Dayap, Nasugbu, Batangas: Historical Data

Full transcription of the so-called “Historical Data” for the barrio of Dayap in the Municipality of Nasugbu, 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 DAYAP

There were trees on earth before there were men. Almost from the beginning of man’s existence, he has been awed by the tall and majestic growth that shoots to the sky and defies the wind, rain and lightning. The first settlers headed by Islao Enguanzo found that the place was fertile and surrounded by good drainage. They noticed that a certain kind of tree could be found everywhere. It was the dayap tree. So they did not hesitate in giving this place the name Dayap. Since then, no other name had been given to this place.

This barrio, since its establishment in 1901, includes the sitios of Manggahan, Balimbing, Kaymaalat, Prenza and Pinagkurusan. Ever since the early settlers gave these names, there have been no changes except the barrio of Prenza which is now popularly called Haba.

How did they get these names? Of course, these names have their own significance. People who could no longer endure the mental and physical tortures inflicted upon them by the Casadores in the year 1896 packed up their belongings and secured their place [in what is] now known as Lumang-bayan. They went out looking for a better place to live in. Some families under the leadership of Ireneo Ularte grew tired at once and so they settled in a nearer place. They grouped together and lived under no ruler, so they were contented.

Thus, the sitio of Pinagkurusan was born.

Still, the others journeyed further, when they reached the place where many mango trees grew, they felt satisfied. This group named the place Manggahan. It was evident that they derived this name from the mango trees which made this place cool during summer and delicious fruits to eat when mangoes are in season.

Manggahan proved to be a small place for these people, so the others decided to look for greener lands. They moved eastward. They finally came to

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a place where they found a dam. This dam made possible the irrigation of the rice fields. They made up their minds to stay here because they were sure that they would have a good yield. The settlers in this place called the place Prenza, after the dam. Many years later, several floods occurred. The people then changed its name to Haba. They thought of this simply by inverting the word “baha,” the Tagalog word for flood.

Kaymaalat was named after a small spring where [the] water was salty.

The sitio of Balimbing was named by the first settlers who came from Magallanes headed by Toribio Dilima. The name was given after the numerous balimbing trees that could be found in the place.

Having gained an idea of the importance of group unity, they realized a felt need for a man from whom they could ask for some advice or to settle disputes for them. They voted a man, the wisest of them all, to be their head. He was called the Teniente del Barrio. The list below shows the following persons who acted as Teniente del Barrio:

To date, there are no sitios vacated. So far, there is no historical site or structure in this barrio.

During the Spanish time, no important incidents happened for the people were just beginning a new life. From 1901 to 1940, they were busy improving their lot. When war broke out in 1941, these places, especially Manggahan and Dayap, were overpopulated by evacuees from the poblacion.

In Dayap, wealthy merchants sought refuge. During World War II, there were groups of men plundering places, murdering men and doing all inhuman acts. These men had gone their ways too far and their evil doings were unchecked for a certain period of time. The people could not resist them. But luck was not always with them. Upon learning that wealthy families had sought refuge in Dayap, the decided to go to this barrio. It was on September 14, 1943 when a group of about sixty men headed by a notorious moro leader sur-

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prised the people in Malapad-na-bato, Balimbing, and at midnight, they proceeded to Dayap. The people here were not caught unawares. Strange as it may seem, the men in this place were ready to fight these whose sole aim was to enrich themselves by robbing others of their valuables and money. The men hid the women and children in the caves nearby. Then, they scattered themselves in strategic places. When the “mangloloob” came, they were surprised to find the houses bare – only rags could be seen. They became mad and they decided to set the houses on fire. However, they did not succeed in doing this because the peace-loving citizens ensued a fight. Thus, they had an encounter. The men of evil thoughts and deeds fled. Three of them died together with their notorious leader. Ariston Ularte was one of the ablest leaders of Dayap. He was the Lapu-lapu of this bloody clash. Since this tragic event happened, the bandits did not dare to molest the people of this place.

Liberation came and saw the men to their plows and started life anew. At present, they are busy making up for the lost time they had during the first year of the liberation. Under a new leader, they started to clean their place of bad elements. They have now [a] sense of responsibility and cooperation. They have made organizations whose aim is to help one another especially in deaths and other activities they may have. They are striving hard to make the barrio a better place to live in. Before, they seemed to give consent to unlawful acts committed by the men in their groups. Now, there is a new period and I hope it lives on until their ends are accomplished. Every piece of land is being tilled, hence, no farmlands lay idle this time. They realized the importance of education and so every parent sends his children to school. They help and cooperate with the teachers whenever there is any activity in school.

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Closely traditions, superstitions, and customs. These form a part of their lives.

LEGEND

In the barrio of Manggahan, there has been a legend about a fishing place known as Balite. They say that to date, some spirits dwell in the

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place. An old woman or a beautiful lady could be seen in this place. Luck in fishing is still on the lap of this beautiful lady. A fisherman has to be in the good graces of the spirits or else he’ll go home without a catch. He may drown or he may be wounded by a ferocious fish. There are time when a fishermen could see abundant fish, but when they attempt to catch them, they disappear. There are times when the water becomes muddy, too. So a fisherman, before trying to fish, must say an excuse to the spirit.

SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS

1. When there are plenty of stars at night, the next morning will be suited for planting. They say if it is a fruit tree, it will bear much fruit.

2. When a kasay-kasay is heard often, there will be plenty of rain.

3. During the hot season when the red ants are seen coming out from their holes in the ground, rain is coming.

4. When a man will go to try his luck in gambling and the first one he meets is a pregnant woman, it means bad luck.

5. Numerous fireflies around a tree is a sign that this tree is the home of a spirit called “Kapre.”

6. If the cat faces the door and licks its paws, it is a sign that some visitors are coming.

7. The cries of the gecko are counted and each cry alternatively indicates rain or sunshine the next day.

CUSTOMS

1. Baptismals -

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SUPERSTITIONS

Deaths and Burial:

MARRIAGE AND COURTSHIP

(1) When a star is near the moon, it is a sign of good luck for the males.

(2) The parents are the ones responsible in selecting the future mate of the [erased] popularly known as “Matandaan.”

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MGA SALAWIKAIN

Transcribed from “History and Cultural Life of Dayap,” 1953, online at the National Library of the Philippines Digital Collections.