In April 2019, a bill dividing Palawan into three provinces was passed into law after the bill was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte. The three new provinces are Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur. A plebiscite will be held in May 2020 to decide on whether Palawan will be divided into three provinces or not. Some civil society groups opposed the proposed division, claiming that there was no extensive public consultation, which was later proven as consultations and a study were only made in a single town, El Nido. Additionally, reports have confirmed that China's Shanghai Electric Corporation has been tapped by the government to overtake Palawan's electric industry once the province has been divided in 2020. The proposed electric base of the Chinese corporation will be at El Nido town, near the West Philippine Sea, which China has claimed as its 'integral territory'.