The Tamawo in Santa Barbara

In a village of Sta. Barbara, there is a young man named Pilo. It is a habit for Pilo to bring a guitar when visiting his lover. In the road is a lush balete tree which is widely reputed and known as the dwelling of the tamawo.

One humid night, Pilo is returning home from strolling around when he thought of passing by and serenade alone in the balete tree. He is just starting to sing some lovely songs accompanied by the sounds of the guitar when Pilo felt the wind is blowing stronger. Pilo continued to sing without even fearing. In the middle of his singing the rain suddenly fell but Pilo noticed he never got wet. It was followed by a sudden appearance of a fire from the top of the balete tree and Pilo was petrified and attempted to run but it seems something is stopping him. In a blink of an eye, it came to the view of Pilo a very big house, a house he could not describe its beauty.

Pilo saw the opening of the door and in an instance he realized that he was at the porch of the house facing a very beautiful lady. They talked for a long while and the lady told him he should return the next day as long as he should avoid drinking tuba and smoking.

Pilo went home as if dreaming to what had happened to him. The next day Pilo bragged to his friends about what had happened and planned to return to the place together with his friends. They spent the whole night and early dawn serenading but what was expected did not happened. Most probably his companions were inebriated.

The Taken Wife

Long time ago when there were still fewer people, there is a couple who lives in a remote area of Santa Barbara. Their small house is located at the foothills of a mound which is far from its neighbors. Their water well is near the Balete tree which is not far from their house. The husband is working in the city and returns home early in the evening so his wife was left alone in their house.

One day, the woman thought of washing their dirty clothes.  When she was about to finish her work, she saw a very beautiful ring beside the well.  Instead of keeping it, the woman exposed it in the road so that if the owner returns and looks for it, he or she will immediately see it. After two days, the woman will be doing the laundry again. When she was about to go home and hang dry the clothes she saw the said ring inside her batya. The woman got nervous and hurriedly went to the well. She thought she will be accused wrongly by the owner of the ring.

However, when she was returning to the well she saw a man under the balete tree and smiling at her. Without any hesitation, the woman showed him the said ring and asked him if he was the owner. The man smilingly answered that he was the owner of the ring but he sincerely give it to the woman. The woman got scared and explained that she’s already married and has a husband. She was not forced to get the ring.

When the night falls and the husband returns home from the city. He caught and saw that she was so sick with stomachache. Since they are remotely living far away from their neighbors and town center, the woman died without giving cure or solution to her illness. In his deep resentment, the man left the place and continued with his work in the city as a garbage collector.

Many years had passed and the man continued with his work. One day when he was returning home in a narrow path he saw a small store which he had never seen before. He went to the said store and pretends to buy a cigarette. He was suddenly petrified when it was revealed to him the lady inside the store which really resembled his wife. He asked the woman in the hopes of her being a relative of his departed wife.

The woman confessed the truth that she has three child and a wife of a tamawo (fairy), who is the owner of the ring and formerly residing in the balete tree near the place where they live. When the man learned about it, he wanted to hug his wife only that cold steel bars gets in between them.

They talked intensively while the tamawo or fairy is busy trading in other countries. The woman said that if her former husband wants to be reunited with her, he should go home to the place where they used to live, gather and fill with hays the balete tree. At around 12 o'clock noon of Good Friday of Holy Week, he should light or ignite the hays with fire and the woman will jump out of it.

The man left his job and followed all the instructions of his wife. So when 12 o'clock noon of Good Friday arrived, the man lighted with fire the balete tree and suddenly his wife jumped out of it. Since then, they lived happily together. Several years had passed, however each time 12 o'clock noon of Good Friday comes they can hear three children screaming "Mommy... Mommy..."



Photo Source:

http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/fellowshipofsaintsandsinners/2012/10/the-beautiful-wife-how-one-woman-is-crusading-to-save-christian-marriages.html

The Tree of Salay

There is a tree of Salay or Salai (Boswellia serrata) in Santa Barbara. The Americans were then building and laying the tracks or railway of a train that will reach Capiz province. They reached and came to the place where the tree of Salay stands. Due to unknown and unexplained cause, a lot of the workers died while building the railway in this place. Shortly after, the chief contractor dreamed of a beautiful lady who told him to discontinue their work and the cutting off the tree of Salay. The said tree of Salay is a hindrance to the construction of the rail track.  The American said he is ready to buy the site and land. The mysterious lady responded that even all the wealth and riches of America could not compensate the value of the land. She further added that they have a lot of ships in that area. She warned the chief engineer that all of his workers will die if he continued with his plan on Salay tree. On this omen, the engineer decided to change the route of the railway. Since then, no one of his workers had died.


Photo Source:

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/all-the-leaves-brown/article4088976.ece

The Origin of the Municipality of Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Church and Convent is the seat of the Visayas Provisional Revolutionary Government led by General Martin Delgado in 1898. It also played host to the 117th Philippine Independence Day Celebration in 2015.

Iloilo Golf and Country Club in Santa Barbara is Southeast Asia's first and oldest golf and country club.

Santa Barbara Town Hall 

Long time ago, no one really knows how this town was started. However according to the stories that was passed through generations by our ancestors, it was said that in the year 1617, there was a small town and a few small huts in a place called Tabuc Suba in the banks of Tigum River until the present-day village of Tugas. After a few years, the people living in this area moved their residence downwards the river towards Itanan and enters in Carismo-an. In 1760, they transferred again to Catmon near the river in the belief that it is safe from floods.

In 1761, they transferred again to another place that is situated in a vast and fertile fields that is safe from great floods of Tigum river. In this place is where the residents found prosperity and security in life. They call this place Odtuan because it served as a resting place at noon by the travelers from Cabatuan and traders or merchants from Salog and Ogtong. Usually the people who went to the market pass the area at noon. In order not to mistake it with Oton or Ugtuan, in the end they called it Santa Barbara.

The missionary priests came and built a big church which was made of big blocks of stone. The natives who are residing were forced to gather huge stones in a far place of Coronado (present-day Leon) towards Angoy (present-day San Miguel). After more than twenty (20) years of forced labor, the construction of the church was finally completed. The chosen patron saint was Santa Barbara. The land was given to the Spanish officials and made it into a pueblo.

For the reason why they chose Santa Barbara as their patron saint is the belief of the residents that it brings good fortune in the place because it is no longer flooding with the help and guidance of the blessed protector from thunder, lightning and other calamities. Santa Barbara is also a patroness of the architects, marksman and miner.

Another history has told that during those times the pueblo was established before by paganism and the beliefs in babaylan or shaman seems like prevailing or dominant in the town in the surroundings of Odtuan. Day and night the agongs of the babaylan can be heard around that it seems like the bells of the Spanish churches can easily be defeated or overwhelmed.  The parish priest during that time was Father Mateo Rodriguez; so he chose Santa Barbara to be the patroness of the town to defeat the beliefs of the pagans.




Photo Source:

http://www.iloilo.net.ph/discover-santa-barbara/

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/696671/iloilo-town-ready-to-host-independence-day

https://golflifeatbp.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/iloilo-golf-and-country-club/