The Tau’t Bato or Taaw’t Bato (“people of the rock”) stay in the Singnapan Basin, a bowl-shaped valley in southwestern Palawan. Their territory has Mt. Mantalingajan to the east and a coast to the west. Tau’t Bato is a small but articulate subgroup of the Palawan tribes. The language is spoken by various groups in the area. The Tau’t Bato mostly live in caves, and the structure of their dwellings depends on condition of the cave. They are swidden farmers who practice multiple cropping. They produce cassava (their main source of carbohydrates), sugarcane, garlic, sweet potato, and several varieties of vegetables. Hunting is done year-round to complement the carbohydrate diet; wild pigs are caught using spring traps. The Tau’t Bato also trade their agricultural products for fish and sell forest products such as rattan, almaciga, etc.

The Taawʼt Bato means "people of the rock". They are a small community of traditional southwestern Palawanos who reside in the crater of an extinct volcano during certain seasons of the year, in houses built on raised floors inside caves though others have set their homes on the open slopes. They are found in the Singnapan Basin, a valley bounded by Mount Matalingahan on the east and the coast on the west. North of them is the municipality of Quezon, and to the South are the still unexplored regions of Palawan. They are still primitive in their lifestyle, even in the way of dressing. The men still wear loincloths made of bark and cloth, and the women wear a piece of cloth made into skirts to cover the lower body. Both of them are half naked, but sometimes women wear a blouse that is not Indigenous but obtained through the market system. Taawʼt Bato artistry is cruder compared to other Palawan groups, except in exceptional cases involving basketry. Around cave-dwellings, for example, they construct a light and sturdy lattice-work made of saplings lashed together and anchored fast to crevices in the walls to provide access to the caves. The construction does not depend on any major framework to hold the unit against the walls. The anchorage is distributed all along the framework such that the breakdown of one section can be compensated for by the rest of the construction. With conditions varying in different caves, there are modifications and elaboration on the basic datag or sleeping platforms, and lagkaw or granary. They are swidden cultivators, practicing multiple cropping with cassava as the major source of carbohydrate. They also produce sweet potato, sugarcane, malungay, garlic, pepper, string beans, squash, tomato, pineapple, etc. Throughout the year, hunting and foraging are pursued to complement the carbohydrate diet of the people. Most of the wild pigs are caught through spring traps. They also indulge in sambi (barter) and dagang (monetary exchange). The trade is specifically for marine fish which the people of Candawaga provide in exchange for horticultural products of the Taawʼt-Bato. Dagang involves forest products like the almaciga, rattan, etc. The basic social unit among the Taawʼt-Bato of Singnapan is the ka-asawan (marriage group). This extends from the basic couple, man and woman, to the more complex arrangements of a compound and extended family grouping. The ka-asawahan or households units are further grouped into larger associations called bulun-bulun, which literally means "gathering". These multi-household bands are physically bounded in the terms of areas of habitation. Each bulun-bulun ordinarily occupies a single cave for residence, or a single house complex in the swidden area. One thing clear is that membership in a bulun-bulun is characterized by the ecosystem of sharing through different types of social and material exchanges, a prominent example being the sharing of food. Because of their uniqueness, the Philippine government declared their area off limits to strangers to protect them from unreasonable exploitation. This tribe subsists on hunting, gathering fruits and planting crops and rice near the forest. However, the tribe have recently come under threat from mining concessions that have been granted. In particular the communities living around the Mt. Gangtong and Mantalingahan range have been affected by claims upon their land for nickel mining. This is despite measures that were taken to prevent events like this from happening as prior claims for mining are still valid.

The Taaw’t Bato community, also known as the “people of the rock,” is a small traditional southwestern Palawano tribe. They reside in the Singnapan Basin, a valley situated between Mount Matalingahan and the coast of Palawan. During certain seasons of the year, they live in the crater of an extinct volcano, building their houses on raised floors inside caves or on open slopes. Despite the lack of modern amenities, the Taaw’t Bato have a unique lifestyle and culture that has remained relatively unchanged for generations. The Taaw’t Bato’s traditional dress is simple, with men wearing g-strings made of bark and cloth, and women wearing cloth skirts to cover the lower body. Although they are often half-naked, women sometimes wear blouses obtained through market systems. The tribe’s artistic abilities are cruder compared to other Palawan groups, except for exceptional cases involving basketry. The Taaw’t Bato are swidden cultivators who practice multiple cropping, with cassava as the primary source of carbohydrates. They also grow sweet potato, sugarcane, malungay, garlic, pepper, string beans, squash, tomato, pineapple, and more. Hunting and foraging are pursued throughout the year to supplement their carbohydrate-based diet. They use spring traps to catch most of the wild pigs. The Taaw’t Bato engage in both sambi (barter) and dagang (monetary exchange). The trade primarily involves marine fish provided by the people of Candawaga in exchange for horticultural products of the Taaw’t Bato. Dagang involves forest products such as almaciga and rattan.

The Tau't Batu people live in a very remote place which is not affected by any political activity. Because of their small numbers and simple ways, there are not many political activities among them. The Tau't Batu are still practicing a simple lifestyle. The men are still wearing G-strings made of bark and cloth while the women are wearing a skirt made of a piece of cloth to cover their lower body. Most of them are half naked, but because of the outside influence through trade, women are beginning to wear a blouse. They live around cave dwellings in which they construct a house framework made of light and sturdy materials such as saplings. They make sleeping platforms and multi-purpose platforms to serve as floors or beds. The Tau't Batu practice marriage groups or "ka-asawahan", which serves as the basic social unit among them. The "Ka-asawahan" or household units can be basically made up of a couple, man and his wife, to several numbers of couples. They are further grouped into a larger association called "Bulun-bulun". The system is an arrangement of several couples co-habitating in a single cave for residence. It is characterized by a system of sharing different kinds of social and material exchanges such as food and other equipment. The Tau't Batu are music-lovers. They know how to play two musical instruments known as "Kubing" and "Kudlong" in addition to the gong. The Tau't Batu are cultivators who practice multiple cropping with cassava as the major product. They also plant sweet potato, sugarcane, garlic, pepper, string beans, squash, tomato, pineapple and other plants which will grow on their farms. They are also fond of hunting and foraging to supply their need for more carbohydrates. Wild pigs are the most hunted animals. Trade among the Tau't Batu is done through "Sambi" (barter) or "Dagang" (monetary exchange). Tau't Batu’s trade is specifically for marine fish which they get from the neighboring Candawaga people. The Tau't Batu people also trade forest products such as almaciga and rattan. They are also good in basketry.

The Tau’t Bato (Tao’t Bato, Taaw’t Bato) are really just a subgroup of the larger Pala’wan indigenous group. They speak the native Pala’wan language and practice many of the same beliefs of the Pala’wan. The only difference being this particular community, those living in the area of Singnapan valley, take shelter in the large nearby caves during the rainy season. Because of the heavy rains and flooding within the valley during the wet months taking shelter within the caves is their best protection. During the dry season each family has its own land and house within the valley. The name Tau’t Bato was given to these people by President Marcos back in the 70’s because of their cave existence. It was during this time that President Marcos made multiple visits to Singnapan valley to explore the area. Our guide, Buano and our host, Tumihay, who was just a little boy at the time remembers the helicopters flying into the valley with Marcos and Imelda on-board. Tumihay said President Marcos only stayed for 30 minutes in fear that the people may attack him. The helicopters brought in clothes, rice and some other provisions to distribute to the tribe. This is the first time Tumihay remembers getting western style clothes. However, the reason Marcos was so interested in this area was because of the riches it held. For many months Marco’s team raided all the caves in the area (the burial sites for the Tau’t Bato) and collected all the gold and other valuables on the bodies. Buano also said that it’s possible they found Japanese treasure as well in the caves, because many of the caves Marco’s team explored were caves the Tau’t Bato never went into. Years later there were many stories that Marcos hid a lot of his wealth in the caves of Singnapan. In the 80’s and 90’s this area saw numerous visitors from all over the world searching for Marco’s hidden wealth. However, the reality was, Marcos was there to take the wealth from the natives not leave hidden treasure of his own. Singnapan Valley in southern Palawan is a place I have wanted to visit for a long time now. It was a couple of years ago that I came across some images online of the Tau’t Bato tribe and it has intrigued me ever since. The remoteness of Singnapan valley is what first caught my attention and then the interesting stories that the people there live in large caves during the rainy season. Thus, their name Tau’t Bato – Dwellers of the rock. There are a handful of travel blogs and some videos online of other foreigners and Filipinos making the trek to Singnapan. This area is also home to Mount Mantalingahan, the highest peak in Palawan and an occasional destination for hardcore mountaineers. I am always somewhat skeptical of visiting a place when I see this, as I always want to try and visit new places with new faces. However, from what I gathered there are really very few individuals who travel here and that was confirmed when we arrived and talked with our guide. We were only the second visitors to the area this year. Likewise, for the Katutubong Filipino Project this was an area we needed to visit so it was destined that we would make the long journey into the jungle to visit the Tau’t Bato.

The Tau’t Batu, or ‘People of the Rock’ live here and they are the last discovered tribe in the Philippines; only 20 years ago they were living in complete isolation from the western and eastern world. You’ll need a guide to get here because they live so isolated; the guide will also serve as an interpreter too. The women here hunt honey while the men’s job is to catch bats, forest rats and small birds. Their lifestyle and culture is not particularly developed, but they are skilled in hunting for small creatures and wild pigs. This supplements their diet of farmed fruits like pineapple, pepper, cassava, garlic, squash and sweet potato. They use their agricultural produce to trade with other Palawan tribes. There is no age limit here for marriage so it’s common for girls to have children at a very young age. Their houses are primitively constructed using intertwined saplings. The basic family unit of couples and their children are often meshed together in larger extended family dwellings or caves where foods are shared amongst the whole community. If you’re lucky you’ll be invited to participate in the harvest festival, that takes place when they have had a bountiful year. The celebration goes on for 24 hours as bamboo leaves are stomped to let the spirits know of the people’s thankfullness. Only certain people have access to these spirits and they are the ones who do the stomping. Singing their whole history is common as they possess no written language and hearing this can be a beautiful way to experience the ways of these fascinating people. They also possess several unique musical instruments. With only 100 families left, it’s a big question whether the people can survive, but so far the Tau’t batu have changed little with all the attention. Missionaries have given up on the isolated tribe, declaring them to be ‘too hard-headed’ so perhaps these curious people are determined enough to survive the change which 21st century life and tourism inflicts on their lifestyle. It is advisable to think carefully before visiting these remote tribes as the impact you leave behind may be more than the trip is worth to you.