MUNICIPALITY OF LUISIANA (LAGUNA), Historical Data of Part IiI
PART III
[p. 17]
The war from 1941 to 1945 wrought great havoc and immense destruction among the lives and properties of the inhabitants of this town. At the start of the war, there were many sons of Luisiana who were called to active duty. After the capitulation of American and Filipino forces to the Japanese soldiers, some of these were able to return to tell of their grim experiences, but there were also those who were never to return at all because they were killed in action. The organization of a guerrilla unit in this town increased the loss of lives among the male population. This happened at the beginning of the administration of the Japanese-sponsored government. The guerrilla leaders and members, together with those suspected of being loyal to the American government, were arrested, tortured, and executed. Others were no longer heard from.
At the latter part of 1944, when the Japanese soldiers were in retreat, their food supplies were very scanty. Whenever they passed through this town, they either confiscated or commandeered whatever they could find in order to replenish their dwindling food supply. They got whatever foodstuff they could get hold of, such as rice, camote, cassava, and bananas. If they had the chance to go to the nearby barrios, they confiscated pigs, carabaos, cows, horses, and vegetables they found in the barrios. This condition existed in the town up to the end of the year when it was very evident that their defeat would come soon.
[p. 18]
During the first three months of 1945, there was a reign of terror in this town. This was principally instigated by the bestial policy adopted by the Makapili soldiers. The hatred between the guerrillas and the Makapili faction rose to its zenith. With the kidnapping of the son of a Makapili sergeant, the wanton execution of even innocent civilians by these Makapilis began. Once a person was arrested, he had a very slim chance of saving his life, and the Makapilis asserted that those who would survive the ordeals of the were were genuine gold. So, in the months of January and February, many men were killed, many of them for just having had an old grudge or previous misunderstanding with those Makapilis. One night in the early part of March 1945, the Japanese outpost at the southern outskirts of the town was ambushed. As a reprisal, not less than thirty civilians living in the vicinity of that place were picked up, tortured, massacred, and buried in a common grave.
The Japanese forces abandoned this place by the end of March 1945. They left for the lowland towns, together with their Filipino allies, the Makapilis. This place became a ghost town because all the inhabitants had evacuated to the distant barrios. The guerrillas burned the few houses owned by the Makapilis. A few days later, the whole town was burned, except those located at the eastern end of the town and some that escaped the spread of the fire. The loss of property was, indeed, very great. The Philippine Independent Church,
[p. 19]
TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS, PRACTICES IN DOMESTIC AND SOCIAL LIFE
[Note to the reader: the bottom of this page is torn and thus cannot be transcribed.]
[p. 20]
When the child grows up, then there is the baptism. This is celebrated with great pomp and festivity. The neighbors are then full of activity. Material assistance, as well as personal help, is needed. All the necessary utensils which the celebrant does not have will come either from the relatives or the neighbors. This is usually celebrated with music and the indispensable wine. The "ninong" and the "ninang" are the chief personages during the day. They receive the most of the attention. After the baptismal party, the "padrinos" and "padrinas" offer gifts to the baby in the form of money which is called "pabaro." Aside from this, they have to pay for the church fees and the orchestra that furnished the music to make the affair a lively one.
One of the phases of social life wherein the past is but a shadow of the present is courtship. In the days of our grandmothers and grandfathers, a suitor had to go through many trials before winning the love of a maiden. Usually, the suitor persuaded the parents
[p. 21]
The next was the "pasugo." In this step, the parents of the boy, with some relatives, went to the girl's house, taking along with them a dressed chicken (inahin) and a dressed rooster (tandang), cakes, and other food. This was considered the announcement of the official engagement. In some cases, the date for the marriage was set on this occasion, but generally, the date was not fixed at once and the suitor's parents had to return to inquire about the date and final plans for the wedding ceremony. They also talked about dowry, locally known as "bayin-bigay" or "bigay-kaya." This present to the bride usually consisted of a tract of land, a coconut grove, or a parcel of ricefield. This dowry was given to the bride by the young man's parents and it became the property of the couple after the marriage.
After the "pasugu-an," both parties prepared for the marriage ceremony. The young man incurred great expenses. He buys the wedding attire of the bride, together with his own clothes to be worn on the wedding day. The bridegroom's parents are responsible for the food,
[p. 22]
On the eve of the wedding, there was a preliminary party at the house. The young folks of the place paid their last respects to one of their kind. There was a dance, and sometimes they held a short program with songs and poems. While this was going on, the old folks were having gaiety of their own. They gathered in one part of the house and held a drinking spree. When they had made the most out of their drinking, they sang folk songs. This lasted usually until the wee hours of the night, and in most cases, they did not sleep anymore, but waited for the bride and the groom to go to the church.
Early in the morning of the wedding day, the bride was escorted to the church by the musicians. The sponsors and the parents went with them together with some young ladies and gentlemen who would act as best men and women. After the church rites, they returned to the house escorted also by the musicians. Everybody was saved breakfast or lunch according to the time of the wedding. Then, there followed the "galahan," the giving of gifts in the form of money. The bride's re-
[p. 23]
[p. 24]
[p. 25]
The planting and harvesting festivals are celebrated with solemnity coupled with merrymaking. After a man has finished planting his ricefields, he invites those who helped him and prayers are offered imploring the Almighty for a bountiful harvest. Then follows the merrymaking. There is dancing, drinking, and dining. After the harvest season, when all the palay harvested is properly stored, the same celebration is done. Prayers of thanks are offered by the farmer. The other farmers and visitors who are present share in the food, wine, and music prepared by the host.
Another festival celebrated by the people to show their gratitude and thanks for the harvests they reap from their farms is the Saint Isidoro's Day. Every house is decorated with fruits, crops, and other vegetables from the farms. There are also cakes and refreshments prepared at the individual houses. These are hung outside the window at the front side of the houses. During the procession, the male folks, young and old, who are with the procession, carry with them long
[Note to the reader: The original document on file at the National Library of the Philippines Digital Collections ends with this page, although it is obviously incomplete. We can only surmise that the rest of this document has been destroyed or not scanned.]