The epic of Bicolandia, “Ibalong,” is a mélange of fantastic stories with three heroes—Baltog, Handyong and Bantong—who got to battle against the elements, one-eyed monsters, giant flying sharks, crocodiles as big as boats, and other such fearful creatures.
In the past, when a family decided to settle in another area, they didn’t need to hire movers. All the family had to do was gather the townsmen, who would move the entire house.
A walk in and around Daet, capital of Camarines Norte, is a stroll through history, a heritage mini-tour. There are historical churches, museums, landmarks and monuments to the past.
My friendship with events specialist Billy Roces since the 1970s has made me aware of how beautiful the Bicolanos are as a people. When his mother, the late Legazpi City Mayor Imelda Crisol Roces, invited me to attend the “Ibalong Festival” in 1994, I became educated about the history of the people of Albay through [...]
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