ALTHOUGH the official results have not been announced by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as of this writing, it seems certain that a measure intended to divide the province of Palawan into three separate provinces has been rejected by Palawanian voters with backers of the initiative conceding defeat.

Republic Act 11259 was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on April 5, 2019 and would have split Palawan into the new provinces of Palawan del Norte with the capital at Taytay; Palawan Oriental with its capital at Roxas while Puerto Princesa would continue as a component city, administratively separate from the province; and Palawan del Sur with the capital at Brooke’s Point.