On June 7, 1971, an exploration team led by Secretary Manuel Elizalde, Jr. was able to make an initial contact with an unknown Filipino people who inhabit a vast forested area in the rugged mountainous interior of South Cotabato province in Mindanao Philippines. The discovery of these people is of great scientific interest, particularly to the studies of man's cultural and technological development, for they are food gatherers whose own technology is still based upon the use …showed first 75 words of 648 total…

…showed last 75 words of 648 total…Marcos cronies to leave the Philippines. Elizalde's group indicated that millions from their treasury went with Elizalde. Elizalde ended up in Costa Rica, squandered all the money, got hooked on drugs, and died a destitute. The Tasaday story is a hoax, but the indigenous people involved are real and their exploitation has become one of the reasons why indigenous people in the Philippines are now struggling to retain or regain their land, resources, and self-determination.