GE-PS REVIEWER
History, Prehistory, and Kasaysayan
(1) History
 Important events in the past with human involvement, history must have written accounts or
written evidences.
 History started in the Philippines during the Spanish Period up to present.
(2) Prehistory
 Study of human past using fossil remains or artifacts, which is its main method.
 People know the happenings in the past through the help of archaeology.
(3) Kasaysayan
 Defined as salaysay na may saysay.
 The integration of different elements of culture to create a new history.
 This is not restricted in oral or written records.
LESSON 1 | GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES OF PALAWAN
(1) Geography of Palawan
 Narrow archipelago of 1,700 islands on the Western border of the Philippines.
 Land area of 1.7 million hectares.
 Its irregular coastline stretches almost 2,000 kilometers long, intended by numerous coves and
bays.
 Palawan is generally a typhoon free, except for northern towns, which are occasionally visited
by
 storms.
 Lies South and West of the body part of the Philippine archipelago.
 The fifth largest island in the Philippines, stretching up to 425 kilometers.
 Long and thin, Palawan has a width of 40 kilometers at its widest point.
 Largest River: Babuyan River
(2) Climate
Warm weather : March to May
Cool Weather : December to February
Heavy Rainfall : July to August
(3) Highest Points
Mt. Mantalingahan : 2,086 Meters
Mt. Gantung : 1,788 Meters
Cleopatra’s Needle : 1,585 Meters
(4) Paragua (The Mainland)
 Calamianes, Cuyo, and Bataraza
 These Islands bear important geographic, historical or ethnographic relationships to
neighboring Islands.
 One of the most inhabited and populated areas before.
(5) History of Geography (Palawan)
 Long island barrier between the Sulu Sea and West Philippine Sea was a major corridor
linking the Philippines with other countries in Asia which is its ancient homeland.
 During the Pleistocene Epoch, Palawan formed a natural land bridge between Borneo and the
Northern Philippines, and indirectly, with south mainland Asia which allows man and animals
to drift into the islands.
 After the land bridges had disappeared, Neolithic people sailed into and from the Philippines
along east or west coasts of Palawan.
 84 cave sites have been discovered along the west coast of Palawan, which contain cultural
materials.
 The resident population of Palawan during prehistoric times was never large.
(6) Advantage of Palawan’s Geography
 Palawan’s ideal location can make Palawan a haven of progressive ventures and enterprise.
 Palawan has numerous sounds and bays which can be developed into world class harbours
and tourist spots.
 Palawan is rarely hit by typhoons. It is also known as the most stable place in the country
since you won’t find active volcanoes, fault lines, and deep trenches in the area.
LESSON 2 | ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN PALAWAN
Archaeology- is the study of the human past using material remains. These remains can be
any objects that people created, modified, or used.
 Anthropology- is the systematic study of humanity, with the goal of understanding our
evolutionary origins, our distinctiveness as a species, and the great diversity in our forms of
social existence across the world and through time.
(1) Archaeological site I- Tabon Cave Complex
 Tabon Caves Complex is Located at Lipuun Point, Quezon, Palawan.
 This complex is composed of 219 caves and only 8 caves are open to the public.
• Liang Cave
• Tabon Cave
• Igang Cave
• Manunggul Cave
• Tadyaw Cave
• Diwata Cave
• Sarang Cave
• Vicente Pagayona Exit
 Discovered by Dr. Robert Fox.
 Many artifacts were found, including animal and fossilized human remains that prove the
existence of prehistoric life in the archipelago.
 Excavation from 1962-1970 by archaeologists of the National Museum have revealed that the
cave was occupied by man in different periods for 40,000 years.
 It is a key archaeological site in Southeast Asia.
 The fossils finds include a skullcap, jaw bones, teeth and several other fragmented bones.
 Dubbed as the “Tabon Man”, the finds represent more than just one individual.
 Evidences found include:
• Tibia (lower leg bone) fragment, mandible (jawbone), frontal bone and skullcap. Tibia,
oldest human fossil so far ( 47,000 years).

• Flaked stone tools and other tools common during the Pleistocene Era (1.6 million to
10,000 years ago).
• Bones of elephants, giant tortoise, wild boars, deer and other animals.
• Porcelains, stoneware, and jar burials (Manunggul Jar).
(2) Archeological site II- Ille cave
 Located in the barangay of New Ibajay, El Nido Palawan.
 Significant archeological site in the country.
 It shows that El Nido area was already inhabited 12,000 years ago.
 20,000 artifacts found in the cave in 1998.
 Dubbed as the “Tabon Man”, the finds represent more than just one individual.
 Evidences found include:
• Numerous shells.
• Cherts (evidence of stone tools).
• Evidence of food remains like fruits.
• Plant, remains of deer.
• The most notable remains of tigers dated from 9,000-14,000 years old.
• Signs of cremation.
(3) Manunggul Cave
 The discovery of Manunggul Cave placed the early Palaweño at par with its eastern and
western neighbors.





This is so because the discoveries in the Manunggul Caves attest to the reality that the early
inhabitants of Palawan had well-defined religious practices and beliefs.
It is a fact that burial jars found in the Manunggul Cave were not only a particular method for
the disposal of the dead.
The practice was in reality a part of cultural complex of rituals, beliefs, and practices of the
people before.
The use of funerary pottery maceration of the body in preparation for bone-washing and bonepainting with hematite are indicative of reverence and care for the soul...(Roces, I:69).
LESSON 3 | PALAWAN’S FLORA AND FAUNA
Flora and fauna of Palawan are among the region’s most outstanding attributes.
There are variety of endemic species in Palawan that cannot be seen anywhere.
The varied and unusual flora and fauna of Palawan has something to do with the prehistoric
“land bridge” and its geographical separation from the rest of the Philippines.
(1) Flora
Common Name
Local Name
Palawan Cherry Blossom Balayong
 The Palawan Cherry (Cassia x Palawan Cherry),
locally known as Balayong, is the Philippines’ very
own cherry blossom tree that also produces light
pink flowers like the ones in Japan.
 Balayong Festival (March 4



Pitcher Plant
Palawan
Forest
Pitcher Plant
Mangrove Bakawan
Almaciga
Almaciga
(2) Fauna
Common Name
Mouse Deer
Local Name
Pilandok
Palawan Porcupine
Durian/
Landak


Peocock
Tandikan
Bearcat
Binturong
Palawan Stink Badger
Pantot
Scaly Anteater/Pangolin
Balintong
In the Philippines, a
single
species
is
recorded, the Palawan
Porcupine
Hystrix
pumila.
Spike in trade of wild-caught porcupines for
medical purposes.
There is no medical evidence that any of these
claims are valid.




Most trafficked mammal on the planet.
One million were taken from the wild between
2000-2013 alone.
Many people believe that the scales can cure
diseases and skin problems when the reality is
they hold no nutritional value.
(3) Threats and Issues on Palawan’s Flora and Fauna
Illegal logging
Pangolin hunting
 RA 6711 (Strategic Environmental Plan)
• Ang Republic Act 7611 ay naisabatas noong June 19, 1992.
• Nagsisilbi itong balangkas para sa lahat ng mga patakaran at pamamaraan ng
pangangalaga sa
mga likas na yaman sa ating probinsya.
• 3 pangunahing aspeto ng SEP Law: Ecological Viability, Social Acceptability, Integrated
Approach
• Ang Environmentally Critical Areas Network(ECAN) ay isang sistema ng pangangalaga sa


buong Palawan na binubuo ng tatlong bahagi: Terrestrial, Coastal/Marine, at Ancestral
Domains
RA 9147 (Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act)
• Isinasaad ng batas na ito ang pangangalaga sa mga buhay-ilang at kanilang mga tirahan.
• Layunin nito na bigyang-daan ang mga siyentipikong pag-aaral ukol sa mga buhay-ilang,
kanilang mga tahanan, at mga pamamaraan kung paano mas mapapaigting ang mga
conservation efforts.
• Saklaw ng batas na ito ang mga hayop at halaman na aquatic at terrestrial, nasa
development stage, at mga buhay-ilang at kanilang mga supling na inaalagaan sa mga
confined spaces.
Special and national laws being implemented by the PCSD in Palawan
• Wildlife Act
• Chainsaw Act
• Caves Act
• Section 17 of the Fisheries Code (RA 8550) as amended
• Solid Waste Management Act
• PCSD Administrative Order No. 06 (As amended by PCSD Res. 17-579)
LESSON 4 | THE PEOPLE AND CULTURE OF PALAWAN
(1) Overview
 Palawan is the largest province in the Philippines and is home to several indigenous
ethnolinguistic groups such Tagbanua, Palaw'an, Tao’t Bato, Molbog, Batak, Agutaynen, and
Cuyonon.
 According to the province's history, the ancestors of these indigents have occupied Palawan
long before the Malay settlers from the Majapahit Empire of Indonesia arrived in the area
during the 12th century.
 In 1962, a team of anthropologists, led by Dr. Robert Fox, from the Philippine National
Museum unearthed remains of Tabon Man(Homo sapiens) that are believed to be 22,00024,000 years old during that time at the Lipuun Point which is now commonly known as the
Tabon Cave in the municipality of Quezon in Palawan.
 The discovery of the Tabon Man and the fossils found in the cave gave way for Palawan to
earn the title -The Cradle of Philippine Civilization.
 Antonio Pigafetta
• The chronicler of Ferdinand Magellan
• According to him, remnant of Magellan's fleet landed in Palawan after Magellan's death.
• He highlighted how cultivated the fields are in the said province and that all the native
people used weapons consisting of blowpipes, spears and bronze Lombard.
• He had experienced such as witnessing cockfighting and fist fighting.
• The natives had their own system of writing which is composed of 13 consonants and 3
vowels and that they had a dialect of 18 syllables.
• The local King in Palawan during that time has 10 scribes who wrote down the King's
dictation on the leaves.
 According to research, it is very likely that the Tagbanuas and the Palaw'ans are descendants
of the Tabon Cave's inhabitants.
(2) Indigenous Communities of Palawan
(2.1) Batak
 Also called Tinitianes as anthropologists considered them related to the Aytas of Central
Luzon.
 They live in the rugged interiors of the northeast portion of the province of Palawan.
 This group of people lives close to nature and are extremely peaceful and shy.
 They believe in existence of spirits whom they communicate with through ‘babaylan.’
 They are small in stature and have a dark complexion, they also have short curly, mostly kinky,
hair-traits that earned the "Negrito” groups of their name.
Their lifestyle include hunting-gathering
They were force to move in the mountains during the mid to late 20th century.
Bataks have no legal right to the resources that they are utilizing.
Bataks were once nomadic people but this changed when the government has given a small
village to them.
 Bataks are animist - they believe that spirits reside within nature.
(2.2) Agutaynen
 They are most likely to be found in the northern part of the province of Palawan.
 These groups of people are believed to belong to the family of Austronesian and MalayoPolynesians.
 There almost no records of this group since they reside separately to the mainland.
 According to recent reports, this group of people has also begun embracing modernization.
(2.3) Tagbanua/Tagbanwa
 Tagbanuas are believed to be descendants of the Tabon Man.
 This tribe can be found mostly in the Central and Northern portion of Palawan.
 They practice shifting cultivation of upland rice which is considered as a divine gift, they are
also known for their rice wine ritual called "Pagdiwata".
 Tagbanua is one of the oldest ethnic groups in the Philippines that can be mainly found in the
municipalities of Aborlan, Quezon, Calamianes Islands, Baras Coast, Busuanga Island, Coron
Island, in some parts of El Nido, and even Puerto Princesa City.
 Tagbanua are brown skinned people with slim and erect stature and have straight hair. This
ethnic group is divided into two groups; Central Tagbanua and Calamian Tagbanua.
 Tagbanuas live in compact villages of 45 to 500 individuals. In 1987, there are about 130,000
Tagbanuas living in Palawan, at present, however, it dropped to only around 10,000, 1, 800 of
which are located in Calamianes.
(2.4) Molbog
 The Molbogs are indigents in the province of Palawan who is believed to be among the
migrants from North Borneo and is now living in the Balabac Island in Palawan.
 They are reffered to as Molebugan or Molebuganori.
 Their lifestyle include farming, fishing, and barter trading.
 Molbogs are believed to be related to the Orang Tidung(an Islamized indigenous group that
lives in the northeast coast of Sabah) or Tirum (Camucone in Spanish) as based on their
dialect and some of their socio-cultural practices.
 The intermarriages that occurred frequently between the 'Molbogs and' the Tausugs have
hastened the Islamization of the Molbogs.
 The offspring of these intermarriages are known as "kolibugan” which means half-breed.
 Islam is a way of life for the Molbogs.
(2.5) Palaw’an
 The Palaw'an, also known as Palawano, is an indigenous ethnic group found the province of
Palawan.
 This group is divided into four ethnolinguistic subgroups namely;
• Quezon Palawan (also known as the Central Palawano)
• Bugsuk Palawano (South Palawano)
• Brooke's Point Palawano
• Southwest Palawano
 Palaw’ans were originally found in the interior regions of South Apuruan on the West coast
and South of Abo-Abo on the East coast.
 The Palaw'ans were originally nomadic.
 They built their houses on a hillside that is close to a river or a stream using four skinny trunks
of trees.
 They hunt wild animals using spears with lethal poison at the tip of it and catch fish by using a
special root sap that is diluted in a shallow river or stream.
 It is believed that the Palaw'ans have the shortest lifespan of all peoples but there is no
statistical data that could back up this claim.




The men in this tribe wear g-strings, while the women wear patadyong which is a native wrap
that is similar to the malong.
 They prepare a delicious delicacy called the pinyaram which is closely similar to the bibingka
of the Tagalogs.
(2.6) Tao’t Bato (Tau’t Bato)
 The term "Tao't Bato" literally means “people of the rock."
 This group of people is found in the Singnapan Basin, a valley in Mount Mantalingahan on the
east and the coast of the west.
 They have preserved their culture and way of life, the men still we. g-strings that are made
from bark and cloth while the women wear a piece of cloth that is made into skirts to cover
their lower body.
 Their artistry include basketry and lattice works made of saplings lashed together and achored
fast to crevices in the walls to provide access to their caves.
 The Tao't Bato are swidden cultivators who practice multiple cropping with cassava as their
major source of carbohydrates.
 The basic social unit among the Tao't Bato is the ka-asawan or marriage group. This extends
to the basic couple to the more complex arrangements of a compound and extended family
grouping.
 Because of their uniqueness, the Philippine government declared their area off-limits to
strangers to protect them from unreasonable exploitation.
(2.7) Cuyonon
 The Cuyunon refers to an ethnic group that dwells in the municipality of Cuyo, northern, and in
central Palawan.
 The Cuyunons are originally from Cuyo and the surrounding Cuyo Islands that are found in
Sulu Sea, in the northern portion of Palawan.
 The Cuyono of today are usually a Roman Catholic, Christian Protestants, and Animists with
strong Spanish adaptations.
 Although the language of the Cuyunons is closely related to the Kinaray-a of Miag-ao in Iloilo
province, the fact remains that as early as 1250’s, the early Cuyunon tribe became the
common denominator of all the homogeneous tribes of Palawan.
 Cuyunons are divided into four subgroups which distinguish one Cuyunon from the other.
1. Paraguanen- the Cuyuno people who settled mostly in the mainland Palawan (Paragua)
2. Poroanen- the Cuyuno people who settled mostly in the islands and islets of Palawan
3. Mestiso- the Cuyuno who usually are half Chinese or Spanish
4. Lakto- the Cuyuno who did not accept Catholicism and lived as Animists.
