Tabon Cave Museum opens, aims to boost Palawan's tourism

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — The National Museum of the Philippines marked the opening of its new museum at the Tabon Cave Complex and Lipuun Point in Quezon, Southern Palawan on Thursday.

The event saw attendance from Governor Victorino Dennis Socrates, 2nd District Palawan Representative Jose Alvarez, Quezon Mayor Joselito Ayala, National Museum of the Philippines Director General Jeremy Barns, and members of the provincial board, among others.

Barns, in his speech, lauded the partnership between the NMP and the provincial government of Palawan, expressing hope for the preservation of the area for future generations.

"For many years, Palawan has been at the forefront of tourism, cultural heritage promotion, and environmental protection. And on this day, moving forward, the National Museum of the Philippines is very happy to be counted in this journey towards a sustainable community by providing our quality exhibitions, scientific studies, and all our public services here in this beautiful province," Barns said.

Barns emphasized that with the support of local government officials, the commitment to preserving the caves as a cultural and natural heritage site is expected to reach new heights.

He highlighted the vision of making the Tabon Cave Complex and Lipuun Point a center for celebrating Filipino identity.

Tracing the origins of this vision back to the pioneering archaeological work of Dr. Robert Fox over fifty years ago, Barns noted the expansion of the National Museum of the Philippines' activities in the area, from initial research to the development of public programs designed to further this mission.

This, he pointed out, underscores the significance of the Tabon Cave Complex and Lipuun Point within the museum's broader goals.

Governor Socrates described the museum as beneficial to Palawan's tourism and heritage awareness.

"This is historic not only because it marks a new beginning, a new chapter in our history as a people, but also because we are actually celebrating our deep past—the beginning of civilization in Palawan," Socrates said.

"So, this will definitely help the tourism industry in Palawan, as well as make us more conscious of our heritage," he added.

Dr. Ivan Henares, Secretary-General of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, also provided an update on the nomination of the Tabon Cave Complex and Lipuun Point as a UNESCO World Heritage Site during the event.

He stressed the exceptional global significance of Tabon and the important support provided by the NMP in the nomination process, particularly its extensive and ongoing research at the site.

Deputy Director-General for Museums Jorell Legaspi introduced the museum's exhibitions, which are based on extensive research.

The museum, open Tuesday to Sunday, offers free admission to its four galleries: Palawan: A Cradle of Heritage, Surviving Heritage: The Tabon Cave Complex and Its Diversity, BITÚUN: The Spatial and Temporal Domains of Palawan Life, and Stories of Origin: The Archaeology of the Tabon Caves.

Mayor Joselito Ayala of Quezon also expressed gratitude towards the provincial government for their support and requested additional help to achieve World Heritage Site status for the Tabon Cave.

Ayala believes that the enhanced status of the Tabon Caves will significantly increase tourism in the town, which will require further development of infrastructure to accommodate the expected increase in visitors.

"Tourist arrivals will surely rise because of this; that's why I have also told our Sangguniang Bayan that we need new and better facilities, such as our terminal and our market," Ayala stated.