j) ---- History and Culture in PALAWAN
Palawan history can be traced back as far as 22000 years as the remains of Tabon man have been found . These people were thought to be cave dwellers. Some of the caves are available to toursts to this day ( see places of interest.)
Even before the Spanish arrived to colonize Palawan , the original inhabitants had there own non formal goverment structure, their own alphabet , and were already trading with sea borne merchants.
When the Spanish eventualy arrived in the islands they asigned the Northern islands to the Calamares Group , the Southern section remained part of the Sultanate of Sulu.
A stronghold was built in Taytay with with the fort being named Fort Santa Isabel which in 1818 became the capital of the Calamares region.
However it wasnt until the Americans arrived that the province of Paragua was established in 1902 with Cuyo its capital. In 1905 the name was changed to Palawan and the capital moved to Puerto Princesa, which is still the Capital today.
There still remains a indigenous tribe living in the Moutains called the Batac , that are regarded as a disappearing people , numbers having been reduced to around 500 today.
In more recent times Palawan has become well known for the conservation of its natural wildlife and marine life. with many protected areas within its borders.
