Barrios Inicbulan, Rizal and Durungao, Bauan, Batangas: Historical Data Part I

Historical data from the National Library of the Philippines.

PART I

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Full transcription of the so-called “Historical Data” for the barrio of Inicbulan, Bauan, Batangas, the original scanned documents at the National Library of the Philippines Digital Collections not having OCR or optical character recognition properties. This transcription has been edited for grammar, spelling and punctuation where possible. The original pagination is provided for citation purposes.

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HISTORY AND CULTURAL LIFE OF INICBULAN
(Includes Durungao and Rizal)

1. Present Official Name of the Barrio - - Inicbulan

2. Popular name of the barrio, present and past

3. Date of establishment – 1773

4. Original families:

R I Z A L

1. Present Official Name of the Barrio - - - Rizal

2. Popular name of [the] barrio, present and past

3. Date of establishment - - 1850

4. Original families

DURUNGAO

1. Present official name of the barrio - - Durungao

2. Popular name of the barrio, past and present; derivation and meanings of these names. Names of sitios included within the territorial jurisdiction of the barrio.

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3. Date of establishment – 1700

4. Original families

During the Spanish Occupation, the people of Inicbulan, Rizal, and Durungao made little changes in the manner of living. The people lived in houses made of nipa, bamboo and wood. They cultivated their rice fields with little change in methods or implements. They kept domesticated animals such as cats, dogs, chickens, and hogs. Some of the people helped build churches and convents and erected houses for the Spaniards. There was a little revolt between the people of those barrios and [a] few of the Spaniards who came over to the barrio. For fear of them, they used to have bolos and knives for their defense.

All the laws issued by the friars were strictly followed. Every male inhabitant of these barrios was obliged to pay to the government a tribute of at least one and a half pesos. They were also subject to a few days labor on public works. Some of the people who could afford secured exemption by purchasing a high-class cedula.

The missionaries converted the people into the Catholic faith, which is always practiced up to the present. They began to follow the religious orders of the Catholic Church in baptism, marriage, and death. The Spaniards induced the people to learn the A.B.C. and later on converted a house for school purposes. The people in the barrio did not feel contented in their lives because they realized the hostilities done to them.

When the Americans came to the Philippines, the Filipinos had also the belief that they had the same practice to be

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applied to them. Upon knowing this, some of the male individuals organized themselves with a head and went to Mahabang Dahilig where a small battle was fought. The refused to recognize the rights of the Americans with the reason that they had sacrificed many lives on the field of battle against Spanish domination. But later on, they found out the Americans had goodwill toward the Filipinos. Schools were established in the barrio, where children of the poor farmers were educated. They had influenced these barrios so much in every line.

Later on came World War II. These barrios were inhabited by [the] Japanese, establishing their hiding places in Cutmoon. Some were scattered and lived in Rizal, while Inicbulan not being their residence was often visited by them. They secured their food from these barrios by force. The barrio lieutenants used to collect products that would be brought to the Captain in order to keep the barrio in peace. Great hostilities were also made to the people. During the Japanese Occupation, schools were opened at the latter part. Most of the children were out of school. Municipal officials were not elected during that time but appointed by them. The ways of earning a living were greatly hampered and disturbed.

After World War II, the condition of the people in these barrios began to prosper. They, little by little, returned to normal condition. The devastated bridges were reconstructed like [the] Taboc Bridge. Roads were constructed so that transportation in going to town became very easy. The Inicbulan Elementary School was opened and education went on smoothly until the present. The people began to earn their living by easy means and without disturbance. Municipal officials, especially barrio lieutenants, were elected by the people. Peace and order reigned and the inhabitants lived happily.

BELIEFS AND SUPERSTITIONS

There are many beliefs and superstitions that exist today but originated from our ancestors. Many of the people in the barrios prefer the ministrations of quacks to scientific treatment by licensed physicians and trained nurses. They would act on a quack doctor’s advice to kill white chickens and offer them to the evil spirits. Some still believe or imagine that the “asuang” (evil person) flies around at night and enters houses through open windows and devours babies and small children. On Tuesdays and Fridays, nobody in the family is allowed to take a bath because these days are days of sorrow. It is also believed that when someone in the house dies, nobody should take a bath within four days after the burial of the deceased. During those days, plates must not be put one [on] top of the other because it would lead to the dying of all the persons of the

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until after nine days have elapsed. It is also believed that children should not eat stale eggs because, if they do, they will not realize their ambitions. When one is bitten by a mad dog, people kill the dog so that the person would not be affected by the rabies. It is believed injurious for the child to have his haircut before he is one year old. During the first cutting of the fingernails of a child, the said nails must be dug into the foot of the stairs so that the child will not fall down whenever he goes downstairs. In the marriage of a couple, there must be something broken so that they would bear children. Money must be put inside the stockings so that the couple would get rich. Most of these beliefs and superstitions are still being practiced by the people in these barrios.

Interpretations

During New Year, the people of the barrios used to stay until midnight to see the “silahis.” At the separation of the old year and the New Year, if the people happen to hear the first cry of a cow, the people in the barrio will harvest well. Whenever the sky is not clear, and there are molded clouds, the people interpret it as if to mean there are many persons who died that day.

In the earlier days, methods of measuring time and special calendars were greatly different from the present. Because majority of the people were uneducated, although some of them were intelligent, they did things in the crude ways. Formerly, there were no watches and clocks to determine the time consumed but in spite of that they could find ways and means by which they could measure the length of time passing by. When people went to certain places, the used to smoke cigarettes. They finally stated a certain place had the same distance as another place whenever the amount of length of cigarettes consumed were the same. Thus, they used to say that the place was “one cigarette only.” Early in the morning, they would be able to know the time through the sun. Through the shades, they knew when it was mid-noon. In the evening, the moon and the stars served as watches. Not until the invention of clocks and watches did the people realize that they had acquire easier means of determining time.

Special calendars were also present during those days because of certain beliefs and superstitions followed by our ancestors. Those calendars were used to determine whether those days were lucky times to do a certain work. These were also used in selecting the day for a couple to say, “I do” at the altar. For our ancestors, all of those things were of great importance and without them, they would never be lucky in their lives.

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Origin of Mountains

According to the old people in the barrio, there were no mountains in the olden days. There was a couple in the barrio who used to quarrel every day. The man used to go around and drink wine. He never earned a living for the family. When he came to the house, he whipped his wife when there were no water, firewood, and everything necessary in the household.

The woman did all the things that would suit the taste of her husband, but because of very hard work, her body became weaker and weaker day after day. After a lapse of months, the woman died. The husband buried her near the house. After two weeks of [the] burial of the deceased, the place where she was buried became little by little higher and higher. Afterwards, the man could see that his house was no longer on its former place which is now called a mountain.

Proverbs and Sayings

In the older days, proverbs and sayings were very predominant in Inicbulan, Rizal, and Durungao. Some of them still last until the present time. The following are some of them.

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