Can you buy an island in Palawan? The short answer is that YES you can and that it is extremely affordable – so much so that we very nearly did this ourselves.
What the Palawan?
Palawan is the name of an island in the Philippines, as well as an island group that make up its own province within the Republic of Philippines.
What makes Palawan so special though is that it is regularly voted the best island in the world, with this point extenuated by the fabulous island hopping on offer in both Coron and El Nido.
These tend to be the main draws for visitors to to the island as well as tours .
What is the island situation in Palawan?
There are quite literally hundreds of islands spread through Palawan, with the best being at the aforementioned island hopping routes of El Nido and Coron. These would also by far be the most expensive places where one could buy an island, so generally not where your usual island purchaser would go.
The main value ones if you want to buy Ana Malden in Palawan tend to be away from the resorts and popular spots, although this does not take away from the beauty of them.
For example back in 2019 LBI looked at Malaipo Island which was between Puerto Princesa and El Nido, and for around $300,000 was big enough for about four football fields.
Other exiting areas include places such as Port Barton, which is being touted as the next El Nido.
Can you buy an island in Palawan legally?
To buy an island in Palawan is to buy an island in the Philippines and therefore means that you need to follow Philippines law. As things currently stand this means a local must own 55 percent of the property – which includes islands.
There are of course ways around this, such as using local proxy non-voting shares, but this is of course something that can out investors off.
So, overall a great option for buying an sailed, so long as you can negotiate the local legalities.