Should Palawan Now Be Called Palatri?

(SPOT.ph) Despite sparking protests from civic groups and social media, House Bill No. 8055, also known as the bill dividing Palawan into three provinces, was approved by the Senate on November 19, with 14 votes against one. With Palawan's “vastness” in terms of number of islands and total population, bill sponsor Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said that the division of the province into three will comply with the land area requirement set by the Local Government Code. The three proposed provinces will be named Palawan Del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan Del Sur.

Only Senator Risa Hontiveros voted against the division of Palawan, expressing her concern over the West Philippine Sea dispute with China. According to her, the division of Palawan's government units could weaken its defenses against China's forces. But despite the serious repercussions from this decision, those on Twitter did not let the opportunity to make jokes pass. Here are some of the funniest tweets about Palawan (and -two and -tri)!

Approved na yung bill na hahatiin ang palawan into 3 provinces. Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental and Palawan del Sur. Pwede namang Palawan, Palatwo, tsaka Palatri na lang. Hayyysssss missed opportunity ano ba yan ph ayos ayos din sa pagpapangalan

— Alexander Aguila (@arekuzanda) November 15, 2018

Right on cue, this Twitter user couldn't help but add to the pun.

so ano tawag sa ginamit panghati sa Palawan? Palakol? ???? corny

— Elyk (@adrielkyle3) November 20, 2018

Others decided to look at the bigger—regional—perspective.

Imagine singing the MIMAROPA HYMN like:

"Oriental, Occidental Mindoro, Lungsod ng Calapan, Palawan Oriental, Palawan del Sur, Palawan del norte, Puerto Princesa, Romblon, Marinduque"

And yung mga taga-Palawan iba't ibang time na kakaway

It just doesn't feel right hahaha

— Calixto ???? (@AballaHance) November 20, 2018

NEWS: Senate approves bill dividing Palawan into 3—Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, Palawan del Sur.

FRIEND: MIMAROPAPAPA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA KAINIS ANG BENTA

— leo (@leonardsolleza) November 20, 2018

Some people poked fun at the supposed "breakup" of the archipelago.

oks lang na may kahati ako sa time and attention, PERO WAG NA WAG NIYO LANG HAHATIIN YUNG PALAWAN #OnePalawan

— cadence (@datdatdatz) November 16, 2018

And on Palawan being a strong and independent province.

Hindi ko talaga alam nanyayare ngayon pero ang akin lang unahin niyo yung mas malaking problema kesa dyan. Kinaya naman ng palawan ang magisa ng ilang taon chos. https://t.co/ZUffu8ycbK

— Francia Marie (@pransyamari) November 20, 2018

Despite these funny Tweets, however, the bill's approval continues to be a controversial matter. People are wary of the implications of Palawan splitting up, sharing an online petition against the division all over social media. As of writing, it has gathered over 12,000 signatures.