Northern Samar Launches First Major Study in 60 Years.

A comprehensive archaeological initiative has officially begun in three towns of Northern Samar—Catubig, Mapanas, and Laoang—marking the province's first systematic study of its kind since the 1960s. In collaboration with the University of the Philippines, archaeologists are assessing the Sang-at Burial site and several caves. Early fieldwork has already identified potential megalodon shark teeth and human skeletal remains. This local activity coincides with a movement in the Philippine Senate to repeal the current "Treasure Hunting Law." Senator Loren Legarda is pushing to abolish the permit system that allows private excavations, arguing that historical artifacts are "not a commodity to be traded" but a shared national legacy.

©YovaniBernard