Naga City

Submitted by:
Gelli Ann B. Gonzales

Submitted to:

The term "Bicol" could have been derived from "Bico," the name of a river which drains in San Miguel Bay. Possible origins also include the bikul or bikal bamboo tree which line rivulets, and the ancient native word bikod meaning "twisted" or "bent". The region, administratively known as Region V, is located on the southeastern end of Luzon; it is surrounded by the Visayan Sea in the south, the Pacific Ocean I the east, Lamon Bay in the north, and Sibugan Sea and Quezon province in the west.

HISTORY

The Bicol region was known as Ibalon, variously interpreted to derive form ibalio, "to bring to the other side"; ibalon, "people from the other side" or "people who are hospitable and give visitors gifts to bring home"; or as a corruption of Gibal-ong, a sitio of Magallanes, Sorsogon where the Spaniards first landed in 1567. The Bico River was first mentioned in Spanish Documents in 1572. The region was also called "Los Camarines" after the huts found by the Spaniards in Camalig, Albay. No prehistoric animal fossils have been discovered in Bicol and the peopling of the region remains obscure. The Aeta from Camarines Sur to Sorsogon strongly suggest that aborigines lived there long ago, but earliest evidence is of middle to late Neolithic life.

A barangay (village) system was in existence by 1569. Records show no sign of Islamic rule nor any authority surpassing the datu (chieftain). Precolonial leadership was based on strength, courage, and intelligence. The native seemed apolitical. Thus the datu's influence mattered most during crises like wars. Otherwise, early Bicol society remained family centered, and the leader was the head of the family.

The Bicol were described by some Spanish chroniclers as fierce warriors. Thus their history comprises many battles against foreign incursions. Sorsogon participated in Samar's Sumuroy Revolt in 1649. Over 400 suspected rebel sympathizers were massacred in Pilar, and some local friars exiled. In Camarines, minor rebellions occurred contemporaneously with the Sumuroy rebellion and during the British occupation of Manila between 1762 and 1764.
LITERARY ARTS

The patotodon or riddles reveal a concern wit the familiar and material. Here the abstract is made concrete. The first part is a positive metaphorical description. The second part introduces an element meant to confuse. Old riddles are still learned but riddling has ceased to be a hobby in Bicol today. The linguistically sophisticated proverbs called kasabihan, arawiga, or sasabihan emphasize values like independence, honor, and humility. The human condition is the central concern of these proverbs. They may be abstract or may use images form nature, for such as plants, animals, and the human body.
In precolonial time, the natives wrote many ballads with catchy rhythms about battles, a hero's exploits, massacres, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, and other natural catastrophes. Precolonial lyric poetry is divide into awit and rawitdawit, also called orog-orog or susuman. By comparison, the awit is more sentimental an difficult to improvise. Social life is enlivened by toasts call tigsik, kangsin, or abatayo. These are four-line verses occasioned by happy gatherings whether around a sari-sari or variety store or during feasts. Toasts can be made on any subject, form religion and tradition to love and sex, and the tigsikan ends when the participants become too inebriated for poetry. Modern Bicol poetry can classified as personal or social, the latter based on the rawitdawit style. A simple if not naïve world view is conveyed in most Bicol anecdotes. Animal stories abound, involving either tricksters or ungrateful animals The monkey seems to be a favorite. Outstanding in folklore is the tale of Juan Osong, counterpart of the Tagalog Juan Tamad. Bicol's creation myths trace the beginning of the universe and man and woman. There is a characteristic dichotomy between the divine and the human, and a frequent use of the bird as a key figure. Today, there are very few fictionists in Bicol. Among the more notable are Carlos Ojeda Aureus whose stories, such as the "Cathedra", are landmarks in Bicol fiction, and Remigio Laguno, known for his "The Carolers."

BIKOL IS THE LANGUAGE of almost 5 million people in the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte,Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon that constitute the Bikol Region. The Bikol peoplehave a writing tradition with roots in its ancient folkways. Still extant are charm verses exploiting thepossibilities of words in folk poems and narratives with mythical content, and bound with early historicalfragments which form part of the people's lives.

Colonization stifled native writing, however. Only after about two centuries later did the people begin towrite poems and plays adapted from Biblical stories this time in the Spanish writing system. These dramatic tropes were street presentations during May festivals, Christmas, Easter and Lent. In 1890, thefirst Bikol newspaper An Parabareta (the Newsman) was published by Mariano Perfecto, who also established the first printing press. Imprenta de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia. In the midst of numerous devotionals and religious poems, there appeared two protest plays "An Pagguiao kan mga pastores can pagcamondag ni Jesus duman sa portal sa belen" (The awakening of the shepherds of Jesusbirth) by Mariano Perfecto and "Comedia na dapit sa Dios o magna cahayagan can pagcamondag ni Jesus" (A play about God or matters concerning the birth of Jesus). The first play says that the people accepted the faith but not the Spaniards; the second tries to localize the character Mary, humanize Herodes and make the coronation of Mary an occasion of revelry through two comic characters.

Corridos or metrical romances became the main reading fare for many years. Translation from Spanishto Bikol were eagerly awaited that writers switched to translating for the money it brought them. Intime, Bikol
Corridos were written. The most popular was Mag-amang Pobre(The Poor Father and Son).The comedia or moro-moro stayed for a long time. Almost every town boasted of acomedia writer and atheater group. The lavish and pompus comedia that Juan Alvarez Guerra saw in the 1880s in Albay hasbeen so well described. Count on the Bikol to write protest comedias, Comedia ni Hadeng Grimaldo saReinong Irlanda by Sabas Armenta and Drama en Comedia de la Vida Conde Urbano by Juan Miraflor.The first is a deviation from the Moro as villain theme; the second advocated democracy and favorselecting town leaders.

The Commonwealth Period were years of poetic and dramatic productivity. The zarzuela did not escapethe Bikol's questioning bent. Asisclo Jimenez's Pagkamoot sa Banuang Tinoboan (Love for the NativeLand) demonstrated that national change can be affected through armed revolt. Jimenez wrote 25 other zarzuelas in varying themes, mostly social criticism. Crowds would attend the presentations.

By the mid-thirties, shorter plays became the fashion. The new themes were poor vs. rich, laziness vs.hard work and Rizal and nationalism. Outstanding was Anti Cristo by Justino Nuyda who wrote of theinevitable conflict between individual morality and material comfort. This play is still presented today inschools in the region.

The rawit dawit or narrative poem was a vehicle of social and political criticism. Personal poems weremost plentiful. The period also produced about twenty translations of Jose Rizal's Mi Ultimo Adios toBikol. Four poets and their works stand out:Manuel Fuentebella's An Pana(The Arrow), Clemente Alejandria's Pagaroanggoyong(Perseverance), Eustaquio Dino's Balosbalos Sana (Retribution) and
Mariano Goyena's Hare...Dali (No...Don't). Great sensitivity and exquisite images are marks of these poems, reaching up to lyricism.

The Post-War Period was unproductive. It was the Cathedral Players of the Ateneo de Naga that sparkedthe cultural scene. The students led by Rev. James Reuter, SJ translated english plays into Bikol anddelighted the Naga folks with Sunday presentations at the plaza kiosk. In the rural towns they played inchurch patios and plazas. If post-war writing was not as significant, the Bikol milieu was not encouragingeither. The stories and novels written in the fifties were insipid and mere narrations; the novels fantasticand improbable. Writing in the Rainbow journal were largely cerebral and critical of politics, church andsociety. It was the people's interest in the folk story,Ibalon, that inspired two musicals theHandyong written and presented by Orfelina Tuy and Fe Ico, and Ibalon Opereta written by Jose Calleja Reyes.

Contemporary writing has just began to burst with creative energy. The writers now possess the courageto deal with big themes. It began with Francisco Penones, Jr. who sounded a clarion call in his poem
AnOpon sa Ibalon: Kan mahale an Maskara
(The Board in Ibalon When Unmasked). Society, he declared, isthe boar that brought hunger and poverty to the land. For this poem, Penones received a CCP award.Merlinda C. Bobis in a masterly poetic drama titled
Daragang Magayon
(Beautiful Maiden) overturnsthe passive maiden in the legend and makes her decisive to do her part in changing society. In herpoems, Bobis subtly presents an idealism associated with remembering one's childhood, each of them astrong and evocative protrait only thoughtful, sensitive poet can create. For this, she merited a Palancaaward. Carlos O. Aureus weaves together theology and philosophy to present Bikol values and apanorama of Bikol scenes. In ten well-written stories, a novel and a play, he wins the coveted Palanca,CCP, Free Press and Graphic literary awards. The young literary fictionists, Marco Lopez, Alvin Yaban,Ulysses P. Aureus and Lorenzo D. Paran III are searches for self, identity and nation.The seasoned writers include Luis Cabalquinto, Gode Calleja and Rudy Alano. The young writers areHome Life magazine winners Angelica Gonzales, Honesto Pesimo, Jazmin Llana, Victor Velasco, NinoManaog, Xavier Olin and Cynthia Buiza. Emelina G. Regis has a Palanca Award for her environmental play
Dalawang Mukha ng Kagubatan (Two Faces of the Forest). Barbara Barquez Ricafrente writes poemsand paints with rage. She is the first novel awardee of the U.P. Creative Writing Center.The Bikolano can write memorable and significant pieces. The native literary tradition has beenresurrected and kept. How to make the people aware and how to make them read as well and how tomultiply these writings so they can be disseminated have to be resolved.

Tigsik is a form of literature in the Bicol region of the Philippines. This kind of literacy is somehow similar to Haiku of Japan which is also has three phases but it does not follow the 5,7,5 pattern thus making it different to the number of of syllables used in it which rhythms accordingly. Before, Tigsik is only used for mere enjoyment especially for momentous and festive occasions of the natives, some of it are hilarious pieces which contains perverted content but when you understand it further there is another meaning to it that imposes knowledge and values. Nowadays, if you ask somebody from Bicol if they know what Tigsik is, some of them probably don't know what it is because through the ages the descendants of the bicolanos has been poor in passing out the legacy of their own literacy and now is completely ruptured by time. I Am an advocate of this kind of literacy so that time may not abandon the wonder of bicolano literature.