who came from Botavora
of the brave clan of Lipod, came to this land when many monsters
were still roaming in its very dark forests. He saw that the land was good, so
he said:
Baltog: I have decided to stay in this land.
I will cultivate its fields and plant them with gabi.
Narrator: Then one night, a monstrous, wild boar known as Tandayag
saw these field and destroyed the crops. Upon knowing this, Baltog
decided to look for this boar with all his courage and patience. At last, he
caught the wild boar while destroying more of his crops.
Baltog: Tandayag, stop destroying
my crops! Come here and I will destroy you.
Tandayag: You think you can kill me? Let’s see.
Narrator: Baltog fought with all his might. He was unafraid. He was strong and
brave. Though the Tandayag had very long fangs, he was able to
pin down the monstrous, wild boar and break apart its very big jawbones. With
this, Tandayag fell and died.
Baltog: That’s what happens to
anyone who will come here obliterating peace.
Narrator: After this fight, Baltog went to his house in
Tondol, carrying the Tandayag's broken jawbones.
Then, he hung it on a talisay tree in front of his house. Upon learning
of the victory of their Chief Baltog, the people prepared a feast
and celebrated.
People: Mabuhay Chief Baltog! Let’s celebrate for his victory.
Narrator: The very big jawbones of the dead boar became an attraction
for everyone. Thus, came the tribes of Panikwason and Asog
to marvel at it.
People of Panikwason & Asog:
What a very big jawbone. Baltog must be very powerful to
defeat this beast.
Narrator: The second hero who came to the land of Ibalong
was Handyong. Together with his men, he had to fight thousands of
battles, and face many dangers to defeat the monsters. As warriors, they first
fought the one-eyed monster with three necks in the land of Ponong.
Handyong: My dear warriors, let us kill this one-eyed monster with all
our strength!
Warriors: Yes master. Let’s kill it with all our might!
Narrator: For ten months, they fought without rest. And they never
stopped fighting until all these monsters were killed.
Handyong: Victory! The victory is ours!
Warriors: All hail!
Narrator: Handyong and his men made their next attack
against the giant flying sharks called Triburon which had hardy
flesh and saw-like teeth that could crush rocks.
Handyong: Are we going to let this Triburon
defeat us?
Warriors: No! We will kill all of those Triburons!
Narrator: They continued fighting until the defeat of the last Triburon.
Then, they tamed the wild carabaos. They even drove away the giant and very
fierce Sarimao which had very sharp fingernails. And using their
spears and arrows, they killed all the crocodiles which were as big as boats.
With all these killings, the rivers and swamps of Ibalong turned
red with blood. It was at this time that the savage monkeys became frightened
and hid themselves.
Monkey 1: Handyong and his warriors are full of strength. I’m afraid
they will kill us too.
Monkey 2: We better hide ourselves.
Monkeys: Let’s get going!
Narrator: Among the enemies of Handyong and his men,
the serpent Oryol was the hardest to kill. Having a beautiful
voice, Oryol could change its image to deceive its enemies. To
capture it, Handyong tried different ways. But Oryol escaped
every one of it and disappeared. So, alone and unafraid, Handyong decided to
look for Oryol in the heart of the forest.
Handyong: I will look for Oryol in the heart of the forest.
Her beautiful voice will lead the way.
Narrator: Days and nights passed until Oryol came to
admire Handyong's bravery and gallantry. Then, the serpent helped the hero to
conquer the monsters, thus restoring peace to the entire Ibalong.
Oryol: Handyong, you are brave. I admire your gallantry. From now
on, I will help you conquer all the monsters.
Handyong: Please do help me for the restoration of peace.
Narrator: In one of the areas of Ibalong called Ligmanan,
Handyong built a town. Under his leadership and his laws, slaves
and masters were treated equally. The people planted rice and because of their
high regard of him, they named this rice after him. He built the first boat to
ride the waves of Ibalong's seas. Through his good example, his
people became inspired and came up with their own inventions. There was Kimantong
who made the plow, harrow, and other farming tools; Hablom who
invented the first loom for weaving abaca clothes; Dinahong, an Agta,
who created the stove, cooking pot, earthen jar, and other kitchen utensils;
and Sural who brilliantly thought of the syllabary and started to
write on a marble rock. This was a golden period in Ibalong.
Then suddenly, there came a big flood caused by Unos,
with terrifying earthquakes. The volcanoes of Hantik, Kulasi
and Isarog erupted. Rivers changed their direction and the sea
waves rolled high. Destruction was everywhere. Soon, the earth parted,
mountains sank, a lake was formed, and many towns in Ibalong were
ruined.
Then, appeared the giant Rabot,
half-man and half-beast, with awesome and terrifying powers.
Person 1: Who will fight against Rabot?
Person 2: Let’s call Bantong.
Narrator: So, Bantong, the third hero was called. He
was a good friend of Handyong. He was ordered to kill the new
monster in Ibalong.
People: Please, do kill Rabot for us.
Bantong: I will do my very best.
Narrator: To do this, Bantong took with him a thousand
warriors to attack Rabot's den. But using his wisdom against Rabot,
he did not attack the giant right away. He first observed Rabot's
ways. Looking around the giant's den, he discovered that there were many rocks
surrounding it, and these were the people who were turned into rocks by Rabot.
Bantong also learned that Rabot
loved to sleep during the day and stayed awake at night. So, he waited. When Rabot
was already sleeping very soundly, Bantong came hear him. He cut the
giant into two with his very sharp bolo and without any struggle, Rabot
died, So, Ibalong was at peace once more.
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