cockfighting.[27]

Before the arrival of the Spanish in the late 15th century, Palawan broke free of the nation of Ma-i but would be conquered and ruled by the Bruneian empire and their vassals the Sultanate of Sulu.

Spanish colonial era

[edit]
Taytay, the capital of the Province of Calamianes in 1818 (Spanish Palawan)

The northern Calamianes Islands were the first to come under Spanish authority, and were later declared a province separate from the Palawan mainland. In the early 17th century, Spanish friars sent out missions in Cuyo, Agutaya, Taytay and Cagayancillo but they met resistance from Moro communities. Before the 18th century, Colonial Authorities began to build churches enclosed by garrisons for protection against Moro raids in the towns of Cuyo, Taytay, Linapacan and Balabac. In 1749, the Sultanate of Brunei ceded southern Palawan to Spain.[25]

By 1858, the province was divided into two provinces, namely, Castilla, covering the northern section with Taytay as capital and Asturias in the southern mainland with Puerto Princesa as capital. It was later divided into three districts, Calamianes, Paragua and Balabac, with Principe Alfonso town as its capital. During the Spanish colonial period, Cuyo became the second capital of Palawan from 1873 to 1903.[citation needed] On 6 April 1885, Sultan Abdul Momin of Brunei made confirmation of a cession on the island of Palawan to Alfred Dent of the British North Borneo Chartered Company (NBCC) and partners on the day of 29 December 1877.[28] A month before, on 7 March 1885, the British, Spanish, and German colonial authorities signed the Madrid Protocol of 1885, which established the definite border of Spanish influence in the Mindanao islands and beyond northern Borneo.[29]

American colonial era

[edit]

In 1902, after the Philippine–American War, the United States established civil rule in northern Palawan, calling it the province of Paragua. In 1905, pursuant to Philippine Commission Act No. 1363, the province was reorganized to include the southern portions and renamed Palawan, and Puerto Princesa declared as its capital.[25]

Many reforms and projects were later introduced in the province. Construction of school buildings, promotion of agriculture, and bringing people closer to the government were among the priority plans during this era.[25]

Japanese invasion

[edit]
U.S. Army personnel worked to identify the charred remains of Americans captured at Bataan and burned alive on Palawan. March 20, 1945

After the Japanese invasion, according to Stephen L. Moore, "Pro-Allied sentiment was strong, and it was later estimated that during the war as many as 1,154 Filipino guerrillas worked against the Japanese on the island. Those in the underground network would proudly refer to themselves as 'Palawan's Fighting One Thousand'." Early resistance leaders included Dr. Higinio Acosta Mendoza, his wife Triny, Thomas F. Loudon, and his son-in-law Nazario Mayor. Capt. Mayor organized Company D in October 1943, and was responsible for the area encompassing Puerto Princesa south to Balabac Island. Capt. Mendoza covered the area north of Puerto Princesa to Caramay. Lt. Felipe Batul operated out of Danlig, while Capt. Carlos Amores operated out of Sibaltan. Overall command of the Palawan Special Battalion was under Major Pablo P. Muyco as part of the 6th Military District. The Palawan guerrillas helped any escaping American POWs, supported two coastwatcher groups sending regular radio broadcasts to General MacArthur on Japanese movements, and helped rescue downed airmen as well as survivors from the submarine USS Flier. Most importantly, they helped guide the 8th Army's troop landings.[30]

Palawan Massacre

[edit]
Main article: Palawan Massacre

During World War II, in order to prevent the rescue of prisoners of war by the advancing allies, on December 14, 1944, units of the Japanese Fourteenth Area Army (under the command of General Tomoyuki Yamashita) herded the remaining 150 prisoners of war at Puerto Princesa into three covered trenches which were then set on fire using barrels of gasoline. Prisoners who tried to escape the flames were shot down.[31] Only 11 men escaped the slaughter.[32]

Liberation

[edit]
Main article: Invasion of Palawan

During the first phase of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, just off the coast of Palawan, two United States Navy submarines, USS Dace and USS Darter attacked a Japanese cruiser task force led by Admiral Takeo Kurita, sinking his flagship (in which he survived) Atago, and her sister ship Maya. Darter later ran aground that afternoon and was scuttled by USS Nautilus (SS-168).

The island was liberated from the Japanese Imperial Forces from February 28 to April 22, 1945, during the Invasion of Palawan.

Philippine independence

[edit]

Martial law era

[edit]

Like the other parts of the Philippines, Palawan felt the impact when Ferdinand Marcos placed the whole country under martial law in September 1972, and then held on to power for 14 more years, until he was ousted by the 1986 EDSA People Power revolution.

One incident was when Marcos evicted an estimated 254 families of Indigenous Tagbanwa people from the Calauit Island in order to create a game reserve full of animals imported from Africa.[33][34]

In another incident, residents of Bugsuk Island were driven from their homes and communities so that Marcos crony Eduardo Cojuangco could establish a coconut plantation.[35]

Among the leaders who helped organize the effort to prevent the eviction of the Bugsuk Island residents was United Methodist Reverend Magnifico Osorio. When the effort failed, Reverend Osorio relocated to Bataraza, a town on the southernmost tip of Palawan Island, where he continued to fight for the rights of the Indigenous peoples of Palawan. In March 1985 he successfully facilitated a meeting between Indigenous peoples and the provincial governor at that time Salvador Paredes Socrates, who promised to respect Indigenous rights as long as he was governor. A few weeks later, however, Reverend Osorio was found dead out in his ricefields, having been clubbed in the head and shot dead. For his work to protect the Indigenous peoples of Palawan, and for the circumstances of his death, Reverend Osorio was honored by having his name inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought the abuses of the Marcos dictatorship.[35]

Contemporary

[edit]

In 2005, Palawan was briefly made politically part of Western Visayas or Region VI through Executive Order 429 signed by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on May 23[36] as a political move to control the province and a response to getting more loans from China.[37][failed verification] This decree was later deferred on August 18 within the same year reportedly due to the opposition of the province's Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Council).[38]

On July 21, 2007, its capital city Puerto Princesa became a highly urbanized city.

Proposed division

[edit]
Main article: 2021 Palawan division plebiscite

In April 2019, a bill dividing Palawan into three provinces was passed into law.[39][40] The proposed three new provinces were Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur.[41][42] A plebiscite, originally scheduled in May 2020, was held on March 13, 2021, that decided whether Palawan would be divided into three provinces. Some civil society groups and Puerto Princesa residents opposed the proposed division, claiming that there was no extensive public consultation.[39][43][44][45] The Comelec announced on March 16, 2021, that the majority of Palawan residents opposed the division and thus, it would not be carried out.[46][47]

Geography

[edit]
Coron Island

The province is composed of the long and narrow Palawan Island, plus a number of other smaller islands surrounding it, totalling roughly 1,780 islands and islets. The Calamianes Group of Islands to the northeast consists of Busuanga, Coron, Culion, and Linapacan islands. Balabac Island is located off the southern tip, separated from Borneo by the Balabac Strait. In addition, Palawan covers the Cuyo Islands in the Sulu Sea. The disputed Spratly Islands, located a few hundred kilometers to the west, are considered part of Palawan by the Philippines, and is locally called the "Kalayaan Group of Islands".

Palawan's almost 2,000 kilometers (1,200 mi) of irregular coastline is lined with rocky coves and sugar-white sandy beaches. It also harbors a vast stretch of virgin forests that carpet its chain of mountain ranges. The mountain heights average 1,100 meters (3,500 ft) in altitude, with the highest peak rising to 6,843 feet (2,086 m)[10] at Mount Mantalingahan. The vast mountain areas are the source of valuable timber. The terrain is a mix of coastal plain, craggy foothills, valley deltas, and heavy forest interspersed with riverine arteries that serve as irrigation.[9]

The province has a total land area of 14,649.73 square kilometers (5,656.29 sq mi).[48] When Puerto Princesa City is included for geographical purposes, its land area is 17,030.75 square kilometers (6,575.61 sq mi).[48] The land area is distributed to its mainland municipalities, comprising 12,239 square kilometers (4,726 sq mi), and the island municipalities, which altogether measure 2,657 square kilometers (1,026 sq mi). In terms of archipelagic internal waters, Palawan has the biggest marine resources that covers almost half of the Sulu Sea and a big chunk of the South China Sea that is within the municipal waters of Kalayaan Municipality which was officially annexed to the Philippine jurisdiction by virtue of Presidential Decree 1596 dated June 11, 1978.

Climate

[edit]
Primary tropical moist rainforest in central Palawan

The province has two types of climate. The first, which occurs in the northern and southern extremities and the entire western coast, has two distinct seasons – six months dry and six months wet. The other, which prevails in the eastern coast, has a short dry season of one to three months and no pronounced rainy period during the rest of the year. The southern part of the province is virtually free from tropical depressions but northern Palawan experiences torrential rains during the months of July and August. Summer months serve as peak season for Palawan. Sea voyages are most favorable from March to early June when the seas are calm. The average maximum temperature is 31 °C (88 °F) with little variation all year.[9]

The island ecosystem of Palawan is threatened by climate change.[49][50] For example, though mangroves and barrier reefs protect Puerto Princesa's coastlines from supertyphoons, these barriers are subject to degradation due to El Niño, rising sea temperatures, and other climate change-related phenomena.[51] A study by the World Wide Fund for Nature revealed that a spike in ocean acidification in 2010 came from Palawan's waters.[52]

Administrative divisions

[edit]
Political map of Palawan

Palawan comprises 433 barangays in 23 municipalities and the capital City of Puerto Princesa. As an archipelago, Palawan has 13 mainland municipalities and 10 island towns. There are three congressional districts, namely: the first district comprising five northern mainland municipalities and nine island towns; the second district composed of six southern mainland towns and the island municipality of Balabac; and the third district covering the capital City of Puerto Princesa and the town of Aborlan. Thirteen municipalities are considered as mainland municipalities, namely Aborlan, Narra, Quezon, Sofronio Española, Brooke's Point, Rizal, and Bataraza (located south); San Vicente, Roxas, Dumaran, El Nido, and Taytay (found in the north). The remaining island municipalities are: Busuanga, Coron, Linapacan and Culion (forming the Calamianes group of islands), Cuyo, Agutaya and Magsaysay (the Cuyo group of islands), Araceli, Cagayancillo, Balabac and Kalayaan (Spratly Islands). The capital, Puerto Princesa is a highly urbanized city that governs itself independently from the province, but it usually grouped with the province for statistical and geographic purposes.

  •  †  Provincial capital and highly urbanized city
  •   Municipality

Proposals

[edit]

Inclusion into other regions

[edit]

In 2001, the residents of Palawan voted in a plebiscite to reject inclusion into an expanded Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.[54]

On May 17, 2002, Executive Order No. 103 divided Region IV into Region IV-A (Calabarzon) and Region IV-B (Mimaropa), placing the province of Palawan into Mimaropa.[55]

On May 23, 2005, Executive Order No. 429 directed that Palawan be transferred from Region IV-B to Region VI.[1] However, Palaweños criticized the move, citing a lack of consultation, with most residents in Puerto Princesa City and all municipalities but one preferring to stay with Region IV-B. Consequently, Administrative Order No. 129 was issued on August 19, 2005, that the implementation of EO 429 be held in abeyance pending approval by the President of its implementation Plan.[2] The Philippine Commission on Elections reported the 2010 Philippine general election results for Palawan as a part of the Region IV-B results.[56] As of 30 June 2011, the abeyance was still in effect and Palawan remained a part of Mimaropa.[7]

Proposed division into three provinces

[edit]
Main article: 2021 Palawan division plebiscite

A March 2021 plebiscite (originally scheduled for May 2020 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic[57]) asked about whether to divided Palawan into three provinces:[58][59] Palawan del Norte (including El Nido, Taytay, Coron, Linapacan, Culion, and Busuanga), Palawan Oriental (includes San Vicente, Roxas, Dumaran, Cuyo, Agutaya, Magsaysay, and Cagayancillo), and Palawan del Sur (includes Kalayaan, Aborlan, Narra, Sofronio Española, Brooke's Point, Rizal, Quezon, Bataraza and Balabac).[41][42] The division was rejected by a majority.

Demographics

[edit]
Population census of Palawan
YearPop.±% p.a.
1903 35,696—    
1918 69,053+4.50%
1939 93,673+1.46%
1948 106,269+1.41%
1960 162,669+3.61%
1970 198,861+2.03%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1975 254,356+5.06%
1980 311,548+4.14%
1990 436,140+3.42%
1995 510,909+3.01%
2000 593,500+3.26%
2007 682,152+1.94%
YearPop.±% p.a.
2010 771,667+4.59%
2015 849,469+1.85%
2020 939,594+2.15%
2024 968,795+0.74%
(excluding Puerto Princesa City)
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[53][60][61][62]
Further information: Tribes of Palawan

The population of Palawan in the 2020 census was 939,594 people,[8] with a density of 64 inhabitants per square kilometre or 170 inhabitants per square mile. When Puerto Princesa is included for geographical purposes, the population is 1,104,585 people, with a density of 65/km2 (168/sq mi).

Religion

[edit]
Main article: Religion in the Philippines

Religiously, the drastic increase in Christianity is related to the increase in the number of migrants, especially those from Luzon, who are increasingly coming to Palawan. In 2000, Islam in Palawan was 23.6%, a percentage that decreased drastically in 2020 to 10.83%, along with the arrival of Christian settlers. Previously, almost half of the population in Palawan was Muslims, almost all of them indigenous people, especially Molbog and Southern Palawano.[63]

Roman Catholicism

[edit]
Main articles: Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa and Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay
Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Puerto Princesa.

The predominant religion in Palawan is Roman Catholicism. In 2017, the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa had a 68.8% adherence while the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay (Northern Palawan) had a 91.6% adherence.[64][65] One of the religious orders that had a significant mission in the islands is the Order of Augustinian Recollects.

The Catholics in the province are governed by a single apostolic vicariate until 2002 when it was divided into two: the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa in Southern Palawan and the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay in Northern Palawan.[65][64]

Protestantism and other groups

[edit]

Several Baptist and other Protestant denominations have a strong presence in Palawan as do the Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the Philippines, and the Seventh-day Adventists. Charismatic groups such as Jesus is Lord (JIL), Jesus Touch Fellowship (JTF) and the Life Church (formerly known at the Life Renewal Center).

The Members Church of God International (MCGI) popularly called Ang Dating Daan established four church districts namely Calamian (Consisting of island municipalities in the North), Central (Consisting of Puerto Princesa City), North (Consisting of Northern municipalities) & South (Consisting of Southern municipalities) which signifies strong membership in the province.

Other Christian denominations including the indigenous Iglesia ni Cristo has many local congregations in the province established three Ecclesiastical District (Calamian, Palawan North, and Palawan South) each town has a barangay chapels signifies the existence of INC Faith, 2-3% of the entire province belongs to INC. The United Church of Christ in the Philippines or (UCCP), the Jesus Miracle Crusade, the Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ or PMCC (4th Watch) as well as the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church or Aglipayan Church) which is standing as one diocese (The Diocese of Palawan). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a growing membership in the island province. Jehovah's Witnesses have an active membership of 181,236 in the Philippines as of 2012. Special pioneers from the Witnesses have been preaching to prisoners at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan, and were permitted to build a small Kingdom Hall right on the premises.[66]

Islam

[edit]
Further information: Islam in the Philippines

Around 75,000 to 100,000 Palawan residents (10% to 13%) identify as Muslims, these being mostly the native Molbog and Palawano who are majority in Balabac and Bataraza, also significant in Rizal and Brooke's Point, of the southern part of the island. Large numbers of Jama Mapun (Mapun Island) and Tausug (Sulu) migrants have also settled in southern Palawan, as well as a smaller number of Sama Pangutaran (Tawi-Tawi), Maranao (Lanao del Sur), and Yakan (Basilan). Maranao traders are more widely scattered throughout urban centers in Palawan, while the Yakan are mostly centered in the Rio Tuba area of Bataraza.[67][68]

Animism

[edit]

Most of the ethnic minorities such as Batak and Tagbanwa are traditionally animists, many of which have continued to preserve their ancient traditions passed on by their ancestors and onto the next generations. However, Christian missionaries have been active in some communities, reducing the prevalence of historic beliefs.

Other religions

[edit]

A notable Buddhist Temple in Palawan is Chùa Vạn Pháp. The temple was built by Vietnamese refugees. They were temporarily settled in Palawan during the Indochina refugee crisis, while they awaited permanent resettlement to third countries. Almost all of the refugees have moved on to other countries in 2005 and 2006.[69][70]

Language

[edit]
Spoken languages in Palawan
Languages percentage
Tagalog
 
 50%
Cuyonon
 
 27%
Kinaray-a
 
 19%
Palawano
 
 4%

There are 52 languages and dialects in the province, with Tagalog being spoken by more than 50 percent of the people. Languages native to the islands are Cuyonon (26.27 percent) and Palawano (4.0 percent). Kinaray-a is also present in Palawan, spoken by 19 percent of inhabitants. Before mass immigration to Palawan by various groups of people from Southern Tagalog, Ilocandia, Central Luzon, and Panay, Cuyonon was an established lingua franca amongst many of Palawan's native peoples, including the Agutaynen, Cagayanen, Tagbanua, Palawan, and others. The usage of Cuyonon significantly dropped during 1990s and the approach of the new millennium, being replaced by the now-majority Tagalog language, the reason for making Palawan part of Southern Tagalog.[71] Tagalog may be usually spoken with Batangas dialect due to its geographical contact with Batangas and Mindoro and Batangueño residents in the island. In Barangay Panitian, Quezon, Palawan, Sambal language is spoken by ethnic Sambals, who came from northern Zambales during the 1950s. In the south of Palawan during the occupation of the Sulu Sultanate, Tausug was a lingua franca amongst the minority Islamified ethnic groups, i.e., the Molbog, the Tausug (a non-native ethnic group), the Muslim Palaw'an, and the migratory Sama. By the 19th century, Cuyonon had replaced Tausug as a lingua franca. Many local Muslims and barter traders can also speak Sabah Malay.

English is spoken by a majority of the younger (age 20–39) population of Puerto Princesa. It is spoken by a minority in every other area of the province.

Economy

[edit]

Poverty incidence of Palawan

10
20
30
40
50
60
2000
25.91
2003
52.00
2006
35.18
2009
30.87
2012
20.00
2015
17.60
2018
12.14
2021
9.40

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79]

Palawan's economy is basically agricultural. The three major crops are palay, corn and coconut. Mineral resources include nickel, copper, manganese, and chromite. Logging is also a major industry. Palawan has one of the richest fishing grounds in the country. About 45% of Manila's supply of fish comes from here. Having natural gas reserves of approximately 30,000 trillion cubic feet, the province is the only oil-producing province in the country.[80][81] In addition, tourism is also a thriving sector, having received 1.8 million tourists in 2018, a 21% year-over-year increase from 2017.[82]

Once considered the world's largest pearl, the 240 millimeters (9.4 in) diameter Pearl of Lao Tzu, was found off Palawan in 1934.

The economic and agricultural business growth of province is at 20% per annum.[81] Coconut, sugar, rice, lumber, and livestock are produced here.[10]

Biodiversity

[edit]
Coral Reefs in Coron, Palawan.
A Palawan peacock-pheasant
Limestone forest, El Nido

Unlike most of the Philippines, Palawan is biogeographically part of Sundaland, with a fauna and flora related to that found in Borneo.[83]

Palawan had 700,000 hectares (1,700,000 acres) of forests as of 2010[84] and has been called the Philippines' "last biodiversity frontier."[85]

Among the many endemic species are the Palawan peacock-pheasant, Philippine mouse-deer, Philippine pangolin, Palawan bearded pig, and Palawan birdwing. In the forests and grasslands, the air resonates with the songs of more than 200 kinds of birds. Over 600 species of butterflies flutter around the mountains and fields of Palawan, attracted to some 1500 hosts plants found here. Endangered sea turtles nest on white sand beaches.[86] Sea turtles usually go to the nutrient-rich coastal waters of Palawan to rest and look for food. Dugong numbers have fallen seriously, although Palawan still has a larger population than any other part of the country,[87] and organizations such as Community Centred Conservation (C3) are working to end the unsustainable use of marine resources in Palawan and in Philippines.[88]

Total forest cover is about 56 percent of the total land area of the province while mangrove forest accounts for 3.35 percent based on the 1998 Landsat imagery. Grasslands dwindled from 19 percent in 1992 to 12.40 percent in 1998. This is an indication of improving soil condition as deteriorating soil is normally invaded by grass species. Brushlands increased to 25 percent of the total land area. Sprawled beneath the seas are nearly 11,000 square kilometers of coral reefs, representing more than 35% of the country's coral reefs.[86]

Palawan, the only Philippine island cited, is rated by the Condé Nast Traveler Readers as the most beautiful island in the world and is also rated by the National Geographic Traveler magazine as the best island destination in East and Southeast Asia region in 2007, and the equal 27th best island in the world having "incredibly beautiful natural seascapes and landscapes. One of the most biodiverse (terrestrial and marine) islands in the Philippines. The island has had a Biosphere Reserve status since the early 1990s, showing local interest for conservation and sustainable development".[89][90]

The province was also categorized as "doing well" in the 4th Destination Scorecard survey conducted by the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations, and Conde Nast Traveler magazine voted its beaches, coves and islets as the tourist destination with the best beaches in Asia.[91] Renowned underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau has described the province as having one of the most beautiful seascapes in the world.[86]

Attractions

[edit]

Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary

[edit]
Main article: Calauit Safari Park
Reticulated giraffes inside the Calauit Safari Park

A game reserve and wildlife sanctuary of exotic African animals and endangered endemic animals of Palawan. It is on Calauit Island in Busuanga. The reserve was established on August 31, 1976, by virtue of the Presidential Proclamation No. 1578.[92] The explanation the Ferdinand Marcos administration gave for establishing the park was that it was responding to the appeal of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to help save African wildlife.[93] However, the IUCN, which has a policy against relocating animals outside of their natural range, bears no record of such a request.[94]

Since 2009, management of the area has been the responsibility of the Office of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.[95]

Coron Reefs, Coron Bay, Busuanga

[edit]
Limestone cliffs of Coron Island

Seven lakes surrounded by craggy limestone cliffs attract hundreds of nature lovers to Coron Reefs in Northern Palawan, near the town of Coron.

Busuanga Island, whose main town is Coron, is the jump-off point for numerous dive operators. The principal dive sites are World War II Japanese shipwrecks sunk on September 24, 1944, by United States Navy action. They range in depth from 12 metres (39 ft) to 43 metres (141 ft).[96]

Kayangan Lake

[edit]
Main article: Kayangan Lake

Accessible by a steep 10-minute climb, the crystal-clear waters of Kayangan Lake are nestled into the mountain walls; underwater is like a moonscape. There's a little wooden walkway and platform to stash your things if you go for a swim. Don't expect privacy or quiet, though, as the lake, an Instagram favorite, is overwhelmed by the cellphone-wielding masses during peak hours. To avoid the crowds you'll need to visit on a private tour early in the morning or late in the afternoon.[97]

El Nido Marine Reserve Park

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El Nido, Palawan
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
Whitetip reef shark at the Tubbataha Reef

The January 2008 issue of international magazine Travel + Leisure, published by the American Express Co. (which partnered with Conservation International), listed El Nido's sister hotel resorts El Nido Lagen Island and El Nido Miniloc Island in Miniloc and Lagen Islands as "conservation-minded places on a mission to protect the local environment". Travel + Leisure's 20 Favorite Green Hotels scored El Nido Resort's protection of Palawan's giant clam gardens and the re-introduction of endangered Philippine cockatoos.[98] Guest cottages on stilts are set above the crystalline ocean. The resorts are active in both reef and island conservation."[99]

Malampaya Sound Land and Seascape Protected Area

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Main article: Malampaya Sound

Located in the Municipality of Taytay, this important ecological and economic zone is a watershed and fishing ground, and the habitat of Bottle-nosed and Irrawaddy dolphins.[100]

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

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Puerto Princesa City is the home of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park or the Underground River, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 8-kilometer long tourist spot that showcases limestone karsts, diverse species and tropical rainforest is one of the world’s longest underground rivers and was also named as one of the “New 7 Wonders of Nature.”

The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park covers 332 km2, including the North and South Reefs. It is a unique example of an atoll reef with a very high density of marine species; the North Islet serving as a nesting site for birds and marine turtles. The site is an excellent example of a pristine coral reef with a spectacular 100 m perpendicular wall, extensive lagoons, and two coral islands.

Ursula Island

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This game refuge and bird sanctuary is situated near the Municipality of Bataraza in southern Palawan. The islet is a migratory and wintering ground for shorebirds and seabirds.[100]

Rasa Island Wildlife Sanctuary

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Main article: Rasa Island

This 1,983-hectare (4,900-acre) protected area located in the municipality of Narra is a nesting ground of the endemic Philippine cockatoo or katala. It also harbors other rare bird species and marine turtles.

Security

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The Armed Forces of the Philippines–Western Command in Canigaran and the Philippine National Police-Palawan Command with headquarters in Tiniguiban, Puerto Princesa, are responsible for maintenance of the peace and order. Military units in the province under the Western Command are the Naval Forces Northwest (Task Force 41 and 42), Philippine Air Force 4th Naval District IV, Delta Company and 10th Marine Battalion Landing Team located in Tiniguiban, Puerto Princesa. There has been discussion about dredging Ulugan Bay in order to build a larger naval base on Palawan, allowing the Philippines to project naval power into the South China Sea.[101][102]

The U.S. Department of State issued a travel warning in May 2015, advising foreigners against travel to the southern part of Palawan.[103] The warning continues to be in effect as of May 2017.[104]

Infrastructure

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Communication

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Four telecommunication companies provide local and international direct distance dialing and fax services. Inter island communications is available through the government's telegraph network and the Provincial Radio Communication System. In addition, there are 19 post offices, a number of cargo forwarders provide air parcel and freight services.[105]

The province has access to two satellite-linked television stations. Cable television in the City of Puerto Princesa offers dozens of foreign channels while smaller firms provide cable services in selected towns. Individual cable facility (Dream Cable) is available locally. Thirteen radio stations are based in Puerto Princesa, four on the AM and nine on the FM bands. Community-based radio stations operate in some of the municipalities in the north and south of the province. Additional stations are expected to set up local affiliates in the capital city of Puerto Princesa.[105]

Two mobile phone companies, Smart Communications and Globe Telecom, are operating in the province. Dito is expected to start operations in the province soon.[105]

Health facilities

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Dental Buses provided by the Department of Health for use of provincial government of Palawan.

There are nine provincial government hospitals, two national government hospitals, one military hospital and nine private hospitals in the province. The Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital, Ospital ng Palawan, managed and administered by the Department of Health (DOH), MMG-PPC Cooperative Hospital, and the Palawan Adventist Hospital are located in Puerto Princesa.[105]

Utilities

[edit]

The National Power Corporation has 14 electric facilities all over Palawan. It operates with a total of 51.363 megawatts of electricity. The effective power rates vary across different municipalities.[106] According to Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO), the main island composed of 19 city and municipalities, has 59% of electrification with 135,284 households connected to the grid.[107]

Water facilities in Palawan are classified as Level I (deepwell, handpump), Level II (communal faucet), or Level III (house connection). Among all of these types, Level I has the most units, accounting to 17,438; this is followed by Level III, with 1,688 units; and Level II, with only 94 units.[clarification needed][105]

Puerto Princesa International Airport, the main gateway to the province of Palawan

Transportation

[edit]

Air

[edit]

The Puerto Princesa International Airport is the only international airport in Palawan, serving as the main gateway to the province. Other airports include:

Domestic
[edit]
Other
[edit]

Seaports

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Port of Puerto Princesa is the main port on Palawan, serving both cargo and passenger traffic to the island. Scheduled passenger ferry services are running weekly from Manila to this port.[108] The port is managed by the Philippine Ports Authority. Other ports include:

  • Port of Coron
  • Port of El Nido
  • Port of Mangingisda
  • Port of Saipodin

Government

[edit]
See also: Governor of Palawan and Legislative districts of Palawan

Provincial Government of Palawan (2022–2025)[109][110]

Board Members of Palawan (2022–2025)[110]

  • 1st District:
    • Juan Antonio E. Alvarez
    • Winston G. Arzaga
    • Roseller S. Pineda
    • Maria Angela V. Sabando
    • Nieves C. Rosento
  • 2nd District:
    • Ryan D. Maminta
    • Al-Nashier M. Ibba
    • Marivic H. Roxas
    • Ariston D. Arzaga
  • 3rd District: Rafael V. Ortega Jr.
  • PCL: Al-Shariff W. Ibba

Legislative District Representatives of Palawan (2022–2025)[111]

  • 1st District: Edgardo Salvame
  • 2nd District: Jose C. Alvarez
  • 3rd District: Edward S. Hagedorn

Education

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The literacy rate in Palawan is increasing by 2% annually because of expanding access to education. Among these programs are the establishment of schools in remote barangays, non-formal education, multi-grade mobile teaching and the drop-out intervention program.[105]

Public schools in the province consist of 623 elementary schools, 126 secondary schools and two universities. Private schools are as follows: 26 elementary, 19 secondary, 4 private colleges, and 10 vocational schools.

Among the public institutions of higher education are the Palawan State University in Puerto Princesa City with 17 other campuses across the province, Western Philippines University with campuses in Aborlan and Puerto Princesa City, Coron College of Fisheries, Puerto Princesa School of Arts and Trade and the Palawan College of Arts and Trade in Cuyo, Palawan.

Some of the private institutions are the Holy Trinity University run by the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena, Palawan Polytechnical College Inc., in Roxas, San Vicente and Puerto Princesa City, Systems Technology Institute (STI), AMA Computer Learning Center (ACLC) in Puerto Princesa City, San Francisco Javier College run by the Augustinian Recollect Sisters in Narra, Loyola College in Culion run by the Jesuits, St. Joseph Academy in Cuyo, St. Augustine Academy in Coron, Coron Technical School, Sacred Heart of Jesus High School in Brooke's Point; Northern Palawan Christian Institute (owned and manage by the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Palawan Diocese) and the unique educational institution called the St. Ezekiel Moreno Dormitory located in barangay Macarascas, Puerto Princesa City, founded by Bishop Broderick Pabillo, the present auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Manila. The Palawanologist, Andrei Ustares Acosta of El Nido, Palawan, founded the new discipline on the studies of Palawan called the Palawanology.[105]

Awards and recognition

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Palawan earned the third spot in the annual Condé Nast Traveler (CNT) readers' choice awards for top islands to visit in 2021.[112]


Notable personalities

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Main pages: Category:People from Palawan and Puerto Princesa § Notable personalities

See also

[edit]

References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Palawan

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from Grokipedia

Palawan is a province in the MIMAROPA region of the Philippines, encompassing the elongated main island of Palawan—approximately 450 kilometers long and 40 kilometers wide at its broadest—and over 1,700 surrounding islands and islets, with a total land area of 14,649 square kilometers, making it the largest province in the country by land area. As of the 2020 census, the province had a population of 939,594 distributed across 23 municipalities and 433 barangays, excluding the separately administered capital city of Puerto Princesa, which functions as a highly urbanized independent component city. The province is distinguished by its exceptional biodiversity, including the richest tree flora in the Philippines within its moist forests, and serves as a critical habitat for endemic species such as the Philippine peacock-pheasant and diverse marine life including dugongs and whale sharks. Designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1991, Palawan features two World Heritage Sites: the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a navigable underground river system teeming with unique geological formations and wildlife, and the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a remote coral reef ecosystem supporting over 600 fish species and 360 coral types. Often termed the "last ecological frontier" of the Philippines due to its relatively low population density and extensive undeveloped areas, Palawan's ecosystems face pressures from tourism, fishing, and resource extraction, underscoring the need for sustainable management to preserve its natural capital. Economically, Palawan relies on ecotourism—drawn to destinations like El Nido's limestone cliffs and lagoons, Coron Island's wrecks, and the Underground River—alongside subsistence agriculture, fishing, and mining activities that contribute to provincial revenue but have sparked debates over environmental impacts. The provincial government envisions a balanced development model emphasizing harmony between economic progress, empowered communities, and environmental stewardship, as reflected in its motto "Serbisyo, Progreso, Sambayanan" (Service, Progress, Community).

History

Prehistory and Early Settlement

The Tabon Cave Complex, located on Lipuun Point in Quezon municipality, represents the primary archaeological evidence for early human occupation in Palawan, with over 200 caves yielding artifacts and fossils indicative of Late Pleistocene activity. Excavations since the 1960s have uncovered Homo sapiens remains, including a skull cap fragment known as Tabon Man, alongside stone tools, shell middens, and animal bones, suggesting hunter-gatherer adaptations to coastal and forested environments. Radiocarbon dating of associated layers places human presence at the site between approximately 40,000 and 50,000 years ago, aligning with broader patterns of modern human dispersal into Island Southeast Asia via lowered sea levels during glacial periods that enabled island-hopping migrations. Recent analyses of residues on Tabon Cave tools have revealed microscopic evidence of plant fiber processing, including bast fibers for cordage and basketry, dating to around 30,000 years ago, which demonstrates sophisticated "invisible" technologies essential for seafaring and resource exploitation in prehistoric Palawan. These findings, combined with faunal remains of deer, pigs, and marine species, indicate a subsistence economy reliant on hunting, fishing, and gathering, with no evidence of permanent settlements in this Paleolithic phase. The site's geochemical record further supports episodic occupations tied to climatic fluctuations, such as wetter conditions favoring tropical forest expansion. Transitioning into the Neolithic period around 6,000–4,000 BCE, sites like Ille Cave in El Nido and Dewil Valley in northern Palawan show shifts toward more intensive resource use, including shell bead production, polished stone tools, and red-slipped pottery precursors, potentially linked to early Austronesian migrations introducing maritime technologies and arboriculture. Human burials from this era, such as those in Ille Cave with grave goods, suggest emerging social complexity, though populations remained small and mobile, with genetic continuity from Paleolithic ancestors inferred from mtDNA studies of modern indigenous groups like the Ayta and Tagbanua. These developments predate metal use and reflect gradual adaptation rather than abrupt replacement, as evidenced by persistent cave usage for burials into the Metal Age.

Pre-Colonial and Early Trade Periods

The indigenous populations of pre-colonial Palawan consisted primarily of Austronesian-speaking groups such as the Tagbanua in central and northern regions and the Palaw'an in the south, alongside Negrito communities like the Batak. These societies relied on swidden agriculture for staples like rice and root crops, supplemented by hunting, fishing, gathering wild plants, and crafting from forest resources. Social structures were egalitarian and kin-based, with fluid leadership vested in elders or figures like the Tagbanua masikampo, who mediated conflicts, oversaw rituals, and coordinated communal activities. Cultural practices reflected adaptation to the island's karst landscapes and marine environs, including animistic beliefs in spirits inhabiting nature and ancestors, with rituals tied to seasons and harvests. The Tagbanua employed a syllabic script of Indic origin, used for incantations and records, indicative of indirect cultural diffusion via trade rather than direct colonization. By the 12th century, migrations from Borneo and Malaysia introduced metal tools, intensified wet-rice farming, and nascent Islamic influences to southern Palawan, fostering hybrid communities among the Palaw'an. Palawan's position along Sulu Sea routes integrated it into regional maritime exchange from the 10th century, with Chinese Song dynasty records noting tribute-trade from polities like Ma-i—possibly encompassing Palawan as a subordinate area—exporting beeswax, pearls, tortoise shell, and betel nut for silk, porcelain, and metals. Archaeological recoveries, including foreign ceramics in burial jars from 10th–12th-century sites, confirm these contacts. A 15th-century shipwreck off Pandanan Island preserved 4,256 artifacts, dominated by celadon and blue-and-white porcelain from China, stoneware from Vietnam and Thailand, and earthenware from Burma, alongside Philippine elephant ivory, bronze cannons, and bells, evidencing bidirectional commerce in luxury imports for local prestige goods.

Spanish Colonial Period

Spanish efforts to colonize Palawan began in the early 17th century, following the establishment of Manila as the colonial capital in 1571, though the island remained peripheral due to its distance and indigenous resistance. Augustinian Recollect friars initiated missions in areas such as Cuyo, Agutaya, Taytay, and Cagayancillo around 1620, aiming to Christianize local populations including the Cuyunon and Tagbanua, but encountered fierce opposition from native groups and Moro raiders from the Sulu Sultanate. To counter persistent Moro pirate attacks, which involved slave raids and disrupted settlements, the Spanish constructed defensive fortifications starting in the 1620s. In Taytay, Fort Santa Isabel began as a wooden palisade in 1667 under the Recollect friars to protect villagers from these incursions, later rebuilt in stone and completed on December 17, 1738, after decades of forced labor by locals. Similar structures, such as those in Cuyo and Linapacan, served dual purposes of defense and mission outposts, reflecting the militarized nature of Spanish expansion in the region amid ongoing threats from Muslim forces. By the mid-18th century, Spanish control strengthened; in 1749, the Sultanate of Brunei ceded southern Palawan, facilitating further settlement and administrative integration into the Captaincy General of the Philippines. Towns like Puerto Princesa emerged as key centers, with friars effectively governing remote areas through church-built infrastructure, though full pacification remained incomplete due to the archipelago's rugged terrain and sparse population. Cuyo served as an early capital before Puerto Princesa, underscoring Palawan's role as a frontier against southern Muslim polities.

American Colonial Period

Following the Spanish-American War and the Treaty of Paris in 1898, which ceded the Philippines to the United States, American forces gradually extended control over Palawan, a remote archipelago previously administered loosely under Spanish rule as part of the province of Paragua. The region experienced minimal organized resistance compared to Luzon or Mindanao, owing to its sparse population and isolation, allowing for a relatively swift transition to military governance. On June 23, 1902, pursuant to Act No. 422 of the Philippine Commission, the first civil government was established for northern Palawan, initially retaining the name Paragua with Major John Brown appointed as governor. Administrative reorganization continued in the early 1900s, with the unification of Palawan's scattered islands under a single provincial structure by 1903, incorporating southern territories previously under Moro Province oversight. In 1905, Philippine Commission Act No. 1363 renamed the province Palawan—reverting to a pre-colonial indigenous term—and shifted the capital from Cuyo to Puerto Princesa to centralize administration and facilitate development. American authorities prioritized infrastructure, constructing roads, ports, and public schools to promote literacy and economic integration, while suppressing sporadic banditry and enforcing sanitary reforms in coastal settlements. A hallmark project was the establishment of the Iwahig Penal Colony on November 16, 1904, when 61 prisoners were relocated to a vast 37,000-hectare site in Puerto Princesa, designed as an open-air rehabilitation farm modeled on U.S. penal reforms rather than fortified imprisonment. This facility, one of the largest in Asia, emphasized agricultural labor and self-sufficiency, housing thousands by the 1920s and contributing to land clearance for settlement. Political tensions arose in 1926 when U.S. Congressman Robert Bacon's bill (H.R. 12772) proposed detaching Palawan, Mindanao, and Sulu as a permanent U.S. territory in response to Moro petitions for autonomy, but the measure failed amid Filipino opposition and congressional debate over colonial permanence. Overall, American rule fostered gradual modernization, though local indigenous groups like the Tagbanua faced marginalization through land policies favoring Christian settlers from other islands.

Japanese Occupation and World War II

The Japanese forces occupied Palawan as part of their conquest of the Philippine archipelago, which began with air raids on December 8, 1941 (Philippine time), following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Control over the remote island was secured by early 1942, with Japanese troops establishing garrisons and administrative outposts amid limited organized resistance from local forces. The occupation involved exploitation of local resources, forced labor, and suppression of dissent, though Palawan's isolation limited its strategic importance compared to northern islands like Luzon. In 1942, the Japanese established Camp 10-A, a prisoner-of-war facility near Puerto Princesa, to hold approximately 150 American military personnel captured during earlier campaigns, such as the fall of Bataan and Corregidor. Prisoners faced severe hardships, including inadequate food rations leading to widespread malnutrition, disease, and routine brutality by guards from the Imperial Japanese Army's 131st Airfield Battalion. As U.S. forces under General Douglas MacArthur advanced toward the Philippines in late 1944, Japanese commanders, anticipating liberation, issued orders to eliminate prisoners rather than allow their potential aid to invaders. On December 14, 1944, guards at Camp 10-A herded the inmates into an enclosed wooden structure (used as an air-raid shelter), poured gasoline over it, and ignited the blaze; escape attempts were met with machine-gun fire and bayonets. This resulted in 139 deaths, with 11 prisoners surviving by concealing themselves in nearby brush or swimming to safety, later receiving assistance from Filipino guerrillas who provided food, shelter, and evacuation routes. The incident, detailed in survivor testimonies and military investigations, exemplified broader Japanese policy to "dispose of" POWs amid retreating fronts and directly influenced subsequent U.S. raids, such as the June 1945 liberation of Cabanatuan camp. Local resistance on Palawan, comprising Filipino civilians and remnants of USAFFE units, conducted guerrilla operations including sabotage, intelligence gathering, and ambushes against Japanese patrols, though on a smaller scale than in more populated regions. U.S. liberation efforts culminated on February 28, 1945, when elements of the 41st Infantry Division executed an amphibious landing at Puerto Princesa using LVTs, facing disorganized opposition from approximately 1,000 remaining Japanese troops who largely withdrew into the interior or surrendered by March. The operation secured the island by early March, enabling airfield construction and support for further southern Philippines campaigns, with total Japanese casualties estimated in the hundreds from combat and attrition.

Post-Independence Era

Following Philippine independence in 1946, Palawan emerged as a frontier province characterized by low population density and vast untapped resources, attracting internal migrants seeking land for settlement and livelihoods. Reconstruction efforts prioritized repairing wartime infrastructure, including ports and roads in Puerto Princesa, amid the broader national postwar recovery supported by U.S. aid. Migration from overcrowded regions like Luzon and the Visayas accelerated demographic shifts, with settlers establishing kaingin (slash-and-burn) farms and coastal communities, transforming forested interiors into agricultural zones dominated by rice, corn, and coconut plantations. The provincial economy relied heavily on primary industries, with fishing sustaining coastal populations through traditional methods along the extensive 1,989-kilometer coastline, while logging operations expanded to supply timber for national construction needs. By the mid-20th century, coconut production became a staple export commodity, processed into copra, though yields were limited by rudimentary techniques and isolation from major markets. Mining activities, including small-scale extraction of nickel and chromite, gained traction in the 1960s, but the province lagged in industrialization compared to urban centers, maintaining high dependence on subsistence activities and rudimentary trade. Administrative stability under elected governors facilitated gradual infrastructure improvements, such as road networks linking remote municipalities to the capital, though challenges like geographic fragmentation hindered unified development. Natural gas reserves discovered offshore in the late 1960s hinted at future economic diversification, but exploitation awaited technological and policy advancements. These years laid the groundwork for Palawan's resource-based growth, albeit with emerging tensions over land use and indigenous displacement from migrant encroachments.

Martial Law and Political Repression

Following the nationwide declaration of martial law on September 21, 1972, by President Ferdinand Marcos, Palawan province fell under direct military oversight, with civilian governance curtailed and local officials required to align with central directives. This enabled the rapid implementation of resource extraction and agribusiness initiatives, often prioritizing cronies over local inhabitants, amid a broader pattern of suppressing dissent through warrantless arrests and subversion charges. While Palawan experienced fewer documented urban-style political detentions compared to Manila—due to its remote, less industrialized profile—the era's repression manifested prominently in the forcible displacement of indigenous communities opposing state-sanctioned land grabs and logging expansions. In southern Palawan, particularly Bugsuk Island in Balabac municipality, Marcos granted approximately 10,821 hectares of ancestral domains on Bugsuk and adjacent Pandanan Island to businessman Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr., a close ally and then-CEO of San Miguel Corporation, through a 1973 land allocation and formalized 1974 presidential decree facilitating corporate patents. These actions, enabled by martial law's suspension of habeas corpus and land reform scrutiny, displaced Molbog, Palaw'an, and Cagayanen indigenous groups who had occupied the lands generationally for fishing and farming; residents were reclassified as "non-tenured migrants" without compensation or relocation support, sparking initial local resistance that risked reprisal under anti-subversion frameworks. Such decrees exemplified the regime's crony capitalism, where public lands were converted to private estates for agribusiness, exacerbating food insecurity and cultural disruption among affected groups. Parallel to land reallocations, Palawan's vast forests—covering much of the province's 14,649 square kilometers—became targets for extensive logging concessions issued post-1972 to Marcos loyalists and military affiliates, accelerating deforestation from an estimated 50% forest cover in the early 1970s to severe depletion by the 1980s. Indigenous Tagbanua and other upland communities faced eviction or marginalization as timber firms, backed by military security, cleared areas without free, prior, and informed consent—prefiguring modern indigenous rights norms—and any protests were quashed as potential insurgent activity amid the regime's counterinsurgency drive against the New People's Army. This fusion of economic policy and political control displaced thousands indirectly through habitat loss and restricted access to traditional resources, though precise victim tallies for Palawan remain underdocumented compared to national estimates of 70,000 detainees and widespread rural abuses. The lack of accountability for these provincial-level impositions persisted until martial law's formal lift in 1981, leaving enduring land conflicts that indigenous advocates link to the era's authoritarian resource plunder.

Contemporary Developments

Following the restoration of democracy after the 1986 People Power Revolution, Palawan transitioned from a history of political repression and underdevelopment to focused efforts on sustainable governance and economic diversification. The province, previously stigmatized as a penal and leper colony, began emphasizing ecotourism and resource management as alternatives to extractive industries. This shift was formalized in 1992 with Republic Act No. 7611, which enacted the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan and established the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) as a multi-sectoral body to integrate environmental protection with development. The SEP introduced a zoning system classifying areas into core zones for strict protection, controlled use zones for limited activities, and manipulation zones for sustainable resource use, providing a pioneering framework for provincial-level environmental administration. Economically, tourism emerged as the dominant sector, driven by Palawan's biodiversity and natural attractions, with visitor numbers surging in northern areas like El Nido and Coron due to improved infrastructure and international promotion starting in the 1990s. Oil and gas exploration off the northern coast commenced in 1992, contributing to revenue diversification, though it raised concerns over marine impacts. By the 2010s, tourism infrastructure expanded rapidly, supported by projects like the Asian Development Bank's Sustainable Tourism Development initiatives, but this growth strained ecosystems, prompting carrying capacity studies and regulations under the PCSD to mitigate overcrowding and habitat loss. Administrative proposals to divide Palawan into three provinces—Palawan del Norte, Palawan del Sur, and Palawan Oriental—gained traction in the late 2010s via Republic Act No. 11259, signed in 2019, aiming to enhance local governance amid population growth. However, a March 13, 2021, plebiscite rejected the division overwhelmingly, with 87-90% voting "no" across municipalities, preserving unified provincial management for coordinated conservation and development. Recent conservation actions include the 2024 State of Marine Environment Report highlighting biodiversity threats and the October 2025 release of five critically endangered Philippine cockatoos in Dumaran as part of rewilding efforts. These initiatives underscore ongoing tensions between tourism-driven growth and environmental imperatives, with the PCSD enforcing sustainable practices amid rising visitor pressures.

Geography

Physical Features and Geology

Palawan Island measures approximately 450 kilometers in length and up to 50 kilometers in width, encompassing an area of about 12,189 square kilometers. The island trends northeast-southwest, featuring a central spine of mountains with elevations averaging 1,000 to 1,500 meters, rising to a maximum of 2,086 meters at Mount Mantalingahan in the south. Its topography includes rugged highlands, rolling lowlands, and extensive karst systems, with major river basins draining into nine mainland municipalities. The coastline extends roughly 1,892 kilometers, marked by jagged limestone cliffs, numerous bays, coves, and stretches of white-sand beaches fringed by over 1,700 offshore islands and islets. These coastal features, combined with inland karst towers and sinkholes, define Palawan's distinctive landscape, exemplified by the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, where an 8-kilometer navigable underground river flows through a limestone cave system. Geologically, Palawan preserves ophiolitic sequences representing obducted Mesozoic oceanic lithosphere, including the Central Palawan Ophiolite—dominated by dunites and harzburgites indicative of variable mantle melting—and the Southern Palawan Ophiolite. Northern Palawan consists of continent-derived Permian to Paleogene sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, contrasting with the volcanic-arc dominated geology of central and eastern Philippines, as a result of prolonged Mesozoic-Cenozoic convergence along the Southeast Asian margin. Mid-Miocene tectonism formed an orogenic wedge, uplifting Neogene limestones like the St. Paul Formation, which underpin the island's iconic karst topography through dissolution by acidic groundwater.

Climate and Environmental Conditions

Palawan features a tropical maritime climate with consistently high temperatures, elevated humidity, and significant rainfall influenced by monsoons. Average annual temperatures range between 25°C and 30°C (77°F to 86°F), with daily highs often reaching 31–32°C (88–90°F) and lows around 24–25°C (75–77°F), showing little seasonal variation due to its equatorial proximity. The region experiences two primary seasons: a drier period from December to May, marked by northeast monsoon winds, and a wetter season from June to November driven by the southwest monsoon, during which precipitation peaks and relative humidity often exceeds 80%. Annual rainfall in key areas like Puerto Princesa averages 1,500–2,000 mm, with July seeing the highest number of wet days, up to 18 per month. While Palawan is less exposed to frequent typhoons compared to northern Philippine regions, it remains vulnerable to tropical cyclones during the July-to-October peak, with occasional storms bringing heavy rains and winds that exacerbate flooding and erosion. Climate change projections indicate potential increases in intense cyclone frequency and rainfall variability, heightening risks to coastal and forested areas. Environmentally, Palawan hosts diverse ecosystems including rainforests, karst limestone formations, mangroves, and coral reefs within the Coral Triangle, supporting high endemism such as the Philippine peacock-pheasant and mouse-deer. Designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, it encompasses protected areas like the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, preserving freshwater and marine biodiversity. However, habitats face threats from nickel mining expansion, illegal logging, poaching, and urbanization, which have degraded forests and endangered species; for instance, mining activities in 2023–2025 have intensified pressures on endemic wildlife populations estimated at critically low numbers for some taxa. Climate-induced sea-level rise and ocean acidification further imperil coral reefs and coastal communities, prompting conservation initiatives like nature-based solutions and stricter zoning to balance economic development with ecological integrity.

Administrative Divisions

Palawan province is administratively divided into the highly urbanized independent component city of Puerto Princesa, which serves as the provincial capital, and 23 municipalities, encompassing a total of 433 barangays as of 2025. Puerto Princesa City, with its 66 barangays, functions separately from the provincial government for certain administrative purposes but remains integrated within the province's territorial jurisdiction. The 23 municipalities are further subdivided into 367 barangays, with eleven situated on the mainland of Palawan Island and twelve on offshore islands within the province's archipelago. The municipalities, listed alphabetically, are: Aborlan, Agutaya, Araceli, Balabac, Bataraza, Brooke's Point, Busuanga, Cagayancillo, Coron, Culion, Cuyo, Dumaran, El Nido, Kalayaan, Linapacan, Magsaysay, Narra, Quezon, Rizal, Roxas, San Vicente, Sofronio Española, and Taytay. Among these, Kalayaan Municipality holds administrative claim over disputed territories in the South China Sea, including parts of the Spratly Islands, though its effective control is limited. A 2019 law (Republic Act No. 11259) aimed to divide Palawan into three provinces—Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur—but this was rejected in a March 13, 2021, plebiscite, with voters in the proposed northern and southern provinces overwhelmingly opposing the split (approximately 70-80% "no" votes in those areas), while the eastern portion approved it; the measure failed overall due to insufficient support across the affected regions. As of 2025, no further division has occurred, preserving the single-province structure.
Mainland Municipalities (11)Island Municipalities (12)
AborlanAgutaya
BatarazaAraceli
Brooke's PointBalabac
NarraBusuanga
QuezonCagayancillo
RizalCoron
RoxasCulion
San VicenteCuyo
Sofronio EspañolaDumaran
Puerto Princesa City*Kalayaan
Linapacan
Magsaysay
Taytay
*Highly urbanized city, not classified as a municipality.

Territorial Proposals and Changes

In 1905, under American colonial administration, the province formerly known as Paragua was renamed Palawan through Philippine Commission Act No. 1363, which also revised boundaries to encompass the main island and surrounding archipelago, excluding Balabac and other southern islets temporarily transferred to Mindanao. Earlier, during the Spanish period, the territory had been split into the northern province of Castilla (capital at Taytay) and southern Asturias around 1858, reflecting efforts to manage remote outposts amid piracy and sparse settlement. The most significant modern proposal for territorial reconfiguration emerged in 2019 with Republic Act No. 11259, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on April 5, which sought to divide Palawan—the Philippines' largest province by land area at 14,649 square kilometers—into three independent provinces: Palawan del Norte (northern municipalities including El Nido and Coron, capital at Puerto Princesa temporarily), Palawan Oriental (eastern areas like Brooke's Point and Bataraza), and Palawan del Sur (southern municipalities like Narra and Quezon). Proponents, primarily local legislators, argued the split would enhance administrative efficiency, accelerate development in remote areas, and create additional congressional districts amid Palawan's growth to 24 municipalities by 2019. Critics, including environmental advocates, contended it risked fragmenting unified conservation efforts under the 1992 Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan Act (Republic Act 7611), potentially weakening protections for biodiversity hotspots like the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. Implementation hinged on a plebiscite conducted on March 13, 2021, across the province's 433 barangays, where voters rejected the division with 192,192 "no" votes against 67,062 "yes" (approximately 74% opposition), failing to meet the constitutional majority threshold in affected areas. The outcome preserved Palawan's single-province status, with no subsequent legislative revival of the proposal as of 2025, though discussions persist among some stakeholders for alternative decentralization like enhanced municipal autonomy. Palawan's administrative divisions have since seen incremental changes, such as the 2013 elevation of Aborlan to component city status and ongoing boundary rationalizations among municipalities, but no major provincial reconfiguration. Regarding external territorial aspects, Palawan administers the Kalayaan Islands (Spratly group) as a disputed municipality since its 1978 creation by presidential decree amid South China Sea claims, but no formal boundary alterations have resulted from ongoing Philippine assertions against overlapping Chinese, Malaysian, and Vietnamese demarcations. Philippine officials have dismissed fringe Chinese propaganda maps purporting historical ties to Palawan itself, affirming its integral status within national sovereignty without evidentiary basis for cession.

Demographics

Population Dynamics and Migration

The population of Palawan province (excluding Puerto Princesa City) stood at 939,594 according to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), marking a significant increase from prior decades driven by both natural growth and inflows. This figure reflects an annualized population growth rate of 2.14 percent between 2015 and 2020, the highest among provinces in the MIMAROPA region, surpassing the national average of 1.63 percent over the same period. By 2024, the population had risen to approximately 968,000, with an average annual growth rate of 0.74 percent from 2020 to 2024, indicating a slowdown possibly linked to post-pandemic adjustments and varying migration patterns. Internal migration has been a key driver of Palawan's demographic expansion, with net inflows from other Philippine regions—particularly Visayas and Mindanao—accounting for a substantial portion of growth beyond natural increase rates of around 26-29 per 1,000 population historically. Migrants are primarily drawn to opportunities in fisheries, tourism, and resource extraction, often leveraging kin networks for initial settlement, as evidenced by surveys showing nearly 70 percent of arrivals connected through family ties. External out-migration remains limited compared to national trends, with fewer residents emigrating abroad relative to inflows, though some younger cohorts move to urban centers like Manila for education and higher-wage employment; overall, net migration contributes positively to population dynamics, amplifying economic pressures on coastal and island ecosystems. Recent data suggest continued but moderated growth, influenced by infrastructure development and environmental constraints, with urban areas like Puerto Princesa absorbing disproportionate migrant shares and straining housing—evidenced by 228,788 units province-wide in 2020. Projections based on PSA trends indicate sustained inflows tied to tourism recovery, though without official net migration metrics, growth attribution relies on residual analysis after accounting for fertility and mortality.

Ethnic Composition and Indigenous Groups

Palawan's ethnic composition is dominated by migrant populations from other regions of the Philippines, particularly Cebuano, Hiligaynon, and Tagalog speakers from the Visayas and Luzon, who arrived during the 20th century for land settlement, logging, and later tourism and fishing opportunities. These groups, largely Christian, form the urban and coastal majority, reflecting broader patterns of internal migration in the archipelago. Indigenous peoples, officially recognized by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), represent a culturally distinct minority concentrated in upland, forested, and island interiors, where they maintain ancestral domains amid pressures from development and population influx. Muslims, comprising about 10.8% or 101,586 individuals as of the 2020 census, include both indigenous ethnolinguistic groups and later settlers, primarily in southern municipalities like Balabac and Ubal. The province hosts six major indigenous ethnolinguistic groups, each with unique languages, animistic traditions, and adaptive subsistence economies involving swidden farming, hunting, and gathering. The Tagbanua, the largest, inhabit central Palawan and the Calamian island chain, preserving a pre-colonial syllabic script used in rituals and known for their seasonal migrations tied to environmental cycles; they numbered over 16,000 or 2.15% of the provincial population in the 2000 census, with recent estimates suggesting persistence around 10,000 despite assimilation trends. The Palaw'an (also called Palawano or South Palawano) occupy southern uplands, practicing wet-rice cultivation in terraced fields and reciting oral epics; they blend indigenous beliefs with Islam or Christianity and form a core of the province's IP diversity. Smaller groups face greater vulnerability to cultural erosion and displacement. The Batak, a Negrito-related hunter-gatherer people in northern Palawan's interior mountains, number fewer than 500 and are classified as endangered due to low birth rates, intermarriage, and habitat loss from logging. The Tau't Bato, semi-nomadic cave-dwellers in central Palawan's limestone karsts, rely on forest resources and number in the low thousands, maintaining rituals linked to natural features like the Underground River. The Molbog and Kagayanen, in the southern islands including Balabac, integrate Muslim influences with indigenous customs, focusing on marine and swidden economies; the Molbog, in particular, exhibit Austronesian seafaring traditions. These groups collectively hold Certificates of Ancestral Domain Titles covering significant forested areas, though enforcement remains challenged by mining and agricultural expansion.

Religious Affiliations

![Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral, Puerto Princesa][float-right] Roman Catholicism constitutes the primary religious affiliation in Palawan, aligning with the national figure where 78.8% of the household population identified as Roman Catholic in the 2020 census conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). In Palawan, Catholic adherence is reflected in the presence of parishes under the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa, which reported 64.1% of its jurisdictional population as Catholic as of 2023, amid a total of approximately 826,695 persons. This dominance stems from Spanish colonial evangelization starting in the 16th century, establishing churches like the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral in Puerto Princesa. Islam represents a significant minority, with 101,235 adherents recorded in the 2020 PSA census, equating to 10.83% of Palawan's provincial population of 934,669. This proportion exceeds the national average of 6.4%. Muslim communities are primarily located in southern areas such as Bataraza and Balabac, where mosques like the Bataraza Grand Mosque serve as focal points for worship and cultural identity. ![Bataraza Grand Mosque][center] Indigenous ethnolinguistic groups, including the Tagbanua, Palawano, and Kagayanen, who comprise around 10-12% of the population, often adhere to animistic traditions involving the worship of nature deities, ancestor veneration, and rituals tied to the cult of the dead. These practices frequently syncretize with Christianity or Islam among converted members, preserving elements like environmental spirits despite missionary influences. Smaller Protestant denominations, such as Evangelicals and the Iglesia ni Cristo, along with other faiths, account for the remainder, though specific provincial breakdowns beyond major categories remain limited in official data.

Linguistic Diversity

Palawan is characterized by substantial linguistic diversity, with reports indicating up to 52 distinct dialects spoken throughout the province, reflecting its multi-ethnic population and historical migrations. Filipino, based on Tagalog, functions as the primary lingua franca and national language, spoken at home by approximately 28% of residents, while English, the co-official language, is prevalent in government, education, and tourism sectors. Cuyonon, a Central Philippine language associated with the Cuyo Islands and northern Palawan communities, ranks as the second most spoken at about 26%, followed by Kinaray-a (19%) and Palawano (4%), highlighting the influence of Visayan migrations alongside indigenous tongues. Indigenous languages, primarily from the Austronesian Palawanic subgroup, are integral to the ethnolinguistic groups such as the Palawano, Tagbanua, Batak, Molbog, Tao't Bato, and Kagayanen, who inhabit mainland and southern areas. The Palawano language, spoken by around 38,400 people mainly in southern Palawan, includes varieties like Southwest Palawano, which maintains stability as a first language despite external pressures. Tagbanwa languages, comprising at least three varieties including Central Tagbanwa in the northwest, are used by communities preserving traditional knowledge systems, though intergenerational transmission varies. Batak and other autochthonous languages from these groups number among 11 documented indigenous tongues, seven of which originate from Batak, Palawán, and Tagbanwa speakers. Many of these indigenous languages exhibit signs of endangerment, driven by urbanization, intermarriage with Tagalog speakers, and the dominance of Filipino in schools and media, prompting community-led preservation efforts such as documentation and oral tradition revival. For instance, Palaw'an, spoken by over 11% of the population, faces vitality challenges but benefits from targeted initiatives in local communities to sustain its use in cultural practices. This diversity underscores Palawan's role as a linguistic hotspot within the Philippines, where over 170 indigenous languages exist nationally, yet local assimilation trends threaten smaller varieties.

Economy

Primary Economic Sectors

The primary economic sectors in Palawan—agriculture, forestry, fishing, and mining—collectively contribute around 23.9% to the province's gross domestic product (GDP), with agriculture, forestry, and fishing alone accounting for this share based on pre-pandemic data, while mining bolsters the broader industry sector at approximately 45.5% of GDP. These sectors underpin livelihoods for much of the rural population, though they face challenges from environmental constraints, fluctuating production, and regulatory pressures; Palawan's overall GDP grew by 1.1% in 2024, lagging regional peers amid subdued primary sector performance. Agriculture remains a foundational activity, focusing on crops such as palay (unhusked rice), corn, bananas, and root vegetables, but output has trended downward recently due to adverse weather and supply issues. Palay production fell 13.8% in the third quarter of 2024 to 90,188 metric tons, while banana output declined 6.3% in the second quarter compared to 2023. Despite these setbacks, the sector represented 54% of MIMAROPA's agri-fishery gross value added in 2020, highlighting Palawan's regional dominance in staple production. Forestry contributes marginally, primarily through logging and non-timber products, but lacks prominent recent production metrics amid conservation priorities. Fisheries form a cornerstone, with Palawan ranking among the Philippines' top marine producers, supplying over 120,000 metric tons annually to national output. In the first quarter of 2024, fisheries value reached PHP 4.78 billion, up 1.2% year-over-year, while third-quarter volume hit 88,542 metric tons, a 6.3% increase, driven by municipal and commercial catches in coastal waters. Seaweed farming adds to this, though production has varied; the sector employs small-scale fishers but grapples with overfishing and illegal activities, contributing to a 54% drop in municipal marine catch from 2006 peaks to 106,864 metric tons in 2024. Mining, centered on nickel and other minerals, drives much of the industry sector's weight, with Palawan holding significant reserves that support national exports, though operations occupy limited land (3.8% regionally) while generating economic value. The activity has fueled debates over a proposed 50-year moratorium in 2025, citing ecological risks like deforestation and contamination, yet it sustains jobs and investments, including PHP 350.47 million in social programs regionally; mining's direct GDP share in MIMAROPA stands at 7.5%.

Tourism Industry

Tourism serves as a cornerstone of Palawan's economy, leveraging the province's extensive marine ecosystems, limestone karsts, and UNESCO-recognized sites to attract visitors seeking ecotourism and adventure. The sector's growth accelerated post-pandemic, with 1.527 million tourist arrivals recorded in 2023, reflecting an 87.47% increase over 2022 levels. This influx generated PHP 57.2 billion in tourism receipts for the year, a substantial rise from PHP 30.5 billion in 2022, underscoring tourism's role in fiscal recovery and local revenue generation. Key destinations such as El Nido and Coron accounted for a significant share of visitors, with approximately one-third of 2023 arrivals directing to El Nido alone, amplifying localized economic multipliers through accommodations, guided tours, and ancillary services. Despite this momentum, total arrivals remained below pre-pandemic peaks, highlighting ongoing infrastructure constraints and the need for sustainable scaling to mitigate environmental pressures like waste management overload in high-traffic areas. Preliminary data for 2024 project receipts at PHP 61.4 billion, signaling continued expansion amid national tourism policies emphasizing biosecure and resilient development. The industry fosters employment in hospitality, transport, and retail, integrating with fisheries and agriculture through supply chains, though precise provincial figures lag behind national trends where tourism supported 6.21 million jobs in 2023. Provincial efforts, including product market surveys in major sites like Coron and San Vicente, aim to refine offerings and measure impacts, prioritizing data-driven enhancements over unchecked volume growth.

Resource Extraction and Mining

Palawan's mineral resources primarily include nickel, chromite, manganese, and iron ore, with nickel dominating extraction activities due to its role in global supply chains for batteries and stainless steel. The province hosts 18 identified mining sites, of which 11 were active as of recent records, concentrated in southern areas like Rio Tuba in Bataraza municipality, where operations by companies such as Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation have been ongoing since the 1970s. These activities contribute to the Philippines' position as the world's second-largest nickel producer, accounting for about 12% of global output in 2019, though Palawan-specific production volumes remain a significant but unquantified portion amid national totals exceeding 400,000 metric tons annually in peak years. Large-scale nickel mining has expanded rapidly since the 2010s, driven by international demand for critical minerals, with three major operations spanning four municipalities and involving open-pit methods that extract laterite ores. Despite generating royalties and employment—estimated at thousands of jobs locally—mining's economic footprint in Palawan is modest, historically comprising less than 1% of the provincial economy as of 2014 data, overshadowed by tourism and fisheries. Extraction often occurs on ancestral domains of indigenous groups like the Pala'wan and Molbog, prompting legal challenges; for instance, in 2023, a court halted mining by Ipil Copper and Celestial Mining near Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape, citing risks of irreparable damage to watersheds and biodiversity hotspots. Environmental consequences include widespread deforestation, siltation of rivers and coastal ecosystems, and heavy metal contamination from tailings, which have degraded coral reefs, fisheries yields, and water quality in affected areas like Santa Cruz. Studies link these operations to soil erosion and pollution that persist post-closure, with limited evidence of effective rehabilitation despite mandated reforestation efforts covering hundreds of hectares in mined-out zones. In response to escalating threats, a 2025 provincial moratorium suspended new permits for critical mineral mining, aiming to protect remaining forests and indigenous rights, though existing operations continue under national oversight from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau. Reports from organizations like Amnesty International highlight inadequate free, prior, and informed consent processes, correlating with community health issues such as respiratory problems from dust and reduced agricultural productivity.

Agriculture, Fisheries, and Emerging Investments

Agriculture in Palawan primarily involves staple crops such as palay and corn, alongside fruits like bananas, mangoes, and pineapples, as well as root crops and vegetables. In the first quarter of 2024, palay production reached 123,862.68 metric tons, marking a 7.4 percent increase from the previous year, driven by expanded planting areas. Annual fruit crop output in 2024 included 23,512.71 metric tons of bananas, 14,463.16 metric tons of mangoes, 761.46 metric tons of calamansi, and 571.20 metric tons of pineapples. However, challenges persist, with banana production declining 6.3 percent in the second quarter of 2024 compared to 2023, and cassava output falling 2.5 percent in the second semester of 2024. Livestock production totaled 61,492.71 metric tons in 2024, up 4.3 percent year-over-year, reflecting modest growth in animal husbandry. The fisheries sector dominates Palawan's primary production, accounting for 93 percent of the MIMAROPA region's output, with marine municipal fisheries leading commercial and aquaculture activities. In the second quarter of 2024, marine municipal production was 21,303.12 metric tons, down from 22,835.50 metric tons in 2023, contributing to a total fisheries value of PHP 3.31 billion—a 10.6 percent decline. Longer-term trends show municipal marine catch dropping 54 percent from a 2006 peak of 233,000 metric tons to 106,864 metric tons in 2024, attributed to illegal fishing, commercial intrusions, and overexploitation. Aquaculture, including fishponds and cages, supplements capture fisheries but faces sustainability pressures amid environmental degradation. Emerging investments emphasize sustainable infrastructure and financing to bolster resilience. In August 2025, a PHP 82.6 million Korean-funded Northern Palawan Cold Chain and Distribution Hub for Seafood was inaugurated to improve post-harvest handling and market access for coastal communities. The Land Bank of the Philippines expanded its AGRISENSO Plus lending and ASCEND capacity-building programs in 2025, targeting loans and training for farmers and fishers to enhance value chains. Initiatives like fish storage facilities, processing upgrades, and buyer-matching platforms aim to promote sustainable practices, with potential opportunities in feed mills, hatcheries, and seafood processing. Government aid in areas like Narra supports eco-friendly shifts, aligning with broader efforts to counter production declines through technology and market linkages.

Biodiversity and Conservation

Unique Flora and Fauna

Palawan's isolation has fostered high endemism, with over 20% of its more than 3,500 flowering plant species unique to the island, including lowland dipterocarp forests dominated by trees like Agathis philippinensis and carnivorous plants such as the endemic pitcher plant Nepenthes philippinensis. Three species of cycad palms, ancient gymnosperms restricted to Palawan, occur in remnant forests like those around Cleopatra's Needle, with Cycas curranii—known locally as pitogong-Palawan—classified as critically endangered due to habitat destruction and overcollection, its populations limited to central Palawan sites including Puerto Princesa and Aborlan. The island's fauna features numerous endemics, particularly among mammals and birds adapted to its rainforests and karst landscapes. The Palawan peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron napoleonis), a medium-sized phasianid with striking iridescent male plumage, is confined to Palawan's primary and secondary forests up to 800 m elevation, where its population of 20,000–49,999 mature individuals is declining due to deforestation and hunting, earning a Vulnerable status on the IUCN Red List. Other notable birds include the Vulnerable Palawan hornbill (Anthracoceros marchei) and the Near Threatened Palawan scops owl (Otus palawanensis), alongside 17 additional endemic avian species. Mammals such as the Palawan pangolin (Manis culionensis), endemic to the province and threatened by poaching for scales, the Calamian deer (Axis calamianensis), and the Vulnerable Palawan bearcat (Arctictis binturong ssp.) further underscore the region's distinctiveness, with 33% of terrestrial mammals being Philippine endemics concentrated here. Reptiles and amphibians also exhibit endemism, including the large Palawan monitor lizard (Varanus palawanensis), capable of reaching 2 meters in length, and threatened frogs like the endangered Palawan horned frog (Megophrys ligayae). Invertebrates feature striking endemics such as the Palawan birdwing butterfly (Troides rhadamantus), one of the largest with an 8-inch wingspan, highlighting the ecoregion's role as a biodiversity hotspot where 85% of Palawan's endemic species can be found in key areas like Cleopatra's Needle.

Protected Areas and Reserves

Palawan's protected areas, primarily managed under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) established by Republic Act 7586 in 1992, encompass a significant portion of the province's land and marine environments to safeguard its exceptional biodiversity. These areas include national parks, marine protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries, and managed resource zones, totaling over 500,000 hectares as of recent assessments, with key sites recognized internationally by UNESCO. The province's designation as a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve in 1991 underscores the integrated approach to conservation across terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems. Prominent among these is the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, covering 22,202 hectares in the Saint Paul Mountain Range, proclaimed in 1978 and expanded in 1999. This site features an 8-kilometer navigable underground river, the longest of its kind, flowing through karst formations and supporting diverse flora and fauna, including endemic species like the Philippine cockatoo. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, it exemplifies Palawan's unique geological and hydrological features while serving as a critical habitat corridor. The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, located in the Sulu Sea approximately 150 kilometers southeast of Puerto Princesa, spans 97,030 hectares including North and South Atolls and Jessie Beazley Reef. Established as a national marine park in 1988 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, it hosts over 600 fish species, 360 coral types, and various marine megafauna such as sharks, turtles, and whales, representing one of the world's richest coral reef ecosystems with minimal human impact due to its remote position. The El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area covers 36,000 hectares of terrestrial landscape and 54,000 hectares of marine waters in northern Palawan, gazetted in 1998 following earlier proclamations. This area protects limestone karst formations, lagoons, and bays like Bacuit Bay, harboring six sea turtle species and numerous endemic birds, while balancing conservation with sustainable tourism and local resource use under community-based management frameworks. Other notable reserves include the Calauit Island Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, a 3,700-hectare site established in 1976 on Busuanga Island, which uniquely combines African savanna species introduced during that era with native Philippine wildlife, functioning as a safari park and rehabilitation zone. Additional sites such as the Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape and Seascape and Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape further expand coverage to mangroves, watersheds, and montane forests, addressing threats to endemic biodiversity through enforced zoning and monitoring.
Protected AreaTypeArea (hectares)Year EstablishedKey Features
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National ParkNational Park22,2021978 (expanded 1999)Underground river, karst cave system, UNESCO site
Tubbataha Reefs Natural ParkNatural Park/Marine97,0301988Coral atolls, high marine biodiversity, UNESCO site
El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected AreaManaged Resource Protected Area90,000 (land + marine)1998Limestone cliffs, bays, sustainable use zones
Calauit Island Game PreserveWildlife Sanctuary3,7001976African and endemic species coexistence

Environmental Threats and Degradation

Palawan's forests have experienced substantial loss, with Global Forest Watch data indicating that between 2001 and 2020, the province accounted for a significant portion of the Philippines' total tree cover decline, driven primarily by agricultural expansion, population migration to upland areas, and mining activities. In 2020 alone, Palawan lost approximately 7.89 thousand hectares of natural forest, equivalent to 4.18 million tons of CO2 emissions, exacerbating soil erosion and biodiversity decline in its upland ecosystems. Nickel mining operations have intensified deforestation and habitat fragmentation, involving the stripping of topsoil and vegetation, which displaces wildlife and leads to laterite siltation in rivers and coastal areas. Studies in areas like Santa Cruz link these activities to heavy metal contamination in water sources, posing risks to human health and aquatic life, with erosion and biodiversity loss persisting despite mitigation efforts by companies. In response, the Palawan provincial government imposed a 50-year moratorium on new mining applications in March 2025 to curb further ecological damage in this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Marine environments face pressures from and destructive practices such as and , which have degraded reefs and beds critical to Palawan's fisheries. The 2024 State of the Marine Environment Report highlights ongoing threats from fishing intensity, tourism-related trampling, and pollution, with aquaculture contributing to mangrove destruction and sediment disruption in coastal zones. cover in key areas like El Nido and Coron has declined due to these factors combined with climate-induced bleaching, projecting over 90% of regional reefs at critical risk by 2050. Tourism in popular sites like El Nido and Coron has accelerated degradation through boat anchor damage to reefs, snorkeler trampling of seagrass, and untreated sewage polluting groundwater and marine habitats. By July 2025, El Nido faced proposals for a six-month closure due to severe water contamination from urban runoff and inadequate sanitation infrastructure, underscoring the conflict between economic reliance on visitors and ecosystem preservation. Climate change amplifies these vulnerabilities, with Palawan's low-elevation coasts at high risk of flooding and erosion, as modeled in 2015 vulnerability assessments.

Conservation Policies and Challenges

The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), established under Republic Act 7611 in 1992, serves as the primary body for implementing the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan, focusing on environment-friendly development through zoning and policy enforcement to balance conservation with economic needs. The SEP designates Environmentally Critical Areas (ECAs) and Core Zones for strict protection, prohibiting activities like mining and logging in sensitive habitats, while promoting sustainable resource use in managed zones. In 2025, Palawan enacted a 50-year moratorium on new mining applications to safeguard biodiversity hotspots, responding to pressures from nickel extraction demands amid global critical mineral shortages. Protected areas, including UNESCO World Heritage sites like the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, are managed under DENR and PCSD oversight, with initiatives like community-based conservation involving indigenous groups to monitor threats such as poaching of endemic species, including the Palawan pangolin (Manis culionensis), which faces hunting and trafficking despite national protections. Collaborative efforts with organizations like Conservation International emphasize indigenous knowledge integration for landscape protection, particularly in high-biodiversity regions like Mount Mantalingahan. Despite these measures, enforcement challenges persist due to limited resources and illegal activities, with mining operations causing deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, and habitat fragmentation, even in protected zones, as evidenced by community reports of toxic runoff affecting fisheries and agriculture. Illegal logging and poaching continue to degrade forests, threatening over 10% of endemic species in areas like the Mantalingahan Landscape, while tourism-driven sewage pollution in sites like El Nido elevates fecal coliform levels in coastal waters. Climate-induced events, such as typhoons, exacerbate vulnerabilities by exposing gaps in habitat resilience, underscoring the need for stronger inter-agency coordination and community involvement to counter anthropogenic pressures.

Tourism and Attractions

Key Natural and Cultural Sites

Palawan's natural sites are renowned for their geological formations, marine ecosystems, and biodiversity, with several holding international protected status. The Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, spans 22,202 hectares and features an 8.2-kilometer navigable underground river that flows directly into the sea amid limestone karst landscapes, supporting eight intact forest formations and a mountain-to-sea ecosystem. The entire province forms the Palawan Biosphere Reserve, designated by UNESCO in 1990 across 1,440,496 hectares, encompassing the main island and over 1,700 smaller islands while harboring 105 IUCN-threatened species, including 42 Palawan endemics and diverse marine life such as 379 coral species. El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area, established in 1998, covers 36,000 hectares of land and 54,000 hectares of marine waters, featuring pristine white-sand beaches such as Nacpan and Las Cabanas, coral reefs, towering limestone cliffs, dramatic karst landscapes, and hidden lagoons in the Bacuit Archipelago, serving as a gateway for island-hopping amid protected habitats. In Coron in the Calamian Islands, attractions include Kayangan Lake, a freshwater crater lake with crystal-clear waters framed by limestone cliffs, alongside Twin Lagoon and Barracuda Lake, which offer snorkeling opportunities in enclosed, emerald-hued basins, as well as beaches and renowned wreck diving. The area also hosts World War II Japanese shipwrecks, sunk primarily on September 24, 1944, providing significant dive sites like the Olympia Maru and Irako Maru amid coral-encrusted hulls. Near Puerto Princesa, Honda Bay includes islands such as Starfish Island, Luli Island, and Cowrie Island, renowned for island-hopping, sandbars, and snorkeling opportunities amid turquoise waters and rich marine life. Other notable paradise-like islands feature Linapacan with some of the world's clearest waters, Balabac's remote pristine beaches and sandbars, and areas around Port Barton. Cultural sites reflect Spanish colonial defenses against Moro raids and early missionary efforts. Fort Santa Isabel in Taytay, constructed starting in 1667 as a wooden palisade by Augustinian Recollects and rebuilt as a stone fort completed on December 17, 1738, after 71 years of labor, overlooks the Sulu Sea to guard against pirate incursions. Similarly, Cuyo Fort, erected in 1680 on Cuyo Island, encircles the St. Augustine Parish Church—Palawan's oldest, founded in 1622—to shield residents from Muslim invaders, forming a citadel that dominates the town's historic center. These fortifications, integrated with religious structures, highlight Palawan's role as a frontier outpost in the Spanish Philippines, preserving architectural remnants of 17th- and 18th-century colonial strategy.

Infrastructure for Visitors

Puerto Princesa International Airport serves as the primary gateway for visitors to Palawan, handling both domestic flights from Manila and Cebu, as well as limited international arrivals. The facility features a modern two-level terminal with air-conditioned lounges, free high-speed Wi-Fi, food outlets, souvenir shops, and seating for up to 1,500 passengers, operating from 4:30 AM to 1:00 AM daily. Secondary airports include Busuanga Airport (Francisco B. Reyes Airport) near Coron, which connects via domestic flights from Manila and facilitates access to northern island destinations, and the smaller El Nido Airport (Lio Airport), offering limited direct flights primarily from Busuanga or Manila, with a flight time of about 20 minutes between the two. These smaller airstrips support tourism to remote areas but face constraints from regulatory changes, such as the phased ban on small jets starting March 2025, potentially increasing reliance on larger aircraft or alternative ground and sea routes. Ground transportation from Puerto Princesa to key sites like El Nido involves shared vans or buses taking 5-6 hours along the main highway, which is fully paved but features winding sections prone to motion sickness and occasional poor maintenance outside urban coastal areas. Road conditions deteriorate inland or in rural zones, with limited street lighting after dark and risks from unpaved segments or obstructions, prompting recommendations for cautious driving or guided transfers. Local public options include tricycles for short distances in towns and jeepneys for regional routes, though these are often overcrowded and less reliable for tourists. Water-based infrastructure is vital for inter-island travel and tours, with fast ferries connecting Coron and El Nido in 4-5 hours via operators like Jomalia Shipping, providing scenic routes but subject to weather disruptions. Boat tours for island hopping, a core visitor activity, depart from ports in El Nido, Coron, and Puerto Princesa, utilizing outrigger bangkas for accessing lagoons and reefs, though services emphasize safety amid growing demand. Despite ongoing investments in roads, airports, and ferries to support tourism growth, infrastructure lags in remote areas, with calls for upgrades to handle increasing visitor numbers without compromising accessibility or safety. Accommodations range from budget hostels to luxury resorts in tourist hubs, but options dwindle in less-developed zones, where ATMs, laundry, and reliable internet remain scarce.

Economic Benefits and Overtourism Risks

Tourism constitutes a primary economic driver for Palawan, bolstering provincial revenues through visitor spending on accommodations, transport, and local services. In 2023, the province recorded 1.53 million tourist arrivals, reflecting an nearly 90% increase from the prior year and fueling growth in hospitality and related sectors. Municipalities like Puerto Princesa alone hosted nearly 529,000 visitors that year, sustaining jobs in guiding, food services, and ecotourism activities that employ a substantial share of the local workforce. This sector's expansion has positioned Palawan as a key contributor to the Philippines' national tourism revenue, which reached PHP760.5 billion in 2024, with the province's natural attractions drawing international and domestic spending. Despite these gains, overtourism in hotspots like El Nido and Coron has strained ecosystems and infrastructure, risking long-term viability. High visitor densities have accelerated coral reef degradation through boat anchoring and snorkeler impacts, with assessments showing over half of Palawan's marine habitats deteriorating from unregulated activities, pollution, and overfishing. In El Nido, sewage mismanagement has resulted in persistently elevated fecal coliform levels in coastal waters—exceeding safe limits since 2019—threatening public health and the PHP35 billion annual tourism economy tied to its beaches and lagoons. Infrastructure overload, including water shortages and waste accumulation, further exacerbates local residents' quality of life, as rapid influxes outpace development capacity. To mitigate these risks, analyses advocate determining site-specific carrying capacities and enforcing regulations on vessel traffic and waste disposal, as unchecked growth could undermine the biodiversity-dependent appeal that sustains economic benefits. Such measures aim to preserve causal linkages between intact environments and tourism viability, preventing scenarios observed in other Philippine destinations like Boracay, where closures were necessitated by similar degradations.

Geopolitical and Security Concerns

South China Sea Disputes and Territorial Claims

Palawan's position as the Philippines' westernmost province places it at the forefront of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, particularly over the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), a cluster of islands, reefs, and shoals in the Spratly Islands administered by the Philippines as a municipality of Palawan province since 1978. The KIG, encompassing features like Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, falls within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which the Philippines ratified in 1984 and uses to assert sovereign rights over approximately 200,000 square kilometers of the West Philippine Sea—the Philippine designation for its portion of the South China Sea. China contests these claims through its "nine-dash line," a demarcation first published in 1947 (originally as an eleven-dash line) and revised to nine dashes in 1953, which Beijing asserts grants historic rights over roughly 90% of the South China Sea, including overlaps with the Philippine EEZ near Palawan and the KIG. This line does not encompass Palawan's main island but encroaches on maritime areas vital to the province's fisheries and potential hydrocarbon resources; China has rejected UNCLOS-based boundaries, prioritizing historical usage over defined continental shelf limits. In 2013, the Philippines initiated arbitration under UNCLOS Annex VII against China, culminating in a 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in The Hague that invalidated the nine-dash line's legal basis, affirmed the KIG features as low-tide elevations or rocks ineligible for generating EEZs (except where Philippines maintains otherwise under domestic law), and confirmed Philippine rights to resources within its 200-nautical-mile EEZ. China dismissed the ruling as non-binding and lacking jurisdiction, continuing to deploy coast guard and militia vessels to assert control. Tensions have escalated through repeated maritime incidents near Palawan-administered areas, including Chinese coast guard vessels blocking Philippine resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre—a grounded World War II-era ship at Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin) since 1999, used to bolster Philippine presence—and employing water cannons, ramming, and laser targeting against Philippine boats. In July 2025, a Chinese maritime militia vessel damaged coral reefs worth an estimated PHP 11 million (USD 194,000) near Pag-asa Island, highlighting environmental fallout from militarized patrols. As of October 2025, Chinese fleets approached within unprecedented proximity to Philippine vessels near disputed features off Palawan's coast, prompting Philippine military drills on Balabac Island—a strategic Palawan outpost hosting enhanced U.S.-Philippine access under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. These confrontations have strained bilateral ties, boosted U.S. military rotations in Palawan, and underscored the province's role in Manila's pivot toward alliances to deter coercion, though China maintains its actions defend sovereignty against perceived encroachments. Fringe assertions on Chinese social media platforms, amplified in early 2025, claimed Palawan's main island—outside the nine-dash line—as historically Chinese territory under names like "Zheng He Island," invoking unverified Ming dynasty voyages; Philippine officials, including the Navy and National Historical Commission, rejected these as baseless fabrications lacking archival evidence, with no official Chinese government endorsement beyond the established maritime claims. The disputes impede Palawan's economic potential in fisheries (contributing over 20% of the province's GDP) and exploration, as overlapping claims deter investment despite Philippine submissions to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in 2023 asserting extended shelf entitlements in the West Philippine Sea.

Internal Security Threats

The primary internal security threat in Palawan has historically stemmed from the New People's Army (NPA), the insurgent arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which began operations in the province in 1981 following recruitment efforts among local indigenous groups and laborers. NPA activities included guerrilla ambushes, extortion from mining and logging operations, and recruitment in remote areas, though the group's presence remained limited compared to central and southern Luzon or Mindanao due to Palawan's sparse population and terrain challenges. Philippine military and police operations, intensified under the Western Command (WESCOM) and local battalions like the 15th Infantry, focused on community engagement, surrenders, and targeted pursuits, leading to the neutralization of several NPA elements through combat or defection by the early 2020s. In September 2022, focused civil-military operations in southern Palawan prompted the surrender of multiple rebels, who received livelihood aid as part of reintegration programs. By 2023, these efforts culminated in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declaring Palawan island insurgency-free on September 1, citing the absence of NPA-initiated violent or urban operations incidents. As of 2025, no significant NPA resurgence has been reported in Palawan, with military activities shifting toward peace forums and community security dialogues in southern municipalities like Rizal to prevent recruitment. Islamist groups such as Abu Sayyaf, active primarily in the Sulu Archipelago and Basilan, have not established operational footholds in Palawan, confining terrorism risks to maritime spillover rather than inland insurgency. Residual threats include opportunistic extortion by small dissident factions, but overall, the province's internal security has stabilized through sustained government presence and development initiatives targeting root causes like poverty in upland areas.

Military and Strategic Developments

Palawan's western coastline borders the South China Sea, positioning the province as a critical forward operating area for Philippine defense forces amid ongoing territorial disputes with China in the Spratly Islands and surrounding features. The Philippine military has prioritized enhancements to air, naval, and island defense capabilities in the region to support resupply missions, surveillance, and rapid response operations. Key installations include Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, which serves as the closest Philippine air facility to the Spratlys and hosts rotational U.S. forces under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) signed in 2014 and expanded in 2023. In April 2023, Balabac Island in southern Palawan was designated as one of four new EDCA sites, enabling U.S.-funded infrastructure for joint logistics, prepositioned equipment, and training. Recent U.S.-Philippine cooperation has focused on naval upgrades, including a September 30, 2025, Pentagon contract to modernize facilities at a key Palawan naval detachment for small boat operations, unmanned systems, and maritime domain awareness near contested waters. Strategic developments emphasize interoperability and deterrence, with Philippine forces on Palawan slated for new intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment to bolster operations. Joint exercises, such as those during Balikatan 2025, have simulated island defense on Balabac, involving U.S., Australian, and Philippine marines in amphibious raids and force projections. The Philippine Navy plans to establish up to 28 forward operating bases along strategic coastlines, including Palawan, to extend presence into disputed littorals while countering perceived espionage risks from adversarial actors.

Government and Administration

Provincial Governance Structure

The provincial government of Palawan operates under the framework established by the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160), which delineates the powers and responsibilities of local government units in the Philippines. The executive branch is led by the governor, elected province-wide for a three-year term renewable up to three consecutive terms, serving as the chief executive responsible for policy implementation, budget execution, and supervision of provincial operations. The current governor, Amy Roa Alvarez, took office on June 30, 2025, marking the first time a woman has held the position. The legislative authority resides with the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board), presided over by the vice governor, who is also elected province-wide and votes only to break ties. The board comprises ten regular members elected from legislative districts corresponding to congressional districts, augmented by ex-officio members including the presidents of the provincial leagues of municipal mayors, vice mayors, barangay chairmen, and one Indigenous Peoples' Mandatory Representative (IPMR) per district where applicable. This body enacts ordinances, approves the annual budget, and oversees executive actions through committees on areas such as finance, health, and infrastructure. Complementing the standard structure, Palawan's governance includes the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), established under Republic Act No. 7611 (Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan Act of 1992), which mandates integrated planning for ecological preservation amid development pressures. Chaired by the governor, the PCSD comprises representatives from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and indigenous communities, wielding regulatory powers over land use, resource extraction, and environmental compliance unique to the province. Puerto Princesa City, classified as a highly urbanized city, functions independently and is excluded from provincial jurisdiction. A 2019 legislative effort to divide Palawan into three provinces—Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur—via Republic Act No. 11259 was rejected by voters in a March 2021 plebiscite, preserving the unified provincial structure.

Political Dynamics and Elections

Palawan's political landscape is characterized by the dominance of entrenched political dynasties and local parties, which often prioritize family networks and clientelist practices over ideological platforms. The Partidong Pagbabago ng Palawan (PPP), a regional party focused on provincial change, has exerted significant influence, forging alliances with national groups like Hugpong ng Pagbabago in past contests, though internal fractures, such as the 2025 resignation of then-Governor Victorino Dennis Socrates from the party, highlight factional tensions. Elections frequently revolve around patronage distribution, infrastructure promises, and environmental-development trade-offs, with voter turnout influenced by geographic isolation in remote municipalities. Gubernatorial elections occur every three years alongside local races, with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) overseeing automated counting to mitigate disputes. In the 2022 elections, Victorino Dennis Socrates secured the governorship with strong support from his family network, continuing a pattern of dynastic control amid competition from figures tied to former Governor Joel Reyes. The 2025 polls saw heightened contestation, including mining-related indigenous opposition, but dynasties retained sway; Amy Alvarez, a second-generation politician, defeated Socrates to become Palawan's first female governor, proclaimed by COMELEC on May 13 after garnering over 230,000 votes in partial tallies. This outcome reflects persistent dynastic resilience, as 71 of 82 Philippine provinces, including Palawan, ended up led by family-linked governors post-2025. Controversies in Palawan's electoral process include allegations of vote-buying and clan rivalries spilling into violence, though automated systems have reduced fraud claims compared to manual eras. Reform efforts, such as anti-dynasty pushes, gained traction in 2025 campaigns but yielded limited breakthroughs, with second-generation candidates like Alvarez embodying continuity. Provincial board and mayoral races mirror this, often pitting allied clans against challengers in key areas like Puerto Princesa and El Nido. Despite national anti-dynasty sentiment, local voters' preferences for familiar networks sustain the status quo, complicating broader democratic renewal.

Policy Debates on Development vs. Preservation

The Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan, enacted via Republic Act 7611 in 1992, establishes a framework prioritizing ecological preservation while permitting controlled development, designating core zones for strict protection and manipulation zones for sustainable resource use. This plan, administered by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), mandates environment-first policies amid pressures from mining, tourism, and infrastructure, reflecting debates over short-term economic gains versus long-term biodiversity integrity. Proponents of development argue that Palawan's mineral wealth, particularly nickel essential for electric vehicle batteries, could generate substantial revenue and employment; for instance, mining operations have historically contributed to local economies through jobs and taxes, though critics contend these benefits are overstated relative to ecological costs. Mining expansion has intensified conflicts, with nickel extraction linked to deforestation exceeding 1,000 hectares in affected areas, soil erosion, and water contamination from tailings, adversely impacting indigenous Palaw'an and Tagbanua communities' ancestral lands and fisheries. In response, a 2025 moratorium halted new permits for critical mineral mining, following court rulings like the 2023 Supreme Court decision against operations by Ipil Corporation and Celestial Mining for potential irreparable damage, underscoring judicial enforcement of SEP restrictions despite industry lobbying for deregulation to meet global demand. Environmental advocates, including Catholic bishops, highlight causal links between mining pollution and health risks such as heavy metal exposure in communities near sites like Narra, where residents report elevated ecological and social disruptions outweighing employment gains of around 500-1,000 jobs per large operation. Tourism development pits economic influx—over 1.2 million visitors annually pre-pandemic, driving GDP contributions up to 20% in key municipalities like El Nido—against preservation needs, as overtourism has strained coral reefs and lagoons through boat anchoring damage and sewage discharge, prompting carrying capacity assessments in Bacuit Bay. Policies under the National Tourism Development Plan advocate limits, such as visitor caps and seasonal closures proposed for September to allow marine recovery, yet enforcement lags, with illegal structures along coastal easements persisting despite 2025 rehabilitation efforts. Infrastructure projects, including proposed coal plants in Narra and bridges in Coron, face opposition for threatening UNESCO sites like Tubbataha Reefs; community resistance halted a Culion-Coron bridge in 2021 due to coral habitat risks, while anti-coal campaigns emphasize renewables like run-of-river hydro as viable alternatives without emissions or displacement. These debates reveal tensions in PCSD governance, where indigenous participation via Certificates of Ancestral Domain Titles influences zoning, but weak enforcement and external pressures from national energy policies often prioritize development, as evidenced by ongoing legal challenges to extractive activities.

Infrastructure and Public Services

Transportation Networks

Palawan's transportation infrastructure is shaped by its geography as a long, narrow archipelago spanning over 1,700 islands, necessitating heavy reliance on air and maritime routes for inter-municipal and inter-island connectivity, supplemented by limited road networks on the main island. The province's networks support tourism, which drives much of the demand, but face challenges from seasonal weather disruptions and ongoing capacity expansions. Air transport centers on Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS), the province's primary gateway, which handled approximately 1.5 million passengers in recent pre-2025 data and supports up to 20 daily flights from carriers including Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia. The airport's 2017-opened terminal features 13,000 square meters of floor space, seating for 1,500 passengers, and a 2,600-meter runway capable of accommodating wide-body aircraft like the Airbus A330. Secondary facilities include Busuanga Airport in Coron for northern access and El Nido Airport for tourism-focused routes, with collective Palawan airports recording 1.68 million passengers and 11,459 flights in 2023. Rehabilitation projects funded at P962 million in 2025 target PPS and Busuanga to address wear from high tourism volumes, while new eco-tourism-oriented airports are planned for remote areas like Cagayancillo to link UNESCO sites such as Tubbataha Reef. Pag-asa Island's airport development receives P3.03 billion in 2025 funding to bolster strategic connectivity in the West Philippine Sea. Road networks on the main Palawan island consist primarily of national and provincial arteries forming a partial circumferential route, with ongoing expansions adding 48.13 kilometers of new two-lane roads to improve east-west access amid rugged terrain and flood-prone sections. These roads facilitate ground travel via buses, vans, and tricycles from Puerto Princesa southward to municipalities like Brooke's Point and northward to El Nido. During the dry season (December to May), a 4x4 vehicle is not strictly necessary for driving on main roads in Palawan, such as the primary highway from Puerto Princesa to El Nido, which is mostly paved and passable with 2WD vehicles like sedans or vans. However, 4x4 vehicles are recommended for rough, unpaved, or interior roads, remote areas, and for improved comfort and safety, as road conditions are better in the dry season with reduced mud and slipperiness compared to the wet season. Though many rural and eastern areas remain unpaved or boat-dependent due to incomplete paving—provincial roads show 22% paved but variable conditions per surveys. The Department of Public Works and Highways oversees maintenance, prioritizing tourism corridors, but isolation limits extensive rail or mass transit development. Maritime transport dominates inter-island movement, with Puerto Princesa Port serving as the main hub for ferries from Manila operated by 2GO Travel, offering weekly sailings to Puerto Princesa (27 hours) and Coron (13 hours) at fares ranging from PHP 3,400 to 9,500. These routes carry passengers and cargo, integrating with smaller bangka boats for lagoon and island hopping in areas like El Nido and Coron. A sheltered port on Pag-asa Island, set for completion in May 2025, enhances resilience against monsoons and supports trade links to Mindoro and Batangas. Broader connectivity improvements, including nautical highway upgrades, aim to integrate Palawan into regional networks like BIMP-EAGA, though vulnerabilities to typhoons persist.

Utilities and Communications

Palawan's electricity supply is managed by the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) for the main grid, which covers areas like Puerto Princesa City contributing over 61% of energy demand, while the National Power Corporation-Small Power Utilities Group (NPC-SPUG) oversees off-grid missionary electrification in remote islands. The province faces recurrent outages due to its archipelagic nature and reliance on diesel plants, with recent power supply agreements under PALECO's 2024 procurement securing 40 MW baseload capacity for the main grid to stabilize supply starting in 2025. To address off-grid vulnerabilities, the Department of Energy (DOE) and USAID deployed three solar-powered Mobile Energy Systems (MES) in May 2025 for emergency support in healthcare and communications during blackouts, with an additional unit delivered to Balabac Island in October 2025. Capacity upgrades, including Wärtsilä's expansion of the Delta P plant in Puerto Princesa, aim to add reliable power by 2026 amid growing demand. Water supply and sanitation infrastructure in Palawan lags in rural and coastal areas, exacerbated by typhoons damaging systems and watershed degradation leading to shortages. Municipal systems serve urban centers like Puerto Princesa, but tap water is generally unsafe for drinking due to contamination risks, prompting reliance on bottled or treated sources. Sanitation challenges persist, as evidenced by elevated fecal coliform levels in El Nido's coastal waters in 2025 despite a new treatment plant, linked to tourism influx and inadequate enforcement against illegal discharges. Initiatives like USAID's 2020 water security project and local efforts by Palawan Water have installed systems in municipalities such as Brooke's Point, yet access remains uneven with vulnerability to disasters. Telecommunications in Palawan are dominated by Globe Telecom and Smart Communications, providing 3G, 4G, and emerging 5G coverage concentrated in urban hubs like Puerto Princesa, with signal strength declining in remote islands. Household internet access stood at 37.7% in 2020, below the Mimaropa regional average of 52.1%, reflecting infrastructure gaps in broadband deployment. National 5G rollout reached major areas by January 2025, but Palawan's archipelagic terrain limits full penetration, supporting basic mobile services for emergency use while fixed-line and high-speed internet remain scarce outside population centers.

Healthcare and Education Systems

Palawan's healthcare infrastructure includes provincial and district hospitals, rural health units (RHUs), and barangay health stations, managed primarily through the Department of Health's MIMAROPA Center for Health Development and local government units. The Palawan Provincial Hospital in Puerto Princesa serves as the main referral facility, supplemented by facilities like the Northern Palawan District Hospital and several private clinics, though exact bed capacities vary and comprehensive provincial totals are not centrally aggregated in recent public data. Community health workers play a critical role in extending services to remote islands and upland areas, particularly for vector-borne diseases. Access remains constrained by Palawan's geography, with many residents in isolated barangays facing long travel times to facilities, contributing to delayed diagnoses and higher reliance on traditional healers. Malaria persists as the dominant challenge, positioning Palawan as the Philippines' sole remaining endemic province, with 732,858 individuals at risk in 2024 and heterogeneous transmission concentrated in southern municipalities. Cases often involve delays due to self-medication and limited microscopy access, exacerbating morbidity. Tuberculosis prevalence is elevated among indigenous minorities, compounded by similar barriers. The education system operates under the national K-12 framework administered by the Department of Education's Palawan division, encompassing public elementary, secondary, and senior high schools, alongside limited private institutions and indigenous learning systems. Enrollment data reflects regional trends, with MIMAROPA's senior high school net enrollment rate at 59.82% as of recent assessments, indicating gaps in transition from junior high. Basic literacy for those aged 5 and over in Palawan reached 84.0% in 2024, with 12.1% illiterate, lower than national averages due to remote demographics. Indigenous groups such as the Batak face acute barriers, including poverty-driven dropouts, geographic isolation, and curricula misaligned with cultural needs, resulting in lower attendance and completion rates compared to non-indigenous peers. Functional literacy in the broader MIMAROPA region, encompassing Palawan, was 70.7% for ages 10-64 in 2024, highlighting persistent deficiencies in comprehension and numeracy skills amid infrastructural limits like school electrification and teacher shortages in peripheral areas. Efforts include targeted interventions for indigenous peoples, though implementation lags in upland and island communities.

Culture and Society

Indigenous Traditions and Practices

The indigenous peoples of Palawan, primarily the Tagbanua, Pala'wan, and Batak, maintain traditions deeply intertwined with animistic beliefs, sustainable resource use, and rituals that emphasize harmony with the natural environment. These groups, numbering in the thousands, rely on swidden agriculture, hunting, gathering, and fishing, practices shaped by the island's forests, caves, and seas. Spiritual elements center on deities, ancestors, and spirits, with shamans (babaylan among Tagbanua) mediating through trance and offerings to ensure bountiful harvests, health, and protection from calamities. Among the Tagbanua, concentrated in central and northern Palawan with a population of about 13,643 as of 1990, key rituals include the pagdiwata, performed for harvests and weddings, where participants drink rice wine through bamboo straws from ancient Chinese stoneware jars, invoking divine blessings on rice as a sacred gift. The babaylan leads trance states to communicate with supreme deities like Maguindusa, alongside other ceremonies such as paglalambay for rain and good yields, runsay to avert epidemics after the December full moon, and pagbuyis offerings on elevated platforms to ward off diseases. Livelihood practices reflect these beliefs: swidden farming of upland rice and root crops follows rituals like tedlak for soil blessings, while gathering rattan and honey involves appeasing forest spirits by rinsing trees and avoiding immature resources to sustain cycles. Crafts encompass basket weaving for storage and harvest, metal forging with double-bellows, and blowguns for hunting, underscoring self-reliance. The Pala'wan, totaling around 40,630 mainly in southern Palawan as of 1980, practice swidden cultivation of rice intercropped with corn, yams, cassava, and sweet potatoes, supplemented by hunting birds and bats from caves—a tradition linked to prehistoric sites like Tabon Cave. Subgroups such as the Tau't Bato dwell seasonally in caves before shifting to open fields, constructing multilevel bamboo homes to manage crop distribution and family spaces. These mobile patterns align with animistic views of nature's rhythms, though specific rituals are less documented in governmental ethnographies; broader practices include communal resource sharing and environmental adaptation in Balabac Strait islands. The Batak, a Negrito group reduced to fewer than 300 individuals in northern Palawan's forests, embody hunter-gatherer traditions through spearing wild pigs with dogs, collecting tubers, fruits, palm hearts, resin, rattan, and honey, and fishing with hooks, lines, or plant poisons to stun prey. They cultivate over 70 rice varieties in shifting plots burned in March and fallowed for years, integrating knowledge of forest cycles for sustainability. Animistic beliefs underpin resource management, viewing ecosystems as interconnected, though external pressures like logging and resettlement have eroded pure customary forms; historical practices emphasize selective harvesting to preserve regeneration, as in avoiding over-tapping palms.

Festivals and Local Customs

Palawan's festivals often blend indigenous rituals with Catholic influences and modern tourism, reflecting the province's ethnic diversity including Cuyonon, Tagbanua, and Palaw'an groups. The Baragatan Sa Palawan Festival, held annually in June in Puerto Princesa City, commemorates the province's founding on June 4, 1955, and emphasizes thanksgiving and unity through street parades, ethnic dances, cultural performances, and athletic competitions participated in by representatives from Palawan's municipalities. This event, derived from the Cuyonon term "baragatan" meaning "gathering," draws thousands and features traditional attire and music to showcase inter-ethnic harmony. Other notable celebrations include the Kulambo Festival in El Nido from March 15 to 18, which honors the town's mosquito net-making heritage—a practical adaptation to the tropical climate—through weaving demonstrations, parades, and community feasts that highlight local craftsmanship. The Tarek Palawan Festival, observed annually by Tagbanua and Batak indigenous communities, involves rituals tied to swidden farming cycles, including offerings and dances to invoke bountiful harvests and ancestral spirits, underscoring their animistic beliefs in nature's interdependence. Local customs among Palawan's indigenous populations emphasize sustainable resource use and spiritual harmony with the environment. The Tagbanua, concentrated in central and northern Palawan, maintain traditions of upland rice cultivation via kaingin (slash-and-burn) methods, complemented by rice wine rituals during planting and harvest to appease diwata (nature spirits), often involving carved wooden figures as offerings in pagdiwata ceremonies. Basketry and woodcarving are integral crafts, with Tagbanua women weaving rattan and bamboo into functional items adorned with geometric patterns symbolizing cosmic balance, while men produce ritual artifacts. Cuyonon communities, more widespread and partially assimilated into lowland society, practice communal fishing techniques using traditional traps and nets, alongside betel nut chewing as a social custom fostering dialogue and hospitality. Palaw'an groups uphold animistic practices, including chanting and prayers during hunts to express gratitude to forest spirits, reinforcing a worldview prioritizing generosity and ecological stewardship over exploitation. These customs persist despite modernization pressures, with indigenous houses typically elevated nipa huts fenced by native plants for protection against wildlife and spirits.

Social Issues and Community Resilience

Palawan's social landscape is marked by persistent poverty affecting rural and indigenous populations, exacerbated by reliance on subsistence fishing, farming, and tourism vulnerable to environmental fluctuations. In 2023, the Department of Social Welfare and Development identified approximately 10% of the province's 1.3 million residents as chronically poor, defined as households unable to meet basic needs over multiple periods despite interventions. Philippine Statistics Authority data from the same year indicate a provincial poverty incidence among families of around 20-25%, higher than national averages, driven by limited infrastructure and seasonal employment disruptions. Indigenous groups, including the Tagbanua, Molbog, and Palaw'an, face acute challenges from resource extraction conflicts, particularly the nickel mining boom fueled by global demand for electric vehicle batteries. Rapid project approvals since 2020 have resulted in land displacement, restricted access to ancestral fishing grounds, and documented harassment, including fabricated charges and armed intimidation against holdout families. Amnesty International's 2025 investigations highlight failures in free, prior, and informed consent protocols, leading to health risks from pollution and livelihood losses for communities dependent on intact ecosystems. In response, the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development enacted a 50-year moratorium on new mining applications in July 2025, prioritizing biodiversity safeguards amid debates over economic gains versus irreversible ecological damage. Community resilience in Palawan manifests through adaptive strategies against frequent natural disasters, including typhoons and coastal flooding, which expose 48% of the population to flood risks and 56% to droughts. Post-Super Typhoon Odette in December 2021, which devastated protected areas and infrastructure, recovery efforts emphasized ecosystem restoration, such as replanting over 1,700 hectares of mangroves to buffer against storm surges and sustain fisheries. Women-led initiatives in affected municipalities have integrated reforestation with livelihood programs, enhancing financial buffers and soil stability while reducing vulnerability for coastal households. Enforcement of the province's Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN) zoning further bolsters resilience by prohibiting extractive activities in high-protection zones, preserving natural barriers against hazards. These measures, supported by local governance and NGOs, underscore causal links between intact habitats and reduced disaster impacts, though gaps in early warning systems persist in remote indigenous areas.

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