At least 15 dugong deaths have been recorded in the province since 2019, according to data obtained by Palawan News as part of its two-part report on the province’s vanishing dugong population.
The local office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said none of the recorded deaths had been linked to intentional hunting or deliberate killing.
The recorded deaths were linked to accidental entanglement in fishing gear, spear-gun injuries, natural causes, and circulatory conditions, while several cases remain undetermined, according to the agency’s Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO).
The DENR PENRO acknowledged that the Philippines has not conducted a nationwide dugong population survey since 1998, explaining that it currently relies on localized monitoring instead.
From 2019 to 2026, the agency said they have recorded 21 dugong sightings through monitoring activities carried out by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices (CENRO) in Puerto Princesa City, Roxas, and Coron.
“While these records are valuable for identifying important dugong habitats and distribution areas, they are insufficient to estimate the overall dugong population across the province,” the agency said.
The DENR PENRO also said it allocated approximately ₱900,000 for dugong-related monitoring activities in the province from 2019 to 2024 and again in 2026, channeled through the CENRO offices in Puerto Princesa City, Roxas, and Coron.
