FOLK SONGS FROM THE PHILIPPINES

From the Ivatans of Batanes to the Samals of Tawi-tawi, the Philippines is replete with songs which revolves around the occupation or livelihood of the people. Damiana L. Eugenio, considered as “Ina ng Folklore sa Pilipinas” classified these kinds of songs in her monumental anthology “Philippine Literature Series VIII: The Folk Songs” into “occupational songs.” The Ivatans sing the kalusan while their seamen row boats.  The Ilocanos of the north have songs about salt-making, the Ibaloy of Benguet have hunting songs.  Who could ever forget the short and choppy Ifugao rice pounding song “Chua-ay”? The Visayans, living in an archipelago surrounded with seas teeming with marine resources are expectedly sea-oriented, in terms of culture, life ways and livelihood. The Eastern Visayas is no exception. Jaime B. Polo wrote in 1983 about a colorful fishing “ritual-drama” in the village of Binalayan in Leyte. Much is also written about the buhat ritual to attract schools of d...

This is one of the more popular folk songs of Samar and northeastern Leyte.  The song is probably a dance music because of the similarity of the melody to the Pandangyado dance music.  The song texts are the most popular version available, although other song texts are used by the people of Eastern Samar.  Further research on this song found out that songs is just a part of a two-part song from Eastern Samar, the "Miripiti Kanding."  This "Han Nakadto Ka Pa" is actually, the second part of that song. Han nakadto ka pa, ka pa Ha kahigrayu-an, yu-an An kasingkasing ko, singko Alang nakain man diyes man. An pag-ilalanat, kinse Sobrado kapinan baynte Pero pag-aanhon kon mag-aalkase, When you were still there, still there On that very far place, far place My heart, beats not for fifteen times No, more than twenty times But what can I do if I lost. Source:   Courtesy of Mr. Irasga.

Scanning through my collection of Philippine folk song books, I find it easier to find samples of songs which express pride of one's ethnicity, especially, the noteworthy virtues of each people group's maidens/womenfolk: industrious, beautiful, socially-accomplished, good example, modest, peerless, and so on. Folk songs like the Babaeng Bikolana, the Kapampangan  Ing Manai, the Tagalog Ang Dalagang Tagabukid and Lulay ; the Waray An Marol (featured earlier in this blog's series, No. 3) , the Ilocana a Nadayag and the Daragang Taga-Cuyo  of Palawan all take pride in the prime qualities of their womenfolk. However, our love for the Filipinoness outside our own ethnicity is rather rare in the themes of our folk songs. That could be safe, probably, to presume that there could be a lot of folk songs which embody the ardent love for one's place of origin: a town, a province, an island, a region or an island group; however, for folk songs with theme of love for our country co...

Marol is the Samarnon word for the sampagita, the white dainty flower, long considered as the national flower of the Philippines. Across the country the sampagita is indeed renowned as it delicate white petals and unmistakable scent is commonly used metaphor for the Filipina maiden: simple, modest yet alluring.  Expectedly, many sampagita-inpired folklore materials are present in the Philippines, Samar included. This song for example, is also a version of a song-dance from Catbalogan.  Borongan, however, boasts the earliest published version of this song, when Priscilla V. Magdamo published the "An Manol" song from Borongan in her Philippine Folk Songs: Songs of the Visayas Vol. VI in 1958.  This version, from Villareal town on the western part of Samar was collected by Crispina C. Garcia. Pagkamatahom han marol bukad han tuna ta Kamakakaaawil han hamot niya Kundi labi na an marol, bukad han Villa Bantog humiyom, bantog tumawa, bantog ngatanan. An ha Vill...

The study of Philippine history during the Spanish colonial era is never a task solely relying on digging of chronicles, travel accounts, books published during that time, letters, government documents, statistical reports, catechisms and various ethnographic reports written (and most were published) by the frailes  themselves.  While the invaluable pieces of information the aforementioned offered can't be discounted, something  as paramount and as encompassing are on vernacular dictionaries and lexicons! The foreword written by Fr. Jose M. Cruz, S.J. for   prolific writer William Henry Scott's book  Barangay: Sevententh Century Philippine Society   mentioned the importance of dictionaries in the reconstruction of 17th century Philippines Society and culture: Dictionaries figure importantly in this book.  in the sixteenth century, there were only about a million and a half natives and only a small number of missionaries.  Aware of t...