Culion: The Island With One of the Philippines’ Most Extraordinary Histories
About an hour or two by boat from Coron, depending on the vessel and conditions, lies an island with an extraordinary story.
Culion was once one of the world's largest communities for people affected by Hansen's disease, historically called leprosy.
Today, it is a normal municipality with beautiful islands, reefs and fishing communities.
But its history remains everywhere.
Why Were People Sent to Culion?
In the early 1900s, there was no effective cure for Hansen's disease.
Under the American colonial government, authorities adopted a policy of compulsory isolation.
Culion was selected because of its remote location in the Calamianes.
The colony was formally established in 1904, and the first group of patients arrived from Cebu on May 27, 1906.
People diagnosed with the disease were subsequently brought here from across the Philippines—many separated from their families and communities.
Culion Became a Town of Its Own
This wasn't simply a hospital surrounded by fences.
Thousands of people lived here.
The community developed homes, shops, churches and its own local institutions.
Culion even had special currency, introduced because authorities feared ordinary money might transmit the disease.
At its peak, the population of the colony approached 7,000 people.
By the 1920s, Culion had also become internationally important for research into Hansen's disease.
Visit the Culion Museum and Archives
If you visit only one historical attraction, make it the Culion Museum and Archives.
You'll find photographs, medical equipment, documents, coins and personal records explaining both the medical history and the lives of people sent here.
The collection is so historically significant that the Culion Leprosy Archives were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register in 2018.
This isn't simply local history.
It's part of the history of medicine and public health.
Walk Through the Historic Town
After the museum, walk around Culion.
Historic buildings and structures remain from the settlement, while La Immaculada Concepcion Church stands prominently above the town.
From the hill, you can look across the water toward the islands of the Calamianes.
It's a beautiful view carrying a complicated history.
Culion Today
Perhaps the most important thing to understand is that Culion should not be defined only by disease.
The old colony evolved into a municipality, while the former sanitarium became the Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital.
Today Culion is a living community—not a historical exhibit.
That deserves respect when visiting.
Come for the islands if you want.
But spend time understanding the people and history too.
Coron shows you some of Palawan's most spectacular landscapes. Culion tells you one of its most remarkable human stories.
Discover more of the Calamianes with ilovecoron.com.
Because I Love Coron.
