TAU’T BATO PITOGO, QUEZON

 “People of the rock”  Fourth class municipality in the province of

o Named by President Ferdinand Marcos in Quezon
the 1970s due to their cave dwellings  Politically subdivided into 39 barangays
 Indigenous tribe residing in the Singnapan Basin  Major livelihood is fishing since it is near the
located in the southwestern part of Palawan coast of Tayabas Bay
o Reside at the base of Mt. Matalingahan  Has survived Muslim raids, epidemics, and two
(tallest mountain in Palawan) major wars
 Still practice a traditional primitive lifestyle
Background:
 Economy and livelihood
o Farming, hunting, and trade  According to legend, St. Paul the Apostle was
 Use tobacco heavily seen under a Pitogo tree on Maaliw Hill in 1781.
Believing it to be a good sign, the people of
Cassava (Manihot esculenta)
the poblacion decided to name their place
Kingdom Plantae
after the palm tree “Pitogo.”
(unranked) Eudicots
Pitogo (Cycas sp.)
(unranked) Rosids
Kingdom Plantae
Order Malpighiales
Division Gymnospermae
Family Euphorbiaceae
Class Cycadopsida
Subfamily Crotonoidiae
Order Cycadales
Tribe Manihoteae
Family Cycadaceae
Genus Manihot
Genus Cycas
Species M. esculenta
 Only genus in family Cycadaceae
 Native to the Old World; concentrated around
Importance to the Tau’t Bato:
equatorial regions
 Cassava is the main product of the tribe
 East and southeastern Asia, eastern
 The soil in their area is good for the growth of
Africa, northern Australia, Polynesia,
cassava
and Micronesia
 Considered as a major carbohydrate source
 Often considered a “living fossil”
for the group along with rice
 Almost all species are on the IUCN Redlist
10 Species of Pitogo in the Philippines
(9 endemic)
 C. edentata  C. curranii
 C. saxatillis  C. lacrimas
 C. wadei  C. nitida
 C. zambalensis  C. riuminiana
 C. aenigma  C. vespertilo

Uses:
 Mostly used as ornamental plants in gardens
 Grows widely in forests