MANILA: Treasure hunts in Philippine caves are to come under government regulation to protect the country’s natural and cultural heritage, the environment and natural resources department said on Wednesday.

Only Filipino citizens are allowed to conduct treasure hunts, and they will be required to pay for a one-year permit from the department as well as post a surety bond, whether the caves are on public or private lands, it said in a statement.

Caves of cultural, palaeontological and historical value, within ancestral domains, and other significant caves are off limits, it added.

All items found and determined to have historical or cultural value will revert to the government, while a committee will determine the share for the finder of other items of value. Treasure hunters scour the Philippines in search of World War II booty supposedly plundered from across Southeast Asia and hidden by Japanese occupation forces shortly before the country was liberated by the United States.—AFP