Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Links to historical accounts

Here are links to origin stories of the town, a few of its institutions, and more than half of its component barangays (both legitimate historical accounts and folk tales):

Bayambang town (history in capsule): https://www.bayambang.gov.ph/about-us/history/
Bayambang Central School: https://bayambangmunicipalnews.blogspot.com/.../history... (Published with permission from the author. Original links can not be found.)
The histories (plural?) of the following institutions have been written in the book authored by Dr. Clarita Jimenez and her collaborators (book may be bought at the parish church):
St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church and its offspring parishes in Wawa, Sapang, and Carungay
St. Vincent Catholic School

Bayambang National High School - its brief history can be easily Googled
Barangays with available history (Source: reportedly Barangay Secretaries, submitted to the DILG and Municipal Library. Edited for grammar. Remarks: not sure if vetted by the community)
Sanlibo - this barangay's history is being disputed by a resident: https://bayambangmunicipalnews.blogspot.com/2019/02/history-of-barangay-sanlibo-bayambang.html
(From Mapping project)
Tococ East and West -
Corrections and addenda are welcome.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2021

The Aguinaldo Statue

A bronze statue representing Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo proudly stands in front of the Municipal Hall. The local government commissioned no less than National Artist Napoleon Abueva to work on this sculpture as part of the celebration of the town's quadricentennial.

This is the sole marker that reminds everyone that Bayambang became the fifth capital of the First Philippine Republic after Gen. Aguinaldo encamped here on November 12, 1899, bringing with him the fledgling Philippine government and making such a declaration on paper.

Among Aguinaldo's indelible legacy are the Philippine Constitution, a national army, a government organizational structure (with executive, legislative, and judiciary branches), a unifying flag, and a national anthem.

On that fateful visit to the town, the lyrics for the Philippine national anthem were written by Jose Palma reportedly inside a train coach in nearby Bautista, then a barrio of Bayambang.

The Aguinaldo statue is one of the very few ones in the country outside the general's home province of Cavite.

In Bayambang, the revolutionary government disintegrated as its members fled the pursuing elements of the American Army and resorted to combat mode against the foreign invaders. This is the reason why Bayambang town today commemorates November 12 as "SingKapital" Day so as not to forget that day in history when our heroes bravely took a stand for self-determination and spilled copious blood for it, and that is why we enjoy our freedom today and can assume an identity, and nationality, as Filipinos.
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Monday, March 29, 2021

Beliefs in Giving Birth

 
·     Panag-ilot ed kapananak

Panag-ilot ed kapananak is the practice of massaging a woman who has just given birth in the belief that this will release the remaining blood in her womb that may lead to a serious infection. This therapeutic massage is also believed to prevent one from catching cold that may cause mental illness to the mother. This must be done for nine days to regulate blood flow and to relax the sagging and weak body after giving birth.

·     Panag-ames ya kapananak

A woman has to wait 7 to 9 days after giving birth before taking a bath. She also cannot take a bath using cold water to prevent the cold from entering her body and she might also pass on the cold to her child through breastfeeding. She must first boil a pot of water with viray leaves, talay, guava, and subusob. She must set it aside until it cools down, but she cannot mix it with cold water.

·     Saray bawal ya gawaen na kapananak

Mothers are not allowed to expose their body in a cold place and are advised to avoid going outside most especially at night. Oftentimes they are told to wear a sweater and long pants or a skirt when going out to avoid catching cold. Likewise, mothers are told not to touch cold water, thus household chores such as washing clothes and doing the dishes are forbidden. Sleeping after bath is also not allowed, so as to prevent blindness.

·     Saray panangan na kapananak

Panangan na inlambong or stewed foods such as tinolang manok, mussels and some seashells is good for breastfeeding mothers. Malunggay leaves boiled in ginger is also believed to stimulate the mother’s breast for quality milk production. There are several kinds of food, however, which are not allowed for breastfeeding mothers such as sour foods that may cause stomachache to both mother and her baby.  Itchy foods such as loko or taro, agayep or beans, bagoong or anchovies, and agamang and other similar condiments are not also allowed, for these are believed to make the feminine area itchy too. Goat meat or karne’y kanding is not also advisable for new moms, for this can cause binat/belnat to them.

·     Saray arom ya gawa tan pananisia

Massaging the breast as though combing it serves as a physical exercise to stimulate more milk production by a breastfeeding mother. This is believed to yield enough milk for the baby.

Also, covering the tummy with lengthy cloth or paha/balkes is practiced to flatten and bring back the stomach’s original form and prevent the stomach from sagging. The paha/balkes also aids in retaining the firmness of the skin and burning the fats in the stomach.    

 

 

 

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Sunday, March 28, 2021

Beliefs about Falling Ill and Indigenous Healing Practices

The people of Bayambang have a number of traditional healing practices and beliefs in the causes of illness.

Beliefs about Causes of Illness

•      Panag-akan ya ambabangil ya putahe (Eating a variety of dishes) - According to Mrs. Myrna Patongan of Brgy. Amancosiling Sur, during her childhood, she really loved to eat different dishes at the same time without caring about the possible consequences, until she developed high blood, diabetes and heart disease. “Many people in Bayambang love to eat too much especially food high in cholesterol that is why the number of people in Bayambang with these diseases is high,” she said.

•      Aga nantabi-tabi o nanbari-bari (Didn’t show respect to unseen creatures by saying "Tabi, tabi" or "Bari, bari" or variations on these) - A large portion of Bayambang’s population believe that someone who walks through dark and quiet places should say “Bari-bari, Apo Laki, Bae” to pay respects to unseen creatures to avoid falling down with strange and sudden illness.

Specifically, one says "Bari, bari, bari, midalan ak pa" when passing by a place for the first time, and "Bambano lalig, Bai, Laki, agka natatakot" so unseen creatures will not take notice ("bano") of you, because once they do so, you will fall ill.

The "Bari, bari" 'greeting' is also uttered whenever someone takes a leak or throws away hot water at an unfamiliar corner.
 
•      Akapuldak/Akapasakit na aga nanengneng (Having hurt unseen creatures) - This is believed to happen to someone who insists on working outside the house even after sunset, so he/she accidentally hurts creatures that cannot be seen. If you are “akapasakit,” these elements will hurt you back in the form of inexplicable diseases.

 
•      Panag-ames na labi ya anggapod oras (Taking a bath late at night) - According to Ms. Rosalia Laurino of Brgy. Inanlorenza, “It’s not a good idea to take a bath late at night especially when you are tired. You can easily catch cold that can cause headache, body pain and spasm.”

 It is also believed that when you or at least your head is amayamayaan (got wet in the slight rainfall), you need to take a bath once you get home to prevent running a fever after.

•      Tinaneman (Bewitched)

Panananem is an evil work done by a “manananem” or witch to hurt someone he or she hates. Through the use of the victim’s personal belongings or hair strands, dolls and needles, the manananem prays and makes a ritual to cause the victim to suffer from inexplicable disease or pain until the victim dies. According to Mrs. Myrna Domingo of Manambong Sur, disease caused by witchcraft has no cure, and the only way to stop it is to look for an “albularyo.” Saying “Pwera buril” at the sight of an alleged witch is believed to prevent becoming a victim of this.  

•      Pan-gagalaway enkanto (Being played naughty tricks upon by negative elements) -  

It is believed that when someone is being played tricks on by negative elements, there is a sudden change in the victim’s behavior and the way he/she thinks.  The subject is often mistaken to be mentally ill or insane.  If this is not addressed, the person is believed to gradually die and his soul will be taken by them.

•      Aga timmangay ed kisame ya balon abong ya nilooban to (Didn’t look up at the ceiling in the house he just entered in for the first time) - If it is your first time entering a house, you have to look up to the ceiling because there are unseen creatures in the house that might hurt you without your knowledge if you don’t do it.

Indigenous Healing Practices

•  Panagtawas

According to Mrs. Remedios Peralta, panagtawas is a common practice to heal someone who suffers from strange sickness or disease in Barangay Cadre Site, specifically in the “Kamanggaan” area.

These diseases are believed to be the work of evil creatures that are inadvertently encountered or hurt and unfortunately cannot be diagnosed and treated by doctors.

Some people who can’t afford to pay hospital bills also patronize this healing practice.

The “managtawas” needs to do the “orasyon” or prayer first to ask for guidance and power from God. And then the things needed in panagtawas such as a small basin, water, and rice are prepared. Through these, the managtawas is able to see what creature/s the person has hurt and what kind of disease was implanted in his/her body. This is usually done in a quiet and dark place.

•      Panaggaton

If the managtawas found out that a patient were hurt by unseen creatures, he/she will advise to do the “panaggaton” or the process to appease with those creatures. The process of panaggaton varies depending upon the geographical area you are in. “Managgaton” commonly uses candle, oil and cigarettes and the food that the patient will eat for dinner.  They will offer it to the unseen creatures somewhere near their house and wait for the candle to die before taking the food and feeding it to the person who has hurt them.

The managgaton will give you a choice whether you do the pannaggaton or you’ll just buy it to them.

Residents of Barangay Sapang are still observing this healing practice.

• Panagtambal ed baltik

If a happy and energetic person suddenly changes in mood or feels pain in any part of his body, usually abdominal pain, dizziness and vomiting, the victim is believed to be “abaltikan.” It is suspected to be the work of negative elements or could also be unintentionally caused by the person with a deceased family member or someone the abaltikan has just met. The “baltik” can be experienced by anyone but most often, its victims are children.

Panagtambal ed baltik o amling is very common not only in Bayambang but in the entire province. The affected person is often whipped with the leaves of malunggay (horseradish), guava and/or guyabano. You can also look for the person who may have caused baltik on you to put saliva on your forehead or tummy.

To prevent the children from suffering from baltik, parents always ask their visitors to “ipakemkem” or caress the head of their children before leaving their homes. A red pulseras (bracelet) made of bugayong (rosary pea) seeds is worn by young children to protect from baltik.

Local folk also often say, “Pwera baltik!” as a way prevention whenever their child is greeted or praised audibly by casual visitors or strangers.

• Panagbanyos ya di asin

In ancient times, it was believed that "panagbanyos ya di asin" or bathing with salt was the way to heal the sick. At the time, taking pharmaceuticals was not yet a reality. Practitioners of panagbanyos boil water with salt and put the water in a small basin. The patient’s body is then wiped using a bimpo or hand towel dipped on the boiled water with salt while it is still hot. The sick person reputedly often feels relieved from body pain, fever and other complaints.

In panagbanyos, a person with fever is advised not to take a bath or expose himself to draft; the sick just have to content himself with wiping his body in the recommended method or else resort to a concoction made of various leaves.

• Panagtawag

Whenever a person suffers from sickness because he/she is “abanbanuan” or has been greeted by unseen creatures, his/her family should ask help from the “managtawag.” They are doing the “panagtawag” to call back the soul of the sick person which is believed to have detached from his body.

• Panag-usar na bulo-bulong

The practice of using different plant leaves as substitute for medicines is widely observed in Bayambang specifically in Brgy. Buenlag 2nd. The leaves most often used are those of guava, guyabano and tagumbao. A concoction using these leaves is reputed to help eliminate the headache, strain and fever of a person believed to have been afflicted by unseen elements. This practice is a part of the culture of Bayambang that is still being observed up to this time.

• Panag-ilot

Panag-ilot (panghihilot) is the use of massage to treat someone presenting with a piley (pilay) or sprain or dislocation. Coconut oil is often used in panag-ilot.

•Panag-gugol/gulgol

 The gulgol ritual is performed by a faith healer on a family in which at least one member has a misaligned or lacking sintas, the visible line connecting the bellybutton to the upper reaches of the sex organ. This 'error' is believe to be the cause of any spate of illness in the family.

The managgulgol healer instructs the family members to wear old clothes they are willing to throw away, then bathes the members using medicinal herbs like biray, sobosob, etc. The healer pours the warm bath on the members one by one. A live chicken is partially butchered and made to bleed, and the blood serves as an ink, using the tip of a chicken feather as pen, to correct the misalignment or lack of the sintas of the concerned family member, or the healer uses a ball pen to draw a straight line.

The still-alive chicken is thrown away in a faraway place together with all the old clothes worn during the bath.

Key Informants: Remedios N. Peralta, Cadre Site; Consorcia G. Carreon, Sapang; Antonio M. Uson, Bacnono; Conchita Flores, Baluyot Bautista; Maura A. Corpuz, Tatarac; and Felicidad Dela Cruz, Buenlag 2nd

 NAME OF PROFILER/MAPPER: Bayambang National High School, Senior High School Students
ADVISER: Mr. Christopher Q. Gozum
SCHOOL: Bayambang National High School, Senior High School

Additional informants and consultants: Clarita F. Tagab, Melchor Orpilla


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Saturday, March 27, 2021

Corn Farming in Bayambang

Bayambang's vast farmlands, if not planted with rice, are planted with corn.
 
According to Artemio Buezon, former OIC of the Municipal Agriculture Office of the local government of Bayambang, it was in the 1980s under Mayor Calixto Camacho that Bayambang was dubbed as "the cornbelt of Central Pangasinan."
 
But he said that growing up as a young boy in this town, there were already corn farmers. The main variety grown at the time, however, was the white corn variety called Silangan, not the yellow corn being widely grown today for use as animal feed.
 
The buyers of Bayambang's yellow corn, Buezon said, are mostly Camiling traders, who in turn sell the corn to makers of animal feeds mostly in Pulilan, Bulacan.
 
Aside from eating corn as plain boiled staple of morning or afternoon snacks, locals loved to grill this white corn, which had a distinct flavor and even came in glutinous and non-glutinous varieties.
A bigger-eared variety of white corn was also eaten as binatog, boiled corn kernels drizzled with salt and grated coconut. It was also made into sweet corn puffs.
 
Corn ears may also be toasted, broken a bit, and wrapped in balisungsong or corn-shaped paper and eaten like cornick.
 
Corn was also sometimes milled into small bits and mixed with rice during lean times, when rice commanded a higher-than-usual price in the market.
 
Corn flour was also traditionally eaten as polvoron, toasted on an iron wok and mixed with sugar and skimmed milk, although the corn flour was reportedly bought outside of town. Toasted corn flour is also used as ingredient of the cassava delicacy called kundandit or dinekdek. Other popular corn-based snacks are ginataang mais (corn with malagkit rice cooked in coconut milk and sugar) and mais con hielo.
 
In the ensuing decades, the popcorn variety would arrive and thus the popularity of popcorn. And then came the advent of the Japanese sweet corn as well, eaten as corn on the cob slathered with butter, or grated and drizzled with orange cheese powder as cheese corn.
 
Today, a new variety of corn -- yellowish white kernels speckled with purple -- has invaded the residents' eating habits. But most of the cornfields remain to be of the yellow corn variety that are made into animal feeds.
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The Dauz House and Sabangan House

Unlike in other old towns, there are hardly any bahay na bato left in Bayambang, whether built in the Spanish or American colonial era. 

There are four most likely reasons, and the first is the most obvious one: the ravages of the elements: fire, flood, and typhoons, not to mention termites. The second is the need to keep up with the aesthetics en vogue with the approach of modernity and novel aesthetics, with great consideration given to the prevailing economic realities (i.e., the price of materials and labor).

Another reason could be the accounts of juez de cuchillo or massacres that happened during the Palaris rebellion, when the houses of local residents who refused to join the uprising were torched or that the houses of those who did received the same destructive fate.

A fourth, and historically confirmed, reason is World War II. According to the account of local historian and educator, Dr. Clarita D.G. Jimenez, in the 1940s, "The Japanese atrocities left bitter memories among the Bayambangueños. Big buildings like the church, the schools and the big houses were the target of bombings as these were suspected to be the headquarters of the enemy. ... Many Bayambangueños joined the guerrilla forces which fought against the Japanese Imperial Army. Some of them were tortured, killed and forced to join the infamous Bataan Death March."

Aside from old family pictures of locals, archival photos from the National Historical Institute, resourcefully accessed and reproduced by Municipal Consultant on Museum, Culture and Arts Gloria D.V. Valenzuela, confirm that there were indeed such houses in town. 

One of the most historically significant of those must be the Dauz house at the junction of Del Pilar St. and Quezon Blvd. because it became the Malacañang of the North during the revolution against the Spanish government.

Another NHI photo is that of the Sabangan house, which is noted for its exemplary style. 

They were constructed in the American colonial period, but they were fine examples of the bahay na bato (at kahoy) Hispano-Filipino architectural style that bloomed during the Spanish colonial period. Some call the style  Antillean, to be exact, to refer to the Antilles in Central America. They featured most of the elements present in such a house, including its fixtures and furniture inside, from antesala to zaguan.

The Dauz House, the caption reads, was "built in 1933 and designed with tall, wide windows with sliding capiz shell panels." The Sabangan House, on the other hand, was also "built in 1933, and features a continuous balcony or gallery at the second floor of the house, cutwork in the eaves and an occasional acroteria in the roof."

Notably, the combination of American, Spanish, and indigenous architectural elements is uniquely Filipino, and this is what makes houses like these historically and architecturally significant. This is a little reminder that it was in the Philippines where, to quote historians, "the first instance of true globalization occurred," thanks to the Galleon Trade. It is where cultures from all the four corners of the world did not just clash or meet and match, but actually mixed and melded, resulting in the fusion of elements in our cultural markers with those of others. We can observe this consistently not just in Filipino architecture but practically in all facets of Filipino culture -- cuisine, wear, games, literature, music, dance, and so on.

It is only in the Philippines where these various styles traditionally mixed and matched to suit an overall theme or mood: capiz windows that remind of Japanese paper windows, the expected ornate baroque details, and the Art Deco and Art Nouveau flourishes in the ensuing American decades. It is akin to finding pineapple finials and fu dogs (Chinese lions/gargoyles) together in one notable neo-Gothic church, the San Agustin Church in Intramuros, or baroque churches with a Borobudur-like (Javanese) silhouette and Eastern symbols like sun faces (Paoay church), and Churrigaresque detailings, solomonic columns and other neo-Mudejar touches, pagoda-like bell towers, and so on, in other extant old structures throughout the archipelago and even in iconic objects like the jeepney.

There is a pervasive halo-halo sensibility -- as Gilda Cordero-Fernando puts it, though others scoff at it as "mongrel culture" -- but it is one that is not totally thoughtless. The eclecticism, Fernando Nakpil Zialcita notes, is more careful than desultory cherry-picking. The resulting cultural chimera that is the Filipino halo-halo culture to the outsider actually 'works' on some level of collective understanding. There is an azotea (a type of balcony) and there is a banggera (a wooden dish rack protruding from the kitchen), a ventanilla (little sliding windows beneath the sliding capiz ventana) and a batalan (washing area with bamboo flooring), a comedor (dining room) and a dapugan (dirty kitchen). Common furnishings included the sala set (living room chairs and center table), estante or platera (kitchenware cabinet), pugon (clay oven), almario (pillow stacker), and kama (wooden bed) with ikamen or woven mat. 

In specific terms, what this means is that the Antillean house architecture was adjusted to suit the tropics, and this resulted in several elements of the bahay kubo being retained, thus distinguishing the bahay na bato at kahoy from the Spanish pueblo house and similar colonial residential architectures in the Antilles and the rest of Latin America. These ingenious adjustments are the following, as others have took pains to note: making the structure more earthquake-proof, allowing more light into the house, allowing more air to circulate, shielding the house from the rain and the heat of the sun, and raising the floor as a precaution against flooding. We can say this tendency to Filipinize the foreign is a case of reverse colonialism.

These adjustments were no doubt present in the original houses of Bayambang's oldest families so that the houses looked like upgraded versions of the traditional bahay kubo or alulong.

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Thursday, March 25, 2021

Pangasinan Has a Highly Nuanced Vocabulary

Pangasinan Has a Highly Nuanced Vocabulary 

Pangasinan language is widely regarded as the most difficult language to learn in the Philippines. This must be partly because of, apart from its odd grammar, its highly diverse vocabulary.

The local language has an impressive level of nuance and precision, in many instances resulting in a phenomenal variety of synonyms.

Part 1: Verbs for Movement

When describing movement, Pangasinenses have reached the point of inventing certain words that have no equivalent in other languages. Say, for example, someone walking on a flooded road stumbles and falls, the specific manner in which the person fell can be referred to using different specific terms.

 Nipakaronyas or akaroskos means slipped or slid. Nikolasbong means one landed on one's bottom after slipping. Atulin indicates one rolled over, while atulintulin means the person rolled over several times. Nipatiblak (from the root word tiblak) means the body slapped the water, like a pig or carabao enjoying a mud bath. Nipatalimokor means one landed on one's knees. Nipasobsob or nipatingurngor means one fell on one's knees and landed on one's face. Apatir means stumbled through one's legs, while nipatakba means one fell on the ground in general. Asagor means one got caught by a hook. Niwerwer, awerwer, or abalor means one got tied to a post. Apigar, abitwag, abalintuwag, nibalintuag means turned turtle. Nipatirakyang means the body ended up facing upwards, while nipatikleb means one ended up with one's whole body facing down. Nipolisay means one got violently ejected or thrown away. Nitengeb means one hurt one's chin. Nipatuyaryar or nipatuyar indicates that one ended up with the genital area pointing out. Nipatibakyar, atibakyar (natapilok) means one slipped and the ankle and foot got twisted. Nipatog means bumped one's head. Nipatikyab means flew in the air. Nipakesneg or inpakesneg means pushed to the ground with one's bottom hitting it. Nipalereg means one got partially buried. Nipakulabot or nikulabot means one's foot or feet slipped into a hole. Nipatumba means one fell with one's body falling straight. Nipalespak means one landed on one's butt. Nilakanat means one got pulled into something. Inbalibag and inbasyo mean one got thrown in general terms. Inbantak means one got thrown away like rubbish. Inpasalar means pushed against the wall. Asitew or apikat means got thrown away over a very long distance. Nibasileng means got thrown away at a distance. Inbayo means one got hit over a surface or hard object. Insiwasiw or inwasiwas means one got violently swished and swayed here and there. Nipagilig means one ended up being pushed aside or on the side. Nipakutdang means one ended up taking a step. Nipalukso means one ended up jumping. Nikalbo means one got poured over something. Nibalandra means one ended up blocking the way. Nibongbonggo means got bumped in every way. Nibasbasyo means one got thrown every which way. Nikalogkalog means one got thrown inside a box or barrel (or any enclosure) every which way. Niparosisi means staggered, to regain balance. Abagtog means bumped one's head on a hard surface. Abagok means fell down head first. Abaktar is a general term which means atumba (natumba or fell down) regardless of the position: nipasobsob, nipatingorngor, abagok, etc.

Nibuntatok/imbuntatok, nibuntok/imbuntok, and imbuntayog mean got thrown up in the air. Nitelek/intelek means got moved in a circular fashion. Ababues/manbabues means speeding forward like a bullet. Naulsong means fell. Other words include agalasogos, abulinlin, nibangkilat, nipalaspag, alukbob, nalbó, nipasag, agaglos, akabsiw/akagsiw, akaklas, alinggi, nipasoner, nipalusong, etc.  

Part 1.1: Dusa: Verbs for Violence and Punishment

The verbs used to refer to violent movement and punishing actions are wonderfully varied and specific as well.

In general, dusa or dinusa means punish or punished. Pairap roughly means gulpi in Tagalog or to give a thorough beating in English. Garote (from the Spanish garrote) indicates a strong punishment of an indefinite kind, like a particularly strong whipping. Ambon means gang up on someone.

Boxing actions include the following. Buntal means suntok, "to give a blow, to knock with fists." A synonym is puniti, from the Spanish ponete. Bulasok means to hit one's stomach with the fist. Bugbog means to give multiple blows. Dalugos means to attack suddenly like a dog. Other words that sound as threatening are: banitog, inan (lagyan or put), ikdan (bigyan or give), kulatog, dapigas, ispat/spot (a fairly modern slang word), tira, tabiog.

As for whipping, lewet means to whip, often on the buttocks. A synonym is pasasiyok. Bakbak means whip on the buttocks, a term used for little kids. Siplat means to hit with a stick. Sitdak is another synonym. Palaldis means to hit with a stick quite heavily. Simbo-simbo sounds equally ominous. Pairap means repeated whipping. Other synonyms are: basibas, basig (one is hit with anything that the hitter gets his/her hands on); tiro; sipok-sipok; litog-lipak; pasaspak; palalpak.

When pushing, tulak means to push in general, just like in Tagalog, but with the stress on the second syllable. Pulisay means a sudden jerking motion away from the body or hands, as if to eject or reject.

As for pulling, there is the word lakanat, which means to forcefully pull toward oneself.

When hitting the head, tagkol means to hit the head using the forefinger's knuckle. A synonym is pisak, as in pisakan ko'y ulom. Tugtog means to push the head on the wall or something hard. Bambo mean bang the head with a hard object. Kutos means to forcefully poke the head with a finger or fingers. Other synonyms with shades of meaning are: aldabis, dapeyeng, tangol, simpangol, ampik, istangol.

When pushing the face over something, subsob is used to mean to scrunch the face on a surface. Ngurangor means to scrunch the face on a surface (as in the floor) like an eraser. Guragor means to rub, as in the face on a surface.

When scratching something, gurisdis is used to mean scratch. Gurlis or gulis means to scratch with a line. 

When slapping the face, tampal is used for sampal or full-blown slap on the face. Dampil is a partial slap on the face. Dapigas is a synonym.

When pulling the hair in anger, gunot is used. Gunot-gunot indicates repeated action.

When hitting the back, batneg, dasneg, or datmeg are used.

When aiming at someone, usually with a deadly weapon, patuyong is used to refer to the action.

When choking or strangling, tikel is used.

When throwing or stoning, tupak is used.

When hitting something slightly, sipeg is used, but when hitting unintentionally, sipay is preferred.

When dragging someone or something on the floor, gayugor means drag on the floor, while gayugoy means pull from the floor without lifting. Ipasagar also means pull from the floor without lifting.

When pinching, karot means to pinch and twist the skin using the forefinger and thumb. Kuldit means to pinch and twist the skin extra-finely using the forefinger and thumb.

When squishing or crunching something, lames is used, but gumes is used to mean squish firmly.

When hitting in general, natgeng, nakna, and nala are often used to mean something was badly hit. When hitting with a knife, bolo or machete, sikbat means hack, tegteg means chop, while tartar means mince or chop finely. When hitting with the leg, depak means kick. Its synonyms are dempak, sipa, and dampalis.

With hitting with an instrument, words for the instrument are used as verb as well to refer to what the instrument is intended for, so pekpek means hit hard with any solid object. Paspas is used when hitting with a far lesser force. Dos por dos (from the Spanish) means hit with a 2"x2" wooden bar (construction material). Turok, tinurok or duyok means pierce or pierced, as when using a pointed stick,while deyeng is used when referring to the use of a needle. There are, of course, as many verbs as instruments used to inflict pain: saksak, sinaksak; boriki, binoriki; lolor, linolor; paltog, pinaltog; palsot, pinalsot; paltik, pinaltik; salbatana, sinalbatana; ispin, inispin; wasay, winasay; pana, pinana; tupak, tinupak.

When giving the death blow, gedep or agedep are used to mean kill or killed/died. Patey means to kill. Naragas refers to the wish for someone to die.

Part 2: Angob: Words that Indicate Smell or Odor

Where English language only has general terms like smelly, stinky, foul, fetid, funky, and funny to describe odors, particularly 'icky' odors, the local language can get more specific. 

The squeamish should be forewarned that many terms are vulgar or at least colloquial in usage: abaliw means amoy binuro in Tagalog or smells fermented in English; ambaleng means mapanghi (Tagalog) or smells like old pee (English); ambaling means amoy lumang o sirang camote or has the smell of a near-rotting camote rootcrop/tuber; ambalingit means mabango or good-smelling or fragrant (in general); ambalbalingit means very fragrant; ambanget means mabaho or foul-smelling (in general); anakseng/anapseng or aksengan means maasim or maasim-asim or sour-smelling or acidic-smelling; banglesan means amoy-panis or smells like spoiled food; maablir is a word specifically used for bangus that is not raised in Bonuan because it has the undesirable odor of burak or polluted water (water that has undergone eutrophication); maaktot means a certain kind of mabantot or smells like laundry that was not dried properly under the sun; maali means smells moldy as in rancid oil or moldy bread; maampap refers to foul-smelling (because unwashed) female genitalia; maanag means amoy dumi or smells like feces; maanggo means smells gamey or smells like goat meat; maanglit means amoy anghit or smells like a foul-smelling armpit; maangob is a general usage word which means has a strong smell whether pleasant or not; maangsit means smells sour like vinegar in an annoying way, like burning electric cables or like someone who has been sweaty for a long time; maantol refers to foul-smelling (because unwashed) male genitals; maasyot or maasyut refers to the smell (and taste) of food that is not grilled or cooked properly, with the result of smelling like firewood smoke in an undesirable way; maasngal refers to the overpoweringly acrid taste and smell, as in the case of a dish with too much carrots, bell pepper, or some other such strong-flavored vegetable; mabayani is used to refer to anything with heavy or intense smell even though it is not on the stinky side, be it perfume, liquor, tobacco, urine or some other odorous thing; malangsi means malansa or fishy; unaalingasaw is umaalingasaw or reeking; ampasaseng is a coinage from maampap + anakseng, a sourish kind of stink; apanges is used to describe meat that is nearing spoilage (but not quite spoiled yet).

Other terms for smell gathered from Pangasinans online and yet to be validated include: maangdod, maanteng (maanglit), maanglem, maaptot, maanglo, mansamyong, makapureg (nakaka-clog ng nose), abureg, makapaelew (nakakahilo), masangsang, manasengseng.

 

Part 3: Taway tan Nanam: Words for Food Taste and Texture

Gastronomic terms -- particularly words for taste and food texture -- have equally high level of specificity in the Pangasinan language. 

The vocabulary for taste goes beyond the basics of masamit (sweet), maasin or maaplar (salty), anapseng or anakseng (sour), ampait (bitter), and anagasang (hot and spicy). Nuances in taste are evident in various terms: maasngal (the overpowering taste of excessive use of certain ingredients like carrots, bell pepper, malunggay leaves, etc.), maablir (the undesirably earthy taste of milkfish raised in non-ideal conditions), ampasager (mapakla or the annoying taste of certain unripe fruits, leaving a sticky, gummy sensation in the mouth and tongue), abaliw (fermented), maali (rancid like cooking oil that turned bad), abulok (rotten), malangsi (fishy), aluto (ripe, as in fruit), aluto-luto (overripe), maanggo (gamey), apugit (burnt).

Mananam means delicious in the sense of being full of umami. Masamit is also used to mean delicious, even if the food is not sweet (masamit). Magata means creamy (gata usually means coconut milk).

The terms for nakakasawa (Tagalog) or cloying are also many: makapaumay, makapalunit (used for overly rich food), makapatama (used for fatty food), makapasawa (general term). Makapagew (pagew means breast) means having the taste of arnibal (syrup) or being overly sweet. 

A curious term is mataldit, used to describe food that one least likes or not likely to taste again. In contrast, there is the term malamlam, which refers to food so good that one wants to have it again and again. 

Masabeng is used to refer to a dish that has too much leafy ingredient. Makapailol (ilol means laway or saliva, so nakakalaway) is used to describe the mouth-watering quality of food one is craving -- or not even, as in the mere thought of crisp green Indian mangoes.

Other terms for taste gathered from Pangasinans online and yet to be validated include: maakdar, maapgar, maatgar, maatdar, mankliseng (ed apseng), maarat, tabal, maambal, lamitan, malamsak, and marayrayok.

As for texture or consistency... Anawet means hard, while alemek or anlemek means soft. Ambasa is wet, while amaga is dry. Manpikkat is used to refer to a certain degree of viscous wetness: a bit wet with sticky portions -- though this term is not often used for food. Mabuwer, magara, or magaralagar is sandy, while mabato means has stony impurities, like in rice and monggo beans. Mabago is furry or feathery. Pino means fine, while magasal means rough or unrefined.  Makulnet means sticky and gummy at the same time, while makulaney (literally weak in other contexts) means soft or has very little resistance when chewed, as in high-quality rice. Mapeket is sticky. Masalangsang means crunchy, while matalker means tough. Magalasagas and other onomatopoeic terms (makalasakas, magalareger, etc.) may refer to textures between crunchy and spongy. Mapalet is malapot (thick), while malasaw is malabnaw (thin), as in sauces versus broths. Madigo is masabaw or watery or full of broth, and alabaw or labaw-labaw means has excessive broth or sumobra sa sabaw. The onomatopoeic man-gagnet indicates a cartilaginous consistency.

The variety of terms for slippery is quite high: andanglel (as in okra), anggales (as in bad cassava when cooked), malamuyak (as in vegetable salad that is no longer crisp), malamuteg (phlegm-like texture). Malamoy is used in particular when the broth is slimy.

 Certain words are used to describe fruits: adunel is nalamog, while atoyak is squished. Nankakamolsit is atoyak-toyak, the plural of atoyak. Abeyew is not exactly a textural term but is nonetheless imply a particularly undesirable texture, for it is used to describe a fruit that too much sunlight made prematurely ripe, so it is no longer crunchy as desired but neither at the mellow stage of ripeness as well.

 Makanot means fibrous, as in the case of fibrous fruits and root crops.  Aluney or alune-luney is a term to describe meat that is so soft its fibers fall apart, like in pulled pork. Malaberler refers to the texture of rice when not yet fully cooked. Makakilem means nakakangilo or makes the edges of one's teeth feel uncomfortable or mildly painful, like when chewing on crushed ice.

Other terms pertain to how the throat perceives food and other things it comes in contact with: makapaet (can make you thirsty), mapayket (nanlalagkit or annoyingly sticky), makatikel (can choke you).

Part 4: Tanol: Words for Sound

Furthermore, Pangasinan poet and book author Santiago Villafania has observed that the language has an equally high number of synonyms for sound. Aquick sampler: alaldis - the sound of whipping; alalbog - the sound of bumping, as in one's head on the wall; alaltog, abagtog - the sound of bumping, as in one's head on the wall; alalsik - the sound of splashing water; matalangatang - the sound of tin can; mapalakapak -  the sound of firecrackers; mapalagapag -  strong booming sound; makakilem - nakakangilong tunog or a sound that causes discomfort to the teeth; manateet - the sound of, say, bamboo branches rubbing each other; mataningting - the tinny sound of, like, spoon falling on the floor; masanitsit - the sound of frying in oil; matalagutog - the sound of, say, big drums; matalakutok - the clucking sound of fowl; matalakatak -  the sound of raindrop; sutsot - to call someone using the sound "Psst!"; tansit - to issue a sound of annoyance from one's mouth using roughly the /tst/ sound. 

Local mediaman and musician Oscar Ora lists the following onomatopoeic words off the top of his head: magalasagas, magalareger, makalasakas, mapalasapas.

Part 5: Atapis: Words for Crazy

The number of colloquial terms for the word 'crazy' is particularly phenomenal, if not out of this world, with some words even having variants that one wonders about the reason behind the seeming obsession.

The synonyms in alphabetical order: aderal so ulo, aketket na duweg (bitten by a carabao), wala'y lamat na ulo to (his head has a crack), alintaweng, ambagel, ambasit or nanbasit, apataa'y lurem (nahagip ng ulap, got hit by a cloud), apisit (squished), arageman so utek (his brain has got blown by the wind), asibukan na mauges a dagem (got blown upon by a bad wind), asipeg (nahagip, got bumped), ataknik, atapaaw, atapis or nantapis or di tapis, atiris, nantiris, awaweng/wawaweng, awegweg, awelwel, di katit or nankatit , di latlata or nanlatlata, di saltik, di galing or wala'y galing-galing to (has magical powers), katok or akatok/nangkatok, kulang na binting or diya'd piso kulang na binting (lacks 25 centavos), kulang na bulan (lacks some months), kulang na kwerdas, kulang-kulang (is lacking), kuwating or nankuwating, kuwatit or nankuwatit, linmukak so tornilyo to (lumuwag ang turnilyo, has loose screws), lokloko or loko-loko, makakaimis ya singa bakes (seems smiling like a monkey), minsay (reportedly a local neologism from "mental psychopathic"), naapunan (possessed), nan-agpit na alasas (clipped dried banan leaves in his armpit), nandaiset or wala'y daiset (has a little something), nan-F (slang: with F, F meaning few, fool, or foolish), nankupat, nankuriring, wala'y kring-kring/wala'y kuliling (has something ringing), nankuliling, nankililing, nantililing, nankularing, nankularet, nankutas orakutas, nipatog ed bulan or apatogan na bulan (got bumped at/by the moon), wala'y banting to (has a bell), wala'y sagar (may sayad, has something dragging on the floor?). 

An online survey conducted much earlier on the Facebook page 'What's Up Dagupan' came up with the following finds, on top of the above: abulok so ulo, aburis, agetaget, aguret, akagsiw, akudyas, akustil, nankustil, alamatan, alinturang, alipeng, ambagtit, ambreng, angkampis, nankampis, asibok, atikong, atipos/atipus, atorik, baleg so bulan, bankeleng, bantiwel, bantokaling, bayakew, bobolanen, bulatis, gilit-gilit, kalawakaw, kulang na pesetas, kutagong, mamarlang, nangkatiw, nankalting, akaltingan, nipatog ed barko, paratangtang, paratagtag, sulok-sulok, terenggoy, terenta y cingco, tulao, wala'y pisisigeen.

The diversity of synonyms and level of precision are consistent with those of the rest of the country, but the Pangasinan language is particularly strikingly rich. 

Sources: Perfecto Beltran, Joseph Quinto, Joey Ferrer, Lily Luz Ursua-Abella, Resty Odon, Andrea Ferrer Umoypa, Leticia Ursua, Clarita F. Tagab, Melchor Orpilla, Vernaliza Ferrer, Ismael Malicdem Jr., Peter Caragan, Melchor Orpilla, Santiago Villafania, Joey Ferrer, John Quinto, Clarita F. Tagab, Iluminada Junio Mabanglo, What's Up Dagupan (FB page), Sylvester Quintos, Rosabella Austria, Leo B. Aquino Jr., et al.

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Monday, March 22, 2021

Tagayan

This is called tagayan, a polished coconut shell that has been in use for three generations as "pang-sukat ng isasaing na bigas" (rice dispenser measuring cup). The original owner demanded that the tagayan be returned to its proper place (inside the dispenser) right after use and should not be placed just anywhere or used in any other way. Other households demand that the rice it contained be replaced immediately with new rice. There is an unstated belief that something bad will happen if this rule is not followed.

(Current owner of artifact: Dr. Leticia B. Ursua, Zone VI)
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Ponti: Local Banana Varieties and Their Uses

Banana thickets are a common sight in the local landscape, together with bamboo and coconut groves, mango orchards, and rice and corn fields that stretch to as far as the eye can see. What is notable, however, from a cultural standpoint, is the variety of bananas traditionally grown here and consumed in equally varied ways.
 
Variety, as they say, is the spice of life, but for locals, variety is not mere spice but an essential part of life. And they are accustomed to it, especially with certain fruits and vegetables. Traditionally eaten here are two types of talon or eggplant (the elongated deep purple variety and the the round, light green balbalosa), two kinds of palya or bitter gourd (long, big and small, round and more bitter variety), different types of kamatis or tomatoes (the squash-shaped cuatro cantos and the round and oval ones), at least two types of patola (the ridged and the smooth one), two types of agayep or sitaw (the light green, smooth, and long cultivar and the short, rough tandereg), at least four kinds of guava (small and fragrant, the bigger one but bland, and the giant guapple), at least four types of milon or melon (the oblong, the round cantaloupe, and more recently, the new very sweet cantaloupe and the smooth-skinned casaba type), and various kinds of mango (pico, carabao, Indian, Hawaiian, byuko or supsupin, pao/pahutan or paho, and apple mango).
 
Variety is most especially high in bananas. A typical grocery shopper in big cities may be familiar with just one variety -- the Cavendish. Not with local consumers, as they are accustomed to the fact that not all bananas are the same. In fact, despite belonging to roughly the same species, the differences between the varieties or cultivars are quite remarkable to the point that preparing one variety for a certain delicacy will just not do for any other.
 
The most common variety consumed and grown is the aritondal, tondal or latundan, whose flesh is light-colored, fragrant, and sweet. The skin is thin and yellow or rust-speckled yellow in color. Tundal is a table banana, often eaten at the end of a meal as palamis or dessert. As it is rich in pectin, it is often eaten to treat diarrhea, and too much of it can cause constipation.
 
The second most common variety consumed and grown is the thick-skinned seba or pontin seba (saba or Cardaba), which is used in many dishes and prepared and eaten in many ways: raw, boiled or broiled with the skin on, halved and fried for breakfast, rolled in brown sugar then fried and speared (banana cue), fried in batter (maruya) or corn flour wrap (turon), made into chips and sundried, mixed in stews (lauya), boiled in red sugar syrup and served with ice cubes and tapioca pearls, diced into sweets and mixed with other sweets in halo-halo, etc.
 
For some reason, certain cooking styles for seba are unheard of in these parts: the binange (peeled and grilled) of Quezon, pinasugbo (cone of candied saba tongues) of Bacolod, ginanggang (grilled, slathered with margarine, and sprinkled with white sugar) of Davao, sinapot (halved then dipped in batter, deep-fried, and skewered) of Camarines Sur, sinalab (overripe saba or latundan mashed into a pancake with flour and buko slices sandwiched between two banana leaves then dry-cooked on a pan) of Marinduque, etc.
 
Unique to Pangasinan is the use of unripe saba -- a stage called gubal -- in everyday cuisine. Near-ripe seba are boiled, pounded together with boiled cassava and grated coconut, then added with sugar and margarine (or butter) with a pinch of salt to make nilupak. Green seba is grated and turned into soup with malunggay or ampalaya leaves (kinurkor a ponti) or sliced and used in inselar a sira (fish sinigang).
Banana blossoms (puso'y ponti, also often called banana heart) from seba are routinely cooked in coconut milk or adobo style as a kind of vegetable salad. They are also used in inselar ya sira, among other dishes.
 
Sometimes, saba contains surprisingly large seeds. Other varieties of banana look and taste a lot like saba, like the inabaniko variety, whose sapar or piling (bunch) has a fan-like, closely packed arrangement, as it name indicates. (The entire cluster of banana bunches is called monil, which is bungkos in Tagalog.)
 
Another common variety both grown and eaten is the ebeb (the one called bungulan in other places), a green-skinned variety that is not as sweet and creamy and more on the sourish side but nonetheless has a distinct flavor and aroma. This one rots so easily, so it is not sold far away from where it is harvested.
Lacatan (or lakatan), the world's creamiest banana variety, is also a popular dessert banana, though not exactly grown locally. It is the variety used in fresh fruit salads with cream. A variety of lacatan is rust-colored, and it is called kalawangin in Tagalog.
 
Lesser-known varieties appear in the market every now and then whose provenance is not exactly local, and these include the red-skinned morado.
 
Another variety, less common, is a cross between seba and tundal -- smaller than seba but creamier in taste and has a light orange hue.
 
The San Juan variety looks like saba, but it is a lot more astringent and sour. (In Cagayan, it is reported, it is called datu and traditionally used to make vinegar.)
 
In the last few decades, a new variety has made an appearance on locals' dining table: it is called viloria(?). It looks a bit like plump tundal, but different in taste. It is incorrectly called señorita, because it is a lot bigger and less sweeter and lacks the distinct fragrance of the highly perishable señorita of Tagaytay and thereabouts.
 
A recent introduction is the plantain type of banana, with its acrid aftertaste and pendulous tip.
 
A little wild green banana is called balayang. It is filled with seeds but the flesh is tastier than the 
common tundal.
 
Banana leaves are often used to line certain rice cakes, like bibingka, latik, and inangit, as it imparts a pleasant aroma and a subtle flavor and to avoid the rice cake from getting burned. Before using, they are first brought over hot coals and wilted, most likely to get rid of any bitter taste or so as not to spoil the food easily. Doing away with the leaves in local kakanin makes these delicacies seem incomplete. However, the leaves of the seba are the ones preferred as wrapper especially in making suman or tupig because these do not impart bitterness to the rice cake.
 
In the olden times, freshly hacked banana leaves were used to wrap the lunch of students from the barrios and those of farmers going to faraway fields. They were also used to shine wooden floors.
 
The dried leaves of the banana are called alasas. They are often used to culture oyster mushrooms.
 
The verb teba means to hack down the whole banana plant when the fruits are alumbas or have ripened.
 
Unlike Ilonggos and Ivatans, locals do not make use of the banana pith as food ingredient. Instead, the trunk pieces -- called epas -- are cut into rectangular pieces and used as improvised plates during farm lunches.
 
The epas and pua or sengeg (root) of the banana are respectively scraped (ilap) using the sagad and grated using a gusugos, then boiled and fed to the swine being fattened together with babang (rice bran), pepeg or emek (small broken bits of rice grains), and ngalub (a local pigweed).
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Sunday, March 21, 2021

The lowly balatong

The Lowly Balatong

Balatong or mung bean (munggo, monggo, mongo in Tagalog) is said to be the only indigenous bean species in the Philippines. It is cheap, and cooking a little cup of it goes a long way in feeding a family of five, so it is considered everyday food by the masses. It is, in fact, a favorite Friday fare of Catholic devotees who refrain from meat on such a day of abstinence.

Both the Pangasinan and Ilocano languages use the word balatong to refer to mung bean, but the pronunciation is different in terms of where the stress is placed: /ba-la-tong'/ in Pangasinan vs /ba-la'-tong/ in Ilocano.

Balatong is often cooked as ingisan balatong (ginisang munggo, monggo guisado, or sauteed mung bean sauteed in the trifecta of garlic, onion, and tomatoes) or sinagsagan (stewed in strained bagoong monamon sauce), which is a hearty soup-stew topped with ampalaya or malunggay leaves and with fatty pork strips or chicharron as sahog or protein add-on. The Pangasinan style of cooking ingisan balatong is made different with the use of agat or luya as seasoning.

Balatong may also be eaten as snack by adding sugar to the just-cooked munggo stew (without the other ingredients).

In the Tagalog region, people make a distinction between the usual munggo and the preferred variety called antigo or kasube: "heirloom variety of mongo characterized by a white fuzzy covering which makes for a far thicker stew when cooked compared to other varieties." Pangasinenses have equivalent terms: masileng for the shiny variety, and labo for the variety with a whitish sheath. When cooked, one is on the creamy side, while the other gives a soupy consistency. But what is equally interesting is the use of terms to describe the various stages in the mung bean plant development.

Agor (/a'-gor/) is a general Pangasinan term for "the young balatong pods (still retaining the green color) and fresh beans cooked sinagsagan style." Dadag is the equivalent word for agor in Ilocano.

Impabasik is the Pangasinan term for the younger growth stage of togue. The seeds have barely sprouted but they have already shed off their green covering. This is most often cooked sinagsagan style.

Togue is the Tagalog word for the full-grown bean sprout and has been adopted locally. The word is actually Chinese in origin: taw means bean, while geh means sprout.


The balatong is also an essential ingredient of at least five common snacks. Red mongo, the variety called azuki brought by the Japanese into the country, is used as sweetened topping for popsicles and as halo-halo ingredient.

Lilot balatong is a snack of hot glutinous rice porridge with sugar and coconut cream (from the first pressing called kakang gata in Tagalog) made pungent by bits of toasted halved monggo beans.

Hopiang monggo is dice-shaped hopia made of a filling of boiled, sometimes 'unhusked', finely mashed, and sweetened monggo. A Japanese variety comes in a round shape and styled to represent, reportedly, the Japanese rising sun.

Butse is the crude and oily Filipino version of the Chinese buchi which contains whole beans, green covering and all.

Monggo flour is often used to make sotanghon noodles.

According to Mrs. Lolita Fernandez of Brgy. Tanolong, to keep monggo beans for one year, the beans are washed first and soaked in water to set apart the fresh seeds from the withered ones. The cleaned beans are next placed on a clean fish net and let dry under the sun for over three days. The best drying place is over hot sand or on top of a bamboo pallet. The sun-dried monggo beans can then be kept in a glass container and will come in handy in case of 'emergency.'

Apart from food, monggo grains are used as bullets for pugso or sulpit (sumpit or blowgun) in the absence of bugayong (Jacob's tears) seeds. In the past, they were also used as punishing tool for wayward kids, who were told to kneel on the seeds for a longish time until they were reduced to tears.

Balatong is the root word of Binalatongan, the former name of the mother town (now San Carlos City), which Malungguey -- now Bayambang -- was once a part of.

Reference:
"Balatong, Agor, Impabasik." This blog post contains a wonderful set of info on the lowly munggo: https://bucaio.blogspot.com/2012/04/balatong-agor-impabasik.html?fbclid=IwAR1SkYRjN4_Y0-DwJgH1CtvtSG8sGx1XzifZn4p8M1BJlfXAk6Pxdh433VI

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