MUNICIPALITY OF MARIKINA, RIZAL, Historical Data of Part 6
PART VI
PART I | PART II | PART III | PART IV | PART V | PART VI
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35. Ang nauna ay nagsisisi, nagkukumamot ang nahuhuli.
(The first comer is regretful; while the last one is hopeful.)
36. Ugali ng mga matatanda nilulubos kung magwika; bago noong sila'y bata, kamangmanga'y di kawasa.
(It is the nature of old people to be critical and exacting toward the young, forgetting their own past's sad ignorance.)
37. Kapag mura ang dayap, pagain ma'y walang katas.
(A green lemon though repeatedly pressed will not produce any juices.)
38. Ano man ay dapat din, kung pagiging dapatin.
(A thing becomes valuable when we deem it to be so.)
39. Iyang ampalaya'y kahit anong pait, sa nakagutusto'y walang kasing tamis.
(A most bitter fruit is sweet to the one who likes it.)
40. Daang patungo sa langit, masagabal at maliklik.
(He who desires to reach heaven must bear great sufferings.)
41. At liksi at sipag ay daig ng agap.
(Punctuality is superior to dexterity.)
42. Ang lakad na dahan-dahan matinik ma'y mababaw; ang lakad na dalus-dalus, kung matinik ay upos.
(A foot lighter, a step truer.)
43. Anuman ang kanin, kung sa apoy luto, kundi palamigin ay makapapaso.
(To avoid being burned, we should not eat anything hot.)
44. Malakas ang loob, mahina ang tuhod.
(The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.)
45. Kung ano ang bukambibig, siyang laman ng dibdib.
(We generally speak from the fullness of our hearts.)
46. Labis sa salita, ay kulang sa gawa.
(Lots of fine talk but there is a lack of work.)
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47. Ang ari'y sa sarili, ang puri'y sa marami.
(Our own property is ours exclusively, but our honor we share with others.)
48. Ang masamang sasapitin, talo ng mabuting panalangin.
(The danger which threatens us may be overcome by a good earnest prayer.)
49. Ibong mahawaka'y pigilang mahigpit, pag nakawala pa'y baka di magbalik.
(Unless we resolve to hold our good fortune securely, it may be taken away and be lost.)
50. Ako ang nabayo, ako ang nagsaing, saka nang maluto'y iba ang kumain.
(I cleaned the rice and cooked it, but another ate it.)
51. Batong buhay ka man na sakdal ng tigas, sa patak ng tubig lamang maaagnas.
(The hardest stone is eroded by continuous dropping of water.)
52. Ang taong mapagdalita, sasapit sa madlang tuwa.
(A man inured to suffering will reap great happiness in the end.)
53. Ang hindi matutulusan, ang buhay at kapalaran.
(Neither our lives nor our own fates can be predetermined.)
54. Ang araw ay bago sumikat, nakikita muna'y banaag.
(Coming events cast their shadow before [appearing].)
55. Wika't batong ihagis, di magbabalik sa iyo.
(Our word and the stone we throw away do not return to us.)
56. Kung sino ang umako ay siyang mapapako.
(He who becomes a security for another must assume his full responsibility.)
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58. Ang marahang pangungusap sa dusa'y nakakalunas.
(A soft answer turneth away wrath.)
59. Ang utang na loob magpakaliit man, utang at utang din kahit mabayaran. Sa pakitang loob at tapat na damay ay walang salaping sukat maitimbang.
(A favor no matter how small is a debt we must never forget since no amount of money can ever fully repay it.)
60. Aring wala sa kamay mo, huwag mong asahang iyo; kaning sinusubo mo, malalaglag pa ang mumo.
(We should not promise to another the things over which we have no control, for even the rice we eat sometimes falls away from our mouths.)
61. Mabigat man ang dalahin, pag naatang, susunungin.
(Once a thing is begun, we must not leave till it is done.)
62. Malapit ma't di lakarin ay hindi mo mararating.
(We shall not reach our destinations unless we move towards them.)
63. Pag di ka naglingon-likod dito sa bayang marupok, parang palaso at tunod, sa lupa ka mahuhulog.
(Let us not value life too greatly, for as the arrow must at last fall to the ground, so our life must ultimately end in death.)
64. Ang panaho'y tambiling, ang mundo'y baligtarin, ang napapailalim ay napapaibabaw din.
(Time change and the world is ever-turning. One may be on the top of the surf, and the next moment he may be in the trough of the wave.)
65. Magtipon habang maaga, kung gumabit' dumilim na'y huwag kang ngangapangapa.
(Begin to save early in life so that you will have something on the day of need and scarcity.)
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66. Walang mayama't ginhawa na di nanghihingi sa iba.
(None can achieve wealth and comfort without the help of others.
67. Sagana sa puri, dukha sa sarili.
(Filled with honors, yet poor in spirit.)
68. Ang mayaman kung maghirap, ang mata'y parang bulag; hindi matutong humanap, napipiping dili hamak.
(A rich man, when overtaken by poverty, becomes like a helpless blind man. He cannot earn his own living as he becomes dumb.)
69. Kapag huli ang nagsampa ay daig pa ang nauna.
(The last comer is usually more fortunate than the first one.)
70. Ako'y lulusong na kahima't mabasa, ay matutuyo din kung aahong bigla.
(I shall dip into the water, and though I shall get wet, I will soon be dried if I come up quickly.)
71. Ubos-ubos biyaya, bukas nakatunganga.
(If we use everything today, tomorrow we shall be needy.)
72. Kung ang sakit ay matindi, ang pangako ay marami.
(When we are dangerously ill, we make all kinds of resolutions.)
73. Ang kamalian ng hatol, sa kakulangan ng tutol.
(A wrong judgment is due to an inadequate defense.)
74. Mahanga'y ang mailagin kaysa maging mausigin; ang malumay na ang akin, malayo ang nararating.
(I yield up my rights to avoid lawsuits, and thus I am able to travel a long distance.)
75. Sa pagtingin at alang-alang, napapawi ang katwiran.
(Due to consideration and respect, reason
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is overpowered.)
76. Ang katwiran ma'y mabaon ng sandasandaang taon, pag dumating ang panahon, lilitaw rin at uusbong.
(Truth buried for a hundred years will come out at last.)
77. Kung ano ang hinala, kaipala'y siyang gawa.
(We judge others by ourselves.)
78. Mamatay ma'y masasabi, pag ang gawa ay mabuti.
(Although one is already dead, yet he will live in memory because he was just.)
79. Ang may tangang talaro, kalangkap ang buong puso; ang uruan natatanto ang dalisay na ginto.
(He who holds the scales of justice in his hands should place upon it all his mind and heart, just as when he tests the quality of gold by the touchstone.)
80. Yaong humahanap ng tubong malaki, lampas sa puhunan kapag nangalugi.
(He who ventures to make extraordinary gain may suffer loss greater than his original investment.)
81. Huwag kang makipag-ibigan sa hari at mayayaman; hindi mo pagtutubuan, bagkus pangungulugihan.
(Don't court the friendship of kings and the rich, for you will not profit thereby; but will incur great losses instead.)
Mrs. P. P. Espiritu
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Chapter 11
METHODS OF MEASURING TIME
Our ancestors depended on the following methods of telling time:
a. By means of the position of the sun - The sun served as a means of telling time. Through calculation, the people could tell the time with reference to the position of the sun. When the sun was overhead, they said that it was twelve o'clock noon.
b. By means of the cock's crowing - The crowing of the cocks at any time of the day or night suggested a certain time. The people could tell that such crowing corresponded to a certain time whether it was day or night.
c. The reflection of one's shadow while standing under the sun. The degree of reflection of one's shadow while standing under the sun told the time. The body represented the minute hand and the shadow represented the hour hand.
d. The ringing of the church bells - Church bells rang at certain times, usually at Angelus, which is six o'clock; at eight o'clock in the morning; at ten o'clock; at twelve o'clock noon; and at two o'clock and four o'clock in the afternoon.
e. The opening of a kind of flower called "Four O'clock." This kind of flower usually opens at four o'clock in the afternoon, hence it is called "Four O'clock."
These methods, although they are not as reliable as our modern ways of telling time, helped our ancestors a great deal, more especially in thos remote places that depended mostly on natural phenomena for their means of measuring time.
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Chapter 12
FOLK TALES
The Story of Capitan Inez
Once, long ago, a strange happening took place in the present barrio of Calumpang, Marikina, Rizal. It seemed that Capitan Inez, a devout and pious wife of a capitan in those days, made a solemn promise to buy a new dress for Our Lady of Antipolo. Capitan Inez, however, died before she could fulfill her promise. While she was lying in state, a middle-aged woman approached her bier and said, "Did you not promise to provide a new dress for our Virgin of Antipolo?" And forthwith, touched the body of Capitan Inez. To the unbelieving amazement of all, it was said that Capitan Inez woke back to life and left her coffin. She went to Antipolo and fulfilled her promise. Without anyone ringing the church bells, the peal of the bells ringing was heard all over the town.
The story concluded with the information that, not long afterwards, Capitan Inez died again, but this time, she rested in peace.
How Marikina Got Its Name
From the notes furnished by Don Servando de los Angeles, three theories were advanced regarding the origin of the name Marikina.
a. Name of the Jesuit Priest - It is believed that the name Marikina came from the name of a Jesuit father who was among the founders of the town. His name was Marquina and was the first priest to baptize the early converts of the newly-founded locality.
b. Misunderstanding of the meaning of the word - It was said that soon after the new church
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had been completed, a group of the laborers went to the priests to ask for their pay. Upon being asked in Spanish what they wanted, the laborers answered in Tagalog that they had already completed the construction. Speaking further in Spanish, the friars asked what would be an appropriate name for the place. Quick as a flash, the leader of the laborers said, "Marikit na po" (already beautiful, sir), thinking that the question referred to the condition of the church. Knowing the characteristic "po" as a word of respect, the friars dropped it out and merely called the place "Marikit-na." But in the long evolution of the word, the "t" was finally dropped, resulting in the present "Marikina" without the "t."
c. Name of a Young Lady - There once lived in the town a young lady by the name of Maria Quina. She was as beautiful as her present descendants are now, and was the embodiment of industry and diligence. She personified the brisk trade and flourishing industry that then existed. She was kind to all the people who looked for succor in times of distress and financial need. She was so beloved by all inhabitants for and near that her name became the byword of the poor, especially. When asked where they were going, they used to answer, "To Maria Quina." So popular was her name that, in latter years, it became synonymous to the place. Thus, the corruption of speech and the failure of the people to distinguish between the person and the place led to the present name, Marikina, an abbreviated combination of Maria Quina."
d. A fourth theory may be advanced from
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the research of Mr. de los Angeles. In the book "Geografia Comfarada" of Don Felix Sanchez y Casado, published in Madrid in 1891, interesting highlights mentioned that the name Marquina, and likewise San Mateo, were names of poblaciones in Spain. Because of their similaries to the topography or climate or natural resources obtained in the place, the Jesuit fathers gave the same names to the newly-founded towns in the Philippines.
On page 247 of that said book, Marquina is listed as a poblacion importante in the province of Guernica. Marquina "cerca de los concurridas aguas" and "famosopor sus aguas sulorosas" referred to its location beside a body of water (the Marikina River) and the spring waters of El Chorillo, where the fathers built a spring resort where till today stands the ruins and walls in Chorillo. This topographical description of Marikina might have been likened to Marquina in Guernica, Spain in sentimental memory of places actually existing in Spain.
This theory finds support in the case of San Mateo, a place in Alcora, Spain "que con los pueblos del contorno forma la mancommunidad de hierbas y pastos" which aptly described San Mateo of our province as a grassy town and a pastoral paradise for the grazing of cattle.
Here, again, the corruption of speech had led tot he pronunciation of the town as Marikina, which is a codification of names which had been officially given to our town.
Tuwid na Pilapil
(A legend of the straight dike in Malanday)
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known as Malanday, there lived a very beautiful woman for whose hands countless swains were bidding for favors. Rich and poor alike constantly strove to outdo one another just to be the favored one. The barrio was quite remote from the center of the town, and its only road branched out from the main street in a long and circuitous way. This peculiar state of things was most inconvenient.
Unable to decide which of the suitors to accept, she vowed to them that whoever could remedy their plight of distance to the main road would be the chosen one. She made these terms knowing the practical impossibility of their attainment. She failed to count on the enduring patience and determination of a young suitor who labored unceasingly through the night to erect a straight dike across the rice fields to the very gate of his lady love's house. The young man, in his despair, called every power and spirit to help him in his task. He even declared his willingness to barter away with his soul just so he could finish his dike. It was said that the devil appeared and helped him finish the job. Worn-out and exhausted from his all-night exertions, he died of the severe strain, his task completed. The lady love, sorrowing at the demise of her lover, vowed never to marry and died an old maid.
The straight dike still stands today, a living memorial to a lover's undying love. It is said that not a blade of grass grows on it.
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PART III
OTHER INFORMATION
Information on books and documents treating of the Philippines and names of owners:
Books:
Some Filipino authors born or residing in the community, the subjects of their books, whether printed or in manuscript form and the names of persons possessing them:
(a) Lope K. Santos
(b) Dr. Cecilio Lopez
(c) Tomas Bernardo
(d) Teofilo B. Reyes
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(e) Antonio Isidro
(f) Servando de los Angeles
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Note: The author has some copies of the names of the persons possessing them.
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