Ibalong Epic

The Ibalong portrays deeds in heroic proportions, centering on white men or tawong-lipod who were warrior-heroes named, among others, Tambaloslos, Baltog, Handyong, and Bantong.

It is also a celebration of the province's people and their resiliency, given the string of calamities that regularly befall the region given its typhoon-prone geographical location.

The full English translation of the Ibalong was published in 1996 in the Far Eastern University Faculty Journal, Manila by Merito B.

[1] Luis G. Dato, a Bicolano poet laureate translated the epic into English from the Spanish version of Fray Jose Castaño in 1965.

[2] The epic opens with Iling requesting the bard Kadunung to recount the tale of the glorious Ibálong of long ago.

Forthwith Kadunung described the ancient land and spoke of its first hero, Baltog, a white Aryan, who had come from Boltavara (Bharata-varsha or India).

He planted a taro (linsa) patch in Tondol (now in Kamalig) which, one night, was foraged by Tandayag na Upon, a giant wild boar.

The furious Baltog chased Tandayag na Upon, killed it with his bare hands, and hung its enormous jawbones on a talisay tree in front of his house in Tondol.

With Ibálong rid of wild creatures, Handyong turned to making wise laws and planting the land to linsa and rice.

A period of the invention followed: boat, farming tools, weaving looms, claywares, kitchen utensils, tree houses, and even a syllabary.

Despite the calamities, Ibálong grew powerful under the elder Handyong, whose constant companion and good friend, by then, was the young Bantong.

[4] The parallelism of the events in the Ibálong and the above-cited legend with what actually happened under Spanish rule seems to suggest the total transformation of the inhabitants from a sturdy phase to becoming passive people.

[4] There is no definite date that can be given to where the epic-fragment starts and ends, however, what little is known about the legendary beginnings of Bicol might describe the area circa 4,500 years ago.

The epic-fragment portrays ancient Bicol as lush in jungle growth, teeming with fish and wild game, and dotted by mountain ranges, hills, and volcanoes.

[4] The Ibálong is an invaluable piece of literature that marks the spontaneous record of the ancient Bicol's early struggle for principle, survival, and growth.

Among other pursuits is the cultivation of upland and lowland crops, the construction of dwellings on tall trees, the creation of the first boat in the region, the making of utensils, tools, and wares, but most importantly, the invention of writing.

[7] The epic is celebrated through street performances and floats on Ibalong Festival in Legazpi City, Bicol region since 1992.

[1] Long before Spaniards arrived in Bicol and introduced Christianity, the Bicolanos already believed in gods and supernatural beings.