Polilio Island

 

 

 

The Polilio Island is located 30 kilometers off the north-eastern coast of Quezon Province, Luzon, in the Philippines. Facing the Pacific Ocean, 25 kilometers East of Luzon. It is separated from the island of Luzon by the Polillo Strait. This group of islands is comprised of 27 islands and islets belonging to five municipalities, namely: Polillo, Burdeos and Panukulan, which occupy the mainland, and the two island municipalities of Patnanungan and Jomalig. One should not be confused between "Polilio" and "Polillo". Polillo is one of the municipalities in the Polilio, while the Polilio is the name of the whole island itself. Polilio Island, with a land area of 380 square miles, considered as the second largest island of the Pacific coast Luzon, approximately 110 kilometers east of Manila and just North of Lamon Bay in Quezon Province.

The island is administratively part of Quezon Province's first district. It is also a bird sanctuary and the home of a rare bird called "balod". Eighty percent of the island is unspoiled forest and almost all of its coastal seas are surrounded with corals.

The island derived its name from the Chinese word “Pu-Li-Lu”, with the meaning of “an island with plenty of food.” Then later on, due to language difficulties, to make it easier to pronounce, it bacame Polilio. It is an apt name because aside from the plentiness of seafood, the islands also boast of its amazing terrestrial resources some of which can be found nowhere else in the Philippines, much less the whole world.

About a three-hour boat ride from Real, Quezon, the Polillo towns are typically rural, with no permanent and regular public utility buses and jeepneys that runs the routes from one municipality to the other, and the road system not yet well established. The most common mode of transportation here is by boat and many residents have to settle for motorcycles as inland transportation.

The environment here is quite peaceful and simple. Electricity is available only between two o’clock in the afternoon to six o’clock the following morning. Simple as it may the lifestyle may be, the Polillos have much more to offer, which many of its residents are even unaware of, and these are the rich biological resources found in this part of the country.

This island has been identified as one of the priority areas for biodiversity conservation because it is home to at least seven endemic species and sub-species of fauna and numerous other biologically important species.

Polilio, consists of several islands with beautiful, fine beaches, a game refuge and bird sanctuary. Shallow waters, with extensive mangrove forests surround the islands and coral reefs. In the underwater, you can see many species such as, hammerheads, sharks, and whale sharks.