Panghayaan, Taysan, Batangas: Historical Data

Full transcription of the so-called “Historical Data” for the barrio of Panghayaan in the Municipality of Taysan, 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 PANGHAYAAN

Outlying partly [on] the western and southern edges of the town of Taysan and extending westward to span the border of Ibaan, a neighboring town, lies the barrio of Panghayaan. The barrio embraces several smaller districts originally distinct from one another but which since the founding of the town have been grouped together to assume the name of one of the bigger sitios, Panghayaan. Pook ng Kapitan, one of the sitios, explains its name, so called because it was owned originally by a Spanish-era Kapitan Esteban Viril. Kamalig, another district, has derived its name because of the construction in the locality of a big barn more easily and commonly known as kamalig. Putol – because of an unfinished road, meaning cut; Kibkiban – explained by a brook, an old time shelter for cattle from rustlers, kibkiban, that is, to shelter. All had been invited to assume the name of Panghayaan, a big sitio and which name has been known since time immemorial.

Populated by closely related families, the bigger of which and more ancient are the Hornilla, Balbastro and Panganiban [families], blended into a common belief in legends, myths and superstitions. The people have developed a culture, a tradition similar to but not mimicked from other barrios. The lulay, a dance interpretation of an antiquated love affair, executed to the rhythm of an old lullaby more often accompanied by the old banjo and guitar in the vicinity, was formerly the most common form of man and lady entertainment in any gathering. During Maytime, Flores de Mayo, a celebration, is done mightily [nightly?] in an improvised chapel. Prayers and floral offerings are made to

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the patron saint, after which on the spot, programs are made unrehearsed. Aside from the lulay, vocal solos are rendered, together with declamations. The subli is most common during this time. This is a weird dance, more of calisthenics and footwork drummed up by a tom-tom, during the height of which women and men picture the symbolic and primitive Indian war dance around a campfire. After the liberation, however, ballroom dancing gradually wound its way into the people’s social life and up to the present when amplifiers and mambos have practically replaced everything.

Like any other place after the war, reconstruction took place. After the Spanish and American conflict, during which a few lives were lost, all the houses, which we're more than a hundred, were burned, crops and cattle completely destroyed. In the year 1941, at about the outbreak of World War II, seven artesian wells where built throughout the barrio. This was done with the aid of the Antipolo Mining Company, a concern three kilometers south of the barrio.

Water-borne diseases became low. After the liberation, many got employment in the U.S. Army depots. That was a real touch with modern civilization. Superstitious beliefs became less; witchcraft and magic practically eradicated. But the Filipinos as they are and the Philippines as it is, still the herbolarios and the hilots (common midwife) enjoy considerable celebrity and honor. It is not uncommon for one to come across an ailment branded as bati – something caused by the innocent gestures of others, and nono, tiny earth dwellers which can cause sickness and death when provoked. It is an

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evil woman with glasses break without apparent reasons or when the rice remains raw in spite of good boiling. A kin must not allow tears to fall on the body of the dead and to sit thirteen up a table is always unlucky.

Even courtship and marriage have changed. Visits are more tolerated and the old practice of marrying off a daughter to a father’s favorite have disappeared. But the change was not drastic. Still, one has to be in the family’s good graces to be approved as a groom and minor hikerings [?] have occurred preparatory to a wedding. Elopement, though, are seldom, are not a myth.

For many nights after delivery, the mother is denied of good sleep because of the puyatan. People keep throngs in the house to be vigilant all over night and make noises where as a matter of fact, silence is most needed. This vigilance is maintained until the baby is baptized.

Patience and endurance are traits among the people. Farming is the common calling among the people. Undaunted by the hardships, the people maintain their bearing, calm as the brook rippling in a summer morning, always believing that unto each will belong that which is destined to be his. The place is peaceful [and] has never been a scene of notoriety and terror. The people believe in a good government and deserve sufficient respect for their leader, the Pangulo, the head of the barrio. In a chronological order, Fulgencio Caponpon, Pedro Panganiban, Gabriel Cueto, Nicolas Magadia, Gavino Magnaye, Pedro Magnaye, Ignacio Magbailac [not sure, not clear in the document], and the present head Ramon Barbosa.

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Aside from farming, the people also enjoy considerable income from sawali-making. During the summer months, fishing in the rivers is a common hobby. It is also during this season that some of the skilled carpenters of the place immigrate to other places to work in building constructions. However, those who do not migrate engage themselves in the manufacture of lime in Mapulo, an adjacent barrio. There is tranquility in Panghayaan and ceaseless as the river that winds its way through its never ending route and always hoping that tomorrow will be a better day, the people toil.

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