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Cuyo is a group of islands found in the Sulu Sea and a part of the Palawan Province. The Island has 17 barangays with an area ranging from 36.19 to 738 hectares. Moreover, Cuyo Island holds its pride in preserving its cultural heritage such as its festivals. The province has a rich history of almost 400 years. In addition, Cuyo islands were once the capital of Palawan from 1873 to 1903.

When Cuyo was first found by the Spaniards, it already had an established civilization. Fr Luis de Jesus described the people of the island as Chinese origin due to their intelligence in trade. He also described the island to be rich in pearls, fish, exotic fruits, forest products, and wildlife. But before the Spaniards planted Christianity on the island, some residents of the island were already Muslims ( Cuyo Islands, 2015).

The residents who live in Cuyo are called Cuyonon or Cuyonin. And with a similar name, their dialect is also called Cuyonon. The Cuyonon dialect was also used in the Palawan Province in the 1980s. However, due to the influence of Tagalog, people who use Cuyonon started to decrease. Nonetheless, the Cuyonons continue using their dialect. Truly! The Cuyonons really know how to preserve their culture and history.

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Cuyo has an approximate area of 59.27 square kilometers or 22.89 square miles.

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There are centennial houses at the poblacion near the Cuyo Fort which are Cuyo's attractions. A long time ago, the whole of the town plaza was under water. The Capusan beach near the beach of the seaport is a vast stretch of white, sandy beaches, a rich fishing ground and an equally ideal swimming area. During the amihan (trade winds) season from December to March, consistent onshore and offshore winds blowing steadily over extensive sandy shallows make Cuyo one of the best kitesurfing (kiteboarding) and windsurfing destinations in the world.

Cuyo Islands are also known for their cashew plantations and lapu-lapu (grouper) fishing. Fishing in Palawan’s seas, the secondary occupation, renders enough marine foods to be marketed in Manila. Offshore fishing requires nets, traps, and hooks and lines; various onshore techniques are employed to gather crab, shrimp, octopus, shell, sea urchin, sea cucumber, seaweed, and jellyfish.The archipelago’s location within the rich waters of Sulu Sea would have also made it a perfect destination for scuba diving and snorkeling. Unfortunately, Cuyo Island is one of the country’s worst ecological disasters due to unabated illegal fishing that has decimated nearly all of its coral reefs.

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Cheek, Martin & Jebb, Matthew. (2013). Identification and typification of Nepenthes blancoi , with N. abalata sp. nov. from the western Visayas, Philippines. No

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This is a critically endangered plant found in the Philippines, western Visayas; Culion Island, Cuyo Island, and Malalison Island of Panay. They can be found on rocky surfaces and scrubs near the sea.

A fun fact about these plants is that they can survive fires. They lie dormant underground as tuber after the fire. During wet seasons, they also have the ability to quickly produce flowers and fruits despite not being able to develop a  climbing stem with upper pitchers, as is the usual requirement in the genus (Cheek and Jebb, 2013).

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National List of Threatened Flora. Biodiversity Management Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://bmb.gov.ph/index.php/facts-and-figures-wild

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The native range of this species is in the Philippines (Cuyo Islands, Palawan). This tree is considered endemic and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. Glyptopetalum palawanense grows as a small tree up to 5 meters (20 ft) tall. Its twigs are coloured gray-green. The roundish fruits measure up to 1.5 cm (0.6 in) long.

Another fun fact for this tree is that the specific epithet palawanense refers to the species being native to the island of Palawan in the Philippines.

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The News Today Online - June 9 2010 - Iloilo News and Panay News. (2010, June 9). https://www.thenewstoday.info/2010/06/09/index.html

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Cuyo Islands is a beautiful place surrounded by bodies of water. However, this water is sea salt water, which is not healthy for bodily intake. One of the problems that the Cuyonons are facing is the lack of a clean water supply. According to a resident in Cuyo, There has been improvement with water faucets in Town but in some barangays getting clean water is still a problem that they face. Some Barangays have a deep well where they get water, while some who live in high areas have to buy the water from the deep well (Elsa Macalinao, Pers. Comm.).

Having clean water and sanitation is one of the 17 SDG goals of the UN. And it is important to implement and help our rural communities to have access to clean water. Because water is the most basic need that a person needs and everyone has the right to have available clean water. Moreover, water is one of the pillars of a healthy body and community. With clean water, people will be hydrated and sanitized. And these will keep them away from all the viruses and illnesses that they may encounter. And since Cuyo’s economy revolves around their agriculture, it is very important to have clean water for their raw products.

One of the technological advancements that can be applied to give a solution to the lack of water is to build a dam that gathers rainwater and percolated water. Percolated water is the water that seeps into the ground that is infiltrated by the layers of the soil. Percolated water is also the water that is found in deep wells(US Department of Commerce, 2016). With the project dam, the people with no access to deep well water or water pumps will be able to give a lot of areas access to clean water. And of course, along with this project, building water pipes is also necessary.

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Pteropus hypomelanus is known from Cuyo Island, at the northeast edge of the Palawan faunal region (Heaney et al. 1998), as well as in the oceanic Philippines and on islets around Borneo, and should be sought on Palawan. This type of fruit bats were classified as “Endangered” last 2017.

The undeniable reason for the decline is over-hunting for personal consumption and commercial exploitation by market hunters.

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Based on the survey conducted by Census last 2020, Cuyo islands was composed of 17 barangays. Their total population was at 23,489, having Barangay Suba (4,444/18.92%) as the highest and Barangay Tocadan (455/1.94%) as the lowest. This population can be broken down into 5,103 households, having an average of 4.5 members per household. For age groups, the highest population in Cuyo islands was ages 10 to 14, garnering 2,687 individuals. While the age group with the lowest population was ages 75 to 79, with 283 individuals. Comparing the Census survey conducted in 1903 to 2020, the population of Cuyo grew from 12,773 to 23,489. There was an increase of 10,716 people over the course of 117 years. The latest census figures in 2020 denote a positive growth rate of 1.04%, or an increase of 1,129 people, from the previous population of 22,360 in 2015.

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This is a festival that is being celebrated every August 28 of the year. It is also known as the San Agustin Festival or Pagdayao Festival. Purongitan is a Cuyonon word meaning spreading black charcoal on your body. And the most awaited event in this festival is the ati ati, where people who applied black charcoal on their body and dressed in colorful outfits dance to the beat of the drums (2020).

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Magdayao, A. (2020, October 22). Cuyo District Hospital Archives. Cuyo District Hospital (CDH) in Cuyo. Retrieved November 18, 2022, from https://palawan-news.c

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Back in 2021, there were only ten hospitals who served the people of Palawan. And most of these hospitals were still located in Palawan’s capital city, Puerto Princesa. For the residents of Cuyo, it was only one of the dilemmas that they have to face in times of emergencies. As they live in a remote area, absence of doctors and modern medical equipment were consistently observed. This is why numerous hospitals prefer to transfer patients that need serious treatments to the best medical centers in the country. Not only because they are not fully equipped, but also they are aware that they can only offer immediate medical help. From here, it is evident how Cuyo has a lack of access to quality health services.

One of the goals of UNSDGs is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all. It means that everyone–without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition–has the right to prioritize their health needs and have better access to medical services. Fortunately, last March 2022, Cuyo experienced a technological advancement as a new 50-bed district hospital was opened. This hospital will serve not only the residents of the town but also those from Magsaysay and other adjacent island municipalities. It was built using 126 million pesos from the funds of their provincial government and Department of Health (DOH). The DOH also added 30 million pesos for new medical laboratory equipment such as the oxygen plant.

Indeed, the establishment of this hospital was a blessing for the people of Palawan–especially for Cuyo. However, we can’t deny that having more hospitals would not solve their issue regarding the demand for more doctors, nurses, and medical staff. According to a resident from Cuyo (Elsa Macalinao, Pers. Comm.), they still need to have an appointment and wait for a long period of time before they can seek medical help. This proves that having an advanced and developed hospital is not enough to help people since there are more issues, such as what is mentioned, that we should also give our focus to.

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A wholesome and eye-opening auto-biography of Antonio Macalinao and his journey to Cuyo, Palawan. The story also includes the rise of former Palawan Salvador Socrates, his friend and brother-in-law.

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Cuyo. PhilAtlas. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.philatlas.com/physical/islands/cuyo.html#:~:text=Cuyo%20has%20an%20approximate%20area,feet%20above%20mean%20sea%20level.

Cuyo, Province of Palawan. PhilAtlas. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.philatlas.com/luzon/mimaropa/palawan/cuyo.html

Cuyo Island, Palawan, Philippines. Cuyo Island's Weblog. (2015, March 28). Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://tantor23.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/cuyo-island-palawan-philippines/

Esselstyn, J., et. al. (n.d.). The Mammals of Palawan Island, Philippines. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.pangolinsg.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/06/Esselstyn-et-al._2004_The-mammals-of-Palawan-Island_Philippines.pdf

Tumalac, L. Cuyo has Opened its New 50-bed District Hospital. (2022). Retrieved November 17, 2020, from https://palawan-news.com/cuyo-opens-new-50-bed-district-hospital/

US Department of Commerce, N. O. A. A. (2016, September 29). Simplified hydrologic cycle. National Weather Service. Retrieved November 18, 2022, from https://www.weather.gov/mrx/hydro_cycle

Yap, E. A. (2014, December 24). Cuyo Island, Palawan: A Travel Guide. EAZY Traveler | Chronicles of a Filipino Travel Journalist. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://eazytraveler.net/2014/12/cuyo-palawan-travel-guide/