Culion
Culion, officially the Municipality of Culion (Tagalog: Bayan ng Culion), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,213 people.
Culion | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Culion | |
Culion Skyline | |
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Flag Seal | |
Map of Palawan with Culion highlighted | |
OpenStreetMap | |
Culion Location within the Philippines | |
| Coordinates: 11°53′40″N 120°01′07″E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Mimaropa |
| Province | Palawan |
| District | 1st district |
| Founded | February 19, 1992 |
| Barangays | 14 (see Barangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Ma. Virginia N. de Vera |
| • Vice Mayor | Alister S. Leyson |
| • Representative | Franz Josef George E. Alvarez |
| • Municipal Council | Members |
| • Electorate | 13,979 voters (2022) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 499.59 km2 (192.89 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 45 m (148 ft) |
| Highest elevation (Mount Oltaloro) | 468 m (1,535 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2020 census) | |
| • Total | 23,213 |
| • Density | 46/km2 (120/sq mi) |
| • Households | 5,651 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 3rd municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 15.77 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 191.8 million (2020) |
| • Assets | ₱ 244.3 million (2020) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 196.9 million (2020) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 47.34 million (2020) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Busuanga Island Electric Cooperative (BISELCO) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 5315 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)48 |
| Native languages | Tagalog |
Culion consists primarily of Culion Island as well as 41 minor surrounding islands, as part of the Calamian group of islands.
It was a former leprosarium, starting in 1906 under the American colonial regime until the American commonwealth of the Philippines era. Although leprosy on the island-town was abolished in the 1980s, it was only in 2006 when it was declared a leprosy-free area by the World Health Organization. The municipality was created by virtue of Republic Act No. 7193 on February 19, 1992. In May 2017, the Philippine National Commission for UNESCO began its initiative to prepare the dossier of Culion's leprosy documentary heritage, which will be nominated in the future in the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. In May 2018, the Culion Museum and Archives was officially nominated by the Philippines in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register – Asia and the Pacific. On June 18, 2018, Culion Leprosy Archives was officially inscribed to the Memory of the World Register – Asia and the Pacific. The government and the Asia-Pacific bloc aims to nominate the archives further to the International Memory of the World Register. If approved by UNESCO, it will be the fifth internationally recognized documentary heritage of the Philippines, increasing Culion town's feasibility to become a World Heritage Site in the future.