'Declare Palawan cave a heritage park'

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, Philippines  – Sen. Francis Escudero has supported a proposal of the provincial government here to declare Ille Cave in El Nido town as a heritage park. 

In a statement released here last Sunday, Escudero called for speedy action on the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Palawan resolution seeking the help of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development and the Department of Tourism to declare Ille Cave as a heritage park pursuant to Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.

Ille Cave in Barangay New Ibajay in El Nido is the site of “The Palawan Island Palaeohistoric Project” being undertaken by the University of the Philippines-Archaeological Studies Program in collaboration with the National Museum of the Philippines and the Solheim Foundation.

“Archaeological information of this kind in Southeast Asia is still limited and it could provide us knowledge on the significant ecological changes in the past that could provide a glimpse of our future,” Escudero said.

“The presence of animal and human remains in the cave is significant.  Animal bone assemblages provide invaluable information on the origin, dispersal, and evolutionary history of humans and animals,” he added.

The senator also asked Malacañang and the National Museum to investigate reports of looting in the cave. He cited reports that some foreigners took the skeletal remains in the cave in the belief that it belonged to their relatives-soldiers who went missing during World War II. 

Victor Paz, who leads the archaeological excavation in the cave, has reported cases of looting to the National Museum since last year.