MUNICIPALITY OF MARIKINA, RIZAL, Historical Data of Part 2

1949	The Marikina Junior High School became a complete Secondary School, thus named Marikina High School.
1952	(December) Marikina High School war renamed Leodegario Victorino Memorial High School in honor of the late Leodegario Victorino, the first Superintendent from Rizal.

Records from the late Vicente Mallari
Old folks from Marikina

C H A P T E R    V
DESTRUCTION OF LIVES, PROPERTIES AND INSTITUTIONS
DURING WORLD WAR II

The town of Marikina suffered great damage during World War II. Its proximity to some army camps made possible the destruction of big buildings like the school, market place, church, bridge, and other private properties. The following is a list of institutions burned and destroyed with the estimated damage and amount allotted for reconstruction:

Schools 1. Marikina Central 2. Marikina Elem. No. 1 3. Marikina Elem. No. 2 4. Home Economics Bldg.	Estimated Damage ₱1,250.00 9,000.00 36,000.00 6,000.00	Amount Allotted ₱750.00 52,400.00 3,500.00
5. Shop Building 6. Jesus de la Peña Elem.	2,000.00 6,000.00	20,000.00
7. Sto. Niño Bo. School 8. Malanday Bo. School 9. Bayanbayanan Bo. School 10. San Roque Bo. School	3,000.00 1,300.00 4,000.00 1,500.00
	₱70.050.00	₱76,650.00

General 1. Municipal Bldg. 2. Market Tiendas 3. Market Bldg. No. 1 4. Market Bldg. No. 2 5. Market Bldg. No. 3 6. Market Slaughterhouse 7. Market Toilet	₱31,366.00 6,500.00 6,708.00 6,733.00 21,315.00 4,050.00 3,400.00
	₱80,072.00

The estimates of private property damage during the war amounted to ₱2,000,000.00.

After liberation, the reconstruction period began. The schools, the market, the private buildings were given aid by the War Damage Commission, and today, Marikina is much better than it was before the war.

Part II
F O L K W A Y S
Chapter 5

SOME NOTEWORTHY CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS IN
THE SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC LIFE
IN MARIKINA

It will be noted that most of the customs and traditions embedded in the social and domestic life of the Marikina townspeople are invariably interwoven with superstitious beliefs — beliefs that even the shattering impact of present day knowledge has up to now failed to dislodge from the minds of the local populace. The close affinity with which we tenaciously cling to he seemingly unfounded senseless concoction of the ill-informed past is but an indication that the future will still see us with such silly ideas and idiosyncrasies.

It was customary, even compulsory, for the expectant mother to lie down along with the direction of the flow of water in the river. The dread of the so-called "asuwang" found expression in closed windows during the period of delivery and the hanging down of the hair of women on the family way while out at night. The ever-popular "hilot," now gradually being replaced by the midwives and doctors, used to attend to all the needs of the conceiving woman until after the badly taxed body of the woman has returned to normalcy. Another superstitious practice was the placing of the placenta of the newly-born babies in coconut shells — a practice claimed to make the newcomer a normal eater — not voracious. The shell, with the placenta, was buried underneath the place where

the collected water from the roof fell in order to make the baby resistant to cold weather. The new mother was bathed with no other mother but that boiled with leaves of mango or avocado or other leaves claimed to possess medicinal value.

A helper, in consideration of a sikolo (twenty centavos) did the job of carrying the unbaptized baby to the church. Parents were not supposed to carry the baby. When two or more babies were christened at a time, efforts were made by the "Ninong" or "Ninang" to bring the new Christian out of the church ahead of the others.

It was the usual custom for parents to choose the future bride of their son and to do everything in their power to win the lady to their side by various forms of enticements. The man, in close collaboration with the efforts of his parents, offered all his services to the lady — including farm work and household chores. The still popular practice "pautos" comes in next, to be followed shortly by the much-awaited "sukat." During the marriage ceremony, the girl was expected to closely watch and match the actuations of the bridegroom — something claimed to place the bride on equal footing with the man in their married life. The newlyweds are usually met by a salvo of rice intended to pave the way for a prosperous life. The new couple is expected to visit all the nearest relatives of both parties

usually on the night after their marriage. During the festivities, it was the duty of the parents of the bridegroom to provide the parents of the bride with food. The parents of neither bride nor bridegroom are inhibited from acting as sponsors in the wedding — a custom that is non-existent at present.

The clanging of the bell on the street brings the news of the death of an individual to the attention of all. In the past, flowers were usually wanting in the funeral as money or "ambag" was deemed a better manifestation of a show of condolence. Numerous superstitious beliefs again dominated most of the practices in this connection. Pregnant women were usually reminded to go down the house ahead of the others during the funeral. Whenever possible, the things used for the dead were brought down through the window. No throwing of accumulated dirt in the house was done until after the remains of the dead had been brought down. The newly-born baby of a mother who died in the act of delivery was usually provided with a red blanket or red curtain hung from the window of the house, purposely to frighten the spirit of the dead woman from returning to the baby. In the cemetery, it is a usual sight to see young children of the dead carried several times across the dead body. During the "katapusan," all relatives of the deceased were given a share of the food prepared for the day, in-

variably the native "sotanghon" and "biscocho."

Most of the practices obtained during the early times are still being practiced at present, including the traditional thorough cleaning of the house before the barrio or town fiesta and the inviting of relatives and friends for the said occasion. However, one glaring thing now is the total lack of men and women wearing our native apparel during these occasions, unlike in the early days.

1. In planting a banana plant, one should not look up at the plant. If he does, the banana will grow very tall before it bears fruit.

2. One should not point at a budding or fruiting tree or the fruit wouldn't develop.

3. A conceiving woman who develops a strong liking for the fruit of a certain tree will cause the tree to be sterile.

4. A tree will bear many and sweet fruit if a dead pig is buried under the roots.

5. One should not stand and should not be hungry when planting a banana plant, or the fruit will grow tall and slender, and would bear poor fruit.

6. If a firefly appears in the house, it is a sign that there will be a visitor. Two fireflies mean there will be a marriage, provided there is an unmarried young girl in the household. Otherwise, it is just an omen of good luck to the married couple.

7. Once the poison fangs of a snake has been removed, it is safe to handle it.

8. A person with red lives will live to be very old; bloodless lips denote an immoral and treacherous person, a harelip once meant that the possessor was bewitched and harbored an evil spirit.

9. Oysters are poisonous during the months in which the letter "R" does not appear.

10. Throwing an old shoe at a newly-wedded couple will bring power, ownership, and good luck.

11. The fact that hair crackled [?] was interpreted as a sign that evil entities inhabited a woman's dress.

12. As a magic device, the cross stands unparalleled in the name of symbols and superstitions.

13. More geniuses are born in the month of February than in any other months.

14. Seasonal changes affect the moods of the people.

15. When we see a rainbow, it will rain.

16. A person born during the wet season is a crybaby.

17. The howling of dogs is a sign of death and disaster.

18. Red cloth excites and infuriates a bull.

19. The croaking of frogs brings rain.

20. Breaking a mirror is an omen of seven years of bad luck.

21. Rats always desert a sinking ship as though the rats have a prophetic sense of disaster.

22. Enormous appetite in children is a sign of the presence of tapeworms.

23. The witch has the power to put others under a spell.

24. Tying a string on one's finger helps one to remember something.

25. A person who sleeps with bright moonlight shining directly upon him is likely to become mentally defective.

26. A superstition holds that a woman born with a V-shaped hair will be a young widow if she marries young.

27. Beard, hair, fingernails, and tonsils grow after death.

28. Killing a pig when the moon is weaning makes the pork shrink in the pan.

29, A black cat crossing one's way means bad luck or disaster.

30. Opening an umbrella at night means centipedes will fall.

31. It is good to plant a coconut tree during a full moon.

32. Thirteen is a very unlucky number.

33. Friday the thirteenth is especially an unlucky day.

34. Cutting nails on days whose names have the letter "R" as Thursday and Friday is not good.

35. It is bad to take a bath during the Holy Week.

36. Pointing at a rainbow will cut the fingers.

37. Do not sweep at night for good luck will be swept with it.

38. Do not put on the table money when persons are eating, for the family will become hard-up.

39. Do not make the floor lining in the same direction as the stairs for there will be successive deaths in the family.

40. Do not sweep in the house where the remains are lying in state so as not to have another death in the family.

41. Open the windows wide early in the morning to let good luck enter through them.

42. Do not catch black butterflies entering the

house for it is the bearer of news about a dead relative.

Ang bayan ng Marikina ay nahahati sa walong purok na binubuo ng mga nayon ng Sta. Elena, San Roque, Santo Niño, Bayanbayanan, Kalumpang, Jesus de la Peña, Taryong, Malanday, Balara, at Cruz ng Ligas. Ang alamat o kasaysayan ng mga nasabing nayon ay itong mga sumusunod:

Ang Santa Elena ay nagmula sa ngalan ng Pintakasi. Sa nayong ito ay may isang Krus na itinayo mula nang ito'y itatag, na hanggang ngayon ay

ay makikita pa rin sa pinagtutulusan.

mulak sa San Roque, na pinaninirahang pansamantala ng mga misyonerong Heswita, nguni't ang kanilang ginawa ay hindi nagkaroon ng mabuting hangga. Bago isinagawa ang gayong himala ay sinasabi sa kanilang utusan na huwag lilingon sa likod kahit makarinig ng anumang ugong sa kadiliman ng gabi na magmumula sa gagalaw ng puno ng Kalumpang. Kaya't ang nangyari ay hindi natupad ang hangad ng mga misyonerong Heswita.

10. The Legend of the Butterfly p. 88

1. The Legend of Our Trees and Fruits p. 9

1. The First Rice Grain p. 1

1. How Clocks Come to Being p. 30

1. Why the Gabi Leaves are not Wet p. 28

1. The Legend of the First Banana pp. 9-10

Historical Data of the Municipality of Marikina, Province of Rizal, online at the National Library of the Philippines Digital Collections.