Maugat, Nasugbu, Batangas: Historical Data Part I
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| Historical data from the National Library of the Philippines. |
PART I
PART I | PART II
Full transcription of the so-called “Historical Data” for the barrio of Maugat 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 MAUGAT
PART I – HISTORY
INTRODUCTION:
The history of barrio Maugat shows that people stayed to live here on account of the availability of food. Life went on in small groups which was a collection of families related by blood. It’s no wonder why people in this rural area have developed a very strong spirit of neighborliness as shown in the ways of working together in accomplishing a common task. Their contact among families [was] noteworthy because of the happy human relationships existing among them. Cooperation is show in the religious, social and economic life of the people.
1. Present official name – Maugat
2. Popular name past and present Maugat
The barrio of Maugat covers the sitios of Himuran, Casuyan, ang Pongol. According to the legendary story of this barrio, this was derived from the balete tree. That time, the balete was unknown to the people but known as “kahoy na maugat” for the tree had protruding roots from the leaves to the bottom of the trunk. During that that time, the people were just living and staying there without a name. Many years passed until the people realized that it was hard to stay in a place without a name. One of the old men of the place thought of a plan. He called a meeting for the purpose of giving a name to the place. So, the people gathered one afternoon under the balete tree or “kahoy na maugat.” Each of them suggested a name, but not even one name was accepted. At last, one of the old men said, “Inasmuch as we are all gathered here under this “kahoy na maugat” for the purpose of naming this place, let us all call this place “Maugat.” The people agreed upon the suggestion of the old man. So, from that time on, the place was called Maugat. It is the most populated place and, thereafter, it became the official barrio.
3. The date of establishment has no exact record. However, according to some sources, it was established in 1901 when the town of Nasugbu was established under the American civil government.
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4. The vast tract of land of Maugat was an encomienda of Don Antonio Roxas, a wealthy Spanish landowner of Hacienda Nasugbu. During those years, the forest area was rugged and mountainous. Don Antonio placed the supervision of the land under the administration of Marcelo Tiangco, who was known as Kapitan Marcelo. Kapitan Marcelo encouraged some of the people of the town to move to the place and promised that they would be given free agricultural implements to clear the land. Kapitan Marcelo also promised to give them a good share of the harvest. The first families to pioneer this place where the families of Anastacio Villafranca, Juan Ularte, Segundo Bengcang, and Maximo Caraig. The present Bencang, Ularte and Caraig families that are at present residing in Maugat are the descendants of Mariano Ularte, Segundo Bengcang, and Maximo Caraig.
5. From the date of establishment until the Second World War, Maugat had no barrio lieutenant. It was placed under the care of the barrio lieutenant of Catandaan, an adjacent barrio of Maugat. After the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines, the people petitioned to have their own barrio new lieutenant. Alberto Bengcang, the present barrio lieutenant, was appointed by the municipal mayor.
6. The story of the old sitio is discussed under No. 8.
7. One of the historical structures that can be traced there is the old sugar mill which was erected in a lot of Silvino Ularte, a descendant of the Ularte family who first pioneered the place. The sugar mill was used by the people in milling sugarcane when there was not sugar central yet.
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(b) During the occupation, no important events happened. The people were living happily and peacefully. They were contented with the life in the barrio.
(c) At the outbreak of the Second World War, Maugat became the evacuation center of the prominent families of the town. Some of them were ex-Mayor Ciriaco Alvarez’s family, Villadolid, Samaniego, Salanguit, Villajin and Garcia families. Before the Second World War, the people were just living peacefully. They didn’t have any idea of improving their economic condition. The people were working on the lands that were not owned by them. They were victims of usury. After World War II, the barrio folks had made considerable progress in their economic and educational pursuits. The people were awakened with the new ideas of living. They learned to improve their living conditions. Now, most of the people have portions of land that were purchased from the landlords. They are practicing the modern methods of farming. Most of the houses were rehabilitated. The nipa and cogon roofing was changed into galvanized iron. No children of age can be seen out of school. Now, Maugat can be proud of having two sons with college degrees. One is a PSAT graduate and the other is a Commerce graduate from the University of the East.
PART II – FOLKWAYS
TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
1. Baptism –
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2. Medicinal Customs:
The people still believe in quack doctors. For example, when a young child suddenly develops fever, the parents presume that the child has been frightened by something which adults could not see or maybe someone had taken a fancy on the child, hence, the parents call for a quack doctor to administer the “tawas.” They believe that after the so-called “tawas,” the child would get well.
3. Visits:
When a stranger or a person calls at home and does not find anybody at the door to bid him enter, he knocks timidly on the door or the wall and follows it with a soft, respectful “tao po” meaning “person sir.”
4. Alias or Nickname:
The giving of aliases makes the people in rural areas feel closer to each other. The aliases are not resented even if they constituted downright insults.
5. Addressing:
A stranger calls at a house instead of being asked, “What do you want?”, he is greeted with “What does he want?” In Tagalog, the greeting means “Ano po ba ang gusto nila?” or “Ano po ang sadya nila?” or “Ano po ba ang maipaglilingkod ko sa inyo?” A less respectful address but limited to men is “pare,” a contraction form of “compare.”
6. Delivery:
Among the Tagalogs, as soon as the baby comes out, the “hilot” throws it into the air and catches it [and the act of doing so is] called “sawan.” The act is believed to enable the child in later life to withstand dizzy heights.
Also, for the purpose of vanishing [the] fear of high places, the “hilot” keeps the umbilical cord of the baby wrapped in a piece of white cloth and tied to a raft in the house or roof. The mother does not take a bath until after one month from the date of delivery.
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7. Most popular songs, games and amusements:
Among the most popular songs are the kundiman, pasadoble, and lulay. These songs are often sung by the young men of the barrio in serenading a lady.
The most popular games are softball, prisoner and checkers. The most common amusements are the topada and the group discussions or horong-horong.
8. Methods of measuring time and special calendars:
The position of the stars, moon and sun are the most practical ways of telling the time. The crowing of the rooster in the morning is also the timepiece of the barrio folks.
ANG ALAMAT NG BUTIKI
Ang butiki ay isang uri ng hayop na karaniwan na sa ating bayan. Ang hayop na ito kung hindi man manso isa sa mababait na hayop. Nakikita Ito kahit saan, magiging sa hapag ng pagkain at halos na sa mga kumakain. Ang hayop na ito ay may isang kaugalian, na ginagawa nila mula sa pinakamaliit hanggang sa pinakamalaki. Tuwing hapong inihuhudyat na ng mga batingaw ang orasyon, ang mga butiki nananaog sa lupa at humahalik. Ang gawaing ito ay tanda ng kasalanan nilang nagawa.
Noong unang panahon sa isang pook na malayo sa kabihasnan ay may mag-inang nanirahan nang maligaya. Ang mag-inang ito ay lagi na lamang masaya. Palibhasa’y mamag-ina na lamang kaya’t gayon na lamang ang kanilang pagmamahalan. Kung ang ina may ginagawang mahirap, ang anak na bugtong ay di nakakatiis na di tulungan ang ina. Kung nakikita ng anak na bugtong na nalulungkot ang ina ay agad niyang inaaliw ito. Sa kabilang dako, ang ina naman ay gayon din sa anak. Kung ang kanyang bunso ay pagod na pagod na galing sa gawaing mahirap sa bukid ay agad niyang sinasalubong. Ipinaghahain pa ng ina ang mahal niyang bunso kung ito hapo ang katawan. Ano pa’t ang mag-inang ito ay isang uliran na siyang nararapat
PART I | PART II