Culion (from Wikipedia)

Culion is a 4th class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2006 census, it has a population of 18,000 people in 3,082 households.

Barangays

Culion is politically subdivided into 14 barangays.

• Balala
• Baldat
• Binudac
• Culango
• Galoc
• Jardin
• Libis
• Luac
• Malaking Patag
• Osmeña
• Tiza
• De Carabao
• Burabod
• Halsey

History

Members of the Culion leper colony in an undated photograph. The women in the center appear to be playing the kulintang traditional instrument.

Culion was once a leprosy segregation camp.^[1]

The vast tract of land once owned by the Sandoval in Culion was donated to be utilized as a leprosarium. The Sandovals are the owner of the SKR, a ranch which Busuanga airport is located. It was an isolated island then but somehow in the early 1900's Asuncion Shipping Company (now San Nicholas Shipping) started a missionary trip going to Culion from Coron to serve the community. Even today Asuncion XI, a wooden boat, still unwaveringly serve the municipality of Culion. There were quite a number of wooden boats plying in this route such as the Asuncion IV, Catalyn A (which is still actively serving the economy of Culion and Coron). Other than these, there were Viva wooden boats owned by Viva Shipping based in Batangas City. Unfortunately, Viva shipping ceased its operations in this route.

A remnant of the fort in San Pedro located somewhere in Burabud is a testimony of a rich history of Culion. In the early 1990's, it was thought that this fort was already envaded by the roots of balete trees. This was built by the spanish friars (Agustinian Recollects)and is older than the once we now see in Culion proper, the Immaculate Conception Church built by the Jesuits. This fort in San Pedro was more or less built on the same span of date as that in Agutaya, Taytay and Cuyo which forts found in these towns still stand today preserved by the Palawan government. It is about time for the Palawan government to discover this lost fort in San Pedro, Culion to complete the history.

Most of the structures built in the early 1900's in Culion Proper especially "inside" the once leprosarium which are still sturdily existing were the fruits of the labor of Leonard Wood, a physician and an American Governor General in 1902. In fact, the Culion Museum is one of these memorabilia of Dr. Wood.

References

1. ^ Dr. Heiser, V., An American Doctor's Odyssey W. W. Norton & Company, 1936.