THE EXISTENCE VALUE OF TABON CAVES COMPLEX IN MUNICIPALITY OF QUEZON, PALAWAN PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES

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This study sought to find out how much are people willing to pay for the preservation of the Tabon Caves Complex (TCC) in Quezon, Palawan. Contingent Valuation Method was used to estimate the non-market values of TCC. This study further tested the significant relationship between the respondents‟ Willingness-To-Pay, level of importance of the TCC, and the sociodemographic profile of the respondents. The study employed stratified random sampling in selecting the samples. Statistical tests were used to determine the relationships between Willingness-To-Pay, attitudinal variables and the respondents‟ socio-demographic profile. In terms of attitude, the respondents regard the preservation of the TCC as very important to extremely important. Results showed that the respondents highly regard the studied resource and perceived that they have a moral obligation to preserve the TCC for the future generations to come. The findings indicated further that Willingness-To-Pay is a function of the respondents‟ income and occupation while their age, gender, educational attainment and civil status imposed insignificant relationship with their Willingness-To-Pay. The respondents‟ socio-demographic profile in terms of age, gender, educational attainment, and income had significant relationships with the perceived level of importance in terms of aesthetics, archaeological, cultural, and bequest values towards the preservation of the TCC.