MUNICIPALITY OF PILILLA, RIZAL, Historical Data of Part 2

The birth of a child to a married couple means a plan for Baptism. Usually, a child is baptized before reaching the age of one year. It is a common belief of the manu that Baptism makes the child an absolute Christian.

The problem now of the married couple is the selecting of the godfather or godmother. Usually, if the child is a boy, a godfather is selected as the sponsor and vice-versa. But some people prefer to have both as sponsors. After having chosen the sponsors for the Baptism, they set the date and prepare for the feast. Some people's tradition believes that a first child should be given a big Baptism feast so that he may live in good health and have a good future. Every godfather or godmother selected is an intimate friend of the couple or a relative of the family.

The sponsor usually buys the baptismal dress for the child. He also takes charge of the church's ceremonial fees. After the ceremony and feast, the sponsor, before leaving the house, gives his gifts, termed in Tagalog "pakimkim." The child being baptized, the father says, "My child is an absolute Christian from now on."

When a person in a certain community dies, everybody in the community feels sorry for him. All of them sympathize with the family of the dead person. It is in one of these instances where cooperation, sympathy, and love in the community life is felt and expressed.

The neighbors of the dead person are morally bound to visit the dead and attend the funeral because it will appear that he who does not pay a visit is not a good neighbor. It is also the superstitious belief of the neighbors that the dead person may haunt them after he is buried if they do not visit the dead person. Almost everybody in the neighborhood and some of the members of the community gather in the house of the dead overnight. They will pass the night by playing different kinds of games. Some of them help in making the coffin of the dead. The neighbors and other persons, to show their sympathy and cooperation, donate money to the family of the dead person. The household of the dead person serves food to the visitors. The most common food is bread and coffee.

Tradition requires the family of the dead to wear black dresses for women and the men may just pin a piece of black cloth to their shirts. They wear these for about six months, and the longest time being one year. After nine days from the time of death, some persons are invited to say prayers for the repose of the soul of the dead. Then, after a year, the day of death is celebrated by praying and having a little feast. It is only after this time when the family of the dead person is free from wearing black dresses.

Many persons in the community believe that when some people mourn and attend the funeral of a person, the dead person is said to be a good citizen.

In the Philippines, we had various means by which we determine time. People whose residences were in the mountains and in remote barrios relied on the crowing of the cocks to tell the time in the absence of a clock. When the cocks crowed between six in the afternoon [more correctly, "evening"] and twelve midnight, they knew it to be ten o'clock in the evening. When the cocks crowed again after midnight, it was two o'clock in the morning. Those who worked at nighttime found this method of determining time very helpful. Even up to this time, we also use these means by which we calculate the time.

Another method employed in determining time was the sun dial. The sun dial was made of a semi-circular galvanized iron or board. It was divided into twelve divisions such that each division contained fifteen degrees. At the center of the sun dial was placed a pointer which cast a shadow on the numbers of each division. The numbering was such that six was placed in the right and counting consecutively to twelve, which fell at a right angle and followed by one to six. The sun dial was then nailed to a post and made to stand perpendicularly such that it faced either north or south, depending on the position of the sun. If the pointer cast a shadow at number eight in the morning, it was more or less eight o'clock in the morning. If the shadow of the pointer fell at number twelve, they calculated it to be twelve o'clock noon. So far, this method was the most reliable in the absence of a timepiece. These methods are also used at present.

When in the woods or at sea fishing, and there was no sun dial or watch available, the sun was used to determine time. This followed the principle of the sun dial, only instead of the pointer and the galvanized iron or board, time was determined by the length of the shadow. When the length of the shadow was shortest, they calculated it to be twelve o'clock noon.

Others determined time with their stomachs. When some felt hungry at about noon, they knew it to be more or less twelve o'clock noon, time for dinner. This method of measuring time was not true for all people, as others were not trained in eating enough such that they would get hungry at noon.

The "Calendariong Tagalog" by Honorio Lopez was a very useful device used widely in the Philippines. Not only was this calendar used in knowing the dates by also in giving names to the newly-born. It also contained the fortunes of individuals based on the heavenly bodies. It also forecast the weather throughout the year as well as the political and economic future of the country and of the world.

According to the old folks of Pililla, this is one of the oldest games among the children during that time. This is played by first drawing on the ground a rectangle with two diagonals and two semi-circles on both sides of the rectangle. (See illustration) [Note: No illustration is provided. ☺]

The divisions are then numbered one to six. Each player has a bato, usually a flat stone or a shell. A player who throws her bato nearer to or in the center of the circle drawn on the intersection of the two diagonals is the first to begin the game. Player A chooses her moon from either of the two semi-circles. If A chooses No. 1, B's moon will be No. 6. A then throws her bato into No. 1, which is her moon. A hops into her moon and kicks her bato out of her moon and then hops again back out of her moon. A again throws her bato into No. 2 and kicks her bato out, then hops back out. Same is done when she throws her bato into numbers 5 and 6. When one passes by No. 3 and No. 4 who must stand on both feet, one on No. 3 and another on No. 4. The player must be careful not to step on the line or to throw her bato on the line or she loses her turn.

The second phase of this game is played, this time the player doesn't hop. She throws her bato into her moon and walks with her head up, being careful not to step on the lines. If she does, she loses her turn. The first to complete the two phases wins the game.

The group to play taggers stays along lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. If any member of the group who played runners is tagged while attempting to cross the lines, the runners will exchange places with the opposing group. The group who successfully crosses the lines is the winner.
TAKIP BULAAN - A common game among children, this game interests boys and girls. The "it" has his eyes blindfolded. He then catches the other participants inside the circle. Whoever will be caught will be the "it."
SINTAK - A very popular game among children and even among elders. Small shells or "sigay" are used in this game. The player who accumulates the most number of shells is the winner.
SUNGKA - Among the games played by our old folks and which is still played is the sungka. The players in this game use a specially-made wood shaped like a banca. Along both sides of this banca-shaped wood are fourteen holes and two bigger holes at both ends. Ninety-eight shells or "sigay" are used in this game. The player who collects the most number of shells wins the game.

THE COMEDIA - During the Spanish occupation,the comedia was the principal source of amusement. This was introduced by the Spaniards in the Philippines and was usually adopted from the works of Shakespeare. Later on, the Filipinos composed their own stories on which they based their own comedies. They call this "moro-moro," because the stories are usually about the wars between the Christians and the non-Christian Moros.
DRAMAS - Upon the acquisition of the Philippines by the United States, drama had come into existence in the Philippines. The Little Theater was founded with the purpose of giving impetus to the writing of plays. The first group of writers are C.P. Romulo, Jorge Bocobo, and Vida. A. Tan. Severino Montato, of all these people, took drama seriously. In the Philippines, town fiestas are not complete if there are no dramas staged in places.

The cinema reduced greatly the popularity of the drama.

10. A loving heart is the truest wisdom.
11. If you will be successful, stick to one thing.
12. Every day is the best day of the year.
13. One today is worth two tomorrow.
14. No man can serve two masters.
15. Faults are thick where love is thin.
16. Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.
17. All mischiefs come from idleness.
18. Overcome evil with good.
19. A good tree bringeth forth good fruits.
20. Have a place for everything and everything in its place.
21. He who believes in tales has no mind of his own.
22. A rolling stone gathers no moss.
23. The weakest kind of fruit drops earliest to the ground.
24. A little neglect may breed mischief.
25. Birds of a feather flock together.
26. The heavens declare the glory of God.

27. A lazy man's garden is full of weeds.
28. The worst wheel does the most creaking.
29. Gambling is an express trip to poverty.
30. A reminder is a medicine to the forgetful.
31. A faithful friend is better than gold.
32. A santol tree never bears a guava fruit.
33. The face of an old friend is like a ray of sunshine through dark and gloomy clouds.

SUBMITTED BY:

(MISS) AMPARO PEREZ

The "Bahay na Bato" is the oldest house in Pililla. It was built even before the construction of the church. It was used as a residence of the priests about 300 years ago, while the church was under construction.

The materials used were hard stones, which were taken from "Malaking Bato," a nearby hill in Pililla; first class hardwood, "mulawin," cut around the vicinity now called Bagumbayan. The roof is made of tiles.

The succession of ownership of the "Bahay na Bato" was as follows:

1. Capitan Cornelio
2. Capitan Antonio
3. Cabeza Matias
4. Andeng Talavera
5. Narciso Tibay

During the Spanish time, the house was used by the Filipino insurrectos as a hiding place during the war with the Americans.

Respectfully submitted by:
(Miss) Sofia T. Licodine

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