Information about Tabon Cave

Tabon Cave

Presidential Proclamation 996, which was issued in 1972, declared the cave complex and all of Lipuun Point a site museum reservation to ensure the protection and preservation of the caves and the immediate vicinity from destruction. In 2006, the Tabon Cave Complex was added to the tentative list of the Philippines for future UNESCO World Heritage Site nomination.

Tabon Man     

The oldest human fossil evidence recovered from the Tabon Cave, however, is a tibia fragment that dates back to 45,000 B.C. Also found in the cave were a right mandible dating to 31,000 B.C. and a frontal bone dating to 16,500 B.C.

Archaeological finds

Dating back to the late Neolithic Period, the jar discovered in Tabon, the Manunggul jar, signifies the belief of early Filipinos in life after death. The upper part of Manunggul Jar as well as the cover is decorated with curvilinear scroll designs and painted with natural iron or hematite. On top of the lid is a boat with two human figures representing two souls on a journey to the afterlife. 

Other excavations included animal bones, stone tools, earthenware, jewelry, and jade ornaments. The archaeological finds indicate habitation from 50,000 to 700 years ago. Approximately only 25% of the archaeological sites have been excavated.