Bicol 1

History
The Pre-Spanish Period

The Bicol region was known as Ibalon, variously interpreted to derive form ibalio,
"to bring to the other side"; ibalon, "people from the other side" or "people who are
hospitable and give visitors gifts to bring home"; or as a corruption of Gibal-ong, a sitio
of Magallanes, Sorsogon where the Spaniards first landed in 1567. A 1572 document
mentioned that there were already 41 settlements within Sorsogon during that time, 34
along the Sorsogon Gulf and 7 in eastern Sorsogon. When the Spaniards arrived in
Sorsogon in 1569, they were surprised to find the inhabitants living peacefully. Fr. Jose
Castao, a missionary, described the early Bicolanos (including the early Gubateos) as
a race of impetuosity and valor fond of social dealings; more intelligent and vigorous,
more active, industrious and warlike, and adjusted to live in compact villages.
Fr. Colin describe the Bicolanos as "being devoted to the cultivation of their
lands; they harvested palay; they know how to make farm tools with which they tilled the
soil. They used a coarse mortar to separate the grain from the husk of the palay and at
the same time, it served to whiten and, polish the rice. They had instruments for fishing
and household utensils made of bamboo and wood.
They wore clothing which they themselves wove from cotton and pineapple. They
didn't go around naked, rather they wore collarless robes which were well-made, the
length of which reaches the ankle. They were always reserved and careful in covering
their persons with extreme diligence, circumspection and modesty in which point they
excel all nations.
The woman very prudent and modest is stranger to any form of triviality. The
attire is modest and elegant. The man carried on his head a sort of turban or small
girdle cloth called putong, made of fibers of abaca and pineapple".
Antonio de Morga observed that the Bicolanos were of medium height with a
complexion like stewed quinces; and both men and women are well-featured. They
have very black hair, and thin beards; and are very clever at anything that they
undertake, keen and passionate, and of great resolution.
Records show no sign of Islamic rule nor any authority surpassing the datu
(chieftain). Precolonial leadership was based on strength, courage, and intelligence.
The native seemed apolitical. Thus the datu's influence mattered most during crises like
wars. Otherwise, early Bicol society remained family centered, and the leader was the
head of the family.
Religious Beliefs, Custom, and Practices
Bicol religiosity is deeply rooted. Sometimes Christian faith is expressed through

indigenous forms, and indigenous beliefs may assume a Christian face. Some beliefs
and customs related to farming the life cycle, talismans, and divination survive in the
consciousness of the contemporary Bicol, even the educated.
The prehispanic beliefs in the hierarchy of supernaturals ranging from bad to

good s to a limited extend preserved. The common expression "Tabi po, maki-agi po"
(Excuse me please, I would like to pass by) acknowledges the invisible world. The
Christian God and heavenly host have replaced the supreme god Gugurang and the
minor deities, each of whom had a special function. But the darker side inhabited by
witches and monsters seem to live on I the minds of some Bicol Christians. So does
ancestor worship in some areas; a postharvest thanksgiving ritual, sagurang, is retained
by Bicol farmers by way of offering food to the spirits of their ancestors.
The healers Cannell discusses in her book work to cure illnesses that are
caused by invisible small spirit beings called tawo. The tawo may come into the room in
its own invisible form or enter the body of the healer. The Filipinos have undoubtedly
seen the world as being inhabited by these beings before Christianity came. So how did
they deal with the idea of a world where there is both Jesus and tawo? The Filipinos
Cannell studied suggested that these beings are aware of Jesus and do have a place in
the Christian world (118). Some tawo, they argue, are in fact Christians. Yet ironically
the spirits cannot enter into the church and be blessed while residing in a persons body
lest the body forever be inhabited by the spirit. This , the Bicolanos say is because in
the beginning of the world when god blessed all animals and humans the tawohid
among the trees and were not blessed which is why they are invisible (118). So if
a tawo is blessed it will enter into the human world. Philippine Catholicism thus includes
a unique spiritual world that does not exist in other areas of the world that practice
Catholicism. In combination with saint worship and going to church, there are other
forms of ritual and religious practice that has survived the efforts of colonialism to
trample these practices.
As icons of modernity became visibly alive, old customs and practices of

previous centuries continued to define the character of the taga-Canaman. Folk
medicine, traditional healing practices, such as baw or the santigwar, and the use of
local herbs remained integral features of the native's psychological understanding of the
nature of pathology and healing. This implies, therefore, the persistence of the belief in
supernatural creatures such as aswang, tigbalang, kapre, taong lipod and similar spirits,
who continually co-existed with them even right in their own urban milieu. But it was in
the survival of many pious practices that the town takes pride as the showcase of Bicol
culture.
(The beating of the patong or balalong, a hollowed wooden gong

used as a communication tool during the pre-colonial days, today
signals the start of the street parade of the Tinagba festival in
Iriga. Image is from Feodor Jagor's Reisen en den Phiippinen.)
Political Organization: Encomienda

When the expeditionary forces of Juan de Salcedo and Captain Chavez reached the
Kabikolan, as Father Francisco Colin, writes, they observed that the ancient Bicolano
society was called the Barangay composed of three distinct classes the datu, or
principal; the dulujan or workers which constitute the majority of the society; and the
oripon or slaves.
Immediately after the villages in the Kabikolan were subdued by the conquistadores, the
native political organization called the barangay was replaced by the encomienda
system.
The encomienda system was the first form of political organization that the Spaniards
established in the province of Sorsogon. It was the cheapest means by which the
Spanish rulers could reward the faithful service rendered to them by the
conquistadores.
Christianization
The establishment of the encomiendas in the province was not only for the purpose of
collecting tributes (taxes) from the inhabitants but also for the evangelization through
the Franciscan Friars.
As soon as Gubat became a separate parish from Bulusan in 1777, Fray Geronimo
Cabello was assigned the first Parish priest of Gubat. He initiated the construction of a
church made of bamboo and nipa, and when it was destroyed by a typhoon, he decided
to build a strong church made of lime and stone.
The church however, crumbled after a strong earthquake that preceded the disastrous
eruption of Mt. Mayon in February 1814.
Soon the parish church was built, but it was transferred to the present day site at
barangay Pinontingan. It was typical for the Spaniards to construct the church facing the
presedencia. However, in the 50s, the church council decided to transfer the main door
for the church from the eastern side to the western side as it now appears. The parish
celebrates the fiesta celebration every 13th of June in honor of St. Anthony of Padua,
and to commemorate the arrival in Gubat of the first friars.
The friars did not only concentrate on the christianization of the Gubateos but also
helped in the proper identification of inhabitants. The reason why the majority of
Gubateos are surnamed with the Letter "E" as the first letter, as in other towns with the
respective letter-assignments, was attributed to an order of Alcalde Mayor Narciso
Claveria. Following that order, Don Juan Fernando, the gobernadorcillo of Gubat in
1849; assigned surnames to the people of Gubat with the help of Father Ramon de Sta.
Ana. The surnames assigned to Gubat begins with a letter "E", as in Bacon/Prieto Diaz,
"D"; and Bulan, "G".
Local Administration
When the encomienda system was installed, the first thing that friars did was divide it
into various cabecerias or barangays each headed by a cabeza de barangays or district
chief. Gubat, as a visita of Bulusan for almost 150 years, was headed by a Cabeza de
Barangay. From 1750, the visita was headed by a Tiniente Mayor under the following
persons.

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Bicol 1

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History

The Pre-Spanish Period

Religious Beliefs, Custom, and Practices

Bicol religiosity is deeply rooted. Sometimes Christian faith is expressed through

The prehispanic beliefs in the hierarchy of supernaturals ranging from bad to

As icons of modernity became visibly alive, old customs and practices of

(The beating of the patong or balalong, a hollowed wooden gong

Political Organization: Encomienda

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