Rich yet so poor

I’ve been to other places in the Philippines. Actually, almost all over the country, and it makes me wonder, how come Palawan, the richest in natural resources ( timber, fishing, beaches, silica, nickel, chromite, oil, among many), is not as developed as the other provinces.

Existing roads are ill-maintained, almost 80% of the highway to the south is not even paved. People in the south bringing their products to the market find it hard and costly. This, forced them to sell their harvests to middlemen even at a loss. Bringing sick people to the city hospital is also a problem. How can a sick person survived a dirt road for more than 6 hours?

Access to education is another. Have you seen classes of 1st to 4th grader in a room with just one teacher?

Riches of Palawan is continuously exploited, people are peace-loving, yet they get little from their government.

How come?