MUNICIPALITY OF GUINAYANGAN, Historical Data of Part 3

3. May-flower festivity is usually done in the month of May. On the last night of the Sta. Cruz de Mayo, Holy Cross of May, a triangular structure is hung heavily laden with fruits, vegetables, and many things to eat. After the procession, the things are lowered for the crowd to get the food.

1. When a person committed a crime, the "capitan" or head of the town ordered the "aguasil," minister of justice, to summon the culprit and lay him on a long bench in every corner of the town, and gave him "vivente-cinco tiros" or "un cavan," meaning twenty-five lashes.

2. The guilty person was accompanied by two guards, instructed to shout along the street, "I am a criminal" or "I have stolen a cow," as the case might have been.

3. The offender was tied with a rope used a radius, forming a circle around him. The distance within the circumference should be cleared by the offender. If it was grassy, he cut the grasses.

a. Myths -

1. The source of the Prenza River cutting the southern part of the poblacion was believed to be inhabited by fairies. Beautiful maidens were said to be appearing during moonlights dressed in white cloaks with long hairs touching the ground.

2. During the early days, when the town was still a wilderness and the houses were only found along the seashore, an unusual man appeared by the river. He was almost ten feet in height. He could be seen at night smoking a long cigarette, towering above the guava trees that forested the town. The natives called him "HIGANTI," meaning giant.

3. At sunsets, the elders forbade the children to play around. It was said that dwarves began to take walks and if anybody happened to step on them, they wrought vengeance upon the former.

1. Camotes, if intended to raise sufficient tubers, should be planted during low tides when the stones and gravel can be seen, and vice-versa if making oil, the coconut milk must be boiling during high tide to produce more oil.

2. When the "TIAL," a lamentable cry of the white deer from the slope of the cemetery, can be heard, someone in the neighborhood is dying.

3. In constructing the ladder of a new house, the old folks see to it that the last step does not correspond to MALA, meaning bad in Spanish. The counting starts from the lowest step upward — "oro, gold; plata silver; mala, bad," repeating the counting until the last step corresponds to either "oro" or "plata," gold or silver.

It is believed that the world was created by God and that

the first man and women were Adam and Eve. They settled on land. During the universal deluge, the dashing waves carried mounds of soil to some portions of the earth, resulting into surface depression in other [portions], thus mountains and hills were formed.

6. The people hold the belief that lightning and thunder are an indication of rain. This olden belief does not, however, carry the scientific knowledge of the existence of water vapor in the clouds.

7. July to December is a cold season and the period between January and June is the hot season.

1. A comet is seldom seen. It shines at midnight until the wee hours of the morning. The apparition of the comet predicts certain unusual happenings on earth. It was informed that in 1883, a comet appeared with long and red rays. A few months after, a terrible pestilence occurred. There was a cholera epidemic which resulted, to a great extent, to the loss of lives in the community.

2. Formerly, the planting season was in the month of May. But after the appearance of the comet HALI [Halley's Comet], it was noted that the planting season was changed to June and July, as it is now. It was then that storms occurred in March and May as well as in April, which was supposed to be the dry season.

There are persons whom others believe to be witches, and that these persons are endowed with supernatural powers by the evil spirits.

Pag isinayaw ay maganda
Itong tugtog na CARIÑOSA

Irog, magmula nang kita'y makilala

Dina napawi sa aking ala-ala
At kung magkalayo tayo mutyang sinta
Luha'y di na matuyo sa aking mata
At kung sa inyong bintana'y may dumapong ibon
Irog, kausapin mo at ako yaon.

Magbabalik sa iyo't humihiñgi ng awa

Lunasan ng puso, dibdib pa ay wasak
La Palomang mahal, patawarin mo ako
At susuyuin kita, mamahalin magpahanggan...
Magpahanggang libing.

May isang bulaklak, may isang bulaklak
Na ibig lumitaw
Sa balat ng mundo'y ibig paibabaw
Nalalanta ito, nalalanta ito
Sa patak ng ulan
At nananariwa sa sikat ng araw.

Sa gayong kay lamig
Sa gayong kay lamig
Nang hañging simoy
Buko't sampung buñga
Magsisipangluoy
Magsisipanglagas
Magsisipanglagas
Ang sariwang dahon
Dahilan sa ganda mo,
O mahal kong Neneng.

My pig in the hills has feathers of nails. (Jackfruit)

Pinag-uusuñgan ng lima. (Karayom)
It can't be measured by meter or foot
But it can be carried by five. (Needle)

Hindi matapos lakarin. (Anino)
A very short vine
No one can finish by walking. (Shadow)

(True happiness if understood consists alone of doing good.)

(Too many words, too little work.)

(Action is louder than words.)

(The sleeping shrimp is carried by the current.)

1. When the sun was overhead, it was twelve o'clock.
2. The call of the Luzon Calao (Kalo) in the morning meant 4 o'clock and the family said the morning prayer.
3. During the Christmas season, cocks crowed every hour. It used to crow every three hours throughout the rest of the year.

In the Christmas season, the prevailing customs were introduced by the Spaniards. Religious activities were inherited from the adopted Spanish culture and religion.

BRIEF POLITICAL HISTORY. From 1912 to 1934, Manlayo had never known even a semblance of limited freedom in the administration of its domestic affairs. It was directly under the control and supervision of the Vice-President of the Municipality of Guinayangan. However, in 1934, during the incumbency of Antonio Marquez as Municipal President, Manlayo was made a subdivision of Guinayangan, with Gervacio Pila as its teniente, followed by Canuto David, and then by Felizardo Manilo, who is the present teniente del barrio.

SPANISH PERIOD. During the Spanish regime, Manlayo was still an uninhabited place and, therefore, no historical facts or incidents can possibly related, for there cannot be any human history where there are no personages to move about the curtain in the drama of human events.

AMERICAN REGIME. Upon the advent of the Americans and the implementation in the Philippines of its sovereignty, Manlayo gradually appeared into the limelight of politics as people began to dwell and seek livelihood in this peaceful and beneficient place, with its waters

WARTIME. When the war broke out in 1941, Manlayo was made to share the bitterness of life with other peoples of the Philippines under the unbearable yoke of tyranny forcibly imposed upon a vanquished and oppressed people by the bowlegged Mikado warriors, whose destiny was to conquer and enslave consistence with their mission of world domination at the sacrifice of the weak and the peace-loving. The people of Manlayo, realizing the futility of resistance in the face of an overpowering enemy, hid all signs of stubbornness in their breasts and pledged their outward cooperation with the Japanese masters, but ever nurturing with solemn and ardent prayers, fervent hopes of rightful revenge and vindication of God's appointed time. When the liberating army of the United States was about to strike its final blow for the final redemption of the distressed people of the Pacific, the people of Manlayo, consistent with their prayers and hopes, joined the underground movement. When the Japanese learned of this, they treacherously attacked the residents under cover of dawn and massacred slumbering people. About 27

AFTER THE WAR. With immense destructions of the war, this progressive village bravely started life anew. The rehabilitation was so rapid that when the Commonwealth Government talked of politics, the inhabitants became very active. The people openly participated in political campaigns for their respective parties. They nominated candidates for municipal positions and some of their young men were given positions of trust and confidence. Conspicuous among them is the present Municipal Secretary, who comes from the place. In the first election after the war, they all went Liberal. Lately, however, there was disintegration in their political affiliation.

ECONOMIC LIFE. The people of Manlayo largely live on fishing as the source of their livelihood. In fact, the name Manlayo has been associated with the fishing industry. Ninety per cent of the people are fishermen with deep-sea fishing their best. The women are industrious and sell the catch of their husbands in the market. Others are engaged in drying, smoking, and icing fish for sale in neighboring towns, and even exported to Lucena and Manila.

EDUCATION. The present rate of illiteracy in this is no more than 30% being people who came from the progressive province of Cavite. 90% of the children of school age are attending school, and 2% have already finished high school. About 1% have already started college education. There are some professionals.