"BULONG" NOTES

A compilation of Marinduque's folklores published in 1914, annotated by Otley Beyer, then a professor at U.P., that included stories on folk beliefs and cultural practices, was the inspiration for "Bulong". Pronounced boo'-long (not bu-long' the Tagalog word for 'whisper'), it is defined as the collective name of spirits that transport humans bodily into another place or dimension. Often old folks have many stories to tell about such experiences. In modern times this is perhaps the equivalent of teleportation.

In 2002, I used it as a practical device for the first "Araw ng Gasan" celebration in Gasan. Belief in the spirit world and ancestral worhip was, of course, the order of the day when Gasan was 'discovered' by the Spaniards who introduced their own set of beliefs. Buenavista was then a part of the Gasan 'pueblo'.

"Bulong" is thus a re-shaping of those traditional stories and historic data for today's generation to give new meaning to and hopefully, a unique vehicle for reflection by those who dwell on this stuff.

'BULONG' SYNOPSIS:

Salve, in her teens, catching 'bilabila' (butterflies) finds herself in a half-awake, half dream state and sees strange creatures, the elemental spirits, around her and is at once taken to another world. That's the world of spirits and strange creatures we've all heard about on this island. There she is also taken to a door that opens to the island inhabitants' pre-historic ancestors.

Salve encounters 'patianacs' (a kind of scary crow), asuangs, tikbalangs, swaying bamboo trees, duwendes, enkantos.. The elemental Bulong spirits take her to the enkanto but not before a tug-of-war between the asuangs and spirits friendly to her, thus saving her neck, had ensued. The enkantada (she's called the 'white lady' too), enters and since Salve is a mortal decides to take the girl to the world of those who were once mortals, the world of her ancestors. Here the Katalona of "Mara Unduk" fame is still seen wielding power. Salve becomes witness to the romance and tragedy of the Alon-Baylana-Kidlat (Katutubos), love triangle and its tragic end. Salve also gets to see the island's Pastores anito for the first time.

Salve is also made to see how intruders from other shores supplanted a new set of beliefs to those of her ancestors by the power of the sword and the cross. As the ancient people cry in protest Salve now begins to understand why she was taken here. The elemental spirits free her at last, their mission accomplished.

But the enkanto, apparently so much in love with Salve by now, gets in the way. He connives with the asuangs and ugly characters for her capture. With no one to save her except herself Salve uses the folk formula to set herself free at last from her new abductors.