TABUK CITY, Kalinga – A group of researchers from the National Museum of the Philippines, the University of Philippines (UP) Diliman, the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in France are currently conducting an archaeological study in the city to know Tabuk’s environmental history.
“Gusto nating malaman ang environmental history ng Tabuk plateau, kung paano na-form itong plateau niyo, at yung klase ng bato na dinala ng Chico River at Cagayan River sa Cagayan Valley,” said Gerard Palaya, an archaeologist at the National Museum of the Philippines.
Their study is part of the whole Kalinga archaeological project which made the municipality of Rizal an archaeological landmark with the discovery of rhinoceros bones found to be dating back to 709,000 years ago.
“Ang pag-aaral ng bato na matatagpuan sa Chico at Cagayan River ay makakatulong sa [Kalinga archaeological project] dahil maari natin ma-compare ito sa mga bato na nakita sa Rizal, Kalinga.” Palaya said.
The group studied rocks that were exposed during an excavation for the construction of a house in a lot at the damsite area in Barangay Bado Dangwa on January 24, 2023.
Allan Gil S. Fernando, Ph. D., professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences at UP Diliman, said they typically take advantage of such sites where the ground has already been excavated during the construction process.
The group aims to identify the types of rocks at the site and study how they were transported and deposited. “Yung mga bato na nag-flow sa Chico River at sa Cagayan River ay maaring magbigay ng scientific data tungkol sa environmental history ng dalawang river, at ang data na to ay makakatulong sa pangkalahatang environmental history ng Cagayan valley,” Palaya explained.
The group is carrying out their study in various sites in the city until the end of the month.
