This is a second call for funding, for 2027 fieldwork - we are looking for 10,000 Euros to top off the generous donations that supported our 2025 season. We are a team of archaeologists from the Palawan Island Palaeohistory Research Project, a 24-year project working in collaboration with the developing communities of New Ibajay and Sibaltan in north Palawan to teach archaeological research as part of El Nido community ecomuseum and ecotourism development initiatives. We also educate new generations of Philippine, European and other archaeologists as part of a joint international collaboration between University College Dublin and University of the Philippines Schools of Archaeology. In previous years we have been funded primarily by private funds from Philippine industry, and for 3 years by a British Academy larger research grant. Ireland does not give small grants for archaeological or heritage projects in the Philippines, but UP has donated funds and support towards research involving student and postgraduate training.

In Sept 2024 our colleague, co-director and friend Prof Victor Paz died after a long battle with multiple myeloma. Victor was our funding champion and we scrambled to raise the required funds for our April 2025 memorial field season in the Dewil Valley. Thanks to donors here and corporate donors we were able to hold fieldwork in 2025 and 2026. Today we continue to raise funds to support a 2027 field season which will include excavations at Ille, Pasimbahan Magsanib and Kulanga Maliit caves, plus final cave mapping of Dewil Valley karsts.

Specifically, we hire about 20 local people every year to assist the team, to manage the Dewil Valley Museum, and help with tourist visitors. The funding will cover their salaries for 1 month when the excavations are on (April), food costs for the core team for that time, equipment shipping costs, and basic repairs needed to the Dewil Valley Museum. We held the 2025 field season in memory of Victor Paz, and donations to that covered costs for that one-off funding request, but do not cover the long-term project. The 2026 PIPRP season was covered by a corporate donation.

Individuals, including students, are raising their own funds to come to support the project and we are not asking for any help towards personal, travel or administrative costs for the Manila-based and European teams.

In 2027, in addition to our regular activities, we will also hold an alumni season, and we will ask each alumni participant attending for a c. 2500 php fee to cover their own costs. The funds raised through this gofundme in 2027 are additional to those, and will cover the costs for the core and support team only. If you are attending the season as an alumni, please do not send that cost payment here, but contact Helen or Michael instead. This is only for charitable donations towards the running of the project and repairs to the museum building.

Thanks for any help you can give. We appreciate you considering our project. We will be digging next in April 2027 - and would be happy to meet you at Ille then, and our local team members and collaborators always welcome visitors to Ille Cave and the Dewil Valley year-round. Thank you again.

Cost breakdown: of the additional 10,000 we are seeking, c. 3000 will support two cave mapping teams with local guides and assistants, and hire cooks and camp staff, 5000 will support an archaeological team excavating at Ille, Kulanga and Pasimbahan Magsanib Caves, including food, water, electricty and will hire local people to work in cave excavations, survey, and artefact management, and 2000 will go toward repairs to the roof of the Dewil Valley Museum, painting and refreshing the displays, and to assist the curators and wardens of the sites in the Dewil Valley.

Thank you for any help you can give!