Calumpang, San Luis, Batangas: Historical Data Part I

PART I

PART I | PART II

Full transcription of the so-called “Historical Data” for the barrio of Calumpang in the Municipality of San Luis, 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.

[Cover page.]

HISTORY AND CULTURAL LIFE
OF THE BARRIO OF
CALUMPANG

[p. 1]

HISTORY AND CULTURAL LIFE
OF THE BARRIO OF
CALUMPANG

Part One

The present official name of the barrio is Calumpang. It is situated on the top of the plateau which extends from Mt. Makulot to Durungao. It is a thousand feet above sea level, seven kilometers from the mother town of San Luis to the west and is bisected from east to west by the provincial road.

The present Calumpang is a union of two barrios – Calumpang in the eastern part and San Martin in the western part. This union was made during the early part of the American regime. Its name was derived from a big calumpang tree which was found growing in the southern part of the barrio. There are plenty of sitios included within the jurisdiction of Calumpang. They are Tawiran, Kawayang Bugtong, Spanya, Papaya, Talang, Bawuan, Onggot, Pook, Bahay Tubig and Patay na Mangga.

The earliest families in the barrio were the Aseron family, Magsombol family, Celindro family, Bonsol family and Maulion family.

The following barrio lieutenants have served the barrio:

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In Sitio Pook, where the original families of the barrio were settled, the children who married built their houses along the trail which is now the provincial road.

In sitio Bawuan, in the northern part of the barrio, a camp was made during the Filipino-American War. The inhabitants of the barrio were zoned during the latter part of 1900 and set free in the early part of January 1901. In other sitios, there were no families who settled.

During the Spanish occupation, the inhabitants were treated as slaves; very few had landholdings. Some men volunteered to fight against the Spaniards. They were given ranks as: Capitan, Lieutenant and Cabo. All of them are receiving the same pension (₱15.00 a month) when the Americans arrived.

The coming of the Americans opened the minds of the male residents to business. They began to peddle dry goods in every part of the country and those who could afford to send their children to higher institutions of learning did so.

Majority of the young men joined the underground movement during the Japanese occupation. The guerrillas fought against the Japanese forces that had their stronghold in Mt. Durungao. In sitio Onggot, in 1945, there were around ten Japanese soldiers killed by them. It was also this time when the people were forced to plant cotton, which was bought by a Japanese corporation.

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During the Spanish and American regimes, all residents were Roman Catholics, but in 1949, a new sect preached its doctrine but a few adhered to it. This religion, which is known as Iglesia ni Kristo, have followers in the barrio.

In the early part of the 19^th century, the authorities in this barrio were the tenientes and the cabezas. The distinction of the authorities from the others was that they carried their wooden clubs as symbols of their authority. During the Japanese occupation, people were forced to give foodstuffs and when they refused, they were tortured to the extent that some were disfigured.

The standards of living in the community are all the same. Every family owns a lot where the house is built and every farmer has a piece of land to till.

During the Spanish regime, the children were only taught the cartilla. Later during the American regime, elementary education was brought about. First, it was up to Grade Two, then up to Grade Three, and then to Grade Four. A school house of strong materials was built in 1926, when [the] Hon. Antonio de las Alas was a member of the House of Representatives. After finishing Grade Four, the children went to different towns to complete elementary education so that [a] few could continue studying. After liberation, many continued the secondary education because a high school was founded in the barrio.

About six or seven persons were killed during the Japanese Occupation. Their bodies were never recovered. After liberation from the Japanese forces, most of the male population engaged in the buy and

[p. 4]

and sell business. Most women also engaged in this business. Some are engaged in poultry and pigeon raising. There are five poultry and four pigeon projects in the barrio.

PART TWO

Most of the women in the barrio are only housekeepers. In the early days of [the] American regime, few persons went to town. The men in the barrio are mostly farmers. They prepare the farms during the dry season and in the early part of the month of May, they sow the grains, waiting for the rainy season to come. Social gatherings, especially dances, are seldom held in the barrio for the women are mostly occupied in household work. Except in very rare cases are women obliged by the men to help in preparation for a dance to be held; the men shoulder the expenses.

Birth – In this barrio, when one gives birth, chickens are killed and the relatives and neighbors of the family are invited. It is done as a celebration for a life is saved from the danger of giving birth and a new life is born. The delivery of the child is usually assisted by an unlicensed midwife.

Baptism – In selecting a godfather or godmother for a child during baptism, the husband and the wife and the old folks in the family to the selection. When they have selected a certain person, such person is informed by the father or grandfather or sometimes by a near relative of the child that said person is godfather or godmother as the case may be. In going to the house of the sponsor, they bring with them some drinks or cigarettes and, thus, the father or the one to tell the sponsor informs that he is selected to be the godfather and the child will be

[p. 5]

baptized on such a date. The godfather buys baptismal apparel and brings them to the house of the child. At the baptism of the child, it is the godfather who pays for the baptismal fees. When there is a celebration or party, the godfather gives family wine, some chicken or sometimes pig. The godfather gives the child a baptismal gift such as money or jewelry.

Courtship – In the early days, a man courting a women helped in the family of the girl in any kind of work. The parents of the girls, when they liked the man, they did not forbid the man from helping them, but when they did not like the man, they (parents) told him not to help. During evenings, the man went to the house of the girl, just to pay respects. He could not talk with the girl. In going to the house of the girl, the man, upon seeing the roof of the house, took off his hat and went directly to the house. The parents were the ones who decided if their daughters would love and marry the man. When the man was liked by the parents of the girl, the parents of both parties decided the date of the marriage, the things to be served during the marriage celebration. When everything was fixed for the marriage celebration, the girl, with her parents, and the boy, with his parents, went to town to file application for [a] marriage license. The godfather for baptism and for confirmation of the girl were given their respective gifts to which, in return, these godmothers would give their respective gifts to the couple. But when the bridegroom-to-be had the means, the parents of the girl asked for a donation (propter nuptias or capital of the husband).

Marriage – All marriages were solemnized by the priest. Before the solemnization of the marriage, all who will participate in the marriage

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ceremony go to town two (2) days before taking with them all that is needed for the ceremony. They stay in the house of the “fiscal.” In the house of the said fiscal, the would-be husband and wife were taught to say their prayers. While the marriage ceremony is being performed, the folks in the barrio prepare food to be served. After the ceremony, the whole party goes home, riding on horses. The newlyweds kiss the hands of the older relatives of both, and their relatives, in turn, give them small sums of money as a gift to the newlyweds. This practice is also observed nowadays by the people of the locality.

Death – In the early part of the 19^th century, the dead were wrapped in white sheet covers and tied on bamboo poles by rope and then carried to town on the shoulders of the male persons who attended the funeral services. Later, the dead was put in coffins and carried to the cemetery by the men, who had to walk from the barrio to the town. Before a dead man was taken downstairs, a dipper of water was thrown to the ground. Nobody was allowed to look outside the window when the dead was brought downstairs. None of the relatives of the dead should take a bath when the dead was in the barrio. None from the house should wash clothes and sweep the floor, not until the fourth day from death.

Burial – The dead from this place are buried in town in the Roman Catholic Cemetery or in the Municipal Cemetery. When a person is to be buried, a relative or a person is requested by the kin of the dead to

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go to town to secure the necessary permits and to notify the grave digger to dig a grave. In the Spanish regime, all were buried in the Catholic Cemetery. When the dead had been brought to town, it was brought to church for the funeral rites of the priest. Then, he would be carried to the cemetery. Before the corpse was lowered into the grave, a last prayer for the soul was said. No person left the cemetery until the body was being covered with soil. Only those who were rich were buried with pomp.

Visits – With respect to visits, before one could enter the house, he should take off his hat and knock on the door. In the early days, one who entered a house he visited should kneel and pay respects to the old folks. He talked in a very low voice. Nowadays, these good habits and customs are not well-practiced. Children just greet you “good evening,” “good morning,” even when they go to one’s house. In the early days, children kneeled and asked for blessing and the old would answer, “God bless you.” When leaving the house, in the early days, one walked quietly downstairs and put on the hat when already downstairs.

Festivals – At festivals, when it concerns the whole barrio, a meeting is called to fix the date of the celebration and the amount of contribution. In fiestas, mass is celebrated in an improvised chapel. Relatives and friends in nearby barrios, sitios and towns are invited. The old folks help in the preparation of the food. There’s no social discrimination in the invitation. Children eat in tables segregated from the elders. When the guests leave, they notify the hostess. Festivals are celebrated with music. In the early days, string bands

PART I | PART II

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