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| Historical data from the National Library of the Philippines. |
PART VI
PART I | PART II | PART III | PART IV | PART V | PART VI
[p. 36]
11. Mahaba kapag naka-up
Maikli pag nakatayo. – aso
(Short when standing, tall when sitting.) – dog
12. Bunga nga, ay may bunga pa. – kasoy
(A fruit within a fruit.) – kasoy
13. Isang bayabas, pito ang butas. – mukha
(A guava fruit, with its seven holes.) – human face
14. Takot sa isa, matapang sa dalawa. – tulay
(Afraid of one, but not of two.) – bridge
15. Dalawa ang kapitan, labingdalawa ang sundalohan. – relo
(Two commanders with twelve soldiers.) – time piece
16. Isang butil na palay, sikip sa buong bahay. – ilaw
(A grain of palay, more than enough in the house.) – light
17. Buhok ng pari, hindi mawahi. – tubig
(The hairs of the priest, that could not be parted.) – water
18. Tubig sa digan-digan, hindi patakan ng ulan. – niyog
(Water in a bowl, that rain can’t fill.) – coconut fruit.
19. Bahay ni Kiring-kiring, butas-butas ang dingding. – bithay
(The house of Kiring-kiring, with holes all around.) – winnower
20. Baboy ko sa pulo,balahibo’y pako. – nangka
(My pig in an island, whose hairs are nails.) – jackfruit
21. Ang ina ay nagapang pa, ang anak ay nakatayo na. – kalabasa
(The mother is still crawling, while the child is already sitting.) – squash
22. Dalawang sundang, nag-uunahan. – ha-lo
(Two swords that race one another.) – pestle
[p. 37]
14. Proverbs and Sayings:
1. Anak na di paluin, ina ang patatangisin.
(Spare the rod and spoil the child.)
2. Ang hipong tulog, nadadala ng agos.
(A sleeping shrimp is carried by the current.)
3. Baboy na ilan ang panginoon
Mamamatay sa di paglamon.
(A pig with two or more owners will surely die of hunger.)
4. Ang gawang palamara, sino man ay nakakuha.
(A thing neglected may [be] lost unheeded.
5. Naiiwan ang saya, di naiiwan ang dasa.
(A santol tree will not bear a mango fruit.) [The English version does not match the Tagalog one.]
6. Ang arao bago sumikat, nakikita ang banaag.
(Before a thing is made, a plan is laid.)
7. Di man makita ang apoy, sa aso ay natutunton.
(Where there is smoke, there is fire.)
8. Marunong man ang pantas, daig ng mamimintas.
(A fool may teach the wise.)
9. Ang di marunong magbata, walang hihintaying guinhawa.
(He who endures not, will gather not.)
10. Walang matalas na tabak kung laging nakasakbat.
(There is no sharp bolo, when always hidden.)
11. Ang di lumingon sa pinanggalingan
Di makararating sa paroroonan.
(He who does not look back at where he comes from
May not expect to reach where he is going.)
12. Ang walang hirap mag-ipon, walang hinayang magtapon.
(He who does not earn, has no control to spend.)
[p. 38]
13. Pag ang tubig ay matining, tusokin ay malalim.
(A still water is deep.)
14. Walang mailap na pugo sa matiyagang magsilo.
(There is no wild bird for a persevering hunter.)
15. Ang lakad na matulin kung matinik ay malalim.
(He who walks fast will be hurt deep by a thorn.)
16. Ang taong tulog, patakan man [ng] pera, ay di makapulot.
(A sleepy fellow will not pick up a centavo.)
17. Kung wala naayaw, ay walang pipilit,
Kung walang malayo, ay walang malapit.
(If there is no positive, there is no negative.)
18. Pag lumosong ang nag-aahon.
(He who goes down will rise up.)
19. Sabihin mo ang iyong kasama, at sasabihin ko kung sino ka.
(Tell me who your companions are and I will tell you who you are.)
20. Kung ano ang taas ng lipad ay siyang bilis ng bagsak.
(A very proud fellow may rapidly turn a pauper.)
21. Pag hindi ukol ay hindi bubukol.
(If fortune does not abide, it is hard to keep.)
22. Ang masama sa iyo ay huag gawin sa iba.
(Do [not] unto others what you do not like others [to] do unto you.)
23. Makapitong isipin bago mo sabihin.
(Think seven times before you say it.)
24. Pag may sinuksuk ay may titingalain.
(If you have something saved, you’ll probably be repaid.)
25. Ano mang haba ng procesyon ay simbahan din ang urong.
(Do how long the procession may be, it surely will last at the church.)
[p. 39]
26. Ang maniwala sa sabi-sabi,
Ay walang bait sa sarili.
(He who believes in others, has no self-disposition.)
27. Ang balita ay bihirang magpatap
Kung totoo man ay marami ang dagdag.
(Rumors seldom tell the truth, and if there is truth in it, plenty has been added.)
28. Ang dila ay hindi patalim,
Nguni’t kung sumugat ay mariin.
(The tongue is not a sharp knife, but it can make wounds hard to heal.)
29. Kaibigan habang may gata, kaaway na pag wala.
(A friend when you have, a foe when you have not.)
30. Ang sa babaeng hiyas, sa puri ay pag-iingat.
(The jewel of the woman is her guarded purity.)
31. Magbiro ka na sa lasing, huag laang sa bagong gising.
(Joke with a drunkard, but not with one who just came from sleep.)
32. Kung anong tugtog, ay siyang sayaw.
(When you are in Rome, be a Roman.)
33. Mabuti ang malinis na budhi, kay sa yamang salapi.
(An honest penny is better than a stolen peso.)
34. Sinuman at padaldal sa gawa ay huag asahan.
(He who is full of words is wanting in deeds.)
35. Madali ang maging tao, mahirap ang magpakatao.
It is easy to be born, but hard to be a man.)
36. Ang puri ay sa nagbibigay at hindi sa pinagbibigyan.
(Blessed is the giver than the receiver.)
37. Ibang pari, ibang ugali.
(Be in conformity with the policy of a new boss.)
[p. 40]
15. Special Method of Measuring Time:
In rural areas in this place, there are some native ways of measuring time without the benefit of the timepiece. Some of these ways are through the use of the cocking roosters. When the rooster cocks for the first time at night, it is about ten o’clock. For the second time it cocks, it is about two o’clock in the morning. For the third time, it is about four o’clock and when the chickens fly down from their nest, it is about sunrise already.
After drinking coffee in the morning, the people work on their farms. When the sun is about as high as a bamboo pole, “hampas tikin,” it is about nine o’clock in the morning. When the sun is directly overhead and the shadow is too short and close to the body, it is about midday and time to eat lunch.
When the “pakiskis,” a kind of bird, sings atop a tree, it is the sign for [the] planting season or sowing the field with palay. When the cogon grass has its flowers in bloom, it is the beginning of the summertime.
16. Other Folktales and Folklores:
There are still those who believe in sorcerers as the “aswang,” who assumes the form of a dog, cat, bird or other animals and eat human flesh. They say there is also the “manggagaway” who injures people by satanic and devilish powers. The “mangkukulam” who causes people to die or be sick; the “patianak” who sucks the entrails of the baby by their long proboscis; and the “tigbalang” who takes various forms to foil his victims; the “gayuma” whose love charm to the Tagalogs, have strong appeals to the young man. There are also the soothsayers who can foretell the future and interpret both bad and good omens. “Anting-anting” which are believed to have magic powers against certain types of injuries or against iron weapons. These amulets are being hunted and cared for.
[p. 41]
There are other folklores connected with some beliefs. A story goes that Sicalac and Sicabay, the parents of the human race, came from the hollow of a bamboo, which grew from a seed planted by Captan, the god of the sky, the seed having been given to himby Maguayan, the god of the sea.
The balete tree comes in for a large amount of superstitious significance. One of the stories concerning the tree relates how a little girl, who one day when she forgot to bow to this tree as she passed by, was caught by the “tigbalang,” the spirit of the balete tree. The little girl was kept shut up within the tree for days and days until the people, by means of prayers and other ceremonies, succeeded in dispelling the influence of the evil Ticbalang, who finally set the girl free.
Banana Tree
The flower of the banana tree was once believed by the Tagalogs to possess [a] magic stone, which gives great strength. This tone can be obtained only at midnight, when the flower of the banana plant is said to turn to the ground. The one seeking this tone, should look for a banana plant just in flower, and at midnight, he should stand with his handkerchief spread out to catch the white stone, which will drop like a pearl. The minute the stone drops, [a] ghost will appear and will try to take away the stone. The one seeking this stone should and must write the ghost, so he may keep the amulet.
17. Documents written by those born in this place:
There are none of these written things made by those born in this place. Up to this time, there are no known articles written by natives of this barrio, although there are now some professionals born in this place.
PART I | PART II | PART III | PART IV | PART V | PART VI
Notes and references:
Transcribed from “Historical and Cultural Life of the Barrio of Pinagtongulan” 1953, online at the National Library of the Philippines Digital Collections.
