In the course of preparing instructional materials on Bikol lore, I searched for folktales from Camarines Norte, conspicuously absent in books on Bikol culture. I struck a gold lode for literary discourse when I found tales about three different Marias in this region’s northernmost province.
The Antiquary’s Notebook includes the “Gold Carabao and Twelve Gold Chicks” and “The Golden Umbrella,” tales a certain R.W. Barratt gathered from two nonagenarians from Paracale circa 1908 (268-269).
In the first story, the king of Spain granted Filipina Maria Ponay permission to recruit men from the province as miners in Calogcog, in exchange for a gift of 12 chicks fashioned out of gold. The miners were astounded to see a golden bull in Maria Ponay’s gold mine, but when they attempted to cut it up and take it out, the land shook and water gushed in, killing the workers inside. The gold carabao was never recovered because with every attempt to pump out the water, storms hit, and the mine remained flooded.
The second story in this Notebook is about Maria Timbang Palo of Malaquit, Paracale who had an umbrella made of gold. When Maria had more than enough wealth, she started giving gold away to whoever passed along the river. She was angered when some refused, and asked them if they were so rich that they did not want to receive her gifts. One day, a man who refused the gold challenged Maria to pursue him if she really wanted to give him the gold. Maria took a banca to chase him and almost drowned because of the river’s strong current. Her golden umbrella fell into the river. Lightning struck with every attempt to recover it; a singing mermaid had apparently taken it over as her domicile.
The Maria Timbang Palo tale that is remembered in the town of Paracale has no golden umbrella. Cielo Rey Javier, Paracale’s Tourism Officer, recounts that Maria Timbang Palo was said to have in her care a golden bull and a golden hen and its chicks. Then Paracale natives became greedy and killed the golden bull to get its gold, although other versions had Maria Timbang Palo taking the bull up the mountain of Paracale, where its blood flowed downhill and seeped into the ground (BAKAS 2021). In yet another version documented in the Paracale Gold Mini Museum, Maria Timbang Palo disappears and the spotlight is turned on a fire-breathing ferocious golden bull named “Guinto,” revered by the natives. A warrior gathered his men to dig a deep and wide pit in Longos and Malaguit near the sea to trap the bull which he wanted as a dowry for his bride. The bull fell into the trap, but when the warriors tried to kill it, the wounded bull resisted, killing all but one. The blood of the bull and the warriors mingled and became Paracale’s gold. Guinto remained buried deep in the earth’s bowels. Later stories however place the bull as being fast asleep beneath the town’s church. Every time anyone attempted to dig it up, lightning struck.
Students in a Philippine Literature course in Camarines Norte returned the focus of the tale to Maria Timbang Palo in a video adaptation posted by Dhianee Loveres on YouTube (October 10, 2022) and thereby prolonged the life of the folktale. A father explains to his daughter why there is gold in Paracale and why it is so difficult to dig it up. A wealthy couple once lorded it over their tenants in the town, castigating them for not paying their rentals and debts on time. A mysterious beggar woman comes by and rewards with gold all those who give her alms despite their straitened circumstances. The residents discover that this woman, Maria Timbang Palo, has a house full of gold and a golden bull in her care. When the selfish rich couple learn about this, they and other greedy people go to take Maria’s wealth, but Andres warns her and helps her escape together with the golden bull. Maria then curses the people, saying that they would first suffer before they could get even an ounce of her wealth. Maria’s house with all the riches melts down and spreads out under the ground (Loveres). In this adaptation, nothing is said about the source of Maria Timbang Palo’s wealth; no mines or gold panning are mentioned.
From mining magnate to saint
Tourism Officer Javier believes that the story of Inay Candi or the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria replaced Maria Timbang Palo as Paracale’s folktale (BAKAS). Inay Candi, brought by the Franciscans in 1611, is the oldest Marian image in the Bikol region. In the story, Inay Candi descended from the church to face invading Moros aboard 37 pancos (boats used for piracy) on August 29, 1809. Inay Candi brandished her sword and stained the waters red with Moro blood and big waves assisted her in repelling the Moros. When she returned to the altar, Inay Candi was missing a finger (in some versions, several fingers) and this could not be attached to the hand of the image again, purposely to remind the people of what had transpired. The story of the image is kept alive in several Facebook pages of Inay Candi and more permanently, in the 2013 coffee table book Inay Candi: Bearer of Light by Rens Tuzon. Finally, the recent celebrations of the Pabirik festival of Paracale return the parakabud or gold panners back to center in field demonstrations and street dances, with the dancers holding not only shovels and pans, but also images of Inay Candi. These dances, available on YouTube, show the gold panners’ lives as colorful, beautiful, and joyful. Although they continue to lead lives as hardworking parakabud, they are happy because Inay Candi, and in one dance, a priest, is with them. The festivities underline that Inay Candi and Christianity are the true gold of Paracale, and not the glittering stones in the creeks and river.
History or folklore?
One approach to the study of folklore is the search for any historical basis for them. A project to find the historical bases for these stories would be quite interesting. Jose Panganiban town, formerly Mambulao, lays claim to this story of Maria or Doña Ponay or Punay, which most probably has some basis in history. Mambulao comes from the word mambulawan or “rich in gold,” as there is said to have been a lot of gold in the area even before the Spaniards colonized the Philippines. The Official Website of Jose Panganiban of 2013, now archived, has a slight tweak to Barratt’s account: That Doña Ponay of Mambulao was a very rich and a very kind old woman who offered the royal throne of Spain a life-sized hen and eggs made of solid gold and requested the king’s protection from pirates. The Spanish king then sent soldiers to build forts and guard them, and these “forts can still be seen at present, a mute but eloquent monument to the once glorious past” of the town. A small statue of Doña Ponay holding a pabirik or a traditional round wooden pan used for gold panning, may be seen in this town. The creek is connected to the waterways of Calogcog, now named Barangay Luklukan Norte, so it is not surprising that water had gushed into the mine.
The stories of Maria Ponay and Maria Timbang Palo may have merged in some way because of their common elements. Calogcog and Malaguit River of Paracale are not too distant from each other. In fact, The Marsman Magazine of November 1937 locates the mines of San Mauricio in the “Paracale-Mambulao District” and miners must have talked among one another when they were resting.
Specific places, Malaguit River and Calogcog, and dates, circa 1728 and August 28, 1809, are mentioned in the tales of Maria Timbang Palo and Inay Candi. At one time, 56 men were said to have been buried in a mining disaster in the tunnels beneath the church. The Paracale Tourism Office has located the house of Maria Timbang Palo in barangay Labnig and plans to turn it into a tourist destination (BAKAS).
Related to historical research is the study of the meaning of words such as Ponay and Timbang Palo. In the aforementioned Marsman Magazine, the superintendent of the San Mauricio Mining Company in Mambulao-Paracale states that “Doña Panay” was the name of the area near the Calogcog Creek. It could be that the letter ‘o’ or ‘u’ of ‘Ponay’ was mistakenly pronounced as ‘a’ of Panay, because of the American or Australian pronunciation of these letters. Bikol historian Danilo M. Gerona theorizes that a certain Apolinaria de los Reyes was the Donya Ponay of Monte Calogcog. Other fascinating details of his account and theory may be found in the Mambulaoans Worldwide Buzz cyberbulletin, posted by Alfredo Hernandez in 2013. Ponay could indeed be a nickname for Apolinaria. An alternative reading would be that Ponay was a bansag or nickname based on the woman’s appearance or personality; perhaps her chest was raised high while she walked, like the punay or fruit dove, or her voice could have sounded like a pigeon’s cooing. The truth is lost in history.
I also found the timba and palo in Maria’s name rather curious. In her 2020 dissertation, Rose Ann Aler notes that Maria carried around a palo-palô or stick to strike abusive gold panners and those who wanted to kill the golden bull. Not satisfied that “palo” refers to some sort of cudgel because of the lack of a mining context, I looked for translations of the two terms. Lisboa’s Vocabulario de la lengua Bicol translates pálo, note the diacritical mark, as “estaca hincada” (1628, 274), a strong pole that is hammered into the ground. Similarly, Mintz’s and Britanico’s Diksyonaryong Bikol-Ingles (1985, 411) renders pálo as a “pole or stake driven to the ground.” Based therefore on the tale’s context, a more credible explanation is that the timba and the pálo of Maria’s name refers to the pail and pole used in gold panning. The gold panners may have used poles to mark off areas of the creek or river where they could dig up the gravel and sand to find gold.
Another approach is to investigate the values embedded in the tales. The most obvious value is that of not being greedy; the oldest Maria Timbang Palo tale shows that not everyone is tempted by gold, to her chagrin. As for Inay Candi’s story, it is all religion—Nuestra Señora defends the people from Muslim marauders. The specific details of this folktale, 37 pancos, the Church, and the date August 29, 1809 could be valuable leads to archival research on Moro raids in Camarines Norte. In the process of doing this research, more insights could hopefully be derived about Moro piracy in Bikol. For example, in his Vignettes of Bicol History, Francisco Mallari, S.J. states that the pirates were not only Moros, but also Europeans, Tirones, Camucones, Ilonggo, and other groups (1999, 22-28). Other perspectives about the Moros could then be considered, such as that propounded by Sorsoganon historian Reynaldo Jamoralin, that the Moros were just protecting their businesses from the Spanish plunderers and their faith from the nonbelievers (61). In that sense, the study of the anti-Islam aspect of Catholic evangelization could be deepened. But more on this later.
Pabirik
A pabirik is a shallow pan, traditionally made of wood, used for panning gold. It is filled with water, mud, gravel, and sand from the creeks and river. These aggregates are swirled and agitated with the water using the pabirik to allow the denser gold particles to settle at the bottom of the pan.
Using the metaphor of the pabirik, I see these folktales as having been swirled slowly around, from the image of a woman who wanted to give away gold that not everyone wanted, toward a mysterious woman who gave away her wealth only to the charitable. This spin-off and the next are more moralistic: the good are rewarded and the greedy are punished. In the end, everyone is punished because of Maria Timbang Palo’s curse – shades of Adam and Eve’s original sin. The pattern of reward and punishment persists, although in the tale of the golden bull, there is an allusion to the golden heifer of the Israelites in Exodus 32:1-4 of the Old Testament. The moral lesson is in the first of Moses’s Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not have any other gods before me.” One more turn of the pabirik and Maria Ponay, Maria Timbang Palo, the golden bull, and gold panning and mining all disappear, along with the gold. In its place surfaces the story of Inay Candi battling Muslim invaders. The Pabirik festival of Paracale then returns the gold panners to the scene, but this time, armed not only with shovels and pabirik, but also with images of Inay Candi.
In swirling the water, gravel, and sand in the pan, the parakabud (gold panners) hope to find gold. In the turning and swirling of the folktales from Maria Ponay and Maria Timbang Palo to the golden bull and Inay Candi, the Paracale people found the Christian faith. Cresencio B. Adlawan of the Provincial Tourism Operations Division notes as much in his comment on poverty in Paracale, which he dubbed not “the Town of Gold” but “the Town of Golden Faith.”
But is it real gold, or fool’s gold?
Mambulao and Paracale became known worldwide in past centuries because of the gold in their fields and water, yet the people and the towns remained poor. These former great mining towns are now classified as second- and third-class municipalities. In 2000, almost half of the population in Paracale were poor. The 2006 Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data shows that 74.3% of the population of Jose Panganiban and 73.0 % of the population of Paracale were considered poor. Thankfully, the poverty rate decreased to 37.61% in Paracale and 34.5% in Jose Panganiban in 2018, and to 28.6% for Paracale and 26.4% for Jose Panganiban in 2021 (Philippine Statistics Authority Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2018 and 2021). The most appalling image of poverty in Paracale is that of children who are forced to dive for gold through dangerous and illegal compression mining, just to provide a decent living for the family (Lucenio, International Labour Organization 14-18). “The children squeeze themselves into narrow entrances to dig blindly for gold in deep, underground pits, often underwater, breathing through hoses connected to diesel-powered compressors at ground level. The pits sometimes collapse, and the children are exposed to toxic chemicals.”
Why did the people remain poor despite the wealth in their land and waters, and the spiritual riches of their golden faith?
In a conference paper in 2014, Victor Aguilan states that “Filipinos have been described as meek (ma-amo), indifferent (walang-pakialam) and willing to endure suffering (mapag-tiis).” (1) He explores the relationship of the long history of colonialism with domination and oppression. He cites the observation of Christology scholars that the image of Christ as Child (Santo Niño), suffering (Nazarene), and buried (Santo Entierro) were used to teach the indios the virtues of patience, meekness, and long suffering so that they do not resist the conquerors (1). In another draft paper on the theology of struggle, Aguilan also says, “Philippine Christianity seems to be inutile in addressing the problems of social injustice, poverty, graft and corruption in society. There is even a perception that Christianity has tolerated or even supported the status quo” (2017, 1).
Maria was transformed in the process of panning and sifting out elements of the folktales of Mambulao and Paracale. The erstwhile Doña Maria Ponay and generous Maria Timbang Palo metamorphosed into the warlike image of Inay Candi. This calls to mind the role of violence in evangelization, in particular the erasure of those who do not belong to one’s group or religion as in the Crusades, the Holocaust, and now Gaza. I have no doubt that this image of Inay Candi was put to good use in the anti-Islam campaign of the friars in the Philippines. An article on “The Virgin Mary in Early Modern Dominican and Jesuit Approaches to Islam” in the Journal of Jesuit Studies 7 suggests as much. In a 1572 encyclical Pope Pius V asked “Catholics to ask Mary to help them defeat Muslims and other ‘godless’ enemies, either through conversion or the sword.”
“One of the most shocking images of Mary being used as a weapon against Muslims in this period can be seen in the image emblazoned on the cover of a seventeenth-century pamphlet from a Dominican rosary confraternity in Cologne. The image features Mary holding baby Jesus and standing on top of a headless man. The viewer is meant to conclude that the headless man is a Turk, because his turban has rolled to the side. Baby Jesus is holding the dead man’s bloody, decapitated head, while Mary is wielding a sword encircled by the rosary. Writing around her body implores her not to Ora pro nobis (pray for us) as is normally the case, but Pugna pro nobis (fight for us). Around the sword and aligned with the rosary is the line “shield of Christians,” while in the background one can make out the sinking Ottoman ships of Lepanto. And finally, just to be clear, the image (and pamphlet itself) is entitled in all caps Triumphus Sanctissimi Rosarii Mariae (The triumph of the most holy rosary of Mary). We do not know how this pamphlet was received by rosary confraternity members in Cologne—did it attract or repel?”
– Rita George Tvrtković
The Franciscans are said to have brought the image of Inay Candi, the oldest Marian image in the Bikol region, to Camarines Norte in 1611. It is not unlikely that the good friars were guided by the 1572 encyclical of Pope Pius V. In a post by the Philippine Faith and Heritage Tours in 2023, now strangely no longer available on the net, Inay Candi was said to be the only Marian image that holds a sword and not the child Jesus. However, in photos of the image, Mary carries the child Jesus, a sword, and a scepter. It is made of ivory and Mary has Caucasian features.
In all the stories and in the contemporary Pabirik festival dances, power has remained in the hands of the rich and the Roman Catholic Church. The highlighting of Christian imagery in the later tales may have helped inculcate the values of meekness and obedience in the people in these mining towns to accept their poverty as well as rely on the received Christian religion against Islam in Camarines Norte. The mining families of Paracale and Mambulao may have internalized their poverty and suffering because of the values in their folk tales and religion. They bowed down to the power of Spain and the rich, to prevent [the indios’] greed, to assert the need for [the natives’] endurance, hard work, and suffering in mining for gold, the belief that “God will provide” (isa-Dyos na lamang), and “Inay Candi will not abandon us.” In imbibing these values, the people became complicit in their own exploitation and oppression, The colonizer together with the clergy and the powerful rich triumphed in rendering them meek and obedient. Unlike the golden bull that resisted all attempts to capture it, they allowed themselves to be led by the nose and accept their bitter fate as an abject and suffering people. Catholic virtues and Maria, Inay Candi, would save them after all.
A multi-disciplinary study
This is just a short analysis of how some folktales of two Bikol towns famed for their gold mines evolved, using the lens of class, power, and religion. There are other lenses, of race, gender, and ecocriticism, that can be used to read these tales of Maria’s gold, and I used them in a longer journal article for De La Salle University’s Malay (36.2 June 2024).
Ecocriticism is an important lens to read the tales, given how the mining industry has devastated these two towns. It is probably not a coincidence that one of Bikol’s poorest provinces, Masbate, was rich in gold mines, and has a legend of Mt Pingganon with similar elements as those in the folktales of Camarines Norte: Gold plates were supposedly seen in a fissure in the mountain, but when the people became greedy, this gap closed. People said that the golden plates came from a golden cow (Asilum). I wonder now if there are stories of golden cows and fauna in the folktales of other mining regions.
This initial reading can hopefully be the catalyst for a multi-disciplinary study of the role of colonization and culture, especially of religion, in Kabikolan’s poverty, especially in the poor mining provinces in the Bikol region. Teachers, scientists, and scholars of history, social science, anthropology, economics, religious clergy, and cultural workers can work together to “mine” the related issues to gather knowledge and truth about why Kabikolan is the poorest region in Luzon despite its rich natural resources. They can share their findings with, and make recommendations to policy makers. Even if these policy makers do not listen, those in academe and the arts will still have the data and analysis for advocacy, and these can be used to raise the consciousness of the youth and students to persist in the work of reshaping culture.
In his conference paper, Aguilan concludes that the teaching of Christianity should be transformed, including the images of Christ as a meek and suffering God, so that it becomes more relevant and help the many (2014, 8). I wonder if this can be easily realized in this region which has the highest proportion of Roman Catholics in the country at 93.5% of its household population (Philippine Statistics Authority 2020 Census). Perhaps the progressives in the Church and in society can give the pabirik of these folktales yet another swirl and agitation, this time to help open the people’s eyes to the truth about mining and social inequality. This should be done not only in Mambulao and Paracale, but also in other mining communities in Bikol – in the severely deforested and mined-out province of Masbate, the island of Rapu-Rapu in Albay, and in the communities of the parakabud in Caramoan, Camarines Sur so movingly featured in Alvin Yapan’s excellent film “Oro.” There is a great need to transform the culture of the town, province, region, and country, to resist the oppressive power of the rich and powerful.
I look forward to a time when these tales of Maria are turned anew toward a more liberating, just, and ecological discourse. For example, the story of Maria Timbang Palo could be re-surfaced, not to distribute ayuda like the politicians do, but to uplift those who labor for a pittance. Inay Candi is adorned with glittering gold clothes and a sword. What if she were alternatively dressed, instead of as a Spanish Moro-killing amazon santa dressed in gold, but as a simple Bikol and Filipina Mother who teaches people that gold is for all and not just for the privileged few. And if the sword has to be there, then let it be brandished for equality and social justice.
In other words, not only a transformation, but a transfiguration of or “an exalting, glorifying, or spiritual change” of Maria is called for. Then her golden tales can finally be the true gold to uplift the lives of the townspeople economically, socially, and spiritually.
The header shows the grounds of Nuestra Señora de Candelaria parish church of Paracale (credit: Paracale Tourism Office)
References:
- Adlawan, Cresencio B. “Paracale, Town of Golden Faith.” CometoCamNorteblog. WordPress, 29 May 2017.
- Aguilan, Victor R. “Encountering Jesus in the Midst of Struggle: A Christology of Struggle.” Researchgate.net. 2014.
- _____. “Theology of Struggle: a Postcolonial Critique of Philippine Christianity & Society.” Academia.edu. April 2017.
- Asilum, Jofer Bunan. “The Legend of Mount Pingganon.” In Readings on Bikol Culture. 2nd Edition. Eds. Luis Ruben M. General et al. 2024.
- BAKAS. “Gintong Baka sa Ilalim ng Simbahan ng Paracale Video.” Facebook.com. 31 Oct. 2021.
- Barratt, R. W. The Antiquary’s Note-Book. The Antiquary 8 London (Jul. 1912): 268-269.
- Hernandez, Alfredo P. “Doña Ponay relived in new book.” Mambulaoans Worldwide Buzz. 28 July 2013.
- International Labour Organization. “See you at my ‘playground’: Tackling child labour in gold mining.” 2017.
- Jamoralin, Reynaldo. “Divide et Impera and the Moros.” In Tracing: From Solsogon to Sorsogon. Ed. Reynaldo Jamoralin.Sorsogon Arts Council, Inc., 1994.
- Lucenio, Marielle. “The Gold Trap: How Covid19 is pushing Filipino children into hazardous work.” Asian Geographic. 18 November 2021. https://asiangeo.com/ag_xplorer/the-gold-trap-how-covid-19-is-pushing-filipino-children-into-hazardous-work/.
- “Pabirik gold panning festival honors the gold mining industry.” Travel to the Philippines. c. 2018. https://www.traveltothephilippines.info/tag/gold-panning-festival/
- Pintakasi. Chronicles of Philippine Popular Piety and Local Ecclesiastical History. “Nuestra Señora de Candelaria de Paracale – Patroness and Protectress of Paracale, Camarines Norte.” 13 May 2020.
- Tvrtković, Rita George. “Our Lady of Victory or Our Lady of Beauty?: The Virgin Mary in Early Modern Dominican and Jesuit Approaches to Islam.” Journal of Jesuit Studies 7. 11 Apr 2020. 403-416.
About the author
DOODS M. SANTOS is a retired professor of Ateneo de Naga University and De La Salle University. A student of Bikol arts and culture, she has written many articles and books on the topic, among them, Hagkus 20th Century Bikol Women Writers. She serves as a referee for three university presses and is a volunteer for the ecology with Sumaro sa Salog (SULOG), Inc. and Irukan. (Photo: Doods Santos at the Pagsurat Bicol VII in Catanduanes)