Once upon a time, a very long time ago, before the age of the common man becoming the strong man, there was a village, and a ghost. The whole settlement of Marikit was waiting for the arrival of the Castillan missionaries coming from the new city of Antipolo because these missionaries were set out to certainly find that ghost and exorcise it. One man named Remoto, formerly named Saway, called the old men of the village to just close the settlement to these missionaries because this “ghost” seemed to be bringing the village good luck. Who knows, he said, it could be a diwata or a spring spirit who’s blessing the crops of the villagers. One old man, named Gregorio, (formerly named Anton and Dibal), said that they couldn’t farm without the missionaries because they give them plows and money to trade with other villages. The other old men seemed to agree with Gregorio and they said, there would be no one to teach them about new trades and advances like the calesa, the hammer, the wheelbarrow and many other nice things. Some even put on new clothes like these missionaries and enjoyed listening to them speak Kastila – and besides, they enjoyed their lessons about the man named Hesu Kristo and what he did so that no one would, let’s say, kill other villagers or take their things. Remoto went on his way and felt alright. While looking for gold in the river, he saw a young girl bathing in the river, with another who seemed to be a sister, or a cousin, he didn’t know. This girl, whom he called “Carlita” in his mind, was stark naked and was rubbing her body all over as she bathed in the river. He thought he felt something so different as he watched this beautiful girl naked in the water…He called it something like a small thing but a few moments later did he realize that he felt “pag-ibig” or “love” for the first time.
As the girl, with long, wet hair down to her waist, stood up to leave, he left the gold and his implements in the water and rose to follow her. As he wounded through trees and narrow dirt paths, he saw her entering a small settlement marked by a tall termite hill. He felt himself heaving with breath as the two girls walked fast and long, and round and round the forest ‘til they reached their own village. Remoto watched as they went through a curtain of sewn leaves, held up by a frame of two trees, and disappeared. Remoto crossed himself and prayed for protection as he went through himself.
Once he crossed the forest to the world on the other side of the curtain, he withheld the most beautiful village he’s ever seen – tall trees arranged in a manner only Bathala could have made - big boulders leaning against each other like brothers and little streams and crawling around the settlement like tracks…he felt in awe. One little boy stared at him as he held up a carved “tao” (person) from a piece of wood…The boy asked him, “Did you come all the way from the village outside?” Remoto hesitated, then said, “Shh…Don’t tell anybody…” and the boy smiled and made a little promise. Remoto simply walked around the settlement where people seemed to be lying on the ground sleeping, cooking, playing with carved wooden figures while the sound of a waterfall rustled in the distance. He followed the little boy around. The strange thing about this village was that people were oddly silent. He walked across a clearing of grass to a wonderful, sunken pond with a small waterfall, and one, gigantic white bird, and a huge crocodile that were living together with little (he gasped) crocodile children with wings that flew around the pond…he was amazed. He swore that he would be part of this village from now on and left his old village behind.
Remoto decided to make his living as a wood carver as he waited until he saw Carlita again. One day, he decided to talk to the Apo of the village to know where the big bird and the huge crocodile came from. He wanted to know why people mostly kept quiet in this village too. He had to climb the tallest tree in the area because Apo Lambat lived in a tree-house overlooking the whole village. Before entering the house, he had to ring his coconut bell (made with two coconut shells and a few small stones inside) so as to wake up the Apo from his slumber.
He said, “Apo! It’s me, Reming.” The Apo poured out the water from his cup as he got up, and said, “Come in.”
Remoto went in, wondering if the Apo had already gotten used to him being in the village or if he would be befuddled by a newcomer approaching him. Apo said, “Oh, the newcomer, aren’t you?” in a creaky, aged voice. Remoto gulped. The old man put on his headdress and stitched vestments and asked, simply, “What do you wish to know?” Remoto felt small and said “The people here, Apo, are so quiet…and I don’t know what that wonderful bird and her husband the crocodile are doing here…”
Apo Lambat smiled. “Ah, you want to know why we’re here at all. You want to know the very reason we, the villagers of Balubad, live in this secluded area, away from the new settlements….
We are here to protect that bird and her family because she is a magical bird that heals our villagers when she sings. She doesn’t sing often, but when she sings, people’s hearts get healed.”
Remoto was shocked, that not only that something as strange and something as magnificent as a bird and crocodile having a family together, but that this bird was magical too.
Apo Lambat added, “That crocodile is very strong too. A long time ago it used to destroy villages and eat people, but ever since it found that bird in its pond, it has remained tame…It’s almost as if the bird tamed it. We, the villagers, feed it soups made from pork…”
Remoto asked, “You’re not worried about it, you know, becoming violent once more?” He gulped.
Apo Lambat smiled wanly. “We trust Bathala. That’s why we take care of that bird and crocodile so well.”
Remoto went away satisfied. He went back to his little house where he amassed a number of wooden figures of the different people that he met in the village. They had names like Abel, Layan, Sugid and Imbo. One night, the village staged a play and used Remoto’s wooden figures.