Ancient Chinese traders and waves of migrants arrived in the Philippines by traversing land bridges between Borneo and Palawan. One Chinese author referred to these islands as Kla-ma-yan (Calamian), Palau- ye (Palawan), and Pki-nung (Busuanga). The area was described as having many lofty ridges and high ranges of cliffs. Pottery, China, and other artifacts recovered from caves and the waters off.

PALAWAN is home to several ethnolinguistic groups: the Tagbanua, Palaw’an, Tau’t bato, and the Bataks. They live in remote villages in the mountains and coastal areas. Their ancestors are believed to have occupied the province long before Malay settlers from the Madjapahit Empire of Indonesia arrived in these islands in the latter 12th or 13th centuries. In 1962, a team of anthropologists from the National Museum led by Dr. Robert Fox unearthed fossils at Lipuun Point (now known as the Tabon Cave complex) that were classified as those of Homo Sapiens and believed to be 22,000 to 24,000 years old. With the recovery of the Tabon man fossils and other significant findings in the area , the place came to be known as the Cradle of Philippines Civilization.