REGION 1

Region 2
Region 3

Region 3
Literature

Legend and folklore has it that the name OLONGAPO was derived in context from the phrase "ULO NG APO" or Old
Man's Head.

The story is that there was once a tribe whose people were disunited. A wise, old man seeing the evils that disunity sow
among his people, exerted great efforts and united the tribe. A group of villains, however, did not appreciate the fruits
of the old man's efforts. They bitterly disliked the idea of the tribe having a true and good leader. One day, the wise, old
man just disappeared. After a long search, the old man's body was found but the head was missing. The natives
launched diligent efforts to locate the severed head of their leader. However their efforts proved futile. But the search
did not end there. A boy, who made a vow not to stop until he could find the old man's head, indefatigably continued to
look for it. Then one day, he came upon the old man's head resting on the tip of a bamboo pole. The villains, apparently,
wanted to disgrace the wise, old man so that disunity and its evils would again prevail among the natives. Upon seeing
the head, the boy run back to his people crying, "ULO NG APO" around the village. The phrase suck and the place was
known as it is today - OLONGAPO. Legend also adds that the old man's head became the symbol of the natives unity.

BRIEF HISTORY

Olongapo was a small fishing village of Subic. Records show that the Aetas were its first settlers. In 1884, Olongapo was
occupied buy the Spaniards who made it a settlement of the Spanish navy. Recognizing at once the advantages of Subic
Bay's "uniform depth, wide waters and the protection from strong winds provided by the mountains on three sides,"
King Alfonso II, proclaimed Subic Bay as a Spain's stronghold in the Far East. Lured by the deep water harbor which
regarded as "having no equal in the Philippine island." Admiral George Dewey took Olongapo and the Subic Bay during
the Spanish - American war in 1898. The subsequent turn of events made by the bay area and 70,000 acres of adjacent
land including Olongapo, a U.S. military reservation. The United States spent million of dollars in 1951 to convert the
base. On December 7, 1959, after a protracted agitation by its citizens, Olongapo was relinquished by the United States
to the Philippine government and converted into a municipality. Six years later, on the first day of June 1966, Olongapo
was reconverted into a chartered city.

Music

. Atin ku pung sing sing - plaintive folksong about the promise of a girl to a man who finds her lost ring.
(Pampanga)by Mabuhay Singers

. Atsing Rosing - another harana song, in which the singer exalts ‘Atsing Rosing’ by offering her fantastic
assortment of gifts. (Pampanga)by Andy Alviz

. O kaka, o kaka - another ‘‘basultu’’which is perfect for dancing. Many grandmother also sang this as lullabye
to put their ‘apos’ to sleep.(Pampanga)

. Basulto - sacritical love song with an accompanying dance. It originated in Victoria , Tarlac and has Pampango
influences.

Dance

."Abaruray" is a construction of the words "Aba" and "Ruray" is an

exclamation which is equivalent to Hey! or Hai in english Ruray is a nickname
For Aura. This dance known in the Philippines be several name such as
"Hapayan",Tagayan, Pandango sa Baso and Abaroray. In a social gathering in
the Remote "barrios" of the Philippines it is customary offer wine to
visitors.The offering usually made by a young lady. She goes arround with
glass and bottle of native wine offering a drink to a visitors. The wine offering is a signal of beginning of folk dancing and
singing.

. The sekuting a moek duel dance performed by two men with sticks. The
binabayani documented among the baluga is a war dance with different
twist.

Architecture

Tarlac’s Capital is one of the oldest church in the province – the San Sebastian Cathedral or more colloquially known as
the Tarlac Cathedral. The parish has an interesting piece of history, the church has been there even before Tarlac
became an independent province.

Tarlac City was once part of Pampanga and the town is said to have been established in 1686 by the priests who were
assigned in Magalang. The church was founded on the same year and was administered by the Augustinians from
Pampanga until 1725. Two years after (1727), the church got separated from its distant matrix and was declared as an
independent parish.

The first parochial building was established in 1740 by Father Agustion Barriocanal. A wood and stone church was later
build by Father Baltazar Gamarra in 1872 and was completed in 1890 by Father Fermin Sardon. The church, however
was utterly destroyed during the second world war and the current building was rebuilt and completed in 1945.
 Tarlac Cathedral is dedicated to San Sebastian.
The post war neo-gothic church features a very
neat facade with the image of their patron saint
on the center niche of the entrance porch. The
facade has an interesting shade of beige, pink
and white adorned with ornate stained glass
windows.

The cathedral offers an equally stunning interior. It features a

grandiose main altar. The highly ornate altar is placed under a
huge canopy with eight huge columns surrounding. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think the structure is ecclesiastically
known as ciborium, similar to what you can find in Baclaran Church (Check : Baclaran Church).

There’s also words written on top of the canopy that says “Veni Sancte Spiritus’’, a Latin term for “Come, Holy Spirit”
which explains the dove icon on top. Behind the image of the crucified Christ is a huge stained glass window that
features Mary and John at the foot of the cross. There’s also two side altars featuring the image of Our Lady of Mount
Carmel (left) and the image of San Sebastian (right). Older pictures of the church before the war shows the image of San
Sebastian on the center niche of the main altar.

Film

Directed by: Jason Paul Laxamana

Set in: Pampanga

Magkakabaung (or The Coffin Maker) is just as melancholic as its title suggests. Allen Dizon plays Randy, a single father
who accidentally kills his eight-year-old daughter (Felixia Dizon) when he neglectfully gives her the wrong medication.
After dealing with insensitive provincial nurses, sleazy businessmen, and his estranged wife, Randy wrestles to give his
daughter the burial she deserves while ultimately
struggling to bury his own guilt.(2014)

Directed by: Carlo Catu

Set in: Pampanga

My Life with a King poetry is the star of this indie film, where high school student Jaypee (Ronwaldo Martin) forms an
unlikely friendship with the King of Kapampangan Poetry, Conrado Guinto (Francisco Guinto). We follow Jaypee as the
elderly Conrado teaches him a thing or two about poetry to impress the girl he likes. More than that, he also learns more
about a unique hometown culture he didn't even know existed. (2015)
 Theater

Orosmán at Zafira – a
komedya (a Filipino
theater form evolved
from the Spanish comedia)
in four parts

Don Nuño at Selinda –

a komedya in three parts

Auredato at Astrome – a komedya in three parts

Clara Belmore – a
komedya in three
parts

Abdol at
Misereanan –a
komedya, staged
in Abucay in 1857

Bayaceto at Dorslica
–a komedya in three
parts, staged at Udyong
on September 27, 1857

Alamansor at Rosalinda – a komedya staged at Udyong during the town's feast

La India elegante el negrito amante – a short play in one part

Visual arts

Mother and Child by Joey Angeles. Pamagbalik by Joey Acervo.Mixed

Acrylic on canvas (Bulacan) media(Pampanga)

.Sambulat by Manuel Bagtas (Bataan) .asar-Talo by rain Libiran.Kusot ,paint,found

objects,plaster of paris on plywood.(Bulacan)

Region 4 A

LITERATURE

Legendary Mt. Makiling in the Province of Laguna

 Is a dormant volcano in Laguna Province on the island of Luzon, Philippines. The
mountain rises to an elevation of 1,090 m (3,580 ft) above mean sea level and is the highest
feature of the Laguna Volcanic Field. The volcano has no recorded historic eruption but
volcanism is still evident through geothermal features like mud spring and hot springs. 
MUSIC
Popular Filipino Folk Songs: Harana, Kundiman, Kumintang, Balitaw

We have songs about love of country and about a great hero. In the past when peopl went
to war, they sang war songs.
The Filipinos have songs for every occasion.`

A very popular song in our barrios, is the planting song. As farmers plant, they sing to the
tune of a musical instrument known as the kudyapi. The song makes the hard work of
planting in the mud easier. It makes the work faster, too. Our school children know very
well a planting song. Can you guess what it is? Can you sing?

Harvesting time is also a time for gay songs. This is especially so if the harvest is plentiful. 

Very much enjoyed by young men and women is the harana. This is sung on moonlight
nights under the window of a young girl. The song is sung by a man who admires her or by
someone the man has invited to sing for him. The harana talks of love. It is a means by
which a young man tells a girl of his admiration for her.

Another very popular Filipino Song is the kundiman. This kind of song talks about
different feelings. It may talk about joy, sorrow or pain. Many of our music makers are
known for their kundiman. Most of our people, even the young ones, enjoy listening to
them because of their beautiful tunes and words.

The kundiman speaks of the beauty of the Filipino women and the bravery of the
men. They may tell of the loveliness of our country or of our pride in our people. Can
you give an example of a kundiman? What do the words speak about?

Very popular, especially in the past, is the kumintang. The war songs of long ago were
named kumintang. This has a livelier tune than the kundiman. Do you know how the
kumintang is sung?

Still another Filipino folk song is the awit. This song has a legend or tale to tell. It is often
sung by the old people who love to tell stories of long ago. An example of the awit is
"Florante at Laura"
Another song that tells a story is the balitaw which is very much sung in the Visayan
islands. It is often sung by a man and a woman while they dance and try to outsing each
other. The Visayans are proud of their balitaw as the Tagalogs are of their kundiman.

We should all be proud of our beautiful Filipino folk songs.

DANCE

Festivals of Lights
- San Pablo City, Laguna
In the celebration of Christmas during December, the people of San Pablo have always
made it their tradition to adorn the front of their houses, especially their windows, the trees
or plants on their front yard or even their gates, with strings of colorful lights as a symbol
of welcoming the birth of Christ. With this, the tourism Council of San Pablo thought that it
will be best to make this tradition a more festive occasion, thus, the birth of the Festival of
Lights which had its maiden year in December, 2004.
 ARCHITETCURE
Quezon Hall, University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City

A home to the famous “Oblation” by the equally famous Fernando Amorsolo. Designed by
National Artist, Juan Nakpil, and built in the 1950s after the university transferred from
Padre Faura Street in downtown Manila, it was one of the four initial buildings on the site
of the university today. It was renamed Quezon Hall in honor of former President Manuel L.
Quezon. Today, it houses the university’s seat of administration.

FILM

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, Feb. 7 -- In line with the celebration of the Arts Month, film
scholars, artists, enthusiasts, and filmmakers from Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas,
Rizal, Quezon) and other regions are gathering once again for Pelikultura: The Calabarzon
Film Festival 2018 on February 19-21 at UP Los Baños. Now on its 8th year, the festival
ties up with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Film
Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) as it continues to provide a platform for
aspiring and budding filmmakers from Region IV-A and across the country.

THEATER
 Laguna's historic theater goes dark
By BRYCE ALDERTON AND DAVID HANSEN

The theater's roots date to 1921, when the Aufdenkamp family built it. It was renovated in
1935 as an example of Mediterranean revival architecture, according to the Laguna Beach
Historical Society. Architect James Conway designed the building — the city's first
structure composed of concrete and steel.
Artist Edgar Payne painted large pictorial murals, portions of which still adorn the interior.
The remodeled theater opened in 1935 with a ceremony attended by a throng of locals and
several movie stars. The first movie shown was "Ginger," starring Jane Withers.
At one time, the Laguna Beach Film Society held showings and moviegoers would gather to
watch the holiday classic "It's A Wonderful Life" during the city's annual Hospitality Night
each December.
Jeff and Jackie Knauer watched hundreds of movies in the theater through the years and
arrived Saturday afternoon for a showing of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."
The Knauers said they had planned to watch the movie in Laguna Niguel but decided on
Laguna Beach when they heard that the theater's days were numbered.

VISUAL ARTS

The vanishing thread (eskaladao) as shown in the flower motif.

Photo Courtesey of Teresa De Vera (1989)

“THE LONG TRADITION OF HAND EMBROIDERY IN TAAL, BATANGAS”

by: Christiane de la Paz

The town of Taal, Batangas had a long tradition of hand embroidery since the turn of the
century. Its intricate, well-embossed hand embroidery made it increasingly a refined art of
society. It boasts of its highly callado (a kind of filigree work wherein yarn in painstakingly
pulled off from the cloth) as one of the finest in the world.

Pina and jusi are the traditional fabrics used by the bordadoras. Pina is a soft, fine, flexible,
and durable off-white fabric about two to four inches in length. It is derived from the finest
mature leaves of the red Spanish variety of pineapple. During the Spanish period, pina was
the most expensive and highly sought fabric worn for barong Tagalog by the illustrados on
very rare special occasions It is a very delicate material, too difficult and expensive to
embroider. Jusi (the Chinese term for raw silk), on the other hand, is a lightweight, flimsy,
and ecru colored fabric regarded by the bordadoras as the best material for embroidery.  
The cities that make up CALABARZON are: REGION 4-A
Region IV-A: CALABARZON
 Batangas
o Batangas City
o Lipa
 Cavite
o Cavite City
o Tagaytay
o Tres Martires
 Laguna
o Paete
o San Pablo
o Santa Rosa city
 Quezon
 Rizal

VISUAL ARTS

“GINTONG BINHI” AND ARTS & CULTURE IN MIMAROPA

MIMAROPA (an acronym for Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan),was created in 2002 by Executive Order No. 103
that divided Region IV (Southern Tagalog), into Regions IV-A (Calabarzon), and IV-B.

In Marinduque, there was an attempt more than 10 years ago, in 1998, to establish “Sining
Marinduque”, even with the help of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, with sectoral
representatives invited from all over the province. But the timing wasn’t probably right. A few
months after that came elections and there was a change in provincial stewardship, the council
died.

But the municipality of Gasan decided to move ahead. It established a Gasan Culture & Arts
Foundation (GASCUAF), in 2001, with the Mayor of Gasan as CEO. Various cultural projects were
done to the extent that Gasan became known as the cultural nerve-center of Marinduque. One of
the many projects was the introduction of “Gasang-Gasang Easter Festival” that became a much-
awaited annual event.
Again there was a change in municipal leadership after 3 years, the term of office of mayors. The
festival was not held for the next two years.On the third year, without the cooperation of the new
mayor as he refused to endorse or support it, GASCUAF attempted to hold the festival with various
participants from the barangays.
So a curious scenario transpired where the municipal infraboys, on orders of the mayor, hastily
constructed a temporary fence in every possible entry point around a public park, with bamboo and
madre de cacao; the organizers tried to find an alternative venue in a DepEd facility to no avail -
they were disallowed to use the public elementary school grounds that has seen such events before.
So the street-dancers had to content themselves with holding the event in a not-so-public area
some two kilometers away from the town center in a wide open space “sa ilalim ng niyugan”. People
came to watch in droves to show their support.

One of the first acts of the Sangguniang Bayan ng Gasan when there was a change in leadership in
the town was the passage of an Ordinance adopting “Gasang-Gasang Easter Festival” as the official
festival of Gasan.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Marinduque institutionalized “Araw ng Marinduque”, the vehicle
for these arts and culture and arts activities. An ordinance for the adoption of February 21 as “Araw
ng Marinduque”, was passed that coincides with the National Arts Month celebration.

MUSIC

MUSIC OF PALAWAN (VOCAL MUSIC)

Brief Historical Background One thousand years ago, Chinese traders named the island Pa
Lao Yu, or land of beautiful safe harbor because of its many safe places to land their ships.
This is where the relics of earliest settlers were found and have been unearthed and dated
22,000 years ago while its human habitation evidently proved about 50,000 years old.
Some of the tribes known to inhabit the islands such as Batak, Palawan and Tagbanuas
may be descendants of the early settlers, who came via ice-age land bridges and of later
migrants who came on boats. They were followed in the 13th century by the Indonesians of
Madjapahit Empire.During the arrival of the Spanish, Palawan was ruled by Borneo from
Jolo. The Spanish first took over the northern part of the island and worked south from
Cuyo and Taytay. The Spanish invaded Palawan in 18th century forcing the Sultan of
Borneo to give up its full autonomy. From Taytay, the capital was moved to Puerto
Princesa.Nowadays, Palawan is an island of mixed tribes, who have been pushed to the
interior, and of Muslim, Visayan and Tagalog settlers along the borders.
Tribal Groups in Palawan and their Music:
1. Tagbanua (Central Part of Palawan)
– Their Musical Instrument are usually used during gatherings and rituals. 2. Batak
(smallest group in Palawan near Puerto Prinsesa)- They use music for their rituals done by
male Babaylan. 3. Cuyunon (group living in the island of Busuanga) 4. Aetas (found in the
forest between Puerto Prinsesa and Roxas)
Terminology:
Laplap Bagit- musical scale used to depict the sound of nature
Sandaw- a lullaby song that uses pentatonic or diatonic scale
Composo – a ballad song about misery and sadness
Gozos – a song for the saint which is sung at the end of a novena
Kulial/kulilal – musical scale used for the songs that expresses love for someone
Cancion – song about nature; popular song used for serenading
Pa Hesus – song for the dead
Erekay – planting song
 DANCE

Romblon et al. holds ‘multi-disciplinary’ festival

By: Amadís Ma. Guerero Philippine Daily Inquirer / 03:00 AM December 18, 2017

The Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) Festival, recently held in the
coastal town of Odiangan, Romblon, a province with many islands and areas with strong
potential for tourism, was, so to speak, into many disciplines apart from the usual.
It was into business, livelihood, culture and legends; music, songs and dances folk as well
contemporary; exhibits, promotion of marble, a main product of the province; tourism,
beauty pageants, paraw regatta, agricultural production, cookfest, investment fora and
consulation meetings.
The major come-ons, however, remained the festival parade of contingents and street
dancing competition.
Mimaropa encapsulated the region’s “shared history, shared experience,” as Odiongan
Mayor Trina Fabic put it.
The event was organized by the regional Department of Tourism and Regional Development
Council, of which the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is a partner
agency; it was covered by national media at the invitation of the NCCA, which is headed by
National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario.

FILMS
21st August 2006
CITY OF CALAPAN -- People residing in and outside Oriental Mindoro province will find two
documentary films about the island a source of pride, belongingness and inspiration,
according to its supporters and viewers.
One of the films, “Wailing of Paradise,” is a production about the care of the environment,
culture and life of Mindoreños.
Directed by Fr. Romeo Villavicencio of the Communication for Evangelization and
Development Center of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan and written by Fr. Edu Gariguez
of the Alyansa Laban sa Mina (Alamin), “Wailing in Paradise” shows the strong opposition
of the Mindoreños against mining activities by Crew Minerals and their united campaign in
the face of the national government’s insistence to allow mining in the province.
The second film, “Sa Dulo ng Paraiso,” shows the richness and beauty of Bulalacao, one of
the poorest towns of Oriental Mindoro.
Located in the southernmost tip of the province, Bulalacao is considered a paradise by its
inhabitants.
Also directed by Villavicencio, it has three segments. One is on the remains of an old
church recently discovered by archeologists, written by Sharon Isla.
http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=3610

THEATER
Marinduque Community Theater
Author: eli j obligacion | Tuesday, December 08, 2009 |  No comments |

In the towns of Boac, Gasan and Buenavista the community theater group, Teatro
Balangaw, has mounted original productions based on folk beliefs in the island-province of
Marinduque. Cast members usually come from the localities where the presentations are
performed. 

"Mara Unduk", "Bulong", "Moryonan" and "Sukat Ipag-alab ng Damdamin" are some such
productions presented in the form of dance-dramas. During the last couple of years,
"Bulong" and "Moryonan" were toured in the island's six municipalities as part of the
celebration of the Philippine International Arts Festival, undertaken by the Government of
Marinduque in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. 

Such presentations started in 1992, during the town fiesta in Boac, are aimed to generate
higher appreciation on indigenous arts and traditions. They are inter-active and are
presented free of charge to the general public. 

Marinduque remains one of the poorest among the provinces in the Southern Tagalog
Region, but it is known for its rich culture.

This video shows productions mounted in 2002 & 2003 and some photos of earlier
performances.

LITERATURE

Mindoro  Literature

A distinct feature of the Hanunoo and Buhid cultures is their system of

writing. Throughout the Philippine archipelago, only four groups continue to use a
precolonial system of writing. Experts in paleography indicate that the writing systems of
the Hanunoo and Buhid in Mindoro, and the Palawan and Tagbanua in Palawan may be
a cultural influence from India (Francisco 1963; 1964; 1971; 1973). Majority or 60 percent
of the Mangyan can read and write in their indigenous system. Writing is done on bamboo
stems (Conklin 1947:269; 1949).

The syllabary has 17 basic characters. Postma added an accent mark to the orthography to
denote terminal consonants. With or without these accents, this system of writing exists to
our day, and is taught in Catholic schools as part of the curriculum or at home. At an early
age, children are taught to write with a siyaw or small knife for a pen and a piece of
bamboo for paper. They eagerly copy the characters incised on the bamboo containers of
their parents and relatives. They practice carving the angular symbols on their own piece of
bamboo so that they can
memorize the script.

Although modern writing material has been available to the Mangyan, traditional material
is still highly favored—bamboo strips and tree barks—for this type of script. The scribbling
of poetry and graffiti is found everywhere in Hanunoo land—tree trunks, fronds, bamboo
sticks, and even on baskets, woven into decorative patterns.
Approximately 70 percent of the Hanunoo Mangyan are literate, owing to this widespread
passion for writing.

Among the southern Mangyan groups, the more important poetic forms are the urukay of
the Buhid and the ambahan of the Hanunoo.

The urukay is a poetic expression which the Buhid distinguish from the ambahan of their
neighbors. It is chanted to the accompaniment of a homemade guitar. The urukay is a
rhythmic recitation meant to teach and entertain. Here is an urukay which conveys a
personal message of grief (Lopez 1976:133-134):

Kahoy-kahoy kot malago

Kabuyung-buyong sing ulo
Kaduyan-duyan sing damgu dalikaw sa pagromedyu
Singhanmu kag sa balay barku
Anay umabot ka nimo.
Like a tree choked with branches and leaves
My mind is full of turmoil
Though loaded with pain and grief
My dreams continually seek for an end
Let it be known that I am on my way
Perchance you’ll catch up with me.

Written in the Hanunoo writing system, the ambahan is a poetic form using
sevensyllable lines that rhyme at the final syllable. The chanting of the ambahan is
done without a definite musical pitch or accompaniment. It is “sung,” chanted or recited
to express in an allegorical way and in poetic language certain situations or characteristics
to which the speaker is referring.

ARCHITECTURE

OCCIDENTAL MINDORO | ZOLETA ANCESTRAL

HOUSE
The house we stayed in at Barangay Poblacion, Abra de Ilog was as wonderful as the trips
we had there. 

Built during the early 1900’s, the Abeleda Zoleta Ancestral House has been around since
the Spanish period. Abra de Ilog being a settlement for the Spaniards during the 17th
century, it stands as a testament of the olden village life this part of Occidental Mindoro. 

The house reminds me of those found in Intramuros and Vigan. Constructed of jointed

woods, no nails were used in joining up the lintels and beams of this dwelling. One can
actually feel the house gently
sway with the wind as the breeze
buffets against it. 

Typical with these kinds of homes,

the first floor, which was usually
reserved for horse carriages back in
the day, was now converted into
rooms. The second floor which is
where the living, dining and
bedrooms are located pretty much
retained their functions. The rooms
flow from each other with wooden
doors interconnecting each one. 

The second floor ceiling is about 10-

foot high and the exterior walls are
punched with really huge windows
with capiz-laden sliding shutters.
Clerestory slits also line up the
upper and lower portion of each
room, giving the wind freedom to generously move around the
house. The architectural design is really quite perfect for
humid-climate countries such as the Philippines. 

Region IV-B: MIMAROPA

 Marinduque
 Mindoro Occidental
 Mindoro Oriental
Palawan

. Puerto Princesa

 Romblon
Region 5

Region 6
Region 7

Region 8
Region 9