THE LEGEND OF MAKAHIYA

This is a legend that tells us about the origin of the touch-me-not (Mimosa Pudica)
plant. It tells us how a girl named Maria was turned into a plant for her safety.
Maria, a very shy girl, lived with her parents Mang Dondong and Aling Iska, in a small
village. Maria would spend hours tending to her garden, which was renowned for its
lovely flowers. One day, bandits raided the village, and fearing for her life, Maria's
parents hid her in the garden. While Aling Iska was praying to God for her daughter's
safety, the bandits broke into the house and hit them both on the head. After pillaging the
house, the bandits fled.
When Mang Dondong and Aling Iska regained consciousness, they ran to the garden to
look for Maria, but couldn't find her. They searched for her everywhere, and started to
despair, when something pricked Mang Dondong's feet. Both of them knelt down to take
a better look at the tiny plant closing its leaves. At that moment they realized, that their
shy Maria has been transformed by the Gods into the plant. They named the plant
Makahiya (Tagalog for shyness) and took immense care of it.

THE LEGEND OF MOUNT MAYON

Mount Mayon is an active volcano, named after Daragang Magayon, a beautiful girl in
this legend. This is a tragic love triangle between Daragang Magayon, her lover
Panginorin, and her admirer Pagtuga.
Magayon, daughter of the Rawis' tribal chief Makusog, was known for her exquisite
beauty and grace. So renowned was she, that suitors from faraway lands came to vie for
her hand. One of her admirers was Pagtuga, an arrogant and snobbish hunter. To win her,
he would present her with extravagant gifts, but none of them pleased her.
Panginorin, the chief of Karilaga, hearing of her beauty, decided to visit the Rawis, just to
catch a glimpse of her. When he saw her, he was immediately smitten and courted her
with much devotion. Touched by his affection, Magayon too fell in love. Panginorin,
then, rammed a spear in front of her house, denoting his intention to marry her, as per the
custom.
The wedding was just a few days away, when Pagtuga blackmailed Magayon that if she
doesn't marry him, he will kill Makusog, her father. When Panginorin came to know of

this, he attacked Pagtuga. The brutal fight ended when Pagtuga was slain by Panginorin.
A joyous Magayon rushed to his side, when a stray arrow hit her. Panginorin too, was
struck by a spear. Sadness spread over the entire kingdom, and the lovers were placed in a
grave and buried.
As days past by, people noticed that the land on which Magayon and Panginorin were
buried, was slowly rising, forming the Mount Mayon. The legend says that, now
Panginorin lives in the clouds and Magayon in the mountain, and when the peak of
Mayon is shrouded by clouds, the couple is kissing. The rain that follows this, is said to
be the tears of Panginorin. Some days, the ground shakes, and they say, this is the angry
Pagtuga trying to take his gifts back from Magayon.

The Legend of Sampaloc Lake

Sampolac Lake is the biggest lake in San Pablo, and it is named after a giant tamarind
(sampolac) tree. Though there are many different versions of this legend, the basic
premise remains the same.
There was an orchard owned by a rich couple, filled with the most delicious tamarind
trees. One day, a fairy decided to test their hospitality, and came to the orchard, dressed as
a poor, old woman. She begged the couple to give her a few fruits as she was very
hungry. The selfish couple, instead of helping the woman, let their dogs loose on her. The
old woman was bitten by the dogs and badly hurt. She touched a giant tamarind tree and
cursed, "Your greed shall be punished". As the woman was walking away, the sky
darkened and a ferocious storm broke out.
The downpour continued late in the night, the next morning though, the sky was clear and
blue. The couple came to tend their orchard and were bewildered to find their entire
orchard gone. Instead, there was water everywhere. When they looked down into the
water, they could still see their precious trees at the bottom of the lake.

Why the Sun Shines More Brightly Than the Moon

TAGALOG(http://www.seasite.niu.edu/tagalog/folktales/mythsintroduction.htm)

Long, long ago there lived a fairy with two very beautiful daughters. Araw, the older
daughter, was very amiable and had a kind disposition; Buwan, unlike her sister, was
dishonest, cruel, and harsh. She was always finding fault with Araw. One night, when
the fairy came home from her nocturnal rambles and saw Buwan badly maltreating her
elder sister, she asked God for help against her unruly daughter.
Before this time, God had prepared very valuable gifts for the two sisters. These gifts
were two enormous diamonds that could light the whole universe. When God heard the
prayer of the fairy, he descended to Earth disguised as a beggar. Upon learning for
himself how bad-tempered Buwan was and how sweet and kind-hearted Araw was, God
gave the older sister her diamond as a reward. Buwan was greatly angered by this
favoritism on the part of the Almighty, so she went to the heavenly kingdom and stole one
of God's diamonds. Then she returned to earth with the precious stone, but there she
found that were jewel was not as brilliant as Araw's.
When God went back to heaven and learned what Buwan had done, he sent two angels to
punish her. But the angels abused their commission; they seized both sisters and hurled
them into the sea. They they threw the two stones upward into the sky and there they
stuck. But Araw's diamond was bigger and brighter than the one Buwan stole.
Thereafter, the bigger jewel was called Araw ("day" or "sun") and the smaller
one, Buwan ("moon").

Why There is High Tide during a Full Moon

(IBANAG)
Long, long ago only gods lived in this world, the earth, seas, and sky were ruled by three
different powerful gods.
The sun god, who ruled the sky, had a very beautiful daughter, Luna, the moon. Luna
enjoyed going around the heavens in her golden chariot. One day she found herself
taking another path which led her outside her kingdom. She wandered on until she
reached the place where the sky met the sea. Beautiful and unusual sights greeted her
eyes. As she was admiring the beautiful things around, a voice startled her. It asked,
"Where has thou come from, most beautiful one?"
Turning around she saw a young man who looked much like her father though fairer. She
wanted to run away, but when she looked at him again, she saw that he was smiling at
her. Taking courage she answered, "I am Luna, daughter of the sun god."
The young man smiled at her and answered, "I am Mar, the son of the sea god. Welcome
to our kingdom." Soon the two became good friends. They had many interesting stories
to tell each other. When it was time for Luna to go, they promised to see each other as

often as they could, for they has many more tales to tell. They continued meeting at the
same spot until they realized that they were in love with each other.
One day after one of their secret meetings, Luna went back to the heavens full of joy.
She was so happy that she told her secret to one of her cousins. The cousin, jealous of
her beauty and her happiness, reported the affair to the sun god. The sun god was
angered at his daughter's disobedience to the immortal laws. He shut her in their garden
and did not allow her to get out. Then he sent a messenger to the sea god informing him
that his son Mar disobeyed the immortal law. The sea god, who was also angered by his
son's disobedience, imprisoned him in one of his sea caves.
Luna stayed in the garden for sometime. She was very sad at not being able to see Mar.
She longed to be with him again. Feeling very restless one day, she escaped from the
garden. She took her golden chariot and rushed to their meeting place. Mar, who was
imprisoned in the sea cave, saw her reflection on the water. He wanted to get out to meet
her. He tried hard to get out of his cave causing unrest in the sea. Luna waited for Mar to
appear, but he did not come. Then she went back home very sad. Each time she
remembered Mar, she would rush out in the golden chariot to the meeting place in hopes
of seeing him again.
The fishermen out in the sea believe that each time Luna, the moon, appears, the sea gets
troubled. "It is Mar trying to escape from his cave," they say.

Why the Dead Come Back No More

(IFUGAO)
A very long time ago, there lived a very kind woman with her three little children. She
loved her children so much that she worked hard to be able to feed them.
One day she fell ill, and in a short time she died. Her spirit went to Kadungayan, of
course, as she lived a good life, but one night she thought of her poor little children whom

she left on earth. She imagined that no one cared for them and that they must be hungry
and cold. She pitied them so much that she decided to go back to earth.
When she reached their house, she called her eldest child to open the door for her. The
children recognized their mother's voice and opened the door at once. She went in and
spoke to them, but they could not see her because it was so very dark and their fire had
gone out. The children had not built a fire since their mother died. The children were too
small, and they did not know how to build one.
So the woman sent her eldest child to beg for fire from the neighbors as she felt very
cold. The poor child went to the first house, but when she told them that she wanted fire
for her mother who had come back home, the people just laughed at her. They did not
give her fire. She went to the next house, but the same thing happened. Thus, she went
to the next house, from house to house, but no one believed that her mother had come
back. They thought the poor child had gone out of her mind. So the poor child went
home without fire. The woman was very angry with all the unkind people. She said,
"Am I to die a second death because men are so selfish? Come, my children, let us all go
to that better place where I came from - Kandungayan. There are no selfish people
there."
She took a jar of water and went outside in the yard. She shouted to all the people, "Ah,
what selfish people you all are. From this time on all people will follow my example.
No man will ever come back again to earth after death." With these words she smashed
the jar on a big stone. This made a horrible sound. All the people became silent with
fear.
The next morning the people came out to see what had caused the great voice. They saw
the bits of broken jar and they found the three children dead. They now knew that the
woman had really come back home that night and that in her anger at their selfishness
had taken her three children with her. The people were so sorry for not having given fire
to the little girl.
Since then no dead person has ever come back to earth.

The Gods and the Goddesses

(ILOKO)

Cabalangegan was a formerly a jungle at the edge of the river Abra. On the far side of
the river were mountains, high and steep. On these mountains lived an old man named
Abra, the father of Caburayan. The old man controlled the weather. It is said that the
river Abra was covered by a gathering of water vapor at night, and during the days, it was
always bright with sunlight.
At that time Anianihan, god of Harvests, was in love with Caburayan, goddess of
healing. Her mother, Lady Makiling, knew about their mutual attraction, but Abra did not
know it because the three were afraid to tell him since he might punished them as he
disapproved of Anianihan. Abra wanted his daughter to marry either Saguday, god of the
wind, or Revenador, god of thunder and lightning. This being so, Anianihan took
Caburayan from her home. Abra wept a great deal. He sent Lady Makiling away after
beating her.
When Abra was alone, he wept day and night till Bulan, god of peace and calm, came.
Though Bulan was there to brighten Abra's spirits, Abra did not stop weeping. He could
not express his anger. He begged the other gods to bring back his daughter.
One day the sun, eye of Amman, shone so brightly that the water of the river Abra was
excessively heated. Smoke rose from the the river. Soon, thick, black clouds began to
darken the sky. Then Saguday sent the strongest wind until the crowns of the trees
brushed the ground. The god Revenador sent down the largest strings of fire. The
heaviest rains fell. All these frightful events lasted seven days. The river Abra then rose
and covered the trees. There rose a vast body of water until only the highest part of the
mountain could be seen. It looked like a back of a turtle from a distance. This was the
spot where Abra lived.
On the seventh day, Abra heard a cry. He also heard a most sorrowful song. Abra dried
his tears and looked around, but he saw no one. He was determined to find Maria
Makiling, his grandchild. He did not find her, for the cries of the baby stopped.
The search for the baby lasted three full moons but to no avail, and the poor old man
returned to his home very sad. He lost all hope; his wits were gone. At that time Maria
Makiling was under the care of the fierce dog Lobo, who was under a god of the
Underworld. He had been punished by the other gods, and that is why he looked like a
fierce dog. He was sent down to do charity.

How the Angels Built Lake Lanao

(MARANAO)

Long ago there was no lake in Lanao. On the place where it is now situated, there
flourished a mighty sultanate called Mantapoli. During the reign of Sultan Abdara
Radawi, the greater grandfather of Radia Indarapatra (mythological hero of the Lanao
Muslims), this realm expanded by military conquests and by dynastic marriages so that in
time its fame spread far and wide.
The population of Mantapoli was numerous and fast increasing. At that time the world
was divided into two regions: Sebangan (East) and Sedpan (West). The mighty sultanate
of Mantapoli belonged to Sebangan. Because this sultanate rapidly increased in power
and population as well, the equilibrium between Sebangan and Sedpan was broken.
This dis-equilibrium soon came to the attention of Archangel Diabarail (Gabriel to the
Christians). Like a flash of sunlight, Diabarail flew to the Eighth heaven and told Allah,
"My Lord, why have you permitted the unbalance of the earth? Because of the power of
Mantapoli, Sebangan is now larger than Sedpan."
"Why, Diabarail," replied the Sohara (Voice of Allah), "what is wrong with that?"
"My Lord, Mantapoli has a vast population countless as the particles of dust. If we will
allow this sultanate to remain in Sebangan, I fear that the world would turn upside down,
since Sebangan is heavier than Sedpan."
"Your words show great wisdom, Diabarail," commented the Sohara.
"What must we do, my Lord, to avert the impending catastrophe?"
To this query, the Sohara replied, "Go right away to the Seven-Regions-Beneath-theEarth and to the Seven-Regions-in-the-Sky and gather all the angels. I will cause
a barahana (solar eclipse) and in the darkness let the angels remove Mantapoli and
transfer it to the center of the earth."
Upon receiving the mandate of Allah, Archangel Diabarail, traveling faster than lightning,
rallied the millions of angels from the Seven-Regions-Beneath-the-Earth and the SevenRegions-in-the-Sky. With this formidable army, he presented himself to Allah, saying,
"My Lord, we are ready to obey Your command."
The Sohara spoke, "Go to Sebangan, and lift the land of Mantapoli."
Diabarail, leading his army of angels, flew to the east. In the twinkle of an eye, the sun
vanished and a terrible darkness as black as the blackest velvet shrouded the universe.
The angels sped faster than arrows. They swooped on Mantapoli, lifting it with great care
and carried it (including its people, houses, crops and animals) through the air as if it
were a carpet. They brought it down at the center of the earth, in accordance with the
command of Allah. The very spot vacated by the sultanate of Mantapoli became a huge
basin of deep, blue water-the present Lanao Lake.

The waters coming from the deep bowels of the earth rose higher and higher. Archangel
Diabarail, seeing the rising tides immediately returned to the Eighth Heaven and reported
to Allah, "My Lord, the earth is now balanced. But the place where we removed
Mantapoli is becoming an ocean. The waters are rising fast, and unless an outlet for them
can be found, I fear that they might inundate Sebangan and drown all Your people."
In response, the Sohara said, "You are right, Diabarail. Go out, then, and summon the
Four Winds of the World: Angin Taupan, Angin Besar, Angin Darat, and Angin Sarsar.
Tell them to blow and make an outlet for the overflowing waters."
Obeying the Master's command, the faithful messenger summoned the Four Winds. "By
the Will of Allah," he told them, "blow your best, and make an outlet for the rising waters
of the new lake."
The four winds of the world blew, and a turbulence swept the whole eastern half of the
earth. The surging waters rolled swiftly towards the shores of Tilok Bay to the
southeastern direction. But the towering ranges impeded their onrush. The Four Winds
blew, hurling the waves against the rocky slopes but in vain; no outlet could be cut
through the mountain barrier.
Changing direction, this time eastward, the Four Winds blew harder driving the raging
waters towards the shores of Sugud Bay (situated east of Dansalan, now Marawi City).
Once again, the attempt to create an outlet failed because the bay was too far from the
sea.
For the third time, the Four Winds changed direction and blew their hardest. The waves,
plunging with ferocity, rolled towards Marawi. Day and night, the Winds blew as the
waters lashed against the shoreline of Marawi. This time the attempt succeeded. An
outlet now called Agus River was made, and through the outlet, that water of Lake Lanao
poured out to the sea, thereby saving Sebangan from a deluge.
It came to past that there was a high cliff at the outlet, and over the cliff the waters
cascaded in majestic volume. Thus, arose the beautiful falls which, aeons later, was
named Maria Cristina, after a famous queen of Spain.

Origin
Bagobo (Mindanao)
In the beginning there lived one man and one woman, Toglai and Toglibon. Their first
children were a boy and a girl. When they were old enough, the boy and the girl went far
away across the waters seeking a good place to live in. Nothing more was heard of them

until their children, the Spaniards and Americans, came back. After the first boy and girl
left, other children were born to the couple; but they all remained at Cibolan on Mount
Apo with their parents, until Toglai and Toglibon died and became spirits. Soon after that
there came a great drought which lasted for three years. All the waters dried up, so that
there were no rivers, and no plants could live.
"Surely," said the people, "Manama is punishing us, and we must go elsewhere to find
food and a place to dwell in."
So they started out. Two went in the direction of the sunset, carrying with them stones
from Cibolan River. After a long journey they reached a place where were broad fields of
cogon grass and an abundance of water, and there they made their home. Their children
still live in that place and are called Magindanau, because of the stones which the couple
carried when they left Cibolan.
Two children of Toglai and Toglibon went to the south, seeking a home, and they carried
with them women's baskets (baraan). When they found a good spot, they settled down.
Their descendants, still dwelling at that place, are called Baraan or Bilaan, because of the
women's baskets.
So two by two the children of the first couple left the land of their birth. In the place
where each settled a new people developed, and thus it came about that all the tribes in
the world received their names from things that the people carried out of Cibolan, or from
the places where they settled.
All the children left Mount Apo save two (a boy and a girl), whom hunger and thirst had
made too weak to travel. One day when they were about to die the boy crawled out to the
field to see if there was one living thing, and to his surprise he found a stalk of sugarcane
growing lustily. He eagerly cut it, and enough water came out to refresh him and his sister
until the rains came. Because of this, their children are called Bagobo.
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/creation-phil.html#origin

The Creation
Igorot
In the beginning there were no people on the earth.
Lumawig, the Great Spirit, came down from the sky and cut many reeds. He divided
these into pairs which he placed in different parts of the world, and then he said to them,
"You must speak."
Immediately the reeds became people, and in each place was a man and a woman who
could talk, but the language of each couple differed from that of the others.

Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they did. By and by
there were many children, all speaking the same language as their parents. These, in turn,
married and had many children. In this way there came to be many people on the earth.
Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on the earth needed to
use, so he set to work to supply them. He created salt, and told the inhabitants of one
place to boil it down and sell it to their neighbors. But these people could not understand
the directions of the Great Spirit, and the next time he visited them, they had not touched
the salt.
Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place called Mayinit. These
did as he directed, and because of this he told them that they should always be owners of
the salt, and that the other peoples must buy of them.
Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and make pots.
They got the clay, but they did not understand the molding, and the jars were not well
shaped. Because of their failure, Lumawig told them that they would always have to buy
their jars, and he removed the pottery to Samoki. When he told the people there what to
do, they did just as he said, and their jars were well shaped and beautiful. Then the Great
Spirit saw that they were fit owners of the pottery, and he told them that they should
always make many jars to sell.
In this way Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the things which they
now have.

The Flood Story

Igorot
Once upon a time, when the world was flat and there were no mountains, there lived two
brothers, sons of Lumawig, the Great Spirit. The brothers were fond of hunting, and since
no mountains had formed there was no good place to catch wild pig and deer, and the
older brother said, "Let us cause water to flow over all the world and cover it, and then
mountains will rise up."
So they caused water to flow over all the earth, and when it was covered they took the
head-basket [a bamboo basket, in which the heads of victims are kept prior to the headtaking celebration] of the town and set it for a trap. The brothers were very much pleased
when they went to look at their trap, for they had caught not only many wild pigs and
deer, but also many people.

Now Lumawig looked down from his place in the sky and saw that his sons had flooded
the earth and that in all the world there was just one spot which was not covered. And he
saw that all the people in the world had been drowned except one brother and sister who
lived in Pokis.
Then Lumawig descended, and he called to the boy and girl, saying, "Oh, you are still
alive."
"Yes," answered the boy, "we are still alive, but we are very cold."
So Lumawig commanded his dog and deer to get fire for the boy and girl. The dog and
the deer swam quickly away, but though Lumawig waited a long time they did not return,
and all the time the boy and girl were growing colder.
Finally Lumawig himself went after the dog and the deer, and when he reached them he
said, "Why are you so long in bringing the fire to Pokis? Get ready and come quickly
while I watch you, for the boy and girl are very cold."
Then the dog and the deer took the fire and started to swim through the flood, but when
they had gone only a little way, the fire was put out.
Lumawig commanded them to get more fire and they did so, but they swam only a little
way again when that of the deer went out, and that of the dog would have been
extinguished also had not Lumawig gone quickly to him and taken it.
As soon as Lumawig reached Pokis he built a big fire which warmed the brother and
sister; and the water evaporated so that the world was as it was before, except that now
there were mountains. The brother and sister married and had children, and thus there
came to be many people on the earth.

THE LEGEND OG LAKE LANAO

In ancient Lanao, there once lived a giant called Umacaan. He was so enormous that
when he spread his arms sideward, they spread as far as thirty kilometers apart. Almost
anything was within easy reach, best of all, men whom he loved to eat. Men flee at the
sight of him. No one dared come out to the mountains for fear of losing their lives at the
hands of the man-eating giant.
In no time, news about Umacaan reached as far as the kingdom of Bumbaran and came to
the knowledge of its brave princes, Rajah Indarapatra and Rajah Soliman. They swore to
kill the monster. The next day, they both set out to slay the man-eater. However, they
didn't leave at the same time. Rajah Soliman went ahead and reached Lanao to fight.

Umacaan tricked Soliman into cutting him into several pieces, each piece becoming
another giant Umacaan. The prince simply proved to be no match to the creature.
Some time later, Rajah Indarapatra reached Lanao. As soon as he arrived, he was
informed by a spirit-queen of his brother's fate. Angrily, he swore to avenge his brother's
death. Before he went on his way the spirit-queen gifted him with a magic sword to
enable him to defeat the giant. Later that same day, the two combatants met near the
shores of Lanao Lake.
When the fight began, Umacaan pulled several trees and hurled them at Rajah Indarapatra
who was quick to dodge and got out safely. Next, the giant reached for some soft clay and
formed big round balls out of it and threw them successively at the prince. Once more the
quick Rajah Indarapatra made swift plunges to avoid getting hit by the round clay balls so
that some of them fell into the lake while the others landed on the plains and turned into
hills and mountains that surround the famous Lanao Lake. At any rate, when Rajah
Indarapatra had his turn, he help up the magic sword that could wound any opponent by
merely pointing at him. As he did, Umacaan yelled in pain until he fell down to his death.
Up to now, if one were to visit Lanao Lake, one will easily notice small floating islands
all around the lake. Some of the islands are big enough to accomodate a number of
families, while the others are too small for even a single nipa hut to stand on. These
islands were believed to have formed out of the clay balls Umacaan threw at Rajah
Indarapatra that fell into the lake, while the hills and mountains that surround the lake
came from those clay balls that landed on the plains and dried over time, as the legend
had it.
Reference:
APA: Astorias, N.P. (no date published) " Myths and Legends 3: Take a journey back in
time".

Visayan version[edit]
This is an ancient Visayan account of creation:

Thousands of years ago, there was no land, sun, moon, or stars, and the world was
only a great sea of water, above which stretched the sky. The water was the kingdom
of the god Maguayan, and the sky was ruled by the great god, Kaptan.
Maguayan had a daughter called Lidagat, the sea, and Kaptan had a son known as
Lihangin, the wind. The gods agreed to the marriage of their children, so the sea
became the bride of the wind.
A daughter and three sons were born to them. The sons were called Likalibutan,
Liadlao, and Libulan, and the daughter received the name of Lisuga.
Likalibutan had a body of rock and was strong and brave; Liadlao was formed of
gold and was always happy; Libulan was made of copper and was weak and timid;
and the beautiful Lisuga had a body of pure silver and was sweet and gentle. Their
parents were very fond of them, and nothing was wanting to make them happy.
After a time Lihangin died and left the control of the winds to his eldest son
Likalibutan. The faithful wife Lidagat soon followed her husband, and the children,
now grown up, were left without father or mother. However, their grandfathers,
Kaptan and Maguayan, took care of them and guarded them from all evil.
After some time, Likalibutan, proud of his power over the winds, resolved to gain
more power, and asked his brothers to join him in an attack on Kaptan in the sky
above. They refused at first, but when Likalibutan became angry with them, the
amiable Liadlao, not wishing to offend his brother, agreed to help. Then together they
induced the timid Libulan to join in the plan.
When all was ready, the three brothers rushed at the sky, but they could not beat down
the gates of steel that guarded the entrance. Likalibutan let loose the strongest winds
and blew the bars in every direction. The brothers rushed into the opening, but were
met by the angry god Kaptan. So terrible did he look that they turned and ran in
terror, but Kaptan, furious at the destruction of his gates, sent three bolts of lightning
after them.
The first struck the copper Libulan and melted him into a ball. The second struck the
golden Liadlao and he too was melted. The third bolt struck Likalibutan and his rocky
body broke into many pieces and fell into the sea. So huge was he that parts of his
body stuck out above the water and became what is known as land.
In the meantime the gentle Lisuga had missed her brothers and started to look for
them. She went toward the sky, but as she approached the broken gates, Kaptan, blind
with anger, struck her too with lightning, and her silver body broke into thousands of
pieces.
Kaptan then came down from the sky and tore the sea apart, calling on Maguayan to
come to him and accusing him of ordering the attack on the sky. Soon Maguayan

appeared and answered that he knew nothing of the plot as he had been asleep deep
in the sea. After some time, he succeeded in calming the angry Kaptan. Together they
wept at the loss of their grandchildren, especially the gentle and beautiful Lisuga, but
even with their powers, they could not restore the dead back to life. However, they
gave to each body a beautiful light that will shine forever.
And so it was the golden Liadlao who became the sun and the copper Libulan, the
moon, while Lisuga's pieces of silver were turned into the stars of heaven. To wicked
Likalibutan, the gods gave no light, but resolved to make his body support a new race
of people. So Kaptan gave Maguayan a seed and he planted it on one of the islands.
Soon a bamboo tree grew up, and from the hollow of one of its branches, a man and a
woman came out. The man's name was Sikalak and the woman was called Sikabay.
They were the parents of the human race. Their first child was a son whom they called
Libo; afterwards they had a daughter who was known as Saman.
Pandaguan, the youngest son, was very clever and invented a trap to catch fish. The
very first thing he caught was a huge shark. When he brought it to land, it looked so
great and fierce that he thought it was surely a god, and he at once ordered his people
to worship it. Soon all gathered around and began to sing and pray to the shark.
Suddenly the sky and sea opened, and the gods came out and ordered Pandaguan to
throw the shark back into the sea and to worship none, but them.
All were afraid except Pandaguan. He grew very bold and answered that the shark
was as big as the gods, and that since he had been able to overpower it he would also
be able to conquer the gods. Then Kaptan, hearing this, struck Pandaguan with a
small lightning bolt, for he did not wish to kill him but merely to teach him a lesson.
Then he and Maguayan decided to punish these people by scattering them over the
earth, so they carried some to one land and some to another. Many children were
afterwards born, and thus the earth became inhabited in all parts.
Pandaguan did not die. After lying on the ground for thirty days he regained his
strength, but his body was blackened from the lightning, and his descendants became
the dark-skinned tribe, the Negritos.
As punishment, his eldest son, Aryon, was taken north where the cold took away his
senses. While Libo and Saman were carried south, where the hot sun scorched their
bodies. A son of Saman and a daughter of Sikalak were carried east, where the land
at first was so lacking in food that they were compelled to eat clay.

Region 2

The Legend of the Magat River

A long time ago, there lived in Bayombong a tall, handsome man called Magat. He was
young and strong, and fast as a hunter and sure in his spear shot. He could run as fast as a
deer and strong as he was, he could down a bull with ease. He was strong-willed and
obstinate but he was also kind and gentle. Except for a few who envied him his prowess,
everybody in the village loved and respected him. Magat loved outdoor life, and roamed
in the forest surrounding the struggling settlement.
One day, fired by adventure he wandered farther than usual. Soon night came. Being far
from home, he kindled a fire in his crude, primitive way. he lay beside the fire and fell
asleep.
Early the next morning, he pursued his solitary way. Finally he came upon the largest
stream he had ever seen. He stopped and crawled noisily to the bank of the river near the
fall. Upon parting the tall grasses he beheld a lovely sight just across the stream-beneath
the shade of the outspreading branches of the big balete tree was a very beautiful maiden.
She was bathing and was nude from the waist up. She was the most beautiful woman
Magat had ever seen and he fell in love with her at first sight.
From where he was hiding, Magat's attention was attracted by a silent movement on a
spreading branch; Magat saw a great python, coiled around the branch, which was ready
to attack the beautiful woman. He jumped backward. The noise he made drew the
attention of the maiden, who, turning around, saw him poise a spear. She mistook his
attitude for hostility and ducked under water. Just as the python sprang, the spear flew
from Magat's hand. The snake was struck right through the eyes and brain.
The next moment, Magat was in the water and carried the beautiful Maiden ashore. She
struggled a little but did not scream, as she modestly tried to cover her body with her long
dark hair.
Magat pointed to the writhing python. Upon seeing it, she screamed instinctively and
drew close to Magat, who put a protecting arm around her lovely shoulders. Gratitude
and admiration were all over her pretty face.
Magat picked up his broken spear and went back to the young woman. They wandered
about in the forest. Under the spell of nature, Magat asked the woman to be his wife; the
woman, after making Magat promise in the name of the great Kabunian not to see her at
noon, consented.
He brought her home and made a cozy room for her. Everything went well and happily

for a while. But the passing days, his curiosity mounted more and more and at last, it
grew out of bounds.
One noon, he broke his promise and broke into his wife's seclusion. In his wife's bed of
soft leaves and grasses he beheld a sight that chilled his heart. A great crocodile was lying
on his wife's bed. Believing that his wife had met a horrible death, he rushed to the
kitchen, fetched an ugly weapon and returned to his wife's room. He raised his weapon to
kill the crocodile when suddenly he saw his wife on the bed instead of the crocodile. His
wife was dying.
"you broke your promise. I can no longer be happy nor live any longer. I must die." his
wife sobbed. Slowly life ebbed from her. On her beautiful skin, scales appeared, as she
turned into a crocodile before his very eyes. That was his punishment for having broken
his promise made in the name of Kabunian.
Sadly, Magat buried the dead crocodile in his front yard. worn out by grief for his lack of
fidelity to his word and over the death of his lovely wife, he drowned himself and his
miseries in the same stream grew into the mighty troublesome Magat river.

The legend of the Mayon volcano says that a long time ago, there used to live a beautiful
girl called Darang Magayon, who had many guys after her from various tribes, one of
them was Pagtuga, the tribal chief from Iriga, who was also a great hunter. But Darang
Magayon was not interested on him.

One day, Darang

Magayon was bathing in
the Yaw river, and she
slipped on the rocks. She
did not knew how to
swim, but then
Panganoron, son of
Rajah Karilaya, from the
Tagalogs, saved her
while he was walking by
the river.
After saving her life,
Panganoron started to
court her, and after some
days she finally accepted his proposal, and so Panganoron decided to ask Darang
Magayon's father, Rajah Makusong for her hand in matrimony. The father accepted him.

The legend says that when Pagtuga heard of the news he got very angry, so he decided to
kidnapped Rajah Makusong and took him to the mountains, then he told everyone that he
would release him if Darang Magamon would marry him. Afraid that Pagtuga would hurt
her father, she accepted to be his wife.
When Panganon knew about the situation , he asked to his warriors to follow him to the
mountains to fight against Panganoron. The battle was fierce. Panganoron killed Pagtuga,
but later he was killed by an arrow thrown by one of Pagtuga's warriors. Sadly another
arrow pierced Darang Magayon when she was running to the arms of his love, killing her.
After the battle was over, Rajah Makusong dug a grave and laid the bodies of both lovers
in it. As days passed by, people who went to the grave to pay respect, saw that the grave
was rising, turning into a land form and they started to call it Mayon (short for Mayon).
While some says that the eruptions on the Mayon volcano, are the sings of the love
between the lovers. Other says that the spirit of Darang Magayon lives on the volcano,
and the spirit of Panganoron lives on the clouds above, and all year long disperse rain to
keep the flowers and plants fresh, so it stays beautiful.

The Legend of Catanduanes (region 5)

There are several legends that explain the origin of the name of Catanduanes. One
legend states that Catanduanes comes from the word tandu, a native click beetle that
was once abundant throughout the island. Katanduan was the reference made of this
island that means a place where tandu abound. When the Spaniards came, it was
Hispanized to Catanduanes (notice the phonological similarity, except for the additional
es in the Spanish version that was probably added to become a pluralist). Another story
says that it comes from the word a tree that abounds this paradise island to which the
people would call kasamdongan, meaning a place of samdong.
Just like the former legend, the word was Hispanized. The phonological error traces to the
Spaniards difficulty to pronounce certain words, particularly those ending in ng; hence,
from kasamdongan and katandungan, it gradually metamorphosed to Catanduanes. Still
some historians point that katandungan is a Malay word that means a place of refuge in
time of danger, for indeed, this island has always been the refuge of mariners during
stormy weather.

Region VIII - The Legend of Mount Danglay

Long time ago, a young couple Dang and mulay lived in the swampy shores ofKabatok,
their livelihood was catching crabs and shellfish and crossing the Bay to a village in
Samar island.
One Day, Dang ventured into the bay and said to himself he gathered a pearl. He took a
dive depth into the pacific ocean. He noticed that the ocean floor was moving and he
was surprised to find the giant crab as big as hill.
Dang hurriedly back to kabatok and tell his wife Mulay and they planned to catch the
giant crabs. They built a crab basket that big as a hill.

That night, they capture the huge crab and they towed the big basket with all their might.
They were so triumphant and forgot one thing, a cover for the basket. Suddenly, Dang
and Mulay fall to sleep. The big sea crab climbed out.
The Couple awake and Dang attempt to kill it but its shell was too hard. The crab pinned
the couple and dashed them against the rocks. In her terror, Mulayshout the
word: TAKLUBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! . . . . . . .
The next day, the people in the nearby town found out a dead bodies of the couple , Years
passed, the site where the bodies buried they grew mound, a hill, then a mountain. The
people called the mountain Danglay means Dang and mulay .
The swampy sitio where the couple lived was called Takluban as the last scream of
Mulay and become tacloban.

Region I - The Legend of La Union

Long ago, there was a siblings called pangasinan and ilocos. They had different mothers
but had the same father. Pangasinans mother was named Pampanga while Ilocos was
named Cagayan.
The father of the siblings, Fernando, was often put to shame when his sons quarreled in
public. And it was often Uniangan, their brother between them. When Uniangan could
not satisfy their demands simultaneous his two brothers would fight over it.
One day, a Spanish Priest passed by their house and observed the

brothersPangasinan and Ilocos quarreling and shouting of their voices. The priest heard
all the quarrel was centered on who had clout to order Uniangan around.
The priest remarked that they cut Uniangan into two so that each of them could have half
of him! The two brothers taken the advice and look each otherand then at Uniangan.
They finally realized their foolishness and started to pity Uniangan.
The priest saw the wonderful reconciliation among the brothers and pattedUniangan on
the back. Uniangan was the cause of The Unionor in Spanish, La Union. From the
day on Uniangan was renamed La Union.
When, three brother got old and eventually died they were buried side by side with La
Union in the middle of Pangasinan and Ilocos. So, as this legend of La Union goes, the
mounds grew bigger with the passage of time until they became provinces.

Region V - The Legend of Bulkan Magayon or Mount Mayon

Once upon a time, there was a princess named Daragang Magayon lived in Bicol. Shes
so beautiful and came from the family that reigns over the entire Bicol.
Because of her beauty and influence, warriors, prince and datus from different parts of
the country desired to have her as their wife.

But Magayon fell in love with a prince named Handiong, a prince who came from a tribe
that was, unfortunately, the rival of Magayons tribe.
The two suffered so much from their familys attempts to separate them and their
families fought a bloody tribal war. This caused the young couple so much pain and
decided together to commit suicide.
There tribe buried them.
Months passed the Magayons tribe saw a volcano growing in the place
whereMagayon was buried.
They named it for Daragang Magayon. Bulkang Magayon describing its perfect
shape like their beautiful Daraga.
Later on, it called Mount Mayon.

Region IV - The Legend of Mount Makiling

Once upon a time, there was a Diwata called Maria Makiling. She has light olive skin,
long shining black hair and twinkling eyes. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

One Day, the child of a farmer got sick and he went to Maria and he was given a ginger.
The Farmer sadly went home and he was greatly surprised when the ginger turn to gold!
because of her kindness the people love her.
Maria is so beautiful and wooded by many suitors. Three of them was Captain Lara, a
Spanish soldier. Joselito a mestizo and juan a farmer.
As time passed, her suitors became more and more impatient and demanded
that Maria tell them who she loves. So the diwata was forced to promise: "By the night of
the full moon, I will tell you my answer."
When the night of the full moon arrived, all her suitors up the mountain to know her
decision. All was startled when Maria told them that it was Juan whom she
loved. Joselito and Lara much angry to juan.
They accused Juan to huge fire to quartel, juan imprisoned and tortured. Next day,
soldiers bring Juan to plaza, Juan shout the name of Maria before he was shoot and killed.
It was heard by the diwata and quickly down her mountain But Juan was already dead.
Tears falling down her face and embraced tightly his lifeless body.Maria cursed the two
and those men who cannot accept failure in love.
Days later, Joselito die by no cure illness and Captain Lara was killed at the revolution.
From then, Maria never let herself be seen by the people. Every time somebody got lost
on the mountain, they remember the curse of the diwata. They remember the great love
of Maria Makiling.

Region VII - The Legend of Catalina

Many years ago, there lived a tuba seller in dumaguete named banog. He was
respected, and the people tried in every way to help him and his daughterCatalina.
Catalina was a beautiful girl, good and industrious but he has a many strange ways that
she saw something that no one else could see and people thought that she has a

mysterious powers.
One day, ships of Moros landed and killed many people. One of them who was died
was banog.
Meanwhile, Catalina looked up in the sky and she sprang into the water and walked
lightly over the waves and walked along the road to Dalugdug, the thunder mountain
behind Dumaguete.
On Dalugdug there lived a terrible Sigbin. The people begging catalina not to go the
mountain but catalina didnt listen to them.
Later on, she raise her hand and the sigbin rushing down to the mountain and killed
the moros and meanwhile they disappear among the mountains.
People search Catalina but they couldnt find her. Years later, More Morosarrived and
catalina appears and spoke a thousand of bees and killed the moros. The moros never
came back and dumaguete has been safe by Catalinathe savior of Dumaguete.

Region X - The Legend of Maria Cristina Falls

Once upon a time, there are two sisters named Maria and Cristina.
One day, they meet sultan and they both loved him and also sultan loved the two sisters
as well.

Since, Sultan cant chose and because the two sisters loved each other, to the point of
selflessly, "Maria was jumped to the falls".
When Cristina know about this, she followed and jumped to the falls as well.
When the sultan found about this unhappy incident, he buried "Maria andCristina" under
the falls..
As a tribute, he named the falls as Maria Cristina falls....

Region XI - The Legend of Maria Labo

There was a young woman named Maria who went to Canada to be a caregiver.
Before she went abroad, she taken care of an elder man who have the cursed
called "aswang" . When the old man died, he passed his cursed to Maria.

Finding no luck in Canada, Maria went home. One night, when her husband a
policeman went home. He was looking for their kids and he finds Maria eat their
children.
Enraged, her husband struck her with a bolo ("labo") where she obtained a scar on her
face, so they called her a Maria Labo.
She fled to Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, to feed her hunger for human flesh and
viscera. Like a typical aswang, she has the ability to change her appearance. She become
a beautiful woman at other times, she appears as an old woman.
An "aswang" called Maria Labo...

Region XII - The Legend story of Sarangani Lake

Once upon the time, there was an old couple called Grandpa Pasir andGrandma
Pasir living in the forest of Mount Lawu.
One day, he was surprised with an existence of an egg under a big forest tree, without

consideration, Grandpa Pasir immediately took the mysterious egg home, and gave it to
his wife.
Later on, they agreed to braise the egg and share it for two. Grandpa got back to the field
to continue his job. But he felt his body is getting warmer and painful. By so much pain,
he fell down on the ground. He had been cursed !!! . His body changed into a big giant
snake.
In other side, grandma also transformed into a giant snake and they had makes a flutter
and soil around and the water spouting and filled around the holes of pasirs flutter and
become a lake.
The lake named Lake pasir, nowadays they known as Lake Sarangani.

[ Biag ni Lam-ang]

Centuries ago, there was a

great warrior who was widely

known in Ilocos as a hero who fought the Igorots. When Lam-ang was born, he had the
most unusual ability to speak immediately at birth. He immediately asked where his
father was, and, upon being informed that his father was killed by Igorots, Lam-ang
vowed revenge: A vendetta was born.
Lam-ang grew up immediately, and went up into the mountains to take his vengeance.
Alone, he fought off dozens of Igorot warriors, defeating them all. He cut off the ears of
the warriors, as trophies, and returned to Ilocos. He then met and was captivated by a
beautiful woman named Ines, and he immediately fell in love. He pledged her all of his
gold, land, and livestock.
Naturally, as the most beautiful woman in the province, Ines had many suitors, but all
quietly gave way to Lam-ang, since they knew that they could not compete with him for
her affections. All except a giant of a man, named Sumarang, who would not yield. So,
Lam-ang and Sumarang fought, and Lam-ang won, easily defeating Sumarang.
Lam-ang and Ines were married with the largest wedding feast that ever been seen in the
province. In order to secure the unions blessing, Lam-ang was informed that he must
dive down to the very depths of the sea and retrieve a pearl from a magical oyster,
otherwise the marriage would have bad luck. (Other versions say that Lam-ang went to
fish for a rare fish called rarang.) So Lam-ang dove into the sea and, on his way down,
was eaten by a fearsome fish called the Berkaken.
Heartbroken, Ines went into mourning, as did most of the town, as Lam-ang was their
hero. The next day, Lam-angs rooster, who had magical powers (Lam-ang also owned a
magic dog and cat), spoke to Ines, and told her to have Lam-angs bones fished out of the
sea. Ines did as she was instructed, bringing Lam-angs bones before the rooster, who
then blew on them.

REGION I
The Other Woman
by Virgilio Samonte
Manuel possessed a vitality that was insatiable. His healthy, younger years were
marked by a successions of mistresses. Even servant girls were prey to his desires.
Cecilia the wife had taken Loida, the harelip as a house help in a desperate hope that she
would repel him.
His philandering caused the state of penury in which they existed. So it was
surprising how even his inteded imperfections, Cecilia seemed to have loved him even
more.
Loida had been the couple since. She possessed a face which to a stranger would
most likely be describe as hideous. The cleft lip, with repulsively livid gums went up in
an angle to a flat nose framed in an equally flat face as though it had bee bashed in by
repeated fist blows.
Now Manuel is dying, his appearance a far cry from the lusty man he was once
known to be and he has the ashen look of a corpse. Cecilia cares for him and she seldom
goes out of his room. For Cecilia, Manuel has finally became hers.

Loida on the other hand had adopted an unservantly attitude. Suspicious of strangers
and guest, she doesnt bother to hide her bitterness at the thought of Cecilia alone caring
for Manuel and sleeping in a room with her. She seems to bristle with suppressed anger
and moves around doing her chores in furious haste.
In one of those rare times Cecilia went out of the room, Loida screamed repeatedly.
Her screams sent Cecilia back to the room where she saw Loida holding the inert from of
Manuel, screaming while tears flowed down her face, saliva flying from her mouth that
he is hers too, that he loved her.

Region IV-A: CALABARZON

Dahong Palay
Arturo B. Rotor
The big ax sang its way through the large arc and then came down on the block of wood
with a mighty crash. It neatly cleaved in two formidable mass, the pieces flying for a long distance i
n opposite directions. Surveying his feat with glowing pride, Sebio felt a ripple run down the muscles of
his
arms, forearms, shoulders. He dropped the heavy ax and wiped the perspiration from his brows, fro
m his bare brown arms, letting his fingers rest caressingly on each muscle. Small were his muscles and
flat and flabby when relaxed. But how hard and powerful they became when he tensed them! As
hard as seasoned, knotted yantok! Triumphantly he raised his arms above his head and, facing the
afternoon sun, he thrust out his chest and made every muscle of his body tense. He was quite tall, above
the height of the ordinary native, but he had paid for this increased height in diminished breadth. His
chest was flat,his neck long, and his legs thin. He was one of those boys who, the village people said
grew too fast.He will become bigger and stouter when he reaches his twenty-fifth year, his mother
had always told solicitous friends and relatives.How deceptive his figure was, Sebio thought! No wonder
those who knew him called him Sebiong Pasmado (Sebio the weakling) because of his slight figure, his

spindle-shanks, his timidity. None of them would believe that he could lift two Socony cans full
of water with either hand and raise them shoulder-high, or that he could carry three sacks
of rice on those narrow shoulders. As he thought of them hesnorted scornfully. The snake is
the most slender, the most timid creature of the field, and yet people are a fraid of it. Sebio, what are
you staring at? a querulous voice came from the nipa hut.Nothing, Nanay . I was just stretching my
cramped arms, came the sheepish answer.Well, it is growing late. How do you expect me to cook rice
without firewood?Yes, yes, Nanay .With renewed vigor he seized the ax and hewed
away. The thick blade fairly sang as it swungback and forth over his shoulder. He
paused and, for a while, was lost in thought. If he could onlysummon such strength
in those foolish games of strength and skill! He had always failed there, miserably.Somehow his courage
always ran out before a noisy, bantering crowd.What strength can there be in those puny arms,
in that flat chest? He would hear people sayaround him. And, most unbearable of all, his
friends pitied him. The men said, You have no strength. Thewomen, You have no fighting
heart.Thunder and lightning Name of Satan. . . ! he muttered. Those memories angered him.Once
more he savagely attacked the wood before him. Perspiration blinded his eyes; his
unrulyhair got into them every time he bent down; but he minded not. In a last
tremendous swing he put everyounce of energy in his arms and brought down the
ax. The eager blade passed through the entire thickness of the block, through the
stone prop, and sank into the soft earth beneath. For a moment heregarded the result with a
feeling of satisfaction; than gathering together the chips, he went into the house.
That evening, as his mother sat in front of him at their humble table, he was strangely silent.Are you
thinking of going to Tia Binays tonight? she asked.Yes, Nanay . He didnt add that he had been
thinking of almost nothing else all day.When you go, take with you our whetstone. One of her
workers came over and told me shewanted to borrow it. Tell her also that the herbs she used for her
uncles rheumatism did me good too, andthank her for me, Sebio.The way to Tia Binays led through
recently harvested rice fields. A few weeks before, the grainhad lain mellow and golden in the allenveloping light of the full moon. Now only short, thick stubble, wispsof straw and traces of the
delicate, elusive fragrance of the ripe palay remains to remind one of thehectares of
slender, heavy laden stalks of grain that had once rippled in graceful undulation with
eachbreath of the harvest wind. There was scarcely any beaten path across these fields;
but with hardly aglance about him, Sebio made his way through them, avoiding each
stalk of sharp stubble or the holeswhere the carabaos feet had sunk heavily during the rainy season
and which had caked since then in thehot sun. The lovely night was full of the sounds
and odors of life. The slender, swaying bamboos whispered to each other eternal secrets
of the night, and from the distance came the dying croak of a frogcaught in the jaws of a snake.When he
reached Tia Binays place, he saw that the evenings work had already begun. All aboutthe moonlit
clearing that stood at a distance from the house were grouped young men and women whosegay
laughter and voices carried far into the distance. In the center was a square of concrete
where thegolden grains of palay had been laid to dry. On one side were five wooden mortars, around
each of whichthree persons, two men and a girl, stood pounding grain. Each individual
brought down his pestle indefinite rhythm and succession. One first and then, just as he
has lifted his pestle, the next would bringhis down, and so on. Every now and then
the gifted voice of someone in the group would break intosong, and the notes of a
haunting kundiman would be wafted into the breeze to add sweetness to thesilence of the
countryside. At intervals, however, a sleepy cock perched aloft in a tree nearby would
letout an obstreperous crow as if he disapproved of so much gaiety and lightness of the spirit.Sometimes,

to vary the monotony, the men pounding palay would show off tricks with the pestle.One of a group
would make the heavy tool stand on the tip of the little finger or on the nose, toss it in
theair, whisk it between the fingers of one hand, and bring it down on the palay without upsetting the
regular rhythm of his companions pounding. Such demonstration of approval from the
onlookers, and repeatedapplause would encourage more difficult stunts. Around the
inclosure was a sort of bench built by tyingtogether several strips of bamboo. Here many
sat and, while waiting their turn at the mortar and pestle,laughed and joked and ate unsparingly
of the Suman and Bibingka of Tia Binay .Ho, there, Sebio!Good evening to all of you. Good
evening, Tia Binay ! Tia Binay peered at him. She was getting old and with her failing eyes unable
to see well even inthe daytime, was finding it difficult to recognize her guests at once.Who is this? She
asked kindly.Its Sebio, Tia Binay .Sebio? she could not place the name.Sebiong
Pasmado! roared someone from a group close to him. Ah yes, now I know.There was a
hilarious outburst from the group and, with blazing eyes; Sebio turned to the
cruel joker. But he saw only what seemed to him a surging sea of sneering faces. His face
smarted as if from aslap. He turned again to Tia Binay .Nanay told me to give this to you and to
thank you for those herbs.The old woman gave a grunt of satisfaction. Of course
they would do her good. Why, mygrandmother used them before I did, and so did her greatgrand uncle before her.He found a seat in the farthest and darkest corner. After a while, so lost was
he in his thoughts that he did not see a package done up in banana leaf which a small white
hand held out to him not until a voice spoke: Here, Sebio, never mind those people. They are idlers.
Try this Suman. I made it myself. Not until she spoke did he recognize Merci. Dumbly he
took the package, tore open the wrapper,and tasted the contents. Slowly he became his old self
again.Merci, you must have flavored this with your kisses, he boldly ventured.The gratified girl blushed
to the roots of her hair. Give me back that suman
, she demanded .Sebio laughed. He was again his likeable self. He tried to catch the
outstretched hand, but like lightning it was withdrawn, and when he stood up the girl was gone. He
sat down again. Oh, for a throne and a crown and a universe to lay at the foot of Merci! Now he had
fully recovered his composure, and he could study the crowd better. There was Ambo and others. How
strangely beautiful the moonlight made everything! He saw the play of moonbeams on the
matchless hair of Carmeling and wondered if its fragrance was more soul-satisfying than
the champaka-scented breeze that ever and anon caressed the cheeks of Lourdes. And
then he remembered the starlight that he saw in the dark eyes of Merci, and he wondered
no more.He became aware that the workers were being changed. The second shift was ready. He got
up.Here, Milio, you and Kiko work here. Anita, go to that mortar with Tonio. You, Sebio, come here
and you too, Pacio. Tia Binay was assigning each to his place. Sebio found himself with
Pacio and wonder of wonders Merci was with them to complete the group of three. For a moment
he could hardly contain his joy, and then he remembered that he was also with Pacio, the bully, the
braggart.Bog-bog-bog! Every pestle fell with a dull thud each time. First he, then Merci, then Pacio, in
strict rhythm. Pacio, as sure as death, would soon show off his prowess before the world, before Merci.
Sebio would have to compete with him, which he knew would be another trial before a mocking,
unsympathetic crowd another effort doomed to failure. Merci, conscious of the strain under
which Sebio had begun to labor, endeavored to relieve it.This morning we chased a big snake
across the yard, but it escaped.They say that nothing can prevent death from the bite of some
snakes.If you are bitten on the arm, you may have to cut it off.Or burn it, volunteered Pacio
sneeringly.