the once sleepy port town of lahad datu is at the epicenter of malaysia's palm oil boom. the local population has doubled over the past 15 years, and real estate prices are soaring in what has been dubbed palm city. >> this is the catalyst for all kinds of business activities. >> reporter: nasrun datuk mansur is a state assemblyman and aide to sabah's chief minister. his government is expanding the port in lahad datu to include palm oil refineries, as well as fertilizer and biofuel plants. >> oil palm is the basis of our economy. it is readily available, and of course it is cheap-- cheap to produce oil palm, actually, compared to other oils. >> reporter: one big reason the oil is so cheap to produce is the steady supply of migrant labor. the palm oil sector relies on some 500,000 foreign workers to feed global demand for the product and fuel malaysia's economic prosperity. for decades, indonesian and filipino workers have migrated to sabah to harvest the palm oil fruit. leanory marcos arrived with his parents from indonesia when he was 12 years old. without documents to p