History

The first inhabitants of Coron were the Tagbanuas who belong to the second wave of Indonesians who migrated to this area some 5,000 years ago. They were a nomadic, seafaring people, living mainly by fishing and subsistence agriculture. Although they are now sedentary (with the young using cell phones, etc.), they maintain many of their old customs, traditions and beliefs. Today, the Tagbanuas remain the dominant if not entire population of Coron.

In 1902 that Coron was registered as a town and the name of the town was officially changed from Penon de Coron to Coron.

From 1939 to the outbreak of World War II, the municipality experienced the mining boom. Labor shifted from farming to mining. In July 1942, the Japanese occupied the mining camps and resumed operation of the manganese mines. On September 24, 1944, a group of Japanese ships were sunk by American warplanes in Coron waters as the ships retreated from Manila Bay. To this day, about 10 or 12 of these World War II Japanese shipwrecks comprise what is considered one of the best dive sites in the world.

In 1947, large scale deep sea fishing was introduced to Coron, and the town experienced another boom, a fishing boom. The population increased, as many people from Luzon and the Visayas came to work either as fishermen or miners.

On June 17, 1950, Busuanga was officially created as a separate municipality from Coron and in 1954, Coron was further reduced by the official creation of the Municipality of Linapacan. On September 12, 1992, Coron was finally reduced by the official creation of the Municipality of Culion.

In the past, Coron was virtually unknown outside of Palawan. It remains a small, quaint fishing town with laid back charm but with increasing media exposure it is growing, slowly but steadily, Coron has taken an important position in the tourism industry. In the past decade, there has been a rapid influx of scuba divers and other tourists coming in, making tourism the major industry player in Coron today.