Talahahib Payapa, Batangas (Town), Batangas: Historical Data - Batangas History, Culture and Folklore Talahahib Payapa, Batangas (Town), Batangas: Historical Data - Batangas History, Culture and Folklore

Talahahib Payapa, Batangas (Town), Batangas: Historical Data

Batangas History
1 Jan, 2018
Historical Data graphic
Historical data from the National Library of the Philippines.

Full transcription of the so-called “Historical Data” for the barrio of Talahib Payapa, Batangas Town, 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 THE BARRIO OF TALAHIB PAYAPA

1. The present name of the barrio is Talahib Payapa.

2. Popular name of the barrio is Talahib.

A. Meaning – The word Talahib is derived from the name of the grass called talahib which looks like a rice plant only it grows taller and bears white flowers. The word Payapa is derived from the name of a tree called payapa.

B. Names of the sitios.

1. Pansol – sitio where a nice and well-taken care of water supply is located.
2. Kalawang – sitio where most of the rills and streams have rusty water. The sitio got its name from the condition of the water in that place.

3. Dates of establishment. During the Spanish occupation in the year 1865.

4. The original families were the persons with the following names:

A. The family of Eboras
B. The family of Cullas

5. List of Barrio Tenientes from the earliest time to date:

A. Cabeza de Barangay – Alejo Dagos – 1885-1886
B. Valentin Ebora . . .   from 1896 to 1898
C. Evaristo Mendoza. . from 1898 to 1912
D. Hermogenes Mendoza from 1912 to 1926
E. Santiago Landicho. . from 1926 to 1930
F. Esteban Ebora . . . . . from 1930 to the present

6. Story of the Old Barrio

Long, long time ago, this barrio had no name. But after the establishment (1865) of this municipality by the Spaniards, this barrio got its name (Talahib Payapa).

There was a company of Spaniards who happened to trace and survey the different places in the barrios. While the Spaniards were passing the place going to Lobo, they got tired and prepared their meal for dinner. It so happened that they stopped under a big tree surrounded by several hectares of Talahib grass. The Spaniards wondered that amidst the Talahib grass grew a single and noticeable tree. They talked about the giving of the name to the place. Before they left, they named the barrio TALAHIB PAYAPA.

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7. Important incidents within the community

(a) Spanish Occupation from 1890-1898.
There was a Chinese merchant who used to travel from Lobo to Batangas. It so happened that the said Chinese passed by Talahib Payapa. Being a wilderness, there dwelt several groups of bandits. These robbers took all the treasures of the merchant and killed him, too.

(b) During the American Occupation to World War II, there were no important facts, incidents or events that took place.

(c) During World War II – None

8. Destruction of lives, properties and institutions during wars, especially 1896-1900 and 1941-1945. None.

Part II – Folkways

1. Customs and Practices in Domestic and Social Life:

A. Birth – This usually is managed by the midwife. After the successful delivery, firecrackers are burned.
B. Baptism – The newly born child will be taken to the church in town to be baptized by the priest.
C. Courtship – The following customs are still observed:
1. The man or suitor takes off his hat when he sees the roof of the house of the girl. When entering the house, he sits near the door. The parents of the lady converse with the suitor during his stay for a visit.
D. Marriage – During wedding parties, the hosts serve and entertain the visitors with dances, songs and other interesting amusements. Before the bride goes to the groom’s house after the wedding party, the so-called “sabugan” takes place. This is the time when the relatives and friends of the bride and groom give their gifts to the newlyweds in the form of money or otherwise. After the wedding, the bride will be accompanied by the bridegroom’s party to the latter’s house, leaving the husband behind. After two or three hours, the bridegroom follows his bride to his own house.
E. Death – When a person dies, the common practice of the old folks is to place a pair of scissors at the bedside of the dead. They are afraid that evil spirits might take the dead body away.

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2. Superstitions – If you have a rice field, you should put a cross of bamboo at the very middle part of the rice plantation. When you are on your way to plant the first rice (paminhi) during the planting season, you ought to observe the following practices:

a. Never look back
b. When somebody will be encountered or met on the way, you should greet first.
c. Don’t stop on the way in going home after planting.
d. When the rice is ready to be harvested, the owner should first get any small container and fill it by harvesting his own rice. After that, other people may be allowed to harvest.

3. Popular songs:

A. Kundiman
B. Different Pandangos
C. Sinilangan

4. Riddles

(1) A grain of rice cannot be contained in a house. (Lamp)
(2) At first, it had no feet, then it had to and finally, it had four. (Tadpole)
(3) It is taller when it sits than when it stands. (Dog)
Translation:
(1) Isang butil na palay sikip sa buong bahay. (Ilaw)
(2) Sa pasimula’y walang paa, sa uli’y nagkaroon ng dalawa, at pag tumanda na’y nagiging apat na. (Palaka)
(3) Mataas pag nakaupo, maigsi pag nakatayo. (Aso)

5. Proverbs and sayings –

(1) A friend in need is a friend indeed.
(2) A person full of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds.
(3) Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
(4) Honesty is the best policy.
(5) Do unto others what you like others to do unto youj.
(6) To err is human, to forgive divine.
(7) Say what you mean and mean what you say.
(8) Good manners make the man.
(9) Tell me who your companion is and I will tell you who you are.

6. Methods of Measuring Time – Long ago, the old folks had different ways of measuring time. With the absence

[p. 4]

of the clocks and watches, the people of the past told time by using the following:

(1) Sun: When the sun rose, the folks concluded that it was around six o’clock. When it reached the zenith or was directly overhead, the time was twelve o’clock noon. When the sun set, the old people said that it was six o’clock in the afternoon.
The people of those days could also tell time by looking at the eyes of the cat.
At night, they could tell time by looking at the southern cross and the north star. They also could estimate time by the crowing of the cocks.

Part III – Other Information

There are no Filipino authors born or residing in this community. No books or documents treating of the Philippines are available here.

Notes and references:
Transcribed from “History and Cultural Life of the Barrio of Talahib Payapa” 1953, online at the National Library of the Philippines Digital Collections.
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