PALAWAN has always been considered part of the Southern Philippines.
In fact, when the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front signed the so-called Tripoli Agreement on December 23, 1976, the province was included as the 13 th province of the autonomous government. However, because of the referendum, the province did not become part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Because of its proximity to Mindanao, the province was also included in the broader subregional group, the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area which the four countries formed in 1994.
In 2000, Palawan had a population of about 755,000 with 40 percent of its people natives, while six percent are Muslims.
The province, declared as the natural sanctuary of the world, is endowed with natural resources and has become one of the best tourist attractions of the country. Its inclusion in the subregional group, which was created in attempt to push for developments in the identified areas, was intended to alleviate poverty of its people as its poverty incidence in 1994 was at 54.50%.
As a result of its inclusion in the subregion, Palawan formed a trade linkage with Kudat, which is part of Sabah in Malaysia.
According to the Mindanao Economic Development Concil (MedCo) the formation of the trade linkage was eyed for a port-to-port trading between Sabah and Palawan. In a memorandum of understanding on the cross-border trade linkage, the two sides agreed to undertake a concerted effort that will open the trade link promote investment areas together.
Based on the agreement, Palawan can supply marine products, corn, fruits, coconut, virgin coconut oil, cashew nuts and seaweeds, while Sabah, through Kudat, can sell noodles, cooking oil and other grocery items.
Retired general Efren Abu, Philippine special envoy for the subregion, believed that the memorandum of understanding between Palawan and Sabah will allow the flow of goods between the two areas with Brooke's Point, a municipality, serving as a gateway to Malaysia.
Kudat, northern town of Sabah, is just 137 miles away from Brooke's Point and is just about 12 hours by sea. Brooke's Point is the only municipality in Palawan that has a port.
But the subregional group leaders believed that in implementing trade linkages, they must be able to assure the protection and safety of the business traders as they intensify their travels between and among the identified growth areas.
Since a year after its creation, leaders of the subregion have started discussing harmonization of customs, immigration, quarantine and security (CIQS) policies of their respective countries with the hope of coming up with a comprehensive set of policies that will apply to all the members.
With its inclusion in the subregion and the continuing discussions on the CIQS, Palawan may eventually become one of the key areas of development in the country. With its natural resources including the wonderful attractions, it is not far-fetched for the province to play a vital role in the development not just of itself but of Southern Philippines. After all, Palawan is nearer to Mindanao than to Metro Manila.
ERRATUM:
In the previous column, we failed to mention that the late Emmanuel Pelaez, a Mindanawan , was elected as vice president of the country in 1965. Our apologies.
