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Burning houses in World War II. Image credit: John Tewell on Flickr. |
31 August 2017
WWII Japanese Atrocities Committed in the Barrios of Lipa
August 31, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
26 August 2017
Gayuma, Anting-anting and other Tagalog Charms in 1915 (and how they were made)
August 26, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Image directly loaded from Wassup Pilipinas. |
Charms are “objects used to avert evil and bring good fortune1.” People have been known to have used them as early as the Neolithic Age, when primitive men picked up unusual looking stones or pieces of wood and carried these with them thinking that these could protect them against their enemies2. These objects have been used by people all over the world, including, of course, the Philippines.
25 August 2017
Tanauan City: Historical and Folkloric Trivia about some of its Barrios
August 25, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Satellite picture of Tanauan City. Image credit: Google Earth. |
21 August 2017
9 Philippine UFO Sightings Included among Project Blue Book Files
August 21, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Image credit: World UFO Day. |
19 August 2017
Mataasnakahoy: Historical and Folkloric Trivia about some of Its Barrios
August 19, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Satellite photo of Mataasnakahoy. Image credit: Google Earth. |
Marriage Customs in Batangas in 1916
August 19, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Image credit: DIY Wedding Favor Tags. |
17 August 2017
The Tiyanak: Comparing Beliefs Acquired in Batangas to those in Bulacan in 1922
August 17, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Image credit: Iaaaaaaaaaan on Deviant Art. |
16 August 2017
Historical and Folkloric Trivia about some Barrios of Batangas City
August 16, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Satellite photo of Batangas City. Image credit: Google Earth. |
Conde Itaas and Conde Labak
There used to be just one barrio named Conde in what was then the town of Batangas. However, in 1934, when one Perfecto Condes was the mayor of the town, the barrio was divided into two. One section was named Conde Itaas while the other was named Conde Labak. Each had its own barrio lieutenant. The name “Conde” means the aristocratic rank “Count.”
(Source: History and Cultural Life of Conde Itaas and Conde Labak)
Dela Paz
Dela Paz is a remote barrio along the coast south of Mount Talim. Its old name was “Dalasa.” The entire barrio used to be owned by the Spaniard Jose Rea, who had a Filipina wife whose name was Eugenia Iturralde. The wealthy owners had a temple built in the barrio where a fiesta was celebrated each year.
(Source: History and Cultural Life of Dela Paz)
Dela Paz Pulot
Dela Paz Pulot used to be a sitio of Dela Paz. According to folklore, the name “Pulot” was supposed to have been given to the barrio because of an incident which the residents allegedly witnessed. Supposedly, there was this large tree in the middle of the barrio from which hung a beehive. The barrio’s inhabitants wanted the tree cut down for lumber and to extract the honey from the hive. While it was being cut, the honeycomb supposedly broke and honey started to flow down onto the barrio. From then on, the place became known as Dela Paz Pulot.
(Source: History and Cultural Life of Dela Paz Pulot)
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Dela Paz Pulot was so named after a beehive. Image credit: Dreamtime.com. |
The two barrios used to be just one barrio named Haligue. The name, which means “post” in English, was supposed to have been given because of a giant rock on nearby Mount Talim which to old inhabitants looked like a post supporting the mountain.
(Source: History and Cultural Life of Haligue Kanluran and Haligue Silangan)
Ilijan
The barrio to the southeast of Poblacion Batangas City which is called Ilijan was established in 1865. Among the barrio’s original settlers were families with the surnames Claro, Jimenez, Sanchez, Manguerra, Evangelista, Goot, Baja and Furto. The barrio's name was supposed to originally have been “Iluhan” after a sugar mill that the Spaniards erected in the Barrio.
(Source: History and Cultural Life of Ilijan)
Lilinggiwan
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Lilinggiwan was probably named after the vine hinggiu-kalabau. Image credit: Philippine Medicinal Plants. |
Source: History and Cultural Life of Lilinggiwan)
Mabacong
Mabacong or Mabakong as the name of the barrio is contemporarily spelled used to be called Matuko. The old name was supposed to have been because of the proliferation of geckos (tuko) in the area. Its present name, meanwhile, was supposed to have been given because its earliest settlers found thick plants called the “bakong.” The plant was probably the spider lily, with the scientific name crinum asiaticum2.
Source: History and Cultural Life of Mabacong)
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Mabacong was probably named after the bakong or the spider lily. Image directly loaded from Philippine Medicinal Plants. |
This barrio was formerly known as “Buayahan,” and probably because it was believed that the river that ran through it was crocodile-infested. The earlier inhabitants, wary of the crocodiles, were supposed to have relocated their small community farther uphill. Hence, its present name Mahabang Dahilig is really a description of the barrio’s topography. Translated into English, the name means a “long hill” or a “long incline.”
Source: History and Cultural Life of Mahabang Dahilig)
Pagkilatan
According to folklore, this barrio used to be a forested area that was once visited by Spaniards. Some of the visitors got off their boat to investigate the forest and found an abundant supply of “pagkit” or beeswax, a type of wax naturally produced by honey bees3. The Spaniards kept returning to harvest the beeswax and soon were employing Filipinos, who would settle the area and found a barrio. The settlement would come to be known as Pagkilatan or the source of the “pagkit” or the beeswax.
Source: History and Cultural Life of Pagkilatan)
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Pagkilatan was named after beeswax. Image credit: R Devine Organic Skin Care. |
Pinamuk-an used to be called Pipisikan. The barrio was initially settled by three families: the Villenas, the Hernandezes and the Alcantaras. These families built their homes on the eastern side of the barrio because then, the western side was swampy and dense with mangroves. In time, the swamps dried up and the mangroves were cleared, allowing more families to build over the western part of the barrio.
Source: History and Cultural Life of Pinamuk-an)
San Miguel
The barrio of San Miguel used to be known as Sirang Lupa. In 1949, supporters of Dr. Jose P. Laurel’s presidential bid retreated to the hilly part of the barrio after the so-called Batangas Revolt. Feeling that Laurel was the legitimately-elected President, supporters attacked government establishments in the Poblacion until pursued by forces of the Philippine Constabulary. The “rebels” were under the command of one General Francisco Medrano.
Source: History and Cultural Life of San Miguel)
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The Presidential Elections in 1949 led to the so-called "Batangas Revolt." Both pictures above in the public domain. |
According to folklore, this barrio’s name was taken from the brook which ran through it. The name of the brook was Saim-sim. One day, an American srranger was supposed to have passed through the barrio and remarked that the Saim-sim brook was very long. It was from this supposed even that the barrio became known as Simlong. Initially, Simlong was a mere sitio of Pinamuk-an, until it separated in 1900.
Source: History and Cultural Life of Simlong)
Talahib Payapa
According to folklore, a company of Spanish soldiers on their way to Lobo paused to rest in the barrio and prepare their meals. It so happened that they stopped to rest under a big tree that stood out surrounded as it was by hectares of the reedy grass that is called talahib in Tagalog. The name of the tree was payapa. If you do a google search, the search engine will think you made a typo and show you pages of entries showing papaya instead of payapa. There is such a tree, however, and most reader will probably recognize its more common name balete. To return to the folkloric story, the decided to give the place a name and called it Talahib Payapa4.
Source: History and Cultural Life of Talahib Payapa)
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The payapa tree, also more commonly known as the balete tree. Image directly loaded from Philippine Medicinal Plants. |
Notes and references:
1 “Hinggiu-Kalabau,” online at Philippine Medicinal Plants.
2 “Bakong,” online at Philippine Medicinal Plants.
3 “Beeswax,” Wikipedia.
4 “Payapa,” online at Philippine Medicinal Plants.
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15 August 2017
The Untold Story of the Gasoline Station in front of DLSL
August 15, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Image credit: Google Street View. |
14 August 2017
How Some Barrios of Lipa City Got their Names
August 14, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Satellite photo of Lipa City as seen on Google Earth. |
10 August 2017
Powerful Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake Jolts Batangas
August 10, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Image credit: Phivolcs. |
Pictures of Taal Volcano Taken before the Destructive 1911 Eruption
August 10, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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In the crater of Taal volcano. Image credit: University of Michigan Digital Collections. |
07 August 2017
Sonny Lozano and the Little-Known Story of Jose Mari Chan’s First-ever Single “Afterglow”
August 07, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Left, Sonny Lozano with his beauteous wife Beth. Right, Jose Mari Chan while on vacation in Bohol in 2010. |
06 August 2017
Classic Photos of Bauan, Taal and Tanauan taken in the Early 1900s
August 06, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Image credit: University of Michigan Digital Collections, with the title “Seven men” taken 2 January 1904 in Batangas. |
05 August 2017
DLSL Sports, Breaking New Ground in the Late Eighties
August 05, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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DLSL teams in the eighties. |
04 August 2017
Dr. Jose P. Laurel and the “Dirtiest Election” in Philippine Electoral History
August 04, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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Both pictures above in the public domain. |
01 August 2017
Art Event in Lipa City Showcased Best of Batangas Visual Talents
August 01, 2017 Rex Raymond Torrecampo
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The recent My City, My SM, My Art at SM City Lipa. |