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CULTURAL HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF LEMERY, BATANGAS

Nuguit, Reandro A., Rivera, Ella May D., Rivera, Ma. Norielle D., Sabili, Stephanie
Jane, Sanchez, Jellybel Q. and Serrano, Mark Gi L.

anyayahanreandro@gmail.com,ellamayriverareid@gmail.com,manoriellerivera@gmail.c
om,stephiesabili@gmail.com,jellysanchez99@gmail.com,markgilserrano14@gmail.com

Batangas State University - Lemery

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to analyze the cultural historical background of the municipality of
Lemery. The objectives of the study are: (1) To acquire further understanding of the
cultural historical background of the municipality of Lemery; (2) to know what cultural
aspects are still existing in the present time; (3) to determine the implications of these
culture to the resident's way of living and (4) to determine whether the cultural aspect of
the municipality has improved or not overtime. This paper utilized the qualitative method
of research. Respondents were interviewed to gather data needed for the study. Based
on the interview, it was revealed that most of the existing culture of the Lemereños are
just similar to other cultures across the Philippine regions.

Keywords: culture - the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual acievement
regarded collectively
historical - the time in which something takes place or was created and how
that influences how you interpret it.
background - the circumstances or situation prevailing at a particular time or
underlying a particular event

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 1

I. Introduction 1
Brief History of Lemery 1
I. Objectives of the Study 2
III. Review of Related Literature 3
Cultural History of Lemery as part of the Municipality of Taal 3
Lemery, Batangas in the 19th Century as
Described by a Spanish Historian 4
Existing Culture Based on Interviews Conducted by the Researchers 8
Table 1. List of Feast Days in Lemery 10
Conceptual Framework 11
Conceptual Paradigm 11
IV. Findings 11
V. Conclusion 11
VI. Recommendation 12
VII. Bibliography 12

I. INTRODUCTION
Culture is the behaviour, patterns,
beliefs, and all other products of a
particular group of people that are passed
on from generation to generation. It has a
powerful impact on people’s lives
(Santrock, 2014). The Philippines has a
very unique culture though some are due
to the influences of colonization.
It is indeed a fact that regions across
the Philippines has diverse cultural beliefs.
Maybe, it is due to territorial invasion and
colonization that happened in the history.
Many generations have passed from then
on, giving colorful traditions and practices
as time passes by. Culture is a a very
important factor when it comes to
acquiring identity for it serves as a basis
to be recognized from among the other
groups of cultural organization
internationally.
For every region in the Philippines,
culture has been a vital part of its society.
This may include various practices,
behavior, rituals, and even superstitions,
which have been part of everyday lives of
the Filipino citizens.
The researchers conducted this study
in the Municipality of Lemery, Batangas.
They are aiming to make their questions
answered and their objectives to be met.
BRIEF HISTORY OF LEMERY
During the early part of 18th century
adventurous people from neighboring
settlements were attracted to settle in the
place because of its abundance in fish
and other marine life. Salting and drying of
fish became their major occupation due to
the great demand of salted and dried fish
by people coming from the provinces of
Cavite, Mindoro, Laguna, and Batangas.
2
People come in greater numbers to
join the settlers, and the village became
populous. The place was at first called
"PUNTA" meaning direction, because a
great number of people came to the
direction of the village.
When the Spanish missionaries
launched their campaign for Christianity in
the area, the converts, immediately built a
church in the settlements. In 1806, Rev.
Father Sancho Geronimo from Madrid,
Spain was permanently assigned to this
settlement.
In 1818, the village of PUNTA was
converted into a barrio, under the
Municipality of Taal. Upon the suggestion
of the new priest, the successor of Father
Geronimo, the plaxe was named San
Geronimo in honor of the name of the first
priest assigned in the former village of
Punta.
For decades, the people of San
Geronimo enjoyed the benevolent
treatment of the church officials. They
lived peacefully and dealt harmoniously
with the clergy. Later, however, the
church officials impose strict compliance
with religious obligations. Since then,
people of San Geronimo tirned to the
Spaniards.
In 1839, conditions of San Geronimo
worsened when the priest together with
his sacristan, was kidnapped by men
under the leadership of FAUSTO
BUNGKAL, head of the anti-Spanish
movement in the barrio. The incident
resulted in the imposition of tje military
rule in the locality and martial law was
declared in the area of San Geronimo and
its sitios.

Martial law however did not, in any
way soften the hostile attitude of the
people. Their desire for freedom
heightened, instead. The new command,
disturbed by the mounting hostility of the
residents, worked hard to foster operation
and understanding between the
Spaniards and the natives. Captain
Roberto Lemery, the commanding officer
of San Geronimo outpost instructed the
military and the church personnel to study
the language of the natives and cultivate
harmony with them. Thus, the Spaniards
won the friendship of the people and
peace was resorted in San Geronimo.
When Captain Lemery died in 1856,
the people of San Geronimo requested
the priest to change the name of the
barrio to LEMERY. In 1858, the barrio of
San Geronimo officially knowned as
Lemery.
In 1862, Lemery was separated from
the Municipality of Taal and became a
district Municipality through the efforts of
CANDIDA CESARIO VALENZUELA,
MANUEL CABRERA, JOSE CABREBA,
POLICARPIO MARDO and DOMINGO
AGONCILLO.
Jose Cabrera became the first
Gobernadorcillo of the newly created
town. Assisting him in his administration
of government were Miguel Agoncillo,
Kleno Aniversario, Basilio Catchalian,
Mariano Generoso, and Pioquinto Reyes.
In 1904, the economic reasons, it was
again announced to TAAL by virtue of an
Executive Order issued by the governor.
In the year 1907, by virtue of act 1549
promulgated by the Pgilippine Civil
Commission, Lemery regained its status
as an independent Municipality.
3
In 1911, a horrible disaster swept the
town of Lemery. Hundreds of its
inhabitants died when Taal
Volcano vented one of its destructive
wrath. The town residents, especially
thosd near the Volcano Island evacuated
to the nearby towns.
The Second World War did not spare
the town of Lemery from the destruction.
On March 6, 1945 one third of the town
sent to ground by enemy artillary during
its fight with the American Liberation
Forces.
Soon after that war rehabilitation of
the town began. Public and private
properties damaged by war were restored
and repaired and the people, once again,
with renewed vigor and enthusiasm
returned to work. War damaged claims
were filed and many guerillas became
recipients of pensions.
From them on, different townheads
took turns in the administration of the town,
each of them work hard for the
development and programs of their
mother.
The municipality of Lemery, a
neighbor town of Taal, Calaca, and
Agoncillo covers an area of 101.55 square
kilometers. A third class municipality, it
had a population of 42,777 in 1980 and is
composed of 46 barrios or barangays
including the four barangays of poblacion.
Lemery is a first class municipality in
the province of Batangas and has a total
land area of 10.155 hectares which is
equivalent to 3.21% of the total land area
of the province of Batangas. It belongs to
the First Congressional District of
Batangas, located in the North Western
part of the province and is bounded on the
North by the Municipality of Calaca; on the
East by the Municipality of Agoncillo; on
the South by the Municipality of Taal; and
on the West by Balayan Bay.

Lemery has a distance of 113
kilometers from Manila and 26 kilometers
from Batangas City, the provincial capitol.
The Municipality is accessible by both
water and land transportation.
The town of Lemery was once part of
the so-called “Mother Town” before, which
is the Municipality of Taal. It was
separated in 1862 along its surrounding
barrios. The researchers will try to seek
answers to some curious questions like
what happened to the culture of Lemery
after its separation from its mother town.
Looking deeper and deeper to the
historical background about cultural
aspect of Lemery, Batangas will enable
the researchers to achieve their aims and
objectives to be able to contribute
knowledge on the wide range of
researches with regards to culture,
specifically on their chosen municipality,
which is Lemery in the Province of
Batangas.
II. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1) To acquire further understanding of the
cultural background of the Municipality of
Lemery.
2) To know what cultural aspects are still
existing in the present time.
3) To determine the implications of these
culture to the resident's way of living.
4) To determine whether the cultural
aspect of the municipality has improved or
not over time.
III. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
4
Cultural History of Lemery as part of
the Municipality of Taal
The legacy of religion will never perish
in Taal town, for many of its legends and
traditions live on. In Taal, people
constantly honor their patron saints such
as The Lady of Caysasay & St. Martin of
Tours, through processions, fiestas and
luas. There is also the famous pabasa
where incantations of the life of Christ are
recited during Lent.
Along with their religious beliefs, the
people of Taal are superstitious, like many
Filipinos all over the Philippines. Although
the younger generations have not been as
superstitious, some archaic beliefs of the
older Taaleños are:
-The belief that the best day to marry,
move, open a store, or establish a
business is when the moon is in the
growing stage.
-The belief that if a person comes
home hungry and greets someone in the
house who is also hungry, the person who
is already in the house will get very sick.
-The belief that if a corpse is brought
down the house, the windows must be
closed and the house should not be swept
for four days. Cleaning is only done by
wiping, using a rag and never by sweeping
a broom.
Despite the imposing cultures which
have come within these shores, Taaleños
have proudly kept many of the Filipino
traditions alive. Examples unique to Taal
are:
-When newlyweds meet at the
threshold of a home, they are fed with
honey and a special sticky native rice cake
for lifelong understanding, sweetness and
togetherness.
-Coins are showered over a newly
baptized baby by the godfathers and
godmothers for good fortune. Coins are
also showered in house blessings and
inaugurations of establishments by the
sponsors and the guests who then
scramble for these same coins. Keeping

the picked coins brings the “picker” good
luck.
Tagalogs, Taaleños in particular, are
very respectful. They always use the word
po when talking to elders and superiors as
a sign of respect. They practice mano po
with their lolos and lolas (grandparents),
wherein they bow their heads onto their
elder’s hand as a greeting or as
permission for departure/blessings.
Some of the most creative,
hardworking, and industrious citizens of
integrity and pillars of Philippine Society
come from Taal. True Taaleños believe
that rewards and fortune are not worthy
unless it is acquired through honorable
work, which can explain why Taal is the
Barong Tagalog and Balisong capital of
the Philippines (Balisongs are machetes
or fan knives). Embroidery-work and
forging metal is a long and painstaking
process that requires diligence,
sophisticated skills and dedication,
resulting in finished-products with Taal’s
signature intricate craftsmanship.
Taal has been referred to as the
“home of heroes” because of the
numerous Filipino revolutionaries and
patriots that have originated from here.
These people are famous for their
passionate, bold, adventurous, valiant,
and noble characteristics. The Balisong is
a great symbol of the fierce warriors of
Taal during the bygone eras, who have left
a legacy of bravery and love for town and
country.
Present-day heritage-warriors who
restore their ancestral homes, promote the
arts, culture and education, have new
bridges to cross and battles fight to ensure
that future generations fully appreciate the
value of past experiences and the
intrinsically rich culture. Civic-minded
individuals, church leaders, municipal
officers and concerned town folk are
encouraged by the “calibrated” and
well-planned developments in the town in
the recent years. It is a dream to have a
common goal and mind-set, to ensure that
future development does not destroy the
landscape, local practices and the
uniqueness of this quaint town.
5
Lemery, Batangas in the 19th Century
as Described by a Spanish Historian
Continuing with this web site's series
on late 19th century Batangas as
described by the former government
official and historian manuel sastron, this
time we turn our attension to the town of
Lemery just across the pansipit river from
the historic town of Taal. This trip batk in
time comes courtesy of sastron's 1895
book "Batangas y su provincial" A chapter
each of which was dedicated to
Batangas‘ 22 pueblos back in that era.
Sastron began by calling Lemery 'a
very modern town" Which was
established in 1862. It was hounded by
Taal, talisay and calaca as well as by the
bay of balayan. Of course. In the present
day, Lemery shares no common border
with talisay. In the late nineteenth century,
hawever, laurel - which in the present day
occupies the space between the two - was
still "A remote barrio of talisay,‘ the latter
having offcially become a "Munlcipio' or
town in 1869, just seven years after
Lemery’.
Lemery‘s distance from the province's
capital of Batangas was 28 kilometers
according to sastron - the actual distance
as the crow files is about 20 kilometers -
and the town could he reached by land or
by sea. Whiie Lemery had a port, it was
what sastron called 'unsheltered,“ that is,
it was dangerously vulnerable in the face
of the rough seas brought on by the
southwest monsoon. It was much safer,
though, during the months of the
northeast monsoon.
The roads in Lemery itself were in
fairly good condition. Outside of the town's
jurisdictiun, this was not necessarily so
and especially because there was a
shortage of racks to have the roads
repaired. Sastron also noted that all the
bridges along the roads from Lemery
were in a poor state at repair.

The town had a population at the time
of 17,867. This figure was probably from
the 1887 census, the 122 shares ertaken
by the spanish colonial government
before the writing of sastron's book. By
the time of the 2015 philippine census, the
town's population had risen to 93,157.
Apart from the pansipit, there were no
other major rivers that flowed through
lemerv, according to sastron. There were,
however, a few minor streams so that by
and large, the town was blessed with
flowing water. The curious thing was.
Despite the abundance of water,
agriculture in Lemery was primarily
dependent on rainfall. It was only in the
district of nonangcasto, matingain,
majayajay [mahayahay] and sinisian
where there were irrigated agricultural
fields.
Sastron noted that Lemery‘s church
and convent were solidly built and the
architecture was “of good taste."
Construction was begun during the tenure
of the most reverend father lose martin
and completed under the most reverend
father raymundo cortazar.
This being his first visit to the Lemery,
sastron wrote that he was quite eager to
try the vegetables from spain that the
augustinian friars somehow managed to
grow on a sandy plot close to the convent.
[sastron continued to lavish praise on the
friars as he did in other chapters; but
these are no longer relevant to the
purpose of this article.]
In the town was assigned a section of
the guardia civil that was under the
command of a first lieutenant whom
sastron failed to name. A stone building
was also under construction, intended to
he used as a courthouse. Work had been
suspended, however, and sastron wrote
that it was due to the shortage of
resources.
6
Lemery was also among the
healthiest pueblos in the whole of
Batangas, thanks in no small way to its
proximity to the town of Taal. In the latter,
sastron wrote, resided several doctors
with degrees in medicine. Surgery and
pharmacy.
Within the calauang district of Lemery
were the so-called waters of san
raymundo, which were reputedly
medicinal. The waters' properties had not
as yet been properly analyzed; but
sastron conjectured thatthese were
probably sulfuraus.
Lemery's people were very
industrious, he wrote. For the
manufacture of sugar alone. There were
in the town 16 mills made of iron and
about a hundred made of wood. There
were soap and alcohol factories, both of
which were owned by the chinese, who
were not allowed to engage in business
just across the pansipit river in the town of
Taal.
There were in the town also two
bodyworks‘, wrote sastran; and countless
home-made looms from which fabrics
were woven. The fishing industry was also
particularly active in the months of april
and may, when bangus [milkfish] was
harvested.
Rice was imported into Lemery from
the northern provinces or even from
mindoro by way of several registered
boats. Meanwhile, the prevailing prices in
the town of goods and services such as
transportation were similar to those in the
neighboring town of Taal.
This is yet another article in the series
dedicated to historical and folkloric trivia
about the barrios of Batangas. The
information contained herein is all from
documents required of the administration
of president elpidio quirino in 1951 of all
department of education district around
the country to help reconstruct the
nation's history downyto the level of
barrios. This was because many historical

documents were inevitably destroyed in
world war ii.
Not all barrios of present-day Lemery
are included. It is possible that the missing
barrios may have had no documents
submitted on their behalf; and if there
were, these could have been destroyed
by time and could not be digitized by the
national library of the philippines, which
has archived the digitized documents and
made these available over the internet. It
is also possible that some present-day
barrios were still part of other barrios back
in 1953, when the documents were
collected.
Arumahan
The name of this barrio was supposed
to have been taken from the aroma tree,
which farmers trying to clear the land
dared not touch because of its spines.
This tree is the sweet acacia, alternatively
called "Romas" In tagalog. Because the
aroma was left untouched, it grew in the
barrio in abundance. Although the barrio
has been in existence for some time, it
was only formally inaugurated as a barrio
in 1880. Its original families were the
endozos, villaloboses and castillos.
Ayao-iyao
According to folklore, the barrior's
name came from the word "Ayaw" (i do
not like) which one of the barrios beautiful
ladies kept saying to her parents when
they wanted her to marry their friend's son.
Rather than agree to the marriage, she
ran away, all the way, shouting "Ayaw!
Ayaw!". The barrio was established in
1893. Originally, the vast lands of the
barrio were owned by one octavic garcia,
whose family was the original settlers of
the place.
Balanga
The barrio's name was supposed to
have been taken from "Banga", a large
earthenware had used for storing liquids
and evem milkfish fry for transport to
fishponds in rizal and cavite. The barrio's
7
original settlers were the families of
andres capuno, graciano toleos and
anaceto aguila.
Bukal
According to folklore, this barrio's
name was given by spaniards who were
exploring the area and asked natives from
where there was a "Bukal" Or a spring. In
the late nineteenth century, the barrio was
frequently raided by bandits who
kidnapped and murdered its inhabitants. A
plague of locusts also descended upon
the place, causing famine.
Cahilan
In 1953, cahilan was still one big
barrio, subsequently divided into cahilan i
and ii. The barrio's name was supposed to
have been taken from a fruit tree of the
named cahil. I am, however, unable to find
any references about this fruit over the
internet. The barrio was established in
1891. Originally, a large section of the
barrio was owned by the family of one
ciriaco caguicia. Over time, however,
other families were able to buy parcels of
land from him do that the land was
eventually settled.
Dayapan
According to folklore, the barrio used
to be heavily forested until settlers arrived
to clear the woods. They began planting
new trees including a variety of lemon
called the "Dayap", from which the barrio's
name whould be taken. Other settlers
arrived and like the original ones also
planted dayap trees, until people started
to refer to the place as "Dayapan"
Roughly, "The place where the daysp
grew" Or "Was grown."
Gulod
This barrio's name was supposed to
have beeb given because it was
descriptive of its topography, the tagalaog

word "Gulod" Meaning a hilly plave. The
barrio itself was supposed to have been
established in the middle part of
nineteenth century. The barrio's original
settlers were the families of felix martinez,
martin catapang, basilio back in the early
fifties, there used to live in the barrio two
brothers who were heads of groups of
"Tulisanes" Or brigands, which robbed the
houses of rich folks as far as san juan de
bocboc (as the town of san juan used to
be known).
Malinis
Accirding to folklore, the spaniards
gave the barrio its name after having
noticed that its inhabitants traditionally
kept the neighborhood clean, planted
flower gardensand built toilets without
having to ask for these from the
government. In 1896, many of the barrio's
inhabitants had to flee persecution by
spanish soldiers, presumably after the
philippine revolution had erupted. The
evacuation happened again during the
japanese occupation, when the barrio's
inhabitants had to leave because of the
cruelty of the invading army's soldiers.
Masalisi
Before the arrival of the spaniards, the
barrio used to be heavily forested. One
day, an old couple arrived searching for
another barrio. Because of the difficulties
that they encountered, they were
supposed to have repented, or "Nagsisi"
In tagalog, and it was from this incident
that the barrio got its name. [this folkloric
story has too many loose ends, but that
was what the reference document said:
Hardly an explanation at all.] the barrio
was established in the year 1892, and its
original settlers were the family of one.
Maria de cabahog, who owned most of
the barrio's lands. The family was
kindhearted and would eventually sell
parcels of lands so that other settlers
would come to populate the barrio.
Mataasnabayan
8
According to folklore, mataasnabayan
was originally a site chosen by the
spaniards for the setting up of a pueblo or
a missionary community, but abandoned it
because of the difficulty of trading with
other villages and the difficulty of
obtaining water. The barrio's name.
Therefore was given because of its
topography, literally meaning upland. The
barrio's original settlers were ricalde,
magsino, marquinez, and vito families.
Duting the 1911 eruption of Taal volcano,
part of the barrio's land was supposed to
have sunk from the preceding seismic
activity. During the philippine revolution,
filipino freedom fighters found refuge in
mataasnabayan because it was upland
and away from the town centers. Until the
spaniards discovered this and turned the
barrio into a military zone.
Matingain
Presently matingain i and ii, in the
early fifties these two were just one barrio.
The name was supposed to have been
given because this was there "Tingga" Or
lead used to be found. This was used by
fishermen to weight down their nets. If this
was the case, then the barrio's name is
mispelled and should instead be
matinggain.
Nonong casto
According to folklore, before the
spaniards arrived in the philippines, the
barrio used to be a forested area though
which a brook ran. From this brook, their
deaths attributed to a "Nuno", a folklore
elfin creature, when an old man who went
by the name of kasto or casto went there
to fish for crabs and subsequently died,
the place was named after him.
Payapa
In the fifties, payapang ibaba and
payapang ilaya used to be just one barrio.
It's old name was talba, after a wooden
house built by a spanish priest from Taal
named fr. De la rosa who had sought
refuge in the place. The name was
subsequently changed to payapa, after
the balete tree which is alternatively

known by the same name. The barrio was
said to have been founded in 1891. It's
land were said to have been originally
owned by pedro obrador and his family.
The family, while wealthy, eventually had
to sell off parcels in theirand, paving the
way for other people to settle in the barrio.
Although a small barrio, payapa was
among many which revolted against the
spaniards, its people led by one capitan
miguel and julian montalban.
Sinisian
According to folklore, natives of the
barrio overheard spanish soldiers who
had just been defeated by the american
army talking to each other, and all they
could understand was "Si si" ( yes yes!).
For some strange reason, the nativea
taught that the spaniards were blaming
each other for the defeat. Soon came
along american soldiers who were looking
for a drink, and ask the natives for
direction toba spring where the spaniards
had earlier rested. The natives pointed
them toward the place where the
spaniards where "Nagsisisihan" (blaming
each other), so the americans thought
sisihan as the name of the place. The
barrio itself was said to have been
established in 1896. Sinisian was said to
have been originally owned by the family
of one agueda reyes, which the sold
parcels of land to other would be settlers
of the barrio.
Talaga
It was said that talaga used to be one
of the richest barrios in Lemery; and
thatbits name was taken from a spring in
the barrio from which people drew water
for they everyday needs. The barrio was
suppposed to have been established in
1918 and was initially settled by eleven
families. During the philippine revolution,
members of the katipunan was said to be
hidden in the barrio because it was not
very accesible. The spaniards however,
heard these and burned all the houses in
the barrio. In world war ii, talaga again
served as a place for war refugees
because of its inaccessibility, which kept it
9
insulated against at the atrocities
commited by the japanese soldiers.
Tubigan
Accorning to folklore, this barrio's
name was supposed to have meant "Little
sea", as it served as something of an
extension to balayan bay. The waters that
flowed towards it where thought to have
originated by barrio bukal. In time, though
enough soil was deposited on it,
presumably by the flowing water, so that
vegetation would arrive. This barrio was
formally established by 1860 and its
original settlers were de castros, patotos
and caguiclas. During the philippine
revolution, the spanish guardia civil raided
houses in the barrio in search of
contraband, the set of houses on fire.
During world war ii, conflicts between the
japanese soldiers and filipino guerillas
were settled amicably throught the efforts
of one " Teniente" Caag so thatbthe barrio
was more or less left in peace.
Tubuan
This barrio's name was supposed to
have originally been "Tubuhan" Or where
the sugarcane was planted. In the
beginning, it had no permanent settlers
but instead it was cleared by "Kaingin" By
farmers who would leave as soon as the
craps were harvested. In time, permanent
settlers arrived and would turn to planting
the fields with sugarcane. The place
formally became a barrio in 1902. Its
original permanent settlers were the
families of mariano villalobos, francisco
galit and leon catapang. During world war
ii, inhabitants of the barrio would be
subjected to the atrocities that the
japanese became known for. Men,
women and children would be tortured
and during investigations, presumably for
guerilla movements.
Existing Culture Based on Interviews
Conducted by the Researchers

The celebration of the Lemery town
fiesta is one of the most important event in
the municipality. According to Ma'am
Siony Deomampo, a servant of San
Roque Parish Church, the town fiesta is
celebrated to give honor to the Patron St.
Roque. Prior to that day, a novena is done
from August 7 to 15, followed by the feast
day in August 16. A procession with St.
Roque along with the other patrons from
11 barangays of the municipality is also
carried out together with the conventional
"luwa" as an honorary activity.
In relation to this, "Sunduan", the
traditional "pagkaon ng Mahal na Birhen",
is commended during August 14. It
signifies the welcoming of Our Lady of
Divine Grace that is originally coming from
the bridge crossing in Tatlong Maria.
Based on the researches, it was revealed
that Our Lady of Divine Grace is the
municipality's second patroness and that
it has no definite "image" before. The
municipality had only borrowed an image
from Taal, thus, Divine Grace is not really
from Lemery despite being its second
patroness. Later on, Lee Bustos, a
resident from Wawa, Lemery, Batangas
lent a new image of Our Lady of Divine
Grace. Thenceforth, it has been the image
being welcomed by the people of St.
Roque Parish Church. It is believed that
the welcoming was due to the tight
devotion of St. Roque's mother to Virgin
Mary, aside from being the second
patroness. However, as revealed by the
new study, Our Lady of Divine Grace's
feast day is on January 21. Hence, what
should be welcomed and be included in
the procession during August 14 is the
Our Lady of Assumption. The deliverance
of Our Lady of Assumption connotes what
is called "Pag-aakyat sa Mahal na Birhen"
wherein, the novena is celebrated from
August 6 to 14 and 15 is its feast day.
Consequently, the parish aims to conduct
a novena in January in honor of the Our
Lady of Divine Grace.
In addition, the customary "kumpilang
bayan" is being administered a week
before the feast day and is subject to the
availability of the archbishop. "Binyag" or
christening on the other hand, is done on
10
the feast day inside the parish hall in the
morning and inside the church 11 am
onwards.
Special weddings are done during
Saturdays whereas mass wedding is
during Sunday at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm
for Sunday Special.
According to Helen Arandia, 52 years
old and a resident of the municipality for
36 years, the observed practices in
Lemery, Batangas include Santacruzan
every May, Panuluyan every December
as well as the nine-day Simbang Gabi.
"Siyaman", 40 days and "Babaan", the
novena for the deceased, are also done
as part of the culture of the municipality.
This is in relation to the traditional
Filipino belief about the 9th and 40th day
of the death of a family member.
According to Nollie, this practice had
stemmed from the belief of Filipino
Catholics that a soul still remains on earth
for 40 days upon death before going to
the supernatural realm. Some even fear
that failure to do the 40th day service
might leave them haunted by the soul of
the dead.
However, evangelicals are not a
believer of the said practice. The idea
about the soul wandering on earth before
or after 40 days since death is also not
accredited by the official Catholic doctrine.
It is elaborated in "40 Days After Death” in
the Catholic Bulletin that particular
judgement occurs at death and that a soul
may go to heaven, hell or purgatory. If a
soul goes to heaven or hell, leaving will
not be possible before or after the 40th
day. It is also not necessarily 40 days in
purgatory for that depends on the
temporal sin and the punishment. Hence,
the office Catholic doctrine only approves
the idea that a soul will go directly to
heaven, hell or purgatory and will not stay
on earth and haunt people as ghost.
 11

Additionally, Elizabeth Torres, 29 Saturday and Sunday are their

years old, stated that "tsismisan" or
gossiping during siesta time is a prevalent
culture of the residents. Fishing, qualified
gambling like bingo as well as "liga" at
barangays are also some of the activities.
There are also festivals like the
Tinapahan Festival and the municipality's
fiesta. During the feast day, there will be a
procession at the church, and jamboree,
as well as contest like 'Sambal Got Talent'
in the evening.
worshipping days. Thanksgiving and
voluntary money donations are done
every mid-year before July 27 and at the
end of the year. Unity during election is
also one of their practices. On the other
hand, he also emphasized that vices like
excessive alcohol drinking and gambling
are strictly prohibited. Going to a feast day
celebration, as well as eating "dinuguan"
is also a taboo in their religion.

With this, the researchers have found

This statement was supported by
Dodie Sarsino, 45 years old with 36 years
of residency at Lemery. According to him,
aside from the traditional "bandaritas",
what can also be anticipated during feast
day and throughout the year are the
dance contest, singing contest, marathon
and sport fest. Criselda Ramirez, 57 and
with 19 years of residency further added
about the amateur contest and money
contest.
out that religion is an important factor on
the cultural beliefs of the Lemereños. It is
just a proof that cultural diversity is
present due to variety of religion and
traditions which oftentimes lead to
differentiated practices and diverse
credence.

Lucita Salvador, a 73-year-old

resident residing in Lemery for 36 years
also mentioned about the procession
every feast day. She reiterated that there
is the conventional "musiko" or band
going around the municipality and
eventually doing the exhibition in front of
different residences, referred to as
"mananapat". Drummers along the road,
somewhat resembling "ati-atihan" was
also mentioned.

Lydom Alcaraz, 34, elaborated about

other characteristics of the residents. He
mentioned that Lemereños are diligent at
work and that they take every opportunity
that may come their way. They also
believe in superstitious beliefs, for
instance is the prohibition of fishing every
Tuesday and Friday.

Meanwhile, an Iglesia Ni Cristo

follower in Lemery also shared something
about their culture. Alexander Mendoza,
46 years old, explained that they are
mostly active in spreading their message
every year. Moreover, Thursday,
 12

LIST OF FEAST DAYS/SPECIAL EVENTS

LEMERY
ANAK-DAGAT AUGUST 16
ARUMAHAN DECEMBER 28
AYAO-IYAO APRIL 5
BAGONG POOK MAY 24
BAGONG SIKATBALANGA AUGUST 16
BUKAL LAST SUNDAY OF APRILMAY 29
CAHILAN I DECEMBER 26
CAHILAN II DECEMBER 26
DAYAPAN MAY 20
DITA APRIL 20
GULOD MAY 6
LUCKY AUGUST 16
MAGUIHAN AUGUST 16
MAHABANG DAHILIG MAY 1
MAHAYAHAY SECOND WEEK OF JUNE
MAIGSING DAHILIG MAY 15
MALIGAYA AUGUST 16
MALINIS JUNE 6
MASALISI FIRST SUNDAY OF MAY
MATAAS NA BAYAN MAY 25
MATIGAIN I MAY 31
MATINGAIN II MAY 31
MAYASANG MAY 28
NIOGAN OCTOBER 24
NONONG CASTO APRIL 23
PALANAS AUGUST 16
PAYAPA IBABA MAY 15
PAYAPA ILAYA DECEMBER 26
DISTRICT I AUGUST 16
DISTRICT II AUGUST 16
 13

DISTRICT III AUGUST 16

DISTRICT IV AUGUST 16
RIZAL AUGUST 16
SAMBAL IBABA AUGUST 16
SAMBAL ILAYA AUGUST 16
SAN ISIDRO IBABA LAST SUNDAY OF JANUARY
SAN ISIDRO ITAAS DECEMBER 29
SANGALANG AUGUST 16
TALAGA MAY 27
TUBIGAN THIRD SUNDAY OF JANUARY
TUBUAN MAY 10
WAWA IBABA AUGUST 16
WAWA ILAYA AUGUST 16
SINISIAN EAST MAY 17
SINISIAN WEST MAY 16
SIGPAWAN FESTIVAL EVERY EASTER SUNDAY
FEAST DAY OF ST. ROQUE AUGUST 16
PASKO NG BAYAN

TABLE 1. LIST OF FEAST DAYS IN LEMERY

 14

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The researchers formulated the

findings based on the gathered data from
the survey of chosen Lemereños, the
The proponents will use the researchers came up with the following
outcomes:
Process Output
-Obervati -Basis of 1) The culture of Lemery before is just like
Input on and future what Taaleños have for their land was
- To know interview research only separated from the Municipality of
how the method ers Taal. That’s why the existing cultures of
culture of the Lemery after the separation are only
-Searchi -Different
Lemery, part of the culture they have adopted from
ng in iation of
Batangas Taal
Books Lemery’s
has culture .
evolved from past
overtime to 2) Some of the cultures before are still
and how it present,a existent specifically the feast days of the
affects s well as Catholic. This is a way of giving honor to
the why it is the Patron Saints of every barangay.
people. important People have always loved doing party and
to the merrymaking during these days.
people.

3) Culture is very significant to the people

INPUT-PROCESS-OUTPUT model.
FIGURE 1. CONCEPTUAL
PARADIGM
living in Lemery for it has served as their
guidelines on how to act on certain
celebrations and as well as will give them
their own unique identity and recognize
them from all other cultures. It has also
been a part of their everyday lives that is
why it brings a vital implication to them.

4) It is undeniable that the colorful culture

The input includes the main objectives of Lemery became gray as the innovation
of the proponents which tackles all about of the modern technology began. But still,
the significance of cultural variation on the there are still numerous beliefs that most
everyday living of the Lemereños. The people still follow though some of them
process contains the ways on how the have already been stuck in the history.
researchers will gather specific and
relevant data with regards to the topic
being studied and find recent information
about culture. Lastly, the output refers to V. CONCLUSION
the outcome of the study once the input
and the processes have been properly
executed and the information and data
Cultural diversity is enriching the
gathered are reliable that will benefit the
identity of the Filipinos when it comes to
researchers to achieve the result they are
the beliefs and traditions they practice.
aiming to have.
Based on the findings of the proponents
taken from the data gathered, the
following conclusions were drawn:

IV. FINDINGS
 15

1) There are some people in the Lemery VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY

who are still conscious about the practices
that have been passed from generations
to generations and they are particularly Municipal Planning and Development
the elders, which means the importance Coordinator, Annual Report 2017 -
of cultural practices is diminishing Municipality of Lemery
overtime due to several affecting factors.

Rex Raymond Torrecampo’s Article,

2) The most prominent type of culture is
the celebration of the feast days of every
Patron Saint, for perhaps, it involves
preparing foods for the visitors from
nearby places and Filipinos love to eat.
3) The culture of Lemery is somewhat just
similar to the cultural beliefs of Taaleños
due to the historical fact wherein Lemery
is being under the Municipality of Taal
before.
VI. RECOMMENDATIONS
Tourism Department - Municipality of
Lemery
Leslie B. Gazingan, Jo-Ann E. Purillo,
Vina V. Velasco, Sherill S. Villllaluz,
Florencia V. Bautista, Leandro A. Dalhag,
J. Lover F. Trinidad, Darwin r. Palado,
Ryan B. Corona, Understadnding The Self
Siony Deomampo, Helen Arandia,
Elizabeth Torres, Dodie Sarsino, Lucita
Salvador, Lydom Alcaraz, Alexander
Mendoza, Interviews

Based on the findings and

conclusions drawn, the proponents came
up with the following recommendations:

1) Ensure that cultures across the

Philippine regions are being studied well
by those who are practicing specific
beliefs to preserve the cultural identity a
certain place has.

2) Give importance to cultural practices

because they play a vital role on the
society, for culture bring people together
and give similarities for those who always
see things as always diverse and varied.

3) The researchers recommend that

elderly people should not only be teaching
youth about the cultural practices they
have learned from their ancestors, but
also letting them practice their beliefs, so
that, it will be passed on to the next
generation with full compassion and
willingness to share.