Coron, Palawan

Coron, officially the Municipality of Coron, (Tagalog: Bayan ng Coron), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 51,803 people.[3]

This article is about the municipality. For the island, see Coron Island.
Coron
Municipality
Municipality of Coron
Coron skyline
Map of Palawan with Coron highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Coron
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 12°00′N 120°12′E
Country Philippines
RegionMimaropa (Region IV-B)
ProvincePalawan
District1st district
Founded1902
Barangays23 (see Barangays)
Government
 [1]
 • TypeSangguniang Bayan
 • MayorMario T. Reyes Jr.
 • Vice MayorAsian A. Palanca
 • CongressmanFranz Josef George E. Alvarez
 • Electorate32,894 voters (2019)
Area
 [2]
 • Total689.10 km2 (266.06 sq mi)
Elevation
14.6 m (47.9 ft)
Population
 (2015 census)[3]
 • Total51,803
 • Density75/km2 (190/sq mi)
 • Households
11,463
Economy
 • Income class1st municipal income class
 • Poverty incidence19.67% (2015)[4]
 • Revenue (₱)201,320,832.58 (2016)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
5316
PSGC
175309000
IDD : area code +63 (0)48
Climate typetropical climate
Native languagesCalamian Tagbanwa
Kagayanen
Palawano language
Tagalog

The main population center of the municipality is composed of Poblacion barangays 1 to 6, where the Municipal Building, the Municipal Legislative Building, and the Judicial Hall of the Municipal Circuit Trial Court are located. Its fiesta is held annually on August 28 in honor of Saint Augustine. It is the commercial capital of the Calamian Islands.

The municipality is home to the Coron Island Natural Biotic Area, which is listed in the natural category of the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.[5]

Geography

It comprises the eastern half of Busuanga Island, all of Coron Island and about 50 other minor islets stretching as far as Tara Island in the north-east and Canipo Island in the south.[6] All these islands are part of the Calamian Archipelago in Northern Palawan that separates the South China Sea from the Sulu Sea.

Barangays

Coron is politically subdivided into 23 barangays.

  • Banuang Daan
  • Bintuan
  • Borac
  • Buenavista
  • Bulalacao
  • Cabugao
  • Decabobo
  • Decalachao
  • Guadalupe (also called Binalabag)
  • Lajala
  • Malawig
  • Marcilla
  • Barangay I (Poblacion)
  • Barangay II (Poblacion)
  • Barangay III (Poblacion)
  • Barangay IV (Poblacion)
  • Barangay V (Poblacion)
  • Barangay VI (Poblacion)
  • San Jose
  • San Nicolas
  • Tagumpay
  • Tara
  • Turda

Climate
Climate data for Coron, Palawan (1981–2010, extremes 1950–2012)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 36.4
(97.5)		 36.1
(97.0)		 37.4
(99.3)		 37.6
(99.7)		 37.6
(99.7)		 36.5
(97.7)		 35.7
(96.3)		 34.7
(94.5)		 34.6
(94.3)		 36.6
(97.9)		 37.0
(98.6)		 35.2
(95.4)		 37.6
(99.7)
Average high °C (°F) 32.4
(90.3)		 32.6
(90.7)		 33.2
(91.8)		 34.0
(93.2)		 33.4
(92.1)		 31.7
(89.1)		 30.9
(87.6)		 30.9
(87.6)		 31.1
(88.0)		 31.8
(89.2)		 32.5
(90.5)		 32.3
(90.1)		 32.2
(90.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.5
(81.5)		 27.8
(82.0)		 28.4
(83.1)		 29.1
(84.4)		 28.9
(84.0)		 27.8
(82.0)		 27.1
(80.8)		 27.2
(81.0)		 27.3
(81.1)		 27.7
(81.9)		 28.1
(82.6)		 27.8
(82.0)		 27.9
(82.2)
Average low °C (°F) 22.7
(72.9)		 22.9
(73.2)		 23.6
(74.5)		 24.3
(75.7)		 24.4
(75.9)		 23.9
(75.0)		 23.4
(74.1)		 23.4
(74.1)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.6
(74.5)		 23.2
(73.8)		 23.5
(74.3)
Record low °C (°F) 12.2
(54.0)		 13.3
(55.9)		 13.4
(56.1)		 14.0
(57.2)		 18.1
(64.6)		 17.6
(63.7)		 17.1
(62.8)		 17.0
(62.6)		 17.4
(63.3)		 17.2
(63.0)		 16.1
(61.0)		 14.7
(58.5)		 12.2
(54.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 18.5
(0.73)		 14.0
(0.55)		 15.4
(0.61)		 38.1
(1.50)		 198.1
(7.80)		 360.8
(14.20)		 479.9
(18.89)		 466.3
(18.36)		 447.1
(17.60)		 250.8
(9.87)		 118.6
(4.67)		 74.0
(2.91)		 2,481.7
(97.70)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) 3 2 2 3 12 19 23 22 21 17 9 6 139
Average relative humidity (%) 80 79 78 77 81 87 88 88 88 87 83 82 83
Source: PAGASA[7][8]

History

The Calamianes Islands were originally inhabited by the Tagbanuas, Calmiananen and Cuyonon tribes.

Oral history tells that the Datu Macanas ruled the entire Busuanga Island where present day Coron town lies. Early on Spanish exploration of the islands, Fray de la Concepcion took note of the friendliness of the people of Busuanga Island and the ferocity of the Tagbanua tribe living in Coron Island.

In this area of the Calamianes, the first permanent Spanish settlement was Culion. Coron was a mere visita of Culion at that time. A fort and church were built in Libis, Culion around 1670 by the Spaniards as part of the defenses (along with Cuyo, Taytay and Linapacan) against the Muslim raids. This became a settlement for migrants to the Calamianes. Don Nicolas Manlavi a Cuyonon served several years in Spanish Galleons, and an Ilonggo from Jaro, Ilo-ilo named Claudio Sandoval later wed Nicolas' only daughter Evarista. The Sandoval clan of the Calamianes came from this union. It was Don Nicolas Manlavi who established the first settlement in Coron which was initially at Banuang Lague (old town) in present-day Banuang Daan in Coron Island. The town center was then again moved to present day Maquinit and later on, it was finally established in present-day Bancuang in Barangay 5 where a good water source was found.

Late in the 1890s, an American naturalist, Dean Worcester, journeyed through the Calamianes collecting specimens and stayed briefly in Culion. At the turn of the century, he was appointed part of the First Philippine Commission, becoming the Secretary of the Interior. He recommended Culion as the Philippine Leper Colony. This act forced the transfer of the Sandoval clan in 1900 to the various barrios of what is now Coron and Busuanga. The Coron town was settled by the family of Claudio Sandoval, and the other Sandovals settled in what is now Bintuan, Salvacion, Concepcion and Old Busuanga.

In 1950, the town of Busuanga was created from the barrios of Concepcion, Salvacion, Busuanga, New Busuanga, Buluang, Quezon, Calawit, and Cheey which used to belong to Coron.[9] In 1954, the islands of Linapacan, Cabunlaoan, Niangalao, Decabayotot, Calibanbangan, Pical, and Barangonan were separated from Coron to form the town of Linapacan.[10]

Demographics
Population census of Coron
YearPop.±% p.a.
1903 5,134—    
1918 12,438+6.08%
1939 18,682+1.96%
1948 16,445−1.41%
1960 14,996−0.77%
1970 17,852+1.76%
1975 20,828+3.14%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1980 25,129+3.82%
1990 33,228+2.83%
1995 27,040−3.79%
2000 32,243+3.84%
2007 40,007+3.02%
2010 42,941+2.61%
2015 51,803+3.64%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[3][11][12][13]

In the 2015 census, the population of Coron, Palawan, was 51,803 people,[3] with a density of 75 inhabitants per square kilometre or 190 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy
Fishing boats in Coron.

The main industries of Coron are fishing and tourism. Former industries include manganese mining at Singay Mines in Barangay San Nicolas during the Japanese Occupation period. This was followed by the fishing industry boom during the 1970s up to the 1990s which gradually dwindled due to illegal blast and sodium cyanide fishing. The rattan and basket-weaving industry which also gradually declined during the same period due to the ensuing depletion of raw materials.

Currently tourism is the top industry in Coron due to local beaches, dive sites, and other natural tourist spots. A dozen sunken Japanese warships at depths between 10 and 40 metres (33 and 131 ft) off Coron Island is a diving destination,[6] listed in Forbes Traveler Magazine’s top 10 best scuba diving sites in the world.

Transportation

The Francisco B. Reyes Airport serves the town.

  • Church in Coron.
  • Coron Island
  • The lagoon going to Kayangan Lake
  • View of the municipality from the sea
  • The cross in the summit of Mount Tapyas
  • Kayangan Lake in Coron Island, reportedly the cleanest freshwater lake in the Philippines

References
  1. "Municipality". Quezon City, Philippines: Department of the Interior and Local Government. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  2. "Province: Palawan". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  3. Census of Population (2015). "Region IV-B (Mimaropa)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. PSA. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  4. "PSA releases the 2015 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Quezon City, Philippines. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  5. "Coron Island Natural Biotic Area - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  6. "Coron" (PDF). Provincial Government of Palawan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  7. "Coron, Palawan Climatological Normal Values". Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  8. "Coron, Palawan Climatological Extremes". Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  9. "An act to create the municipality of Busuanga in the province of Palawan". LawPH.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
  10. "An Act to Create the Municipality of Linapacan in the Province of Palawan". LawPH.com. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  11. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region IV-B (Mimaropa)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. NSO. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  12. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region IV-B (Mimaropa)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. NSO.
  13. "Province of Palawan". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
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