In terms of agricultural production, only a few families cultivate kuma (swiddens) which are mostly planted
to upland rice or corn. The kuma in Coron Island typically yields a rice harvest once a year and this takes
place in October. Most families plant cashew trees in backyard lots and the nuts are sold or exchanged
for rice. As local growers attest, cashew nuts from Palawan are preferred by wholesale traders based in
Manila because these don’t have the bitter aftertaste found in cashews grown from other regions.
The Tagbanwa of Cabugao and Banwang Daan do not primarily depend on agriculture for their
subsistence. Their real income comes from two sources: 1) fish and other aquatic resources, such as
tekbeken (octopus), balat, samung, latuk (edible seaweed) and others; and 2) edible birds’ nests or luray
for those who own clan caves.
Luray is used as a key ingredient in the preparation of birds’ nest soup, a delicacy in southern Chinese
cuisine. Luray is derived from the nests of the balinsasayaw or swiftlet, a small and delicate bird which
spins a milky, semi-transparent nest made of its own saliva, wave wash and forest litter. Swiftlets make
their nests in deep caves and crags found in the limestone cliffs ringing Coron Island. These nests are
very difficult to reach as the cave entrances are usually found atop great heights and can fall away from
nearly vertical cliffs. Once inside, a cave can also plunge straight down and nests may be located in the
pitch-dark hollows below.
Every December, the swiftlets return to the same caves to spin their nests and lay eggs. Tagbanwa families
have passed on their clan caves from generation to generation and as mentioned earlier, have traded
luray to Chinese and then to Cuyonon and Filipino middlemen for over 300 years.
A high value is also placed on respect for one’s elders and parents. Having vast knowledge on customary
laws, the mepet (elders) are traditionally consulted on matters affecting the clans and on important
issues affecting the communities.
However the introduction of the barangay system of political governance brought a profound change to
their customary political structures. There was no place for the council of elders in the barangay system
and the local government structure tended to centralize decision-making and services with the municipal
government and with Puerto Princesa.
The demographics of Calamian Tagbanwa communities in the municipality of Coron as recorded by
municipal government planning offices seem to have undergone a significant reduction between 1994
(when Saragpunta’s Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim/CADC application was relatively less wellknown to local executives) and the present.
Table 1 shows the 1995 total population of 11 barangays known to host Tagbanwa villages. Of Coron’s 23
barangays, these barangays account for 37.8 percent of the municipality’s total population.
Total population of Coron = 27,040
Total households in Coron = 5,110
Total no. of barangays in Coron = 23
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