Ni Rosemarie Rutaquio Almacen
Editor's Note: Rosemarie is a former student of mine at Mt. Carmel High School in Polillo. She worte the following poem for the 20th anniversary of Polillians in America and would like to share it with our readers and guests.
Sa dakong Silangan nitong lalawigan
Mayro'ng isang pulong sa Pacific nakalutang
Pulo kong tanawing may lungkot na taglay
Dahil sa daluyong na nagsayaw-sayaw.
Tha name "Bordeous" according to legend came from the word "Bor" name of a lover of a maiden in the place. But the girl´s father was against the lover "Bor" and one day shot him to death while he (Bor) and the daughter were near the bank of a river. Bor fell dead into the water and carried away to the sea by the current. The girl in grief and desperation shouted" BOR DIYOS KO PO." A passer-by heard the lament of the girl and thought that the name of the place was "Bordeous." Since then the place was known as "Bordeous."
Mayor: Filipina Grace America
The History of Infanta Revisited
By Rodolfo A. Arizala*
Santiago, Chile
I. Introduction
To the people of Infanta, province of Quezon, April is a very significant and busy month. During my youth, when there was no Irrigation System yet, we harvest palay once a year only instead of twice a year. We harvest palay either before or after the Holy Week. And two weeks after Holy Week, comes the celebration of the town fiesta its patron saint being St. Mark whose feast day falls on 25th April. So, April is time for harvesting, observance of Holy Week and celebration of town fiesta.
It appears that during the early period of our history, St. Mark was not our patron saint The town´s patron saint then was San Isidro adopted in 1874. According to a story, San Isidro was adopted as the patron saint of Infanta in the belief that he would protect the town against any form of calamities. And true, indeed, it was observed that right after the adoption of San Isidro as the patron saint of the town, the people experienced good harvests and enjoyed peaceful life free from natural calamities. However, seven years later in 1881, a strong earthquake visited again the town and among the structures destroyed were the church and belfry. Subsequently, the people adopted St. Mark as its patron saint.
At the altar of the church in Infanta, Quezon today, there is a statue of a bearded man holding a book with his left hand and with his right hand a quill or writing instrument. At his side is a figure of an animal, an ox. Is the statue that of St. Mark or of another Gospel writer?
Panukulan derived its present name from the Tagalog word "Panulukan" which the early settlers (Dumagats) used to call the place at the corner of the Panangatan Point on the main island of Polillo.
In the early twenties, Panukulan was a barrio of the municipality of Polillo. Due to the heavy influx of settlers from the neighboring town of Infanta, the barrio of Panukulan, together with the barrios of Libo, Lipata and Calasumanga was converted into a municipal district on June 21, 1959 .The late Hon. Manuel S. Enverga, then the incumbent congressman of the First District of Quezon, sponsored and worked hard to have these barrios attain the status of a separate political subdivision.
Trade relations between the natives of Polillo Islands and Chinese merchants existed long before the Spanish conquerors came to the Philippine Archipelago. Historians narrated that the islands had been inhabited by people with full knowledge in boatmaking, farming and fishing. Trade was by means of barter. Communication was a conglomeration of Malay, Hindu, Chinese and Tagalog. Government was centralized in the barangay proper, or poblacion.
Padre Morga wrote that Polillo originated from the Chinese words "Pu Li Lu" which mean "beautiful island with plenty of food." When Juan de Salcedo, a Spanish conquistador came to Pu Li Lu in 1567, he saw a central government fully organized through the "balangay" with a datu, who had direct supervision and control over all the natives. The inhabitants in decent clothing lived in nipa huts.
The Myth
The place was formerly part or barrio of Infanta, Quezon. The people are known for their truthfulness and modesty.
It got its name "Real" because of the story that one day a foreigner passed by the place and saw a group of people discussing something but could not understand what they were talking about and would like to ask them what was the name of the place.