We are posting these series of articles to commemorate the life and works of the late Pepe San Miguel Umali, a cultural and heritage advocate (b. June 16, 1976 – d. January 24, 2024). He wrote these for the FB page of Libmanan Historico Cultural Society in May – June 2020 and dedicated these essays in memory of Mr. Marcial “Manoy Jun” Naag Jr., a fellow advocate of Libmanan heritage.
The Libmanan River is a significant waterway located in the Bicol Region. It is one of the largest tributaries of the Bicol River. Originating from the Camarines Sur slopes of Mount Labo, it flows southeast, eventually joining the Bicol River in the town of Libmanan. The rich plains at the confluence of the two rivers are crucial to its economy, providing water for farming, fishing, and transportation, and making Libmanan a rice-basket since the Spanish colonial times.
Part 1 (May 3, 2020)
Introduction
This vintage picture along the Libmanan River shows a teacher with his parasagwan who just alighted from their baroto. He was possibly enroute to report to his class at the Libmanan Central School in the 1920’s. The location was not stated, but this river scene could be in Burongburongan or in Tahub because of the narrow river channel. The picture also would suggest that it was saraod or market day in Libmanan or that there was a special occasion to explain the presence of many barotos at the riverbank.
This river scene always reminds us that one of the most significant heritage sites of Libmanan is its beautiful and enchanting river that contributed to its founding and existence. Libmanan River bestows this town its own unique and distinct identity as etched on its landscape and terrain.
Libmanan town and Libmanan river are synonymously interconnected, pervading the social, cultural, religious, economic life, and history of its people. We will discuss these in three segments.
The Foundation of the Town and the River
Among the first and the oldest documents that mentioned the town of Libmanan as one of the riverine villages of Bicol was the decree of Governor General Guido Lavezares dated April 3, 1574 entrusting it to an encomiendero as to be one of the Spanish encomiendas in Bicol and referring the name of the town as “Licmanan” together with other early villages or settlements that would become barrios in the present day: ”Bigao, Bataan, Nalaan, Palaguin, Biga, Bigun, Lauiga, Pandan, Abu, Languba.” (reference: Danilo M. Gerona) This reference became the basis of the foundation of the town as a political unit which has a close connection to the river. From this decree, several succeeding Spanish documents would further attest its synonymous link to the river and the name of the town and vice versa.
The Name of the Town
It could also be noted that Dr. Danilo Gerona, a respected international historian who wrote about the history of the town, ascertained the origin of the name of the town Libmanan was from the Bicol word “ligban.” He asserted that the name was derived from the ancient Bicol word “ligban” which can be found in the 1745 first Bicol dictionary of Fray Marcos Lisboa, OFM, meaning “the slope of the mountain or bank of a river.”
This assertion was based on other Spanish documents that referred to the name of Libmanan as derived from the river. One of them was in the book of Fray Manuel Buzetas, OFM in 1850 which says that “Libmanan is located on the right bank of the river of Vicor, which takes the name Libmanan….” Another book published in 1865 by Fray Felix Huerta OFM says that “Libmanan is located on the margins of a river that takes its name…” and again in the book of Don Adolfo Puya Ruiz in 1887 says that “Libmanan is located in a flat area, on the margins of a river that takes its name…”
These statements coming from different Spanish sources could be interpreted that the name of the town of Libmanan came from the river or the other way around that the river derived its name from Libmanan.
Part 2 (May 6, 2020)
Libmanan Along the River: Seat of Bicol Civilization
Shown is an unfinished painting of the Libmanan River entitled the “River View of the Church.” It depicts a panoramic view of Libmanan as seen from the other side of the river. The period could be the year when the beautiful old brick church of Libmanan was constructed in 1730 after its transfer from the site where the church was originally built, probably from the light materials and nearer to the bank of the river. The painting also depicts the pristine and alluring beauty of the Bicol River where it is symbolized by a seemingly adoring solitary talaod or kagang, a white heron or crane with other native birds, tikling or buff-banded rail foraging for food and enjoying the blessings coming from the river.
As Dr. Zeus A. Salazar, the respected father of new Philippine Historiography would claim in his book that “Libmanan is a blessed town where the two system of rivers of Bicol flow together to the bay of San Miguel which became the nesting place of Bicol civilization and seat of the birth of the socio-political grouping in Bicol as kingdom.” Of course, this claim was backed by several archeological findings conducted by the renowned German ethnographer Feodor Jagor and anthropologist Dr. Otley Beyer when they both conducted an archaeological study in the barrios of Libmanan along the river like Bigajo, Poro and Padlos in 1861 and early 1900’s respectively. Both their studies would suggest that the several ancient artifacts they found would indicate the existence of a flourishing ancient indigenous civilization hundreds or perhaps a thousand of years before the coming of the Spaniards (reference: Danilo M. Gerona).
Accordingly, both archaeological findings would indicate the more sophisticated way of life among the villages found along the river and one of them was the village of Libmanan which became a pueblo in 1574, one of the earliest to become a town among the villages along the Bicol River. Among the artifacts found in Poro was a stone rat guard, a ring metal rod around the feet of a man and a stone axe embedded to a wooden handle that according to them existed under the Neolithic Age or Late Neolithic Age (12,000 to 1,500 years ago or 1,700 BC). However, the Chinese potteries along with native potteries found according to Beyer was from the Sung Dynasty or it existed 960-1270 AD.
These findings would further attest that even in ancient times, Libmanan along the river of Bicol was already an advanced settlement in the region with a highly developed farming community and a highly organized political system, according to Dr. Zeus Salazar. This can be found in the epic of Ibalon, an ancient kingdom established by rulers with names like Handiong and Bantong. Thus, the river and the town of Libmanan were closely linked to the birth of the civilization in Bicol.
Part 3a (May 30, 2020)
The picture shown is a slide from the Libmanan Comic Book titled “Kahadean ni Handiong,” creatively illustrated in graphic design by Mr. Boom Rosano, written by this writer in Bicol and translated in English by Mr. Arturo D. Cantos. The image depicts Baltog as the first hero in the Ibalon epic sailing on the waters that was Libmanan River toward the ancient volcano called Mount Hantik, the present day Tankong Vaca mountain. In the scene, the currents of the meandering Libmanan River flows to Iraya, traditionally referred to as the southern barangays of the town.
The River and the Ibalon Epic
Of the 23 places in the Ibalon epic, the river in Libmanan was mentioned twice in stanzas 31 and 36. The stanzas narrated its waters turned red as an effect of the exploits of Handiong who killed the monsters and wild crocodiles in the river, and it was mentioned also that the river was the water where that first boat of Handiong sailed. It must be noted that six places mentioned in the Ibalon epic are all located along the river and most of them in Libmanan or the opposite bank where Libmanan is located like Aslong (stanza 1), Ponong (stanzas 19, 49), Inarihan (stanza 49), Malbogon (satanza 48), Hantik (stanza 22), Ligmanan (stanza 58). In the epic, there were human settlements or places along the river showing that even in the early times, there was evidence of civilization in Bicol. The setting of the epic which we Libmanenos assume as Libmanan is the area along the banks of the longest and widest part of the river where 26 of its barangays are located (reference: Pepe S. Umali).
The River as Sanctuary of Rich Biodiversity
For centuries, the river has been the sanctuary of local flora and fauna that flourished, helping the people with their food sustenance and enabling the livelihoods of fisherfolk and craftsmen to thrive. It is known to many that the making of nipa roof thatch depends on the availability of nipa and bamboo which naturally along the riverbanks. The nipa groves in the waters also are home to marine life, like aniit, ugama, buyod, pisipis, bigsion and many other local fish. The river is a sanctuary to birds and wild life, like the kagang, tikling, saya, riwariw, iwad-iwad, agbaan, dignos, layagan, and talapang. Carabaos use the river as their tubugan after hard day’s work in the fields. Water lilies, hyacinth, daruiro, lamon and ragiwdiw grow abundantly along the river and have potential to be developed as commercial products. The many ways to catch fish have contributed unique words to our Bicol vocabulary such as, pukot, sarap, subad, sakag, patuto, bubo, paruyog, silo, tuldong, guma, banwit, tibaw, labog, hikot.
Historically, the river saved many Libmanan people from starvation during World War II by offering its bibi and tulya as staple food as these were abundant along the sand bar of the river. The old people would say that one could literally walk on them and thus there was no need to dig them out from underneath the sand. During World War II, people ate bibi rice which was usually paired with lukadon or grated young coconut meat.
The River Defines our Gastronomic Taste in Libmanan
Ask a Bicolano connoisseur chef to cook for you the best and authentic Bicol dishes and no doubt he or she will get ingredients from the river. Famous Libmanan delicacies are dependent on the river like the delicious tinuktok that becomes tastier and more delectable with ihiniram na buyod or aligi of ugama or aniit. The unique taste of pinalusag na langka, ginutaang pako and gulay na natong will never be complete without the tabagwang, pisipis, buyod, aniit or ugama. Of course, to raise our level of taste is to have hinarub or inasal na hito or talusog. Ukoy na buyod and bibi are also good appetizers if not as viand with the customary dutdutan na suka sa nipa with sili. The kandinggang bibi or tulya also will never be complete without kangkong that in the past was available in the river with ugama and buyod living in it. Tinumtuman always goes well with bibi, tulya, pisipis or buyod. Pinamara sa guta, prito or inasal na hito, talusog, karpa, bakla, gurami, burirawan are good compliments to sinanlag with kape. The kusido, inalsuman or sinabawang tulya, puyo, balanak, lawayan, kikiro, kalayohan or aliso are the best cure to hangover, to the breast feeding mother or to all in the table. Ginutaan, sarciado, picadillo or kinunot na burirawan, hito, talusog, karpa, or tilapia will vary its taste to the season. Ginutaan or nilabunan na aniit, buyod or ugama are also very good with suka sa nipa. Life would never be the same without these Bicol foods for us Libmaneno.
Part 3b (June 9, 2020)
The picture shows a lantsa or passenger boat named Pelorus Jack which was photographed in the 1970’s in the vicinity of Mambalite, headed to the Marina for the renewal of its Libmanan-Naga route license. This lantsa was owned by Felipe Alvarez Umali from Brgy. Mambalite, a licensed second-mate marine engineer, and possibly the first in Libmanan to have this profession. This is one of the many lantsas in Libmanan that navigated the Bicol River. The names of the lantsas and their owners they were Jocelyn of the Nogra clan, Alexander of Marquez, Dina of Cayetano, Lilian 12 and 3 of dela Torre, Lanie of Sua Dy, El Amor of Oriño, FeloDing of Aringo, Miss Libmanan of Avila, Nautilus of Peredo, Flojemar of Atienza, Helen of Dilanco, Fiat Lux of Benitez, Javier of Javier, James of Tanay, Belen of Barrosa, Pioneer of Portugal and Nogra, Alice of Agura. It is noteworthy to mention that almost half of the lantsas in Libmanan were owned by the residents of Brgy. San Vicente.
The River Makes Libmanan as the Rice Granary of Kabikolan
Without the river, the people of Libmanan would not have made a name for their town as the Rice Granary of Bicol. In the Ibalon epic, when the land attained its peace, its ruler Handiong initiated and introduced rice farming in the realm to sustain its people economically. In stanza 35, Handiong alternatively shifted from the planting of linsa in the mountain to the planting of rice in the plains. The people even named the rice Hinandiong. This stanza further supports our claim that the only Libmanan had the possibility to realize this in ancient times because of the river and the agri-geographic location of the town. One of the foremost features of the Ibalon kingdom in the epic was the presence of the river. In the real world, the strategic location in Libmanan amid the rivers has enabled the town to fully and economically support a thriving population, a kingdom of sorts in Bicol.
During colonial times. many Spanish documents bore status reports about the region attesting that Libmanan was a rice producing town in Bicol. We claim that Libmanan was the tambobong or rice granary of Kabikolan, from the early times to the present. In the 1865 report of Fray Felix Huerta OFM, he even narrated that the oversupply of rice in Libmanan would even support other nearby towns and provinces in Bicol especially Albay. Surplus rice was exported to Manila (and probably included in the Manila-Acapulco trade) as the document stated that, “rice was brought to Pasacao port to be exported.’ In another document written in 1887 by Don Adolfo Puya Ruiz, he reported that Libmanan specifically produced 120,000 sacks of rice in the market which was a surplus for the 10,482 population with 2,276 tributes in Libmanan – more than enough to be traded with other towns and provinces.
The Spanish documents would say the abundance in rice production was due to the ten tributary rivers coming from Mount Hantu (now Hantik) that had a lake at its summit. The waters flowed down to the Libmanan River, including the Malansad River, becoming the source of irrigation for the vast farmlands of Libmanan.
Part 3c (June 11, 2020)
In the introduction, the author wrote, “Para sa aldaw kan satong Katalingkasan.”
The picture shows the 45th Regiment of the American Forces crossing the Libmanan River after their successful invasion in Barceloneta (in Cabusao which was part of Libmanan in the early 1900s). With heavy artillery, they crushed the Bicolano troops headed by Colonels Vicente Ursua and Wenceslao Mercado, our Libmanan unsung heroes. The American soldiers successfully penetrated Nueva Caceres which became an annex of American rule in the Philippines.
The River Witnessed the Heroic Deeds of Our Ancestors
Even the epic of Ibalon told us that the river of Bicol witnessed the heroic deeds of Handiong in fighting and killing all the beasts in the land of Ibalon to attain peace. The gigantic crocodiles (stanzas 21,31), the ugly sarimao (stanza 21), serpents with voices of sirens (stanza 22), the elusive snake-siren like Oryol (stanza 24), were all defeated by Handiong with the exception of Oryol (stanza 25).
During the Moro raids in Bicol, the river also witnessed the heroic deeds of our ancestors who fought the Moro slaving pirates. The river became the gateway and exit way to expel the enemy from its ferocious attack which may be the reason why they said the word Libmanan came from the word “linabanan”, since the town was the place where the brave town people and the enemy fought. Historically, Libmanan was reportedly raided by the Moros in 1757, 1759, 1801 and 1810 using the river going to the Poblacion and Bahao from Ragay Gulf (reference: Francisco Mallari, SJ, 1990).
In Spanish period in 1893, the river was used to transport the patriotic causes of the Masonry to other nearby towns along the river of Bicol. The Katipunan movement in Bicol was founded in Libmanan by one of its sons, Don Vicente Ursua.
During the American period, the river witnessed the fighting revolutionary forces of Colonel Vicente Ursua against the invading Americans who massacred the almost 200 heroic Bicolanos in the battle. Most of them were buried at the patio of the church of Libmanan located along the bank of the river. The river of course was used by the Americans when they sailed from Libmanan going to Naga when they finally invaded its capital.
The guerilla movement that fought the Japanese Imperial Forces in Bicol called Tancong Vaca Guerilla Unit (TVGU) was founded in two contested places – Barangay San Nicolas of Canaman and Barangay Concepcion (or Umalo) in Libmanan. Wherever it was, we are sure it was founded along the bank of the Libmanan River as most of the founders were from Libmanan, not to mention the guerilla unit was named after the famous mountain Tancong Vaca, not mount Canaman (?). Hence, we can proudly say that the town of Libmanan was the seat of the Tancong Vaca Guerilla movement that fought the Japanese enemy (reference; Pepe S. Umali, 2016).
Towards the end of the Japanese Period, the severed heads of the “pro-Japanese Bicolano collaborators” of Camarines Sur (the heads of the present and past Governor of Camarines Sur) and the head of the leader of the Japanese Imperial Forces (Colonel Suga) in Camarines Sur were brought through Libmanan River to the pantalan or riverbank of the centro and were paraded around the town market by the TVGU in Libmanan.
Hence, the heroic events that took place in the past in Libmanan River validate our conviction that the lives of our ancestors were shaped and honed by their patriotic sentiments. They fought for the freedom of their own beloved town of Libmanan.
The header shows a photograph of Libmanan River. The featured photos all courtesy of the Libmanan Historico Cultural Society or otherwise specifically attributed.
References (Parts 1, 2, 3a, 3b): (a) Fray Manuel Buzeta’s, Diccionario Geografico-Estadistico-Historico De Las Islas Filipinas,Vol. 2, Parte 2, (From D to Z): Madrid: 1831. (b) Fray Felix de Huerta’s “Estado, Topográfico, Estadistíco, Histórico Religioso, de la Santa y Apostólica Provincia de San Gregorio Magno, de Religiosos Menores Descalzos de la Regular y Mas Estrecha Observancia De Nuestro Padre San Francisco, En l as Islas Filipinas”. Binondo: 1865. (c) Feodor Jagor. Raisen in den Philippinen. Berlin: 1873. (d) D. Adolfo Puya y Ruiz‘s Camarines Sur, Descripcion General de esta Provincia en Luzon, Acompañada de un Plano del Territorio que la Provincia ocupa).Manila:1887. (e) Danilo Madrid Gerona’s Libmanan: The Cradle of Bikol’s Epic and the Home of the Patriots. Libmanan: 2009. (f) Zeus Salazar, Liktao at Epiko: Ang Takip ng Tapayang Libingan ng Libmanan. Quezon City:2004. (g) Pepe S. Umali. Kahadean ni Handiong, Libmanan. 2014.
References (Part 3c): (a) Barrameda, Jose, In the Crucible of an Asymmetrical War in Camarines Sur 1942-1945: The Story of the Tangcong Vaca Guerrilla Unit, National Historical Institute: 2007. (2) Mallari, Francicso, SJ. Ibalon Under Storm and Siege. Cagayan de Oro City: 1990. (3) Penaredondo Z. Nicolas. The Liberation of Naga from the Japanese Occupation Forces April 13, 1945-1995, Laban Can Libmanan Contra sa Japon, Naga City: 1995. (4) Osio, Honorato. 2009 Libmanan town Fiesta Souvenir Program, The Story Behind the Tancong Vaca Guerilla Unit WWII (March 8,1942- September 1945). Libmanan LGU: 2009.
About the author
PEPE SAN MIGUEL UMALI (June 16, 1976 – January 24, 2024) was a cultural and heritage advocate of Bicol. A resident of Libmanan, Camarines Sur, he taught at the University of Nueva Caceres, College of Arts and Sciences. He was the co-chairman of the Libmanan Cultural and Tourism Council. (Photo credit: M. B. Furio)