Palaui Island is Off-Limits. Nationalism or Colonialism?

Palaui Island is an enchanted island to which pictures I saw made me eager to know more of this island. However, this island has no mapping data at all. And because of that, Schadow1 Expeditions has chosen this island to be the focus of our mapping expedition last March 27, 2013. As expected, this island is captivating enough that even the reality TV show, Survivor, chose this island to be its home for their 27th season. Due this, Palaui island will be closed to visitors.



When we were there two months ago for our mapping expedition (see Palaui Island and the Serene Cape Engano, a mountaineer and a beach bum's Paradise) , we were informed by the locals of Palaui that Siwangag Cove is partially off-limits to prepare for the production of the said TV series. Starting May 2013, Siwangag Cove will be closed all throughout the production as they will use this as the home of the participants in the reality TV show; while Cape Engano and other parts of it will only be closed if the location will be used for the filming. However, according to Inquirer, a local news company in the Philippines, as of the time of writing this article, the whole island is off-limits for Survivor Season 27. (source: Inquirer News)

Siwangag Cove

There are only two sources of livelihood of the locals of Palaui Island. It is tourism and fishing. Closing the whole island will obviously negatively affect both livelihood. This is unless the families will be well compensated during the course of the filming and not a chosen few in a form of an organization such as CEZA and PAMB.

Although the island will be exposed to the world to which more people will know the beauty of this island, the Philippine government must know that tourism's beneficiary must directly benefit the locals and the environment. However it seems they are losing its essence.

Tourism is for the people. Thus, Palaui Island must be for the locals of Palaui. Any attempt to improve its tourism must directly improve the locals well-being as well. Stopping their only means of livelihood does not go well with its purpose.

Tourism must improve nationalism. Leasing the island to which the drawback is to stop the families from feeding their children is colonialism and betrayal of the trust of the Palaui people.

The Palaui locals must be the beneficiary of their island's tourism.

Joey, a local of Palaui whose livelihood depends on bringing tourists to Palaui and fishing.

The locals of Palaui resting underneath an easement of Crocodile Island