Palawan is one of the many island located in the country of the Philippines. Is is included in the MIMAROPA Region. But unlike any other island province, this place has a very good deal of uniqueness on its own. It is by far the second largest island province existed in the country. The Puerto Princesa City (“The City in the Forest” as termed by Mayor Edward Hagedorn) is the capital city, on which the center of business and industries takes place.The Palawan province consisted of 1,768 islands and islets. This includes the long, narrow mainland which is the biggest, measuring 450 kilometers long and 50 kilometers wide and is surrounded with other smaller islands. The Calamianes Group of Islands, to the northwest consists of, Culion, and Coron Island. Durangan Island almost touches the westernmost part of Palawan mainland, while Balabac Island is located at the southern tip, and is separated from Borneo by the Balabac Strait. In addition, Palawan covers the Cuyo Islands in the Sulu Sea. The Spratly Islands, located a few hundred kilometers to the west is considered part of Palawan and is locally called the Kalayaan Group of Islands.
The geography of the province presented it with bounty of marine and ecological features. It is inhabited with a diverse species of flora and fauna that can be found at the rainforest which covered most of the province total area as well as in the surrounding waters of the province. The 2000 km of the island’s irregular shoreline was sprayed with islands and islets, rocky coves, and white sandy beaches.
Brief History
Ancient Chinese traders and waves of migrants arrived in the Philippines by traversing land bridges between Borneo and Palawan. One Chinese author referred to these as islands as Kla-ma-yan (Calamian), Palau-ye (Palawan), and Paki-nung (Busuanga). The area was described as having many lofty ridges and high ranges of cliffs. Pottery, china and other artefacts recovered from caves and the water of Palawan attest to the flourishing trade between Chinese and Malays here centuries ago.
Malay settlers began arriving in Palawan in the 12th century. For some time, many settlements were ruled by Malay chieftains. Because of its proximity to Borneo, Southern Palawan was placed under the control of the Sultanate of Borneo for more than two centuries after the arrival of the Spaniards.
In pre-colonial times, settlers lived abundantly from the fruits of the earth. They grew palay, ginger, coconuts, camote, sugar and bananas. The people also raised pigs, goats and chickens. They had fishing, farming, and hunting implements such as bamboo traps and blowguns. The local people had a dialect consisting of 18 syllables.
Spanish Rule
The northern Calamianes Islands were the first to come under the sphere of Spanish influence and to be declared a province separate from the Palawan mainland. In the early 17th century, Spanish friars tried to established missions in Cuyo, Agutaya, Taytay and Cagayancillo but were met with stiff resistance from Moro communities. Towards the 18th century, Spain began to build churches enclosed by garrisons for protection against Moro raids in the town of Cuyo, Taytay, Linapacan and Balabac. Many of these forts still exist, serving as testimonies to a colourful past. In 1749, the Sultanate of Borneo ceded southern Palawan to Spain, which then established its authority over the entire province.
At first, the territory of Palawan (or Paragua as it was called) was organized as a single province named Calamianes, with its capital in Taytay. Later, it was divided into three provinces: Castilla covering the northern section of the province with Taytay as capital, Asturias in the southern mainland with Puerto Princesa as capital, and Balabac Island with its capital in the town of Principe Alfonso.
American Rule
When the Spaniards left after the 1898 revolution, a civil government was established. Provincial boundaries were revised in 1903, the name of the province was changed to Palawan, and Puerto Princesa became its capital.
The American governors who took the reins of leadership introduced reforms and programs to promote the development of the province. These included the construction of schools all over the province., the promotion of agriculture, and bringing people closer to the government.
Japanese Invasion
During World War II, in order to prevent the rescue of prisoners of war by the advancing allies, on December 14, 1944, theJapanese herded the remaining 150 prisoners of war atPuerto PrincesaCity into three covered trenches which were then set on fire using barrels of gasoline. Prisoners who tried to escape the flames were shot down. Others attempted to escape by climbing over a cliff that ran along one side of the trenches, but were later hunted down and killed. Only 11 men escaped the slaughter and between 133 and 141 were killed. The site of the massacre can still be visited.
Liberation
The island was liberated from the Japanese Imperial Forces by a task force consisting of Filipino and American military personnel between February 28 and April 22, 1945.
People, Language and Religion
Indigenous People Palawan is home to several ethno linguistic groups: the Tagbanua, Pala'wan, Tau't Bato and the Bataks. They live in remote villages in the mountains and coastal areas. Their ancestors are believed to have occupied the province long before Malays settlers from the Madjapahit Empire of Indonesia arrived in these islands in the latter 12th or 13th centuries.
In 1962, a team of anthropologists from the National Museum led by Dr. Robert Fox unearthed fossils at Lipuun Point (now known as the Tabon Cave complex) that were classified as those of Homo sapiens and believed to be 22,000 to 24,000 years old. The recovery of the Tabon Man and other significant findings in the area gave rise to Palawan's image as the Cradle of the Philippine Civilization.
Research has shown that the Tagbanua and Pala'wan are possible descendants of the Tabon Caves inhabitants. Their language and alphabet, practice of kaingin and common belief in soul-relatives are some of their cultural similarities.
Tagbanua tribes are found in the central and northern Palawan. They practice shifting cultivation of upland rice, which is considered a divine gift, and are known for their rice wine ritual called Pagdiwata. The cult of the dead is the key to the religious system of the Tagbanua, who also believes in countless deities found in the natural environment.
The Pala'wan belongs to the large Manobo-based linguistic groups of the southern Philippines. Their original homes were located in the interior regions of South Apuruan on the west coast and south of Abo-Abo on the east coast.
The Batak, which means "mountain people" in Cuyuno, lives in the rugged interiors of northeastern Palawan. Living close to nature, they are peaceful and shy people. The Batak believe in nature spirits, with whom they communicate through a babaylan or medium.
The Tau't Bato or "people of the rock" is a sub-group of the Pala'wan tribe living in Singnapan Valley in southern Palawan. They stay inside caves during the rainy season and come out to engage in kaingin farming during the dry season. The tribe is familiar with certain concepts of the market system such as wage, labor and money.
Native-born Palawenos include the Cuyunons, Agutaynons, and Molbogs. Originally from the island town of Cuyo in northern Palawan, Cuyunons are considered an elite class. They are religious, disciplined and have a highly-developed community spirit. The Agutaynons practice a simpler island lifestyle, with fishing and farming as their main source of livelihood. The Molbogs, the original inhabitants of the southernmost island group of Balabac, derive their name from the word "malubog" which means turbid water. Among Palawenos, the Molbogs are the ones most exposed to Islamic culture.
Nature
Known the world over as the Philippines' last ecological frontier, the province of Palawan harbors vast tracts of tropical rainforests and huge expanse of marine wilderness. Thick canopies of trees carpet mountain ranges running the length of the mainland. Fringing reefs and coral atolls open a new realm to discover under the clear waters surrounding this archipelago of more than 1,700 islands. Ribbons of meandering streams and rivers wind through the mountains, nurturing robust stands of mangrove in the lowlands before flowing out to the sea.
Palawan probably has more protected areas than any other province in the Philippines. The Calauit Wildlife Sanctuary in the northern Calamianes islands is home to exotic and endemic species of animals that roam freely in its verdant hills and plains. On the northern coastline, the El Nido Protected Area is noted for its edible birds' nests and limestone cliffs. In the middle of the Sulu Sea lies the Tubbataha Reefs, a pair of coral atolls recently named as a World Heritage Site for its highly diverse collection of fishes and other marine life. Along the west coast, the St. Paul Subterranean National Park features old-growth forests, cathedral caves, white sand beaches and one of the longest underground rivers in the world. In the south, Ursula Island is a haven for migratory and resident birds.
The entire province was proclaimed as Fish and Wildlife Sanctuary in 1967. Palawan is the habitat of 232 endemic species. Some of these unique creatures are the metallic-colored peacock pheasant, the shy mousedeer, the cuddly bearcat, and the reclusive scaly anteater. In the forests and grasslands, the air resonates with the song of more than 200 kinds of birds. Over 600 species of butterflies flutter around the mountains and field of Palawan, attracted to some1,500 flowering plants found here. Endangered sea turtles nest on the white sand beaches, and the gentle dugong feeds on the seagrass that abound Palawan waters.
Commercial logging became a thing of the past with cancellation of timber license agreements in 1993. The same year, the provincial government created Bantay Palawan to assist national agencies in protecting some 325,000 hectares of primary forest. Residual and mossy forests cover an additional 26,000 hectares of Palawan's land area.
Rocky coves and sandy beaches lie in primordial splendor along Palawan's almost 2,000-kilometer coastline. Renowned scuba diver Jacques Costeau has described Palawan as having one of the most beautiful seascapes in the world. Sprawled beneath the seas are nearly 11,000 square kilometers of coral reefs. Myriads of fish swim in these underwater gardens.
Outstanding geographical features dot Palawan's landscape. On the west coast, an array of limestone cliffs extends from Tabon Caves in the south all the way to Coron Reefs in the northern Calamianes islands. Challenging peaks with mystical names like Matalingahan, Cleopatra's Needle and Capuas attract dozens of climbers yearly.
Articles collaborated by: Ivy Maxion Sources:Palawan.gov.;Wikipedia.org.
