Pre-Historic Caves in the Philippines
discovered in Callao Cave, Penablanca, Cagayan
* Tabon Cave – dubbed as the Philippines’
cradle of civilization set of located on Lipuun
Point, north of quzon municipality, Palawan
Island
- the caves are named after the tabon scrubfowl
BIRD.
> Tabon Man – was discovered in the
caves, one of the oldest remnants of human
inhabitants found in the pilippines.
- other remains that were
excavated have remained onsite and have yet t
be examined in detail.
> Manunggul Jar
– secondary burial jar excavated from a
neolithic burial site in manunggul cave of tabon
caves at lipuun point at Palawan dating from
890-710 B.C.
- two prominent figures at the top handle of its
cover represent the journey of the soul to the
afterlife.
- the boatman seated behind a figure whose
hands are crossed on the chest. The position of
the hands is a traditional Filipino practice
observed when arranging the corpse.
Callao Man – refers to fossilized remains
by Arman Salvador Mijares
- the find consisted of a single 61-millimeter
metatarsal which, when dated using uranium
series ablation, was found to be about 67 years
old.
Callao Cave – located in the municipality of
Penablanca, Cagayan Province
- the seven-chamber show cave is one of 300
caves
- researchers also believe that aetas, mountain
dwellers today on Luzon Island, could be
descendant of the callao man
- names as Penablanca (Spanish for white rocks)
for the presence of white limestone rocks in the
area
Tau-Batu Cave – shelter more than one family
- fear of thunder is one of the main reason why
they retreat in caves, because of folklore as a
warning against mocking or laughing to animals.
> Datag – basic sleeping platform known
as DATAG, made from tree branches and dried
leaves and built inside the cave, raised slightly
above the ground.
BUILDING CHARACTER:
> tropical design
> open
> light (movable, earthquake proof
> stilted
> thatched, pitched roof.
THE FIRST MAN IN THE PHILIPPINES
* Discovered by Dr. Robert Fox
When: May 28, 1962
Where: Tabon Cave, Palawan
Early Shelters in the Island
> Caves
> Lean to shelters
> Arboreal Shelters
Angono Petroglyphs
> oldest known work of art in the Philippines
located in the province of rizal
> there are 127 human and animal figures
engraved on the rock wall dating bback to 3000
BC
> shows stylized human figures, frogs, and
lizards, along with other designs that may have
depicted other interesting figures but erosion
may have caused it to become indistinguishable
> angono-petro (stone) glyph (illustration)
Austronesia – Pleistocene People
> earliest dwellers in the Philippines
> ice age
> theory of land/ tulay na lupa
PHILIPPINE ARCHITECTURE ETHNIC HOUSES
* Ethnic Tradition- EXPRESS INDIGENOUS WAY
OF ORGANIZING SPACE WITHIN AND WITHOUT
- territorial spaces are suggested by symbols
never stated with fences nor walls
Lean- to Shelters- fundamental act of building
was practiced by nomads in form the windbreak
- wind-sun and rain screen anchored by a pole
or stick an angle on the ground
Vernacular Structural Element
> building with pile or stilt foundations are
pervasive feature not only in the mainland and
island southeast Asia
* Foundation
- Prototypical Bahay Kubo or
Austronesian house is usually build with
wooden post as its framework
- It has several advantages in an tropical
climate, especially when settlement patterns
are mainly concentrated in coastal, riverside,
and lakeshores
- underfloor space often used as pen for
stabling domestic animals and as a place for
storage
- two options: SUSPERSEDED PILE/ STLTS
OR ROLLERS
 * Ivatan Idjang – Defensive Engineering of the
early ivatan settlers

Tree Houses

> Forked Version – other reason, to protect the

families, animal, attacks and human enemies.

> Architectural institution fashioned by nature

> 20, 30, 60 ft above ground for protection

against animal and human enemies

Early Shelters in the Island

Lean-to Shelters

> early dwellings of the aeta

1. Pinatubo aeta hawong

2. agta & Casiguran damages aetas from aurora

panahang

3. mamanua aeta from Mindanao dait dait

AUSTRONESIAN ANCESTRY

BALAI/BAHAY *Made of cogon grass

- SOUTHEAST ASIAN TYPE OF DOMESTIC

ARCHITECTURE FOUND IN NON-HISPANIZED,
NON- ANGLOSAXON COMMUNITIES IN THE
COUNTRY

- HOUSE/ TAHANAN/ TIRAHAN

IVATAN HOUSE

* Rahaung- developed from primitive kamado

* CORDILLERA
*KALINGA *BONTOC
Vernacular Structural Element
 - framing system consist of vertical studs
slotted into horizontal sills

- tongue and grove mortise tenon, lapped

and notched joining system

REGIONAL HOUSES

> Batanes

> Cordillera

> Luzon and Visayas

* Central

* Southern

> Mindanao

* UPLAND and LOWLAND houses have

acquired distinc architectural features because
of differences of environmental condition and
site contexts

> Construction Technique

- Post and lintel method of construction

- assembled without nails

- walls and floors do not constitutes a parts

of the main load bearing elements but may
brace the structure as a whole
PRE-COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE IN LOWLANDS & * Main land bahay kubo community
COAST

* lowlanders

* Coastal Community

House on Stilts
* River Side Community
• The house on stilts is not unique or original to
the Philippines

• Other Southeast Asian countries also have

house on stilts.

THE SETTINGS OF BAHAY KUBO

BAHAY KUBO

> The word bahay evolved from the

Austronesian ancestry vernacular term BALAI

> Spanish term “cubo” which pertains to the

cube because of the obvious overall cubic
geometry

> refers to mountain houses

> Early accounts Base on the book of a

Franciscan friar Pedro de San
Buenaventura,OFM

> “kubo” already appears among early versions

of Tagalog

> Early accounts Base on the book of a

Augustinian friar Diego Bergaño,OSA

> 1729

> Kubu, balungbung a Kapampangan for hut,

cabin or lodge

> Sometimes Refers to cuala, saung or dangpa

usually owned by a peasant families and other
low income families

BUILDING MATERIALS

> timber

> bamboo

> tatch

> fibers
 FILIPINO HUMAN ANTHROPOMETRY

BAHAY KUBO CHARACTERISTIC

* post and lintel

Molave – hard wood is the preferred

material(Phil.Yellow rosewood/ vitex geniculate

> steeply pitched thatched hipped roof

> voluminous roof cavity to combat humidity
> pile foundation flooding + under floor for
ventilation and humidity
> DANGKAL Distance from the tip of the thumb
to the tip of the middle finger when hand fans
out

BAHAY KUBO Wall lattice work options

•nipa or sawali wall siding in herringbone

design

> DIPA The length of a man’s outstretched arms

from one extreme fingertip to the other

• Bamboo, split, flattened or cut into strips

> DATI - The breadth/width of a finger

> TUMURO - The distance between the tip of

the thumb to the tip of the forefinger

BUILDING ANATOMY

> DAMAK - The length of the open hand from

the tip of the middle finger to the far edge of
the palm

> DAPAL - The length and width of the palm and

fingers together
KILO- Rafters, major support of the roof

Kahab-an- Connects the bottom ends of the

rafter

Soleras- Floor joists, carries the slatted floor

Gililan- Floor sills, supports the walls
Haligi- Posts/columns. Main structural support

BAHAY KUBO Roof/Bubong classifications

• BINALAY (Hip)

• PALAYAS (Gable)

• PALUSOD (extension)

• KINAPIYA (Shed)

Silong - Used as enclosure for keeping domestic

animals, such as swine and fowl, and as storage
for household implements, goods, crops and in
some cases, as a Burial ground for the dead
BAHAY KUBO Fenestrations

> Awning type windows or

> TUKOD -sliding •An all purpose single area OR a two-three unit
quarter consisting BAHAY KUBO Interior space
> fixed with lattice work
> living-dining (Bulwagan with silidkainan
> keeps children from falling out
> Kitchen-storage (Lutuan/Abuhan with Batalan)
> with ledge > Open gallery (balkon infront or batalan back)
> Other features: its many kinds of apertures.
Even walls gives patches of stark light

> Doors without swing board and may be

provided with four step stairs, at the top of
which is a sagang

BAHAY KUBO INTERIOR SPACE

The problem:

LOWLAND VERNACULAR DWELLING

* ISKWATER

> The Urban Shanty / barong-barong is a

descendant of Provincial bahay Kubo.

> Like Traditional dwellings, Shanties are built

by their own inhabitants, with no blueprints,
using materials available in the immediate
environment, typical one room dwelling

Squatters are the:

1. Migrants from provincial areas to the big

cities.

2. Because of “poverty” has forced them to

build urban shanty

3. The only available option is a vacant piece of

land.

Squatters are lack in basic services and

infrustructures:

1. Water supply

2. Sanitation

3. Electricity

4. Drainage

5. Education

6. Health services

7. Market place 8. Psychology/social issues

> Squatter settings are usually in vacant

government land

> Squatter settings are usually in railways

> Squatter settings are usually in marshy lands,

canals, coastal, riverbanks

> Squatter settings are usually in cemetery

> They prone fire and flood

> Squatter is a reflection of social demand for

housing