THE LEGEND OF RICE

When the world was still new, the rice plant has no value. It was just a mere grass. It has no
grain or fruit. It doesn’t do anything but to kiss the wind all day long.

One day, it happened that the Chinese goddess Kuan-yin went down to visit the Earth. In
her excursion, she saw that everywhere in the four corners of China are people dying of
hunger. Her soft heart cannot endure the pain and poverty that she sees and it seems as
though her heart will melt with pity. She took a deep breath and said, “Aiya, Ai-ya, I need to
act and help these people.”

She silently observed her surroundings. She took interest in a worthless rice plant which
sprouted in the alley. She approached it and said, “I will use this humble plant to help my
poor people.”

She opened her robe and exposed her white bosom. She squeezed her right breast with her
hand and let out drops of milk of life to the rice plant’s panicle. She also squeezed her other
breast and let the milk drop on the plant’s empty hulls.

She squeezed her breasts until there’s no milk coming out anymore. She prayed, “Oh
merciful heaven, bless me with a little more drops of milk.” She massaged and squeezed her
breasts again until she saw that some drops are coming out but it is mixed with blood. The
goddess gave all that she can. She was glad to see that all the panicles became full of rich
rice grains.

“Oh noble plant, may your panicle overflow. May we harvest a lot to eliminate hunger in
this land.” After she has done her duty, she happily came back to the heavens.

This is how the rice plant yielded its first rice grains. There are varieties which produce
white rice as white as Kuan-yin’s milk, and there are also some which yields reddish rice as
a reminder of the blood mixed with the last drops of the merciful goddess’ milk.

Legend of Mag-asawang Tubig

In the olden days, there was a small town in which a few farmers' families lived. Among them
was the couple known as Ba Imo and Ba Sinta. They were well liked and respected in that
place, for although they were well off, they were humble and generous.

One day Bathala put them to the test. A beggar in tattered clothes came to their house and
asked for lodgings. The couple very hospitably welcomed their guest and even joined him for a
meal at their table. To the great amazement of the couple, although they had been eating for
sometime, the food at the table did not decrease. Realizing that their guest was God, the couple
knelt before him and prayed. The old man blessed them. In their prayer, the couple asked that
they may die at the same time, so that neither of them would experience grief and loneliness
which would surely happen if one of them died first.

God granted the wish of the couple. They died at the same time and were buried in adjoining
graves. Not long afterwards, a brook sprang from their graves. This later grew and grew until
it became a river, which was named Mag-asawang Tubig in memory of the loving couple.
 The Legend of Macapuno
In pre-Hispanic days, there was a lagoon that connected with the River Pasig, where later stood the Chinese Parian,
near present Botanical Gardens. The Pasig lapped quietly against its banks. Sailing slowly past on the current were
floating islands of water-plants, including patches of those resembling cabbages called quiapo, which that suburb is
named after. Crocodiles--ancient, scraggy-skinned specimens--abounded, and water-fowl filled the mornings and
evenings with their calls. Where the lagoon and shore met in a labyrinth of waterways, the green fronds of the nipa-
palm flourished, and forest trees grew about the edges, raised a few feet above the level of the river. This lagoon was
later used as a water-entry for the trading champans and cascos with the Chinese, but gradually it filled up after the
Parain was transferred across the Pasig to the Alcayceria.

Upon the arrival of the Castilians to the Islands, the petty rajahs and rulers of the settlements were--almost without
exception--men of Borneo or, to more accurately, of the the sultanate of Brunei, which claimed everything north to
Manila Bay. Such places as Sapa (Sta. Ana) were ruled over by Lakantagan, a Bornean, whose son by a "Bornean
woman" named Pasay--it is said--gave his name to that settlement. So Kainta, Kalilaya, and Komintang (Tayabas and
Batangas) of Panay, and Bago and Ilo of Negros were Bornean rulers, as was possibly Lakandola, the grandson of
Lontok and Kalangitan. A daughter of Lontok married the ruler of Sapa (Baliuag), a colony planted from the original
Sapa (Sta. Ana), who was called Balagtas. Bunayog, the ruler of Bua (Nebuy, the chief settlement of Camarines);
Panga, ruler of Lupa; Kayayao ruler of Sabang, settlements of Bicolandia; and Sumaclob, rajah of the Cuyos were all
men of Borneo who paid tribute to Brunei before its decadence about the end of the16th century.

Its copper money, at least, was current in the beginning of this century here in the Islands.

Some generations before the caravels of Legaspi entered Manila Bay, this lagoon was home to a family of the rajah
class who had been exiled from Brunei for some reason connected with the execution of the Sultan, a cruel and
avaricious ruler. Reduced to the lowest circumstances, Rajah Madia and his wife Kimay made the banks of the lagoon
their home. Without the usual regiment of slaves and with no means of obtaining them, their household consisted of
their only daughter, Macapuno, a girl of extreme beauty and affability and a princess in her own right; the aged
brother of Madia, named Tidoy; and Tidoy's two sons, Kamanchille and Guanar, both growing into manhood. The
river, marsh, and forest supplied their simple wants, as it did those of their neighbors on the lush banks of the Pasig.

Although many asked for the hand of the beautiful and modest Macapuno, none was of sufficient rank to satisfy
Madia and his wife. Attractive and lovable she grew into womanhood, but lacking a noble suitor, she busied herself
solely with the tasks of the household. If she had dreams, she kept them to herself. In time, age overtook her parents,
who died and were buried according to Bornean customs. Kamanchille and Guanar, haughtily refusing to take
service with the datus of Lusong, became expert warriors and hunters, supporting their cousin Macapuno, and their
aged father Tidoy, a once-renowned warrior. A year or so passed in this manner for the reduced family living in exile
on the banks of the lagoon by the Pasig.

The day came when a wandering hero (bayani) from Brunei passed by, saw the beautiful Macapuno, and fell
violently in love with her. She in turn did not discourage his advances. Having nothing but his arms and valor and
pleasing address and appearance, Luanbakar proposed to marry her, but the cousins, Kamanchille and Buanar, as
heads of the family, were fiercely proud of their high descent and, following age-old custom, suspicious of all
strangers. After conferring with the viejo Tidoy and Macapuno, they allowed him to follow the regular condition of
an unknown suitor of Malaysia.

This custom stated that the admirer should labor for a certain period for the family of the maid, until the elders were
satisfied that a good choice had been made and that the suitor would prove an eligible match for the girl. Luanbakar
readily agreed, and the first task appointed him was the construction of a long dike in order to make part of the
lagoon into a fishpond. This pond, supplied by the tides from the Pasig, would prove a profitable undertaking in
breeding the fish among the roots of the mangroves and nilad. The work progressed for some time, the dredging and
building being done by hand alone. This was varied by hunting trips in the commons, and Luanbakar proved his
industry and dexterity on all occasions, partly allaying the suspicions of the two cousins.

Because the fishpond was but a short distance from the house, Macapuno would carry food to the bayani engaged in
his labor of love for her, and in the flush of youth, they were naturally attracted to each other. But the cousins of the
princess believed that the stranger had not waited for the rite of marriage and, out of revenge planned, to kill him as
he had not followed the strict custom. They reasoned that to doing so would save their honor, notwithstanding that
the task allotted him had been practically completed and that their cousin and the bayani were as good as married. In
accordance with Malayan custom, a wrong remains un-righted until death overtakes the guilty. It is equally un-
redressed if the avenger fails to make himself or his aims known to the victim. The boys then plotted the death of the
stranger, either singly or in the company of each other.

As Luanbakar was busy finishing the dike, Kamanchille with his hunting spear appeared before him one day,
inquiring if the wild boar he was pursing had passed that way. The bayani replied, "No," adding that these animals
rarely take to the river to hide. The cousin kept insisting on his story, and Luanbakar turning his head towards the
young man, saw him with his spear poised and pointed in his direction. The same instant this was launched with
such ferocity that it entered his side below the ribs, passed through the body and hurled him into the water, while
Kamanchille taunted him for his flouting of immemorial custom. Terribly wounded, Luanbakar climbed the dike,
extracted the spear, bound the mortal wound tightly with his sarong, and saw Kamanchille in full flight after his
treacherous deed.

Certain of him imminent death, Luanbakar grasped the spear and pursued the flying Kamanchille, shouting for him
to wait and he would show how the wild boar could die. Gaining on the youth, the latter glancing over his shoulder,
tripped over a mangrove root and fell. At this moment Luanbakar threw the lance with such dexterity that it passed
completely through his slayer, and at the same time, he fell exhausted beside the body of his enemy. In the moment
before their deaths, he whispered in the ear of Kamanchille that the Great Bathala would be their judge, that he
forgave the cowardly blow, and that he would so testify. And so they died together.

Macapuno, noting that Kamanchille did not return after passing that way and apprehensive of his attitude came to
the dike. It was deserted, but the trail of blood told the story as she followed it to where they lay side by side in
death. Tears welled from her eyes for the fate of her relative and her lover, and for some time, she gave herself up to
silent sorrow. Stifling her grief, she piled branches on the pair and returned to the house resolved to say nothing and
to keep silence over the affair. Guanar, returning later, asked her about the whereabouts of the two, and she replied
that the bayani and Kamanchille had gone hunting and awaited him in a distant part of the forest which then
extended through Paco--named after its edible ferns--to the nyun of Sapa itself. Grasping his spear, he left hastily for
the supposed rendezvous, sensing that his brother was leading the stranger to his death.

Upon his departure Macapuno took a wooden spade and returned to the scene of the tragedy. The night had set and
turned dark and stormy. Rain from over the distant mountain pattered on the forest canopies and the lagoon. The
wind blew in fitful gusts, chilling her during her terrible task. Without aid of light, she excavated a deep grave in
which she placed both bodies, weeping bitterly the while, the work taking some hours to finish. After washing
herself in the waters of the river, she returned to the house and prepared a meal for Guanar. He returned about
midnight carrying a deer which had fallen to his spear and remarking that he had not found a trace of either his
brother or the bayani, although he had searched the entire forest. Macapuno assured him they would return the next
day without doubt. The succeeding day Guanar himself continued the work on the fishpond. Upon noticing the
traces of blood he reported it to Macapuno, who replied that it is probably that of some wounded animal in the
fight. While the explanation did not satisfy Guanar, he said nothing. Some months passed, and the hunters did not
return nor was anything further heard of them. The ancient warrior, Tidoy, passed on, and they were still more
alone. She took the child across the Pasig, entrusting it to an old woman to bring up. No mention was made of its
parents, but princess left with the old crone all her ornaments as recompense--all the property she had left in the
world.

Macapuno return sadly to her menial tasks with nothing but memories. The daily gnawing of conscience tormented
her. Unable to stand these, together with the buffetings of fate, she arrayed herself in her best garments, carefully
weighted them with stones, went to the end of dike and threw herself into the river, thus ending the
tragedy. Guanar, finding her absent, searched for her high and low, finally discovering her corpse on a sandbar near
the mouth of the Pasig. His sorrow was great, but no amount of remorse could alter the facts. Recovering the body
he dug a grave on the bank in which he buried the unfortunate Macapuno, but he had nothing to mark the spot.

Looking around he saw a coconut floating past in the current. This he retrieved and planted it in the grave to
permanently mark it. Returning to the lonely house, he in turn became disconsolate, brooding over the
circumstances that left him the sole survivor of all his exiled family. He resolved to return to the land of his birth and
take service under some datu (exiled family). He paddled out to the island of Takaykay from whence he took
passage in a boat bearing the tribute to the Sultan of Brunei, the last of his race.

Years past and the coconut planted on the grave of Macapuno grew up into a noble palm bearing fruit in turn. While
not so tall as its species, its graceful fronds hid an abundance of small round nuts. But these were entirely different
from the ordinary variety, being solid, full of meat, and much sweeter to taste. The wandering traders of Kalilaya
and Bai took these nuts to propagate, and they were thus in high demand.

May not the palm have absorbed the agreeable qualities of the unfortunate princess--her perfection of form, her
sweetness of temper? That at least is the legend, for this variety of coconut is known by all and is called Macapuno.
 The Legend of Mount Kanlaon
There once lived on the island of Negros a princess named Anina who lived a very sheltered life.
One day, Anina overheard her father talking to the kingdom’s chief priestess. The priestess was frantic
about a report that they could not find a single maiden who was unblemished.
Later, Anina asked her father what it was all about, and the king finally broke down. There had long
been a seven-headed dragon threatening the kingdom, and the monster could only be appeased if an
unblemished maiden was sacrificed to it.
In fear, all the women in the kingdom had cut themselves to disqualify themselves from the
sacrifice. Parents cut their own baby girls so as to spare the infants from the sacrifice. But the
king and the queen couldn’t bring themselves to mar their daughter’s beauty, and so Anina was
the only remaining unscarred female in the kingdom.

Anina did not weep. Instead, she willingly offered herself for the sacrifice. Fortuitously, on the
day she was to be brought to the mountain where the dragon lived, a man calling himself Khan
Laon appeared. (Khan in his language meant a noble lord.) He said he came from a kingdom far
away in order to slay the dragon and spare Anina’s life.

No one believed the dragon could be killed, but Khan Laon insisted that his ability to talk to
animals would help him. He asked the help of the ants, the bees and the eagles.

The ants swarmed over the dragon’s body and crept under its scales to bite its soft, unprotected
flesh, while the bees stung the fourteen eyes of the dragon till it was blind. The largest eagle
carried Khan Laon to the mountain where he was able to easily chop off the seven heads of the
writhing beast.

In gratitude, the king gave Khan Laon his daughter Anina to be his bride, and the people named
the mountain after the noble lord.

And that is how, according to the story, Mount Kanlaon got its name. That it is a volcano is
because of the spirt of the dead dragon.

The Legend of the Stars

A long, long time ago, there is a couple. The only man, and only woman when the Earth was young
and new. The young couple relies on their surroundings for food, shelter, and they use leaves as a
way of clothing.
The man would usually go fishing or hunting for food and they plant crops too. He is strong and well
built. The woman on the other hand, is beautiful. Each morning as she wakes up, she would start the
day by spending time combing her long, wavy black hair. After that, she would put on her jewels. Her
necklace is made of pearls and so as her earrings. The young woman used to hang her jewels on
clouds as the Earth is new, the sky and clouds are so close that a human hand can reach it. Each
night as she retires to sleep, she would hang back her jewels on the clouds and wear it in the
morning.

Then one day when the woman was using the big mortar and pestle, removing the rice bran from the
grains, she found it hard to do so as she keeps on hitting the clouds every time she use the pestle.
So when her husband came home that night, they talked about the situation and agreed to try asking
God the next morning.

The woman, as always, started her day by spending time combing her hair before putting on her
jewels. As she started her tasks, it bother her hitting the clouds again. She just wished she could
have more room to do her work.
So she finally said, " God. I had a favor to ask. If you could please make the sky a little higher so I
won't hit the clouds?" And so, the sky got a little higher. And she continued her work.
The night came, and it's morning again the following day. This time her husband is helping her on
her work. They both used the mortar and pestle. But still, the sky is still close that they could still hit
it. And so they asked again, "God, I already asked the other day but the sky is still low that our pestle
can still touch the clouds. If you could make it a little more higher this time?" They we're heard so the
sky became much higher.

But the two aren't satisfied yet. They want it much higher, to give them more space. And so they
called again to ask the favor, " We still can't move around the way we want to. The sky is still low
that we can reach it. Could you please make it much higher?"
But this time, God wanted to teach both of them a lesson. Being given the favor and still not satisfied
of what they have, God did made the sky higher. The couple watch in astonishment as the sky
keeps on getting higher, higher that they can eve reach.

But alas! The woman's jewels that hangs on the cloud are now gone too as her jewels went up with
the clouds. They said that high was already enough but still, the sky keeps on getting higher and the
clouds appears smaller and smaller to them.

And soon, they realized they we're being taught a valuable lesson but It was late already for them.
And when the darkness came, that was the first time the couple witnessed the brightly shining jewels
scattered in the sky, her jewels.
Since then, those tiny, brightly twinkling stars can be seen up in the sky at night. So high that no one
would be able to reach them.

The Legend of Chocolate Hills

It is said that in the early times, the island of Bohol in the Visayas is a vast mass of dry land. Ri
ce fields tend to crack under the heat of the sun. During the rainy season, the dusty land turns in
to a stream of mud. It is only during the rice season that the fields turn into a refreshing sea of g
reen.

It was one day during the rainy season that two giants came into the land of Bohol. One of them
was from the north and the other was from the south. Not for long, the two giants met eye to ey
e. The tension between the two rivals filled the air.

"Hey! You ugly giant! Stay away from my land!," said the South Giant. "Leave and look for your
own land to conquer!"

"You must be mistaken! I am here first!," answered the North Giant. "If you want, you leave!"

"This cannot be happening!" shouted the South Giant with a stomp. The whole ground shook. Si
nce it has just rained, the ground was muddy. The giant scooped mud from the ground and thre
w it on the other giant. The North Giant also scooped and formed his own balls of mud and thre
w it back on his opponent.

The battle of the two giants became intense. Balls of mud were thrown back and forth. The town
speople gathered to watch the two opposing giants. Each one used all of his might to best the ot
her. No one gave up until both of them ran out of energy. Because of the exhausting duel, both
of the two giants fell on the ground and died. What was left of their heated fight were hills of mu
d from the thrown mud balls. Since then, the townspeople lived peacefully on their land along th
e hills.

During the summer seasons, these hills seem like chocolate candies, especially from top view.
This is the reason why it became known as chocolate hills. During the rainy seasons, however, t
hese hills become covered with lush green vegetation.
Legend of Mount Mayon
Mount Mayon is an active volcano, named after Daragang Magayon, a beautiful girl in this
legend. This is a tragic love triangle between Daragang Magayon, her lover Panginorin, and her
admirer Pagtuga.

Magayon, daughter of the Rawis' tribal chief Makusog, was known for her exquisite beauty and
grace. So renowned was she, that suitors from faraway lands came to vie for her hand. One of
her admirers was Pagtuga, an arrogant and snobbish hunter. To win her, he would present her
with extravagant gifts, but none of them pleased her.

Panginorin, the chief of Karilaga, hearing of her beauty, decided to visit the Rawis, just to catch
a glimpse of her. When he saw her, he was immediately smitten and courted her with much
devotion. Touched by his affection, Magayon too fell in love. Panginorin, then, rammed a spear
in front of her house, denoting his intention to marry her, as per the custom.

The wedding was just a few days away, when Pagtuga blackmailed Magayon that if she doesn't
marry him, he will kill Makusog, her father. When Panginorin came to know of this, he attacked
Pagtuga. The brutal fight ended when Pagtuga was slain by Panginorin. A joyous Magayon
rushed to his side, when a stray arrow hit her. Panginorin too, was struck by a spear. Sadness
spread over the entire kingdom, and the lovers were placed in a grave and buried.

As days past by, people noticed that the land on which Magayon and Panginorin were buried,
was slowly rising, forming the Mount Mayon. The legend says that, now Panginorin lives in the
clouds and Magayon in the mountain, and when the peak of Mayon is shrouded by clouds, the
couple is kissing. The rain that follows this, is said to be the tears of Panginorin. Some days, the
ground shakes, and they say, this is the angry Pagtuga trying to take his gifts back from
Magayon.