Santol, Tanauan, Batangas: Historical Data

Historical data from the National Library of the Philippines.

Full transcription of the so-called “Historical Data” for the barrio of Santol in the City of Tanauan, 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 SANTOL
Part One: HISTORY

1. Present official name of the barrio: SANTOL.

2. Popular name of the barrio present and past; derivation and meaning of these names. Names of sitios under the territorial jurisdiction of the barrio:

3. Date of establishment: 1785.

4. Original families: the Laurels and the Garcias.

5. List of tenientes from the earliest time to date:

6. Story of old barrios or sitios that are now depopulated or extinct: None.

7. Data on historical sites, structures, buildings, old ruins, etc.: None.

8. Important facts, incidents or events that took place:

9. a. Destruction of lives, properties and institutions during wars:

[p. 2]

Part Two: FOLKWAYS

10. Traditions, customs and practices in domestic and social life:

a. Baptism:

It was and still is the custom of the people of this barrio to give [a] preliminary baptism or what we call in our dialect “buhusan ng tubig.” When a newly-born baby is ill and a priest is not available, this type of baptism is done because of the belief that if a child dies without even this “buhos tubig,” it may become a tiyanak.

(Sa bukid, ang usong binyagan ay ang tinatawag na buhusan ng tubig. Ito ay isinasagawa kung ang bata ay may sakit. Kapag hindi raw nabinyagan ang bata, ito ay magiging isang tiyanak.)

b. Marriage:

Up to this time, the old marriage customs still prevail in this barrio. Marriages are arranged by the parents. There are two prerequisites to be met before marriages are consummated:

Dowry and Servitude.

(Hanggang ngayon, ang kasalan sa nayong ito ay marami pa kasalang matandaan. Ang naghahanda o nagpupulong ay ang magulang ng bawa’t isa. Bago matuloy ang kasalan ay mayroong nagbibigay ng bilang, na karaniwan ay lupa, alahas o kuwarta. Ang lalaki ay kailangan pa ring magsilbi ng mahabang panahon sa magulang ng babae bago makasal. Ang kasalan sa bukid ay ipinaghahanda ng malaki. Magpapatay ng mga baboy, baka at manok.)

c. Death:

When the dead person is brought down from the house for burial, an old woman with a dipper full of water pours water on the floor. The dipper is thrown away, never to be used again.

(Kapag ang patay ay ipinanaog na sa bahay, ito ay sinusundan ng isang matandang babae na may dalang isang tabong tubig. Ibihubuhos ang tubig sa sahig at sa dinanan ng bangkay. Ang tabo ay itinatapon na at hindi na gagamitin uli.)

11. Beliefs and Superstitions:

a. The appearance of a comet is an ill omen, for it foretells war, pestilence or calamity.
(Ang paglabas ng kometa ay isang pangitaing masama. Maaaring magkaroon ng digmaan o salot.)

b. When one is planting some banana plants, it is bad to look up for the plants will grow very tall, and they will not bear fruit.
(Kung nagtatanim ng saging ay huwag titingalain, sapagka’t ang saging ay [magiging] masyadong mahaba o tataas, at hindi bubunga.)

c. It is bad to sing in front of the stove while cooking, for one will marry a widow or a widower, as the case may be.
(Masama ang umawit sa harap ng kalan kung nagluluto sapagka’t magkaka-asawa ng balo.)

[p. 3]

d. Children are forbidden to eat [the] unfertile eggs of chickens for they will become feeble-minded.
(Ang mga bata ay pinagbabawalang kumain ng itlog ng bugok sapagka’t mababaliw o mahuhuli pag laki.)

e. It is bad to comb one’s hair when the sun is setting, for one’s mother will die.
(Masama ang magsuklay ng buhok kung nalubog ang araw sapagka’t mamamatay daw ang ina.)

f. When a baby is given his first bath, flowers and coins are placed in the basin of water, for these are signs of happiness and wealth.
(Sa unang pagpapaligo sa bata, ang tubig na ipapaligo ay nilalagyan ng bulaklak at pera. Ito raw ay nangangahulugan na masayahin at mayamanin ang bata pag laki.)

g. After sowing the palay in the field, it is bad for the farmer to sweep his yard, for his palay will be growing in groups.
(Masama raw ang magwalis kung bagong nakahasik, sapagka’t ang sibol ng palay ay ipon-ipon.)

h. When a pregnant mother trims her hair, she will give birth to a hairless baby.
(Kapag ang isang ina ay nagdadalang-tao, masama ang magpagupit ng buhok, sapagka’t mag-aanak ng batang walang buhok.)

i. When one dreams that one of his teeth falls off, one of his nearest relatives will die or have bad luck.
(Kapag ang isang tao ay nanaginip na ang isa niyang ngipin ay nabunot, ay may mamamatay daw ang isang kamag-anak na malapit, o kaya’y may masamang mangyayari sa kanya.)

j. If a farmer eats his lunch in the field without salt, a witch will eat with him.
(Kung ang isang mag-aararo ay kumakain ng tanghalian sa parang at walang asin, sasaluhan daw ng tikbalang.)

12. Popular songs, games and amusements:

13. Puzzles and riddles:

a. Isang butil na palay, sikip sa buong bahay. (Ilaw)
b. Hindi tao, hindi hayop, kumakain. (Gilingan)
c. Umanak ang birhen, itinapon ang lampin. (Puso ng saging)
d. Hinalo ko ang linugaw, nagtakbuhan ang inihaw. (Bangka)
e. Malayo pa ang sibat, nganga na ang sugat. (Bibig)

14. Proverbs and sayings:

a. Iba ang kalasti ng bakal kay sa kalasti ng pinggan.
b. Saan mang gubat ay may ahas.
c. Ang tubig na matining ay siyang malalim.
d. Ang mahinahong pangungusap, sa puso’y nakakalunas.
e. Kung anong taas ng lipad, siya ring lakas ng lagapak.
f. Pag may buhay, may ginhawa.
g. Pag may isinuksok, may madudukot.

[p. 4]

15. Methods of measuring time, special calendars:

16. Other folktales:

Ang Alamat ng Santol

Buong araw na ang ating bayan ay bago pa lamang naitatayo, ay inisip ng pamunuanng bayan na gawainng pook-pook ang buong bayan ng Tanauan.

Sa isang sulok na pinakamalayo sa bayan ay mayroong ilang taong namumuhay ng sarili at tahimik. Sa nabanggit na mga tao ay mayroong mag-asawa na may anak na isang batang lalaki. Ang batang ito, palibhasa wala ng ibang kalaro, ay nawiwili na lamang sa panghuhuli ng mga ibon at pangunguha ng bungangkahoy. Isang araw, ang bata ay nakasalubong ng isang matandang may maputi at mahabang balbas. Siya ay tinawag at ang sabi, “Gusto mo ba totoy ang matamis na santol?” tumango siya at sumama sa matandang engkantado sa tabi ng puno. Ng masaya at nangain. Ang bilin sa kanya ng matanda ay huwag lulunok ng buto, sapagka’t may mangyayari sa kanya ng pagsakit ng kanyang ika-20 taong gulang. Sa kabilisan naman ng kanyang pagkain ay nakalunok siya ng isang buto ng di sinasadya.

Lumipas ang mga araw at ang batang ito’y naging ganap na binata. Doon ay labing siyam na taon na siya. Siya ay nangliligaw at nagkaroon ng katipan. Niyaya niyang sila ay pakasal na, subali’t ang babae ay tumipan pa ng isang taon. Nagdaan pa muli ang isang taon at ang gabing bisperas ng kanyang kaarawan ay dumalaw siya sa kanyang kasuyo. Inabot siya doon ng hating gabi at nang sasapit na ang kanyang hustong ika-20 taon ay nagpaalam na upang umuwi. Siya ay nanaog na at ang dalaga naman ay kumaway pa sa may durungawan ng biglang nawala ang binata. Isang malaking puno ng santol ang kanyang nakita, at ito’y nagsalita. “Paalam aking mahal.” Kumalat ang balita at nagkataon naman na ang nayon ay magpipista at bibinyagan daw upang panganlan. Hindi nila maisip ang pangalang ibibinyag, kaya’t ang dalaga ang nagsabing, “Santol” ang itawag sapagka’t ayon sa kanya, ang punong santol na kapalit ng kanyang katipan ay hulog sa kanila ng langit.

(THE LEGEND OF SANTOL)

Long ago, when our town was still young, the town officials decided to divide it into barrios.

In one of the farthest barrios, there lived several people peacefully and independently. Among this group of people, there was a couple who had one son. The boy did not have playmates, so he spent his time catching birds and gathering wild fruit. One day, he met an old man with [a] long white beard, who asked him, “Do you like sweet santol fruits?” Of course, he like it, so he went with the old enchanted man. The old man showed him the tree with sweet fruits and then he picked and ate some. The old man told him not to swallow a seed, for if he did so, something would happen to him at the age of twenty. But, because he was eating very fast, he happened to swallow a seed.

Many years passed i'm the boy grew to [become] a handsome young man. He was nineteen years old then. He went to girls’ houses and soon was engaged to one. He asked her to marry him at once but [the] girl told him to wait for another year. Another year passed and he was twenty years then. The night before his twentieth birthday, he went to his lover’s house. When it was about midnight, he bade her goodbye and went down. The girl was looking out of the window when the young man suddenly disappeared. She saw a big santol tree and [it] talked with her, “Goodbye, my love.”

The news of it spread in the whole barrio. It so happened that the barrio would have its fiesta and the place [was to] be given a name. They did not know nor could think of a good name to give. The young girl told the people that “Santol” would be an appropriate name for the barrio because, she said, the santol tree who was once her lover was given to them by God.