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In Philippine tradition, the Bicolano people describe a legendary creature called an Onglo. It is frequently connected to the forest and is renowned for producing a severe, excruciating itching sensation just by touching or being near it. In Philippine folklore, a large, hairy, and savage humanoid creature with long hair, pointed ears, and clawed feet is frequently described. It is said to live in swamps and collect shellfish using its incredibly hard elbows and knees, which are said to give people a painful itching sensation.
The creature, Onglo, is around one foot tall and extremely hairy, making anyone who touches it itch all over. The onglo resembles a human and is covered in long, straight black hair from head to toe. It possesses long, pointed fingernails, long, pointy ears, and clawed feet. An onglo's foul odor allows humans to identify it. It consumes food that has been exposed to the sun to dry, such as dried fish. The monster known as an onglo has a man's upper body and a horse's lower body. It has a strong scent that is detectable from a considerable distance. Onglo is a hideous, black monster that itches people's skin just by being around it.
Physical Description / Appearance
- A little, human-like height, usually between one and two feet.
- Wearing long, straight black hair from head to toe.
- The feet have claws and long, sharp nails.
- They have pointed ears.
- A disagreeable, foul smell.
The reason behind the itching - People that go too close to the creature's dwelling are frequently afflicted by the insatiable, excruciating itching it causes. According to certain folklore, a woman's long hair can be used to whip the person who is itching.
Habitat - It is thought to reside inside big balete trees or in other secluded, dark areas like wetlands.
Diet - According to legend, the Onglo eat dried fish and other foods that have been exposed to the sun.
Behavior - They have a reputation for being vicious and savage. They crack open clam shells for food using their strong, rock-hard elbows and knees.
Dangers - An encounter with an Onglo can be dangerous since its hair can give its victims a terrible, excruciating itching sensation.
Trickster - According to some legends, the Onglo is a cunning prankster who deceives and misleads tourists.
Alternative Description
According to one version of the myth, the Onglo is a big, menacing creature with powerful knees and elbows that it employs to crush everything. In this variant, it consumes shellfish and dwells in marshes.
Cultural Significance
The Bicol Region's rich cultural legacy and folklore include the Onglo tale. The narrative is frequently recited as a warning to keep people away from hazardous areas like forests.
The iconic Jaro Belfry was severely damaged during the 1948 Lady Caycay Earthquake
The 1948 Lady Caycay earthquake was a magnitude 7.8 tremor that struck Panay Island, Philippines, and is considered the second-biggest earthquake in the country's recorded history. The event caused widespread devastation, particularly in Iloilo and Antique, and even triggered a small tsunami. It made a significant impact and effects in the entire Panay Island claiming lives and destroying properties.
The name "Lady Caycay" comes from the local Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a term caycay, which describes the scratch marks made by chickens. Residents used this term to describe the ground fissures that appeared after the earthquake, especially in the low-lying parts of Iloilo province.
The main shock occurred at 1:46 a.m. PST on January 25, 1948, lasting for up to three minutes. The three-minute shaking causes 55 Spanish period churches to be battered and severely damaged while 17 structures were totally collapsed.
The epicenter was located on the West Panay Fault, near the municipalities of Anini-y and Dao (now Tobias Fornier) in Antique province. The earthquake was caused by the movement of this active fault line. The location of West Panay Fault passes the towns of San Joaquin, Miag-ao, Igbaras, Tubungan, Leon, Alimodian, Janiuay, Lambunao, Tapaz, Jamindan, Sibalom, San Remigio, Valderrama, Libacao, Madalag, Malinao and Pandan.
Early reports approximate the magnitude at 8.2 Ms, but more recently the estimates place the event magnitude at 7.8 Mw. The maximum intensity reached an "Extreme" X on the Mercalli Intensity Scale and a "Devastating" IX on the PEIS (PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale).
The main tremor was followed by a series of major aftershocks for nearly a month.
The strong shaking created fissures in the ground up to four meters wide, with some on the coastlines filling with seawater. Landslides, sand blows, and the emergence of a new brook in the town of Cabatuan in Iloilo are just some of aftermaths of that strong earthquake.
A minor tsunami with waves soaring up to two meters high seen along the Iloilo Strait claimed two lives and damaging structures along the coastline.
The impact of the Lady Caycay earthquake was strongly felt in the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo sustaining severe damages and destroying or heavily damage many bridges, telecommunication lines as well as public and private structures.
A lot of heritage churches during the Spanish period were either heavily damaged or collapsed including:
- The Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral's five-story belfry collapsed to the ground.
- The elegant Gothic-Neoclassical Byzantine Ottoman influenced Oton church was severely damaged and eventually demolished.
- Some belfries in places like the town of San Joaquin and Iloilo City district of Arevalo was also toppled to the ground.
- The UNESCO World Heritage site, the Miag-ao church whose sturdy buttresed walls withstood the tremors was only one of the few exceptions.
A magnitude 8.2 earthquake, referred to locally as the "Lady Caycay earthquake," struck southwest of Panay Island on January 25, 1948, at 1:46 am Philippine Time. The aforementioned second-strongest earthquake in Philippine history had the greatest effects on the province of Iloilo and other parts of the island. The old Oton Church had to be dismantled because it was so badly damaged. Jaro Cathedral's five-story belfry also fell. The magnificent Oton church, one of the most exquisite buildings on Panay Island and part of the Spanish architectural legacy in the Philippines, sustained some damage.
The majority of the major damage discovered during the inquiry was in the province of Iloilo, notably in churches that still stand from the Spanish era. In general, there was significant damage to public and private buildings, bridges, and communication cables.
Along the Iloilo Strait, a 6.5-foot (2-meter) tsunami was reported to have struck the coastlines of Guimaras and Southern Iloilo. Two people were killed in the incident.
The islands of Negros, Guimaras, and Panay had strong intensity.
Juan Araneta is a revolutionary leader and patriot who is one of the key figures of Negros Occidental's Al Cinco de Noviembre. He is also a sugar farmer who pioneered the development of sugar industry in Negros. He is instrumental in the development of agriculture in the Philippines.
Birth and Early Years
On July 13, 1852, Juan Anacleto Torres Araneta was born in Molo, Iloilo (now a district of Iloilo City). His mother, Agueda Villanueva Torres, was 23 years old when he was born, and his father, Romualdo Marcial Cabungsol Araneta, was 29 years old at the time and a direct male-line descendant of José de Araneta y Guyol.
Juan has a brother, Eusebio, who moved to Iloilo, and sisters, Magdalena and Pedro Sarmiento, who were important figures in Juan Anacleto's life; Maria Rosario and Remegio Salas; and Maria Consolacion and Fedirico Matti, who was one of the first Bago mayors.
Later on, the Araneta-Torres family relocated to Negros and made it their permanent home.
Pedro Sarmiento, his brother-in-law, took him to Manila when he was 19 years old, and he enrolled in the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. He had a lot of promise in school and was recognized for his efforts with distinction medals. He received a perito mercantil degree upon graduation, which is the same as a bachelor's degree in commerce today. José Alejandrino, Apolinario Mabini, Cayetano Arellano, and José Rizal were among of his schoolmates.
Like his father before him, he was elected Capitan del Pueblo upon his return to Molo. However, the province's friars had grown wary of him, and the only thing keeping the Spanish government from summarily eliminating him was the great admiration and respect of the residents of Bago and the other towns in the province of Negros Occidental.
Life as a Farmer
After his wife passed away in 1891, Juan traveled to Europe with his friend Don Claudio Reina. He got to meet a lot of the Filipino leaders who were then residing in Madrid, London, and Paris. He marveled at the independence and the progress of industrialization there. The Swiss cantonal system of government really intrigued him. He became a believer in the potential of machines as catalysts for advancement after witnessing the industrial machinery used by European farmers. This led to even greater hostility from the Spanish government when he returned. He consequently lost the farm that his parents had left him and his sisters. He was forced to relocate his family to the Mount Kanlaon slopes, where they began farming once more. He brought a lot of devices to his Dinapalan hacienda.
His use of a telescope to remotely monitor his workers on the expansive hacienda is one well-known story. The general populace began to believe that he possessed magical abilities, but in fact, he could simply view their behavior via the telescope.
Tan Juan was an agricultural inventor of his era who experimented with cultivating rice, abaca, and coffee in addition to sugarcane, diversifying the agricultural output in Negros Occidental.
Tan Juan, as he was affectionately known, also brought foreign agricultural equipment to Bago, which facilitated the cultivation of rice, abaca, and coffee.
He presented what he observed to the village of Bago after applying what he had learned in Europe to his land.
Tan Juan is largely responsible for the agricultural prosperity of Bago, which is currently regarded as the rice granary of Negros Occidental and a developing coffee haven.
Conflict with the Spanish Authorities
He became aware of the use of modern agricultural equipment and tools during his trips in Europe. He had a sugar mill erected at his Dinapalan hacienda after importing it from England. He occasionally purchased farm equipment such as an abaca baler, a rice thresher, and better models of plows.
But this penchant for contemporary farming implements proved to be his downfall. The boatloads of material being unloaded close to his Lumangub property raised suspicions among the Spanish authorities. In January 1897, he was taken into custody and taken to Concordia. Later, he was taken to Himamaylan and then to Ilog, the province's capital at the time. According to his diary, there were plans to organize the province's revolutionary forces while he was incarcerated. Annotations indicated that he communicated with other provincial leaders. In October 1897, he was ultimately taken to Bacolod and set free.
The Negros Revolution
The initial phase of the revolution was sweeping across the provinces as he worked to build his farm. Spanish authorities throughout the archipelago were alarmed and increased their vigilance by detaining anyone they believed would rebel against them. Despite his reputation as a liberal thinker, Araneta was not exempt from their lists. He was taken into custody on January 9, 1897, and remained incarcerated until March 8, 1897.
After being released from prison, he joined Aniceto Lacson, Leandro Locsin, and Nicolas Golez to form revolutionary forces in Negros. Lacson led the North command, while Araneta led the South.
A messenger from Talisay reported that the revolutionaries and the cazadores were already fighting on November 5, 1898 (Cinco de Noviembre). The revolutionary forces in Bago began their march toward Bacolod at around 1:00 in the afternoon. They only owned three weapons: a shotgun, a Mauser rifle, and a Remington rifle. The leader of the rebel troops, General Araneta, instructed his men to chop pagong, or nipa stems, and to carry them like weapons. The password was to be utod (brother) in Hiligaynon in case they got in touch.
Araneta declared the Republic of Negros and raised the Filipino flag in Bago Town that same day. Araneta led his troops into Bacolod at around 1:00 in the afternoon of the next day, with the majority of them carrying farming implements and woods that appeared to be rifles from a distance, along with a few firearms (a Remington, a Mauser, and a shotgun). As they marched from the northern side to Bacolod, the Lacson faction followed suit.
When the rebels marched near Bacolod, the Spanish authorities believed they wanted to give up their weapons. To their surprise, the rebels suggested that the Spaniards surrender to prevent bloodshed. The Spaniards agreed without hesitation. Spanish reinforcements from Iloilo didn't arrive until Bacolod was already in rebel control.
The Spanish friars and Colonel Isidro de Castro, the Spanish Gobernador Politico-Militar of Negros, observed the rebel troops marching on Bacolod from opposing directions while looking fully armed from the belfry of the Bacolod Cathedral. Alarmed, Colonel de Castro dispatched Manuel Fernandez Yuson and Jose de Luzurriaga to negotiate the surrender of the Spanish civil guards and soldiers, only to discover later that they had been duped by the rebels' resourcefulness.
By utilizing bamboo mats painted to simulate cannons, they cleverly bluffed Spanish forces into surrendering, opening the door for a republican government led by the Negrenses.
On November 6, 1898, Don Isidro Castro, the Spanish governor of Negros Island, gave himself up to soldiers led by Juan Araneta and Aniceto Lacson at Bacolod.
On November 7, 1898, a cantonal system of governance was established in Bacolod, with Aniceto Lacson serving as president and General Juan Araneta as secretary of war. However, when the Americans landed in Negros on December 28, 1898, this administration was overthrown. Araneta advised the administration to surrender after observing the American forces' superior equipment. His allies fiercely fought and denounced his request, but eventually gave in. America's occupation of Negros was hence peaceful. By the time American military rule was instituted in the nation, the cantonal government had been permitted to continue until it was eventually abolished.
The Republic of Negros
General Aniceto Lacson established a cantonal system of governance in Bacolod, with General Juan Araneta as the Secretary of War and General Aniceto Lacson as President. He advised the cantonal government to surrender to the American forces upon their arrival in Iloilo. His comrades-in-arms strongly objected to this and mocked it. But in the end, his plan was accepted, and the Americans took Negros without facing any resistance.
Personal Life
A total of twenty-five children were born to Juan Araneta. Cristeta Sarmiento, his first wife, passed away in 1891, leaving him and their nine children.
He has thirteen children with Natalia Salsalida y Bobeda, his second spouse.
He has three more children from his two other relationships.
Cristeta Sarmiento, with whom he had nine children:
Elisa Araneta y Sarmiento
Romualdo Araneta y Sarmiento
Félix Araneta y Sarmiento
Gertrudes Araneta y Sarmiento
Jaime Carlos Araneta y Sarmiento
Jorge León Araneta y Sarmiento
José Araneta y Sarmiento
Luisa Flavia Araneta y Sarmiento
Ramón Araneta y Sarmiento
Natalia Salsalida, with whom he had thirteen children:
Agüeda María Feliciana Araneta y Salsalida
Romualdo Marcial Araneta y Salsalida
Crestita Pascuala Araneta y Salsalida
Teresa Bonifacia Araneta y Salsalida
Guillermo Hillarión Araneta y Salsalida
Ana Justina Araneta y Salsalida
María Ricarda 'Rica' Araneta y Salsalida
Patrocinio Dominga Araneta y Salsalida
Teodoro Antonio Araneta y Salsalida
Silvia Agustina Araneta y Salsalida
Woodrow Cecilio Araneta y Salsalida
Felipe Alberto Araneta y Salsalida
Félix Alberto Araneta y Salsalida
Celestina Díaz, with whom he had a son:
Emilio Araneta y Díaz
Juanita Camellarosa, with whom he two daughters:
Trinidad Araneta y Camellarosa
Rufina Araneta y Camellarosa
Unusual Charm and Supernatural Story
Since Juan Anacleto is recognized for having a strong charisma (or "dungan" in the local dialect), Aguinaldo's belief in him is not out of the ordinary. Ordinary people believe that he is friends with the sota, a mythical monster that is half-black and half-white and represents both good and evil, and that he consorts with the spirits that reside in Mount Kanlaon. According to the folklore, he can see far and wide and his horse can fly. One of the most powerful "anting-anting" (talismans) is embedded in him. It is said that he battles his fiercest foe in the sky, and their battles resemble thunder.
Later Years and Death
He served as one of the commissioners for the St. Louis Exposition in 1904, where he displayed more than a thousand rice varieties, as well as samples of cocoa, beans, abaca, and numerous other crops from Negros and Panay. Due to the outstanding quality of all these shows, he received both gold and silver medallions. For the enjoyment of his big family, he also created Buenos Aires Mountain Resort. Maria A. Matti, his daughter, subsequently received this property from him.
He stayed up to date on the latest advancements in crops or agricultural tools and implements. He planted trees that were not native to Negros and attempted to raise a variety of crops on his land. He was one of the founding members of the Ma-ao Sugar Central in Bago. To support the new business, he lent the corporation the titles to his properties. Later, the province's first American sugar factory was established by the Sugar Central. He convinced his tenants to cultivate sugarcane on huge tracts of land. Tan Juan also had a key role in the establishment of the Bago Baptist Church.
The City of Bago has a museum and a monument in his honor today. Araneta did not live long enough to witness the growth of the agricultural and business he had previously diversified into. He left behind a big family consisting of 25 children and several grand and great grandkids when he passed away on October 3, 1924.
General Juan Anacleto Torres Araneta, better known as the mastermind behind the November 5, 1898, march from the town of Bago (now a city) to the San Sebastian Cathedral, loved the soil just as much as his nation. His love of farming gave his idyllic life a surprising splash of color.
Tan Juan is recognized for his services to agriculture and for motivating the following generation of farmers, in addition to making a lasting impression on Negros history by defeating the Spaniards in 1898.
Ka Jose and Ka Andres were widely recognized as the first couple to have a same-sex wedding in the Philippines.
Although it was not a legally recognized union in the Philippines, Andres and Jose, an NPA couple, were married in southern Mindanao in 2005, making it the first known Filipino same-sex wedding. Although they were not granted a license, Maria Arlyn Ibanez and Joanne Reena Gregorio made the first attempt at a same-sex marriage in a Philippine civil registry in 2015. Due to the Philippines' lack of legal recognition for same-sex unions, many other Filipino couples have chosen to get married overseas or in private ceremonies.
On the island of Mindanao, in the Compostela Valley province, Ka Jose and Ka Andres were married in a historic ceremony in February 2005. A 1998 Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) document that approved of same-sex relationships made this possible.
Throughout the "wedding," the couple's shoulders were adorned with a CPP flag. The couple exchanged vows, signed a "wedding contract," and were congratulated by their community. Instead of exchanging wedding rings, the two exchanged bullets to symbolize their dedication to the armed struggle. A chorus performed revolutionary love songs, and local peasants and comrades were there.
The ceremony demonstrated how closely the couple's personal love and their political and revolutionary commitment inside the NPA are intertwined.
A few years after the wedding, the couple split up, according to a 2010 MindaNews story. According to reports, Ka Jose deserted the rebel movement after Ka Andres (Val Mente) passed away from a rat-borne illness.
A tiny earth ghost in the fields, woods, or in a mound. makes a zipping noise in response to the summons of the shaman. regarded as "the land's true owner." harms anyone who tampers with its house.
The Wirwir are wandering ghouls that hunt down corpses. Like a hermit crab, they typically live inside their victim to prevent other ghouls from stealing it.
Among the Apayao, there was a ghastly creature who "went everywhere spending his time looking for the dead." He exhumed human remains from cemeteries and lived off of them. The native priests appeased Wirwir out of fear that he might consume the dead. The home of Wirwir, a ghoulish Apayao creature, was reportedly discovered in a Mount Anay Forest and had "a cave full of valuable properties taken from the graves of dead persons."
Other than their infamous tenacity in pursuing the devouring of human flesh, little much is known about these horrific creatures. They are well-known from the mythology of the Apayao people of the Philippines' namesake Province, where it is sometimes claimed that local priests were compelled to appease the ghouls before burying new bodies because they were afraid the repulsive creatures would promptly dig them up again and devour them.
During the Spanish regime, the Jota dances were among the most popular dances in the Philippines. It is a gay lively dance. Undoubtedly, all the Jota dances of the Philippines are adaptations from Spanish Jotas as performed by the early Spanish settlers in the Philippines.
In the 1700s, the Spanish brought the flamenco-inspired dance known as La Jota Cagayana to the Cagayan people. The little, rustic village of Enrile is home to one of the many variations that still exist today. European dance moves like the mazurka, polka, and waltz have a strong influence on the symbolic courtship dance that a couple performs. Because of the quick speed, the two travel virtually at a gallop. The 18th-century painter Damian Domingo served as the inspiration for the costumes, which feature women wearing untucked skirts and blouses with sleeves made of leg-of-mutton. In turn, the males are dressed in matching top hats and dress tails.
This is accomplished by stomping or stepping heavily on each waltz step measure's feet. Women dress in camisas and maskotas with Maria Clara dresses or stiff pañuelos. Men dress in dark or black pants and a barong tagalog.
The town of Enrile in Cagayan is the origin of the dance that is explained below.
COSTUME. Girl wears maskota skirt, and camisa with stiff pañuelo or Maria Clara costume. Boy wears Barong Tagalog and black or dark colored trousers.
MUSIC is divided into nine parts: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I.
COUNT one, two, three to a measure.
FORMATION. Partners stand about eight feet apart. Girl stands at partner's right when facing audience. One or more pairs may participate.
NOTE: The Accented Waltz used in this dance is done with stamping or stepping heavily on ct. (count) 1 of every measure (of every waltz step).
INTRODUCTION
Music Introduction and A
Partners turn R (Right) shoulders toward each other.
(a) Execute a three-step turn right to meet at center, finish facing each other. Arms down at sides (cts. 1, 2, 3). ________________________________________________ 2 M
(b) Boy starts with L (Left) and Girl starts with R foot. Take sixteen accented
waltz steps going to any direction. Finish at starting place. (If many pairs are dancing, a definite direction should be taken). ____________________________________ 16 M
(c) Release hold. Take three-step turn to proper places (right turn for Girl, and left turn for Boy). __________________________________________________________ 2 M
I
Music A
Partners face each other. Partners tilt head and look at each other throughout this figure.
(a) Starting with R foot, take four big, accented waltz steps forward following a semicircular line (like a half-moon). See diagram A below. Bend trunk slightly to the left side. R arm in reverse "T" position. L arm bent forward at chest level, both hands kumintang (ct. 1). Raise elbows gracefully upward (ct. 2), and downward (ct. 3) of every measure. ---________________________________________________________________ 4 M
(b) Turn left about and repeat (a) going to proper places by retracing steps. Reverse position of arms. ________________________________________________________________ 4 M
(c) Turn left about. Repeat (a) and (b). ______________________________ 8 M
II
Music B
Partners face each other.
(a) Starting with R foot, take two big waltz steps forward to meet at center. Arms in lateral position, moving sideward right and left at shoulder level. Hands kumintang (ct. 1), elbows slightly moving upward (ct. 2) and downward (ct. 3) of every measure. _________________________________________________________________ 2 M
(b) Girl turns right about. With Girl leading and starting with the R foot, take six big waltz steps forward moving around clockwise. Arms position and movements as in (a) _________________________________________________________________ 6 M
(c) Turn right about. Repeat (b), moving counterclockwise, Boy leading 6 M
(d) Repeat (a) moving forward to proper places. Finish facing partner, turning right about _________________________________________________________________ 3 M
III
Music C
Partners face each other.
Repeat Figure I (a) four times following directions in Diagram B on page 14. Girl follows arrows 1, 2, 3, 4 while Boy follows arrows 3, 4, 1, 2. Finish in proper places. Partners always face each other throughout this figure. R arm is always in reverse "T" position. L arm bent forward at chest level with same movements. 16 M
IV
Music D
Partners turn R shoulders toward each other.
(a) Execute a three-step-turn obliquely forward right. Arms down at sides (cts. 1, 2, 3). Stamp L foot close to R, R arm in reverse "T" position. L arm bent forward at chest level (ct. 1), hop on R foot (ct. 2), raise L foot off the floor after stamping, pause in this position (ct. 3). Partners are in back-to-back position after the turn. ____________________________________________________________________ 2 M
(b) Repeat (a) going to proper places, starting with L foot. Reverse turn and position of arms ____________________________________________________________________ 2 M
(c) Repeat (a) and (b), three more times ________________________________ 13 M
(d) Execute a three-step turn right in place. Arms down at sides ______________ 2 M
V
Music E
Repeat Figure III ____________________________________________________ 16 M
VI
Music F
Repeat Figure IV _____________________________________________________ 18 M
VII
Music G
Partners face each other
(a) Girl starting with R foot and L for Boy, take two big waltz steps forward to meet at center. Arms in reverse "T" position, moving sideward right and left 2 M
(b) With Boy leading and moving backward and Girl moving forward, take six big waltz steps going around clockwise. Girl starting with R foot and Boy, with L foot. Arms in reverse "T" position with arms of Boy spread out wider to enclose arms of Girl as they move their arms sideward right and left alternately from Girl's side 6 M
(c) Repeat (b) moving counterclockwise, Girl moving backward and Boy moving forward. ____________________________________________________________________ 6 M
(d) Repeat (a) moving backward to proper places _______________________ 2 M
VIII
Music H
Repeat Figure I _______________________________________________________ 16 M
IX
Music I
(a) Repeat Introduction (a) and (b) ___________________________________ 18 M
(b) Join R hands, free hands down at sides. Girl makes a three-step turn right in place passing under arch of arms (cts. 1, 2, 3), close L to R foot and pause (cts. 1, 2, 3) ____________________________________________________________________ 2 M
(c) Bow to partner, R hands still joined ______________________________ 1 M
(d) Release R hands, face front and join hands, free hands in second position. Bow to audience. ____________________________________________________________ 1 M
