Sandala, Ibaan, Batangas: Historical Data
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| Historical data from the National Library of the Philippines. |
Full transcription of the so-called “Historical Data” for the barrio of Sandalan in the Municipality of Ibaan, 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.
[p. 1]
HISTORY AND CULTURAL LIFE OF THE BARRIO OF SANDALAN
Part One: History
1. [The] Present official name of the barrio is Sandalan.
2. [The] Popular name of the barrio is Balindis. It is called Balindis for the street runs diagonally with the rising sun.
3. Date of establishment was 1832.
4. Original families – 48
5. List of tenientes from the earliest time to date:
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Fernando Villanueva Tomas Celera Eleno Roallos Antonio Madlangbayan Catalino Semira |
Antero Villanueva Roman Roallos Simeon Alido Pedro Madlangbayan Gregorio de Castro |
6. Story of old barrios or sitios within the jurisdiction that are now depopulated or extinct:
None
7. Data on historical sites, structures, buildings, old ruins.
Bukal, a ring ravine, gives refreshing drinks to thirsty travelers. It is worthy of note that this place be remembered for it once served as the sanctuary to numberless people who took refuge in said place. Bukal Convento following the outbreak of the terrible time robbery in Balanga.
8. Important facts, incidents or events that took place:
During the early part of the Japanese occupation, Sandalan was once the seat of the Provincial Government. All provincial officials evacuated to this place and they their office in one of the houses there.
9. This place was quite fortunate for there was no destruction of lives, properties and institutions during wars.
Part Two: Folkways
10. It is the custom of the people of this barrio that when a child is born, neighbors visit the newly-born babe with gifts as eggs and others. Every night, there is a “puyatan.” People there enjoy different games as “Huego de Frenda” and others. When the child is baptized in the church in town, the puyatan is over.
11. In ancient times and even up to the present generation, the people of this locality have had many queer beliefs regarding the different phenomena of nature and associate them with myths, legends, and superstitions.
The eclipse is believed to have a bad effect on the suitors whose proposals to young maidens will meet their doom as in the case of “Pinaglahuang Pag-ibig,” and to those who are newly engaged, it means a temporary break.
Earthquakes are believed to be the wrath of God. Others believe that it is the meeting of heat and cold under the earth.
[p. 2]
When a setting of eggs has been subjected to an earthquake, they believed [the eggs] to be infertile.
When lightning flashes are accompanied by thunder, old people say, “Close all the openings or leave them all open.” Do not go near a door, post or window but kneel and pray. Sometimes, the whole family sits around a disk of live charcoal placing dried coconut leaves which had been used in the church during Palm Sunday and blessed with holy water. The smoke from this gives relief from fear of lightning and thunder.
When clouds are moving fast from north to south, it is believed that a typhoon is coming. The rain is believed to have been brought up to the sky by a rainbow and when the load becomes heavy, the rain falls.
12. Popular songs: Lulay, Bayan Ko, Abaruray
13. Puzzles and riddles –
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Who is he? He catches rats and mice He helps you and me. | cat |
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All over is black Bill, eyes, feet and back. | crow |
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He can fly and walk But what is wonderful is He can be taught to talk. | parrot |
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Clock of the mountain so they say Calling "Ca-la-oo" at twelve everyday | [kalaw] |
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A very good fisherman is he But he never sells fish to you or me. | kingfisher |
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He is the smallest parrot I have seen Dressed in yellow, red and green. | Kulasisi |
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Ik-aw, ki-aw, kiaw O, how loudly he sings His coat is yellow But black are his head, tail and wings. | oriole |
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It has a very short tail This fat little bird Men catch it in a net As I have often heard. | quail |
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Quack, quack, quack Here comes the champion swimmer No he is not a kingfisher Nor is he much bigger. | duck |
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Like Mrs. Duck she is big and tame Unlike Mrs. Duck she cannot swim I wonder if you can guess her name. | hen |
[p. 3]
13. Proverbs and sayings –
A puppy’s bark thou must not hid
Long feared that weird sound of a bird
No more shall be wilds are all cleared.
Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika,
Ay higit sa hayop at malansang isda.
Kapag sa bato tumama’y
Walang mabuting hasa.
Paa’t kamay na masira,
Galing sa ulong masama.
Bago ka pumahid ng sa ibang uling,
Ang uling mo muna ang unang pahirin.
Sumisigaw ang may sala
Humihingi ng parusa.
Walang dalagang matanda
Sa lalaking may paghanga.
Ang kalabaw na matanda
Ang hanap ay damong mura.
Biro-biro kung sanglan,
Totoo kung tamaan.
Mabuti na ang tumiyak
Kay sa mag-alapaap.
Kung sino ang mapamili
Kahit balo ay makisig.
Maganda ka ma’t marikit
Mabuti sa pananamit
Wala kang sariling bait
Walang halagang ga hanip.
Ang pilak mo man ay sang kaban;
Ang ginto mo man ay santapayan
Kung wala ka namang kaibigan
Ay wala ka ding kabuluhan.
Madali ang maging tao
Mahirap ang magpakatao.
Bahay man ay bato at natira’y kuwago
Ay mabuti ang kubo na ang natira’y tao.
Ang hindi makiki-ugali
Ay walang bikas umuwi.
Ang ibong hawak na’y pigilang magaling;
Kapag nakawala’y mahirap ng dakpin.
Wala mang utang na limpak
Na di limpak kung magbayad.
[p. 4]
15. Methods of measuring time, special calendars.
The early inhabitants of this barrio who were almost all illiterates resorted to crude and various methods of reckoning time. The most common [of] them are based on the crowing of the chicken as follows:
1. The first crowing of the chickens early in the evening is reckoned as nine o’clock P.M.
2. The second crowing is eleven.
3. The third crowing is midnight.
4. The fourth crowing is the early dawn about four o’clock.
5. The fifth crowing which is called “dalasan na” is about five thirty in the morning.
A young owlet commonly called bahaw in the locality makes a loud shrill noise early in the dawn and the time is five o’clock.
At daybreak, it is usually reckoned as six o’clock in the morning. When the sun is overhead, that is, the zenith, it is called twelve o’clock.
Still, there are methods such as the following:
1. The so-called “hampas-tikin ang araw” meaning where a bamboo pole is placed at 45 degrees pointing at the sun, this position of the sun is reckoned as 3 o’clock in the afternoon.
2. The length of time the rice is cooked in an ordinary-sized pot called “isang sinaingan” which is measured as equivalent to fifteen minutes’ time.
3. Still another is the length of time that it takes to smoke a home-made cigarette which is equivalent to ten minutes.
4. Another method is when the patula [patola] vine opens its flowers which is almost exactly five o’clock in the evening.
Special Calendars -
In the absence of the printed calendars, the division of the different parts of the year is usually reckoned by the presence of the migratory birds. Early in the month of May when a group of small birds called “perukit” and these birds begin to sing aloud twittering after the first or second rain at the end of the dry season. The farmers hurry in preparing their fields for planting, and they know that this period of the year corresponds to the month of May because of the melody produced by the song of these birds is similar to “hasik-hahasik” meaning sow, sow your rice.
When it is harvest time, a certain kind of bird locally known as “pakiskis” migrates in large numbers and they also make shrill noises, then the farmers know that this period of the year corresponds to the month of September or harvesting season. The funny thing about these birds is that they disappear after the harvest time and if one could find one or two, they don’t make noise.