29 images Created 25 Feb 2013
Palawan - People
Migration has played a big role in the development of Palawan. Before 1900, people from Cuyo and other islands migrated to Palawan. It started as a seasonal farming activity, but as opportunities in Cuyo became scarcer, families moved to Palawan permanently. After the Second World War, migrants streamed into Palawan from other regions of the country looking for agricultural land and the opportunities offered by Palawan’s natural resources. A settlement area in south-central Palawan covering 24,000 ha was established in 1950 to accommodate settlers from Central Luzon. Migrants were then pushed further up the mountains by successive waves of migrants, which also caused further displacement of the indigenous tribes. Migration has severely impacted native cultural traditions and the environment.
People also came with the logging and mining companies in the 1960s and 1970s, and more recently with the tourism industry. Migration has accounted for about half of the population growth of Palawan. The population increased from 106,000 in 1948 to 320,000 in 1980; by 1995, it had reached 627,000. Over the years, various government regimes and private companies involved in mining, logging and tourism have made immigration significantly easier. Palawan now has the highest rate of immigration in the Philippines. It is engaged in mainstream development, and its natural resources are consequently being substantially reduced. The loss of its biodiversity in the forests, mangroves and coral reefs can be directly linked to the increase in population. As in past decades the larger proportion of migrants to Palawan have been farmers. The activities of these farmers and loggers are responsible for the conversion of Palawan’s one-time tropical forest landscape into an agricultural one. Unrestricted migration to Palawan can be viewed as an indication of the government’s inability or unwillingness to control population growth in other parts of the Philippines.
People also came with the logging and mining companies in the 1960s and 1970s, and more recently with the tourism industry. Migration has accounted for about half of the population growth of Palawan. The population increased from 106,000 in 1948 to 320,000 in 1980; by 1995, it had reached 627,000. Over the years, various government regimes and private companies involved in mining, logging and tourism have made immigration significantly easier. Palawan now has the highest rate of immigration in the Philippines. It is engaged in mainstream development, and its natural resources are consequently being substantially reduced. The loss of its biodiversity in the forests, mangroves and coral reefs can be directly linked to the increase in population. As in past decades the larger proportion of migrants to Palawan have been farmers. The activities of these farmers and loggers are responsible for the conversion of Palawan’s one-time tropical forest landscape into an agricultural one. Unrestricted migration to Palawan can be viewed as an indication of the government’s inability or unwillingness to control population growth in other parts of the Philippines.
