Palawan’s tourist towns of El Nido, Coron vote ‘No’ to three-way split
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — The tourist towns of El Nido and Coron voted against the referendum to divide Palawan into three smaller provinces, according to the latest count of votes casted during the plebiscite Saturday, March 13.
El Nido election officer Shiela Fetisanan-Sison confirmed that as of Sunday morning, the final tally for the town totaled with “No” votes at 11,891 and “Yes” at 6,454.
Sison added that the voter turnout in El Nido was at 69 percent of the total 26,792.
In Coron, partial unofficial tally stood at “No” votes at 5,378 while “Yes” was at 1,161. There was a total of 34,651 registered in Coron town.
On Saturday, the Palawan plebiscite was conducted to let the locals decide whether or not to split the island province into three smaller provinces, namely Palawan Del Sur, Palawan Del Norte, and Palawan Oriental.
If the law is ratified by the public, the municipalities of El Nido and Coron would be absorbed into Palawan Del Norte.
The provincial board of canvassers are expected to convene at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 14, to validate the election result. The final result will be announced Monday, March 15.
