Palawan

In endeavouring to show that Palawan is without political importance Blount has followed precisely the procedure which he adopted in the case of Mindoro.  First, he gives the area and the population of the island, when he should concern himself with the province.  The area of the island is 4027 square miles; that of the province, 5238 square miles.  According to the 1903 census, the population of the island was 10,918, while that of the province, which contains such thickly settled and fertile islands as Cuyo and Agutaya, was 39,582.  Of course, if one wishes to emphasize the unimportance of Palawan, it is more convenient to take the figures for the island.

Blount says:—­

“Paragua, [327] the long narrow island seen at the extreme lower left of any map of the archipelago, extending northeast-southwest at an angle of about 45 deg., is practically worthless, being fit for nothing much except a penal colony, for which purpose it is in fact now used.” [328]

I must deny the truthfulness of his statements, even if we limit our consideration to the island of Palawan.  Only 159 of its 4027 square miles are utilized for a penal colony.  Its natural wealth is simply enormous.  It is covered throughout the greater part of its extent with virgin forest containing magnificent stands of the best timber.  Damar, a very valuable varnish gum, is abundant in its mountains.  Much of the so-called “Singapore cane,” so highly prized by makers of rattan and wicker furniture, comes from its west coast.  It is a well-watered island, and its level plains, which receive the wash from its heavily forested mountains, have a soil of unsurpassed fertility in which cocoanuts come to bearing in five years or even less.  Incidentally, the greater part of the island lies south of the typhoon belt.  Malampaya Sound, situated near its northwestern extremity, is one of the world’s great harbors.  But should we wish to rid ourselves of this wonderful island, I may say, without violating any official confidences, that there was a time when Germany would have been more than pleased to take it off our hands; and indeed our British friends, who were sufficiently interested in it to survey it some decades ago, might possibly be prevailed upon to accept it!

There are good reasons why Blount thought it convenient to make it appear that Palawan was politically unimportant.  Shortly after the outbreak of hostilities with Spain the Filipino garrison at Puerto Princesa mutinied, and the things which they did were not nice.  Among others, they liberated the convicts, Puerto Princesa being at the time a penal colony, and the latter, together with some of the soldiers, started up the east coast of the island, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.  The prosperous town of Tinitian was abandoned as they approached it, and was so thoroughly cleaned out by them that it has never since been reoccupied except by a few stragglers.  Other towns, including Tay-Tay, were raided.