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Brooke's Point, officially the Municipality of Brooke's Point (), is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in the
province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
,
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 73,994 people. The Pearl of Lao Tzu, formerly considered the world's largest pearl, was found in its waters on May 7, 1934.


Etymology

Brooke's Point is named after British soldier James Brooke, described as "the first white Rajah" of
Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
and founder of the Brooke dynasty. It is believed that during one of his voyages, he landed on the tip of an island with a long narrow stretch of land inhabited by Palaweños and Muslims under the
Sultanate of Sulu The Sultanate of Sulu (; ; ) is a Sunni Muslim subnational monarchy in the Philippines, Republic of the Philippines that includes the Sulu Archipelago, coastal areas of Zamboanga City and certain portions of Palawan in today's Philippines. H ...
. During American rule, American scouts named the place Brooke's Point. The name has now come under critical review, with some branding the naming of the municipality as "white worship" and the persistence of colonial mentality amidst Filipino sovereignty. Municipal officials have also demanded that the original name of the municipality, Bonbon (sometimes written as Bon-Bon), be restored.


History

On June 28, 1949, the Brooke's Point, formerly a municipal district, became a municipality by virtue of Executive Order No. 232 by then-President
Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Philippine nationality law, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 6th President of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered p ...
. The pioneer families who settled in Brooke's Point are the Villapa, Rodriguez, Setias, Valencia, Aspiras, Arzaga and Edwards families.


Geography

Brooke's Point is situated in the south-eastern section of Palawan Island, from
Puerto Princesa Puerto Princesa (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially the City of Puerto Princesa (Cuyonon language, Cuyonon: ''Siyudad i'ang Puerto Princesa''; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in th ...
. It has a total land area of stretching about along the length of Palawan. Brooke's Point is bounded by Sofronio Española in the north, Bataraza in the south, Rizal in the west, and the
Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea (; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; ; ) is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipela ...
in the east. The municipalities of Bataraza, Sofronio Española, and parts of Rizal and
Quezon Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon () and historically known as Tayabas, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines, region on Luzon. Lucena, a highly urbanized ci ...
were once a part of Brooke's Point.


Barangays

Brooke's Point is subdivided into 18
barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...
s. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios. Currently, there are 2 barangays which classified as urban (highlighted in bold). Samariñana was separated from Tanionbog in 1954. * Amas * Aribungos * Barong-barong * Calasaguen * Imulnod * Ipilan * Maasin * Mainit * Malis * Mambalot * Oring-oring * Pangobilian * Poblacion I * Poblacion II * Salogon * Samariñana * Saraza (Taniongbobog) * Tubtub


Climate


Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Brooke's Point was 73,994 people, with a density of .


Religion

The town is predominantly
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, with a sizable
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
population. Most are
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
s. Other Christian denominations include Members Church of God International,
Iglesia ni Cristo The (INC; ; ) is an independent Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church founded in 1913 and registered by Felix Manalo, Félix Manalo in 1914 as a corporation sole, sole religious corporation ...
,
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...
,
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church) and others. The Catholic Church is located north of the town center while the Evangelical Christian Churches are the Gospel Hall, located north of the town center, the Iglesia ni Cristo, south of the municipal hall, the Church of Christ International's building is located in Old Camp while the LDS Church chapel is in Edward's Subdivision.


Economy

Brooke's Point is one of Palawan's main economic centers outside Puerto Princesa, along with Narra, Coron and Cuyo. The town is home to several banks including the Land Bank and Rural Bank of Brooke's Point. Money transfer companies such as Western Union and MoneyGram also have branches in the town. There are several pawnshops like M Lhullier, Cebuana Lhuillier, among others. The town also has a Mercury Drug and a Generic Pharmacy. Commercial Enterprises are thriving. There are many medium-sized stores, located mostly in the town proper. The service sector is also growing with the rise of many commercial establishments. The town's economy is based primarily on agriculture. The town produces great quantities of rice, copra and corn. The palm oil industry is headquartered in Barangay Mainit in the south. Unlike most of Palawan's towns, Brooke's Point does not have white and pristine beaches that draw local and foreign tourists. But because of abundant freshwater resources, the town is one of the most productive in the province in terms of agriculture. Many fruits and vegetables grow in abundance. In addition, the town is also one of the Philippines' gateways to Southeast Asia. Its proximity to Sabah is a strategic advantage, but the lack of infrastructure and an inter-governmental agreement between Malaysia and the Philippines hinders the town from being a trading hub. There is minimal trade with Malaysia through many of the town's Muslim and Christian residents who have relatives in Sabah. The town is supposed to become an international port with cargo services to
Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...
and
Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Brooke's Point has a modern seaport that serves many cargo ships from Manila, Mindanao, the Visayas and other parts of Luzon. The port also caters to numerous fishing vessels. Commercial vessels from Malaysia,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
and other countries also make frequent stops in the port. The port also serves as a docking point for vessels containing commercial goods from Manila and abroad, and also mining-related materials to Rio Tuba. The port of Brooke's Point is considered as one of the most profitable ports in the southern Philippines. The El Nido-Bataraza highway connects the town to other mainland towns and municipalities. Transportation between Puerto Princesa and Brooke's Point is through commercial vans, buses or jeepneys. There is also a private airport located at Lada. Transportation throughout the town is through tricycle and multi-cabs. Kuliglig, a machine also used for agriculture, is widely used as a means of transportation in rural areas.


Healthcare

Health facilities in the municipality include Southern Palawan Provincial Hospital (a 25-bed capacity secondary government hospital), a Rural Health Unit (RHU), Barangay Health Stations (BHS), and private clinics and hospitals. Dental and optical clinics, laboratories, and drugstores are also present and serve not only Brooke's Point, but also neighboring municipalities. Currently, there are three private hospitals.


Education

The Palawan State University has its campus in Brooke's Point. In addition to this, the town is also home to Southern Palawan College, Inc. which offers several technical and vocational courses. There are 9 secondary schools in Brooke's Point. Brooke's Point Christian High School, a Christian-run institution, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus High School administered by the Augustinians are located in the town center. Public secondary schools include the Brooke's Point National High School, Governor Abueg Memorial and Vocational High school, and more. There are also at least 40 public elementary schools.


Media

Brooke's Point is home to three radio stations, all broadcasting on FM: 104.5 Radyo Natin Brooke's Point, 103.7 Brigada News FM Brooke's Point, and 89.5 Radyo Bandera News FM Brooke's Point.
GMA Network GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
's DYAA-TV is also based in Brooke's Point. The town is also a telecommunications hub for several companies such as Smart and
Globe A globe is a spherical Earth, spherical Model#Physical model, model of Earth, of some other astronomical object, celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but, unlike maps, they do not distort the surface ...
networks. Internet cafes are becoming increasingly popular, while the percentage of personal computer ownership is also rising.


Environmental issues

Many parts of the town's forests are cleared to give way for agriculture. Slash and burn agriculture is a common practice in the town's interior. Burning of garbage and waste are common, as is illegal fishing.
Illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a p ...
is done on a small basis, but it has a substantial impact on the town's forest cover. Small-scale illegal pet trade also exists. Mynahs, parrots and pangolins, as well as many animals found only in Palawan, are poached and traded to other parts of the country and abroad. Although the practice is increasingly common, many of these activities are not known to authorities. In recent years, the local government along with the National government has enacted several policies and programs to protect the environment. But apathy and corruption hinder government efforts to implement these policies and programs. A long-running dispute exists over the establishment of a nickel mine within what is now the Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape. And within the Tribal zone and ancestral domains of the Palawan (Pala’wan) Indigenous Peoples.


References


External links


Brooke's Point Profile at PhilAtlas.comOfficial site
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Palawan Political divisions established by Philippine executive order 1949 establishments in the Philippines