Maria Gemma A.

Suguitan-San Jose Document: Lopez Heritage Conservation and Historical Society (LHCHS)

“TALOLONG, LOPEZ, QUEZON”

“There was a flourishing coastal settlement somewhere in the southern part of the municipality of
Gumaca called “Talolong”. The settlement’s name derived from the name of sturdy trees abundant in
the place locally called “Talolong” with scientific name Drypetes bordenii and widely known as
“Balikbikan.”- Wikipedia.
But to another version of this, “Talolong”, the name of the river where our first settlement began, is not
Drypetes bordini. It is Vaniera cochichinensis, Tahid-Labuyo, or Kukumpusa, according to the UP
Diksyunaryo by National Artist Virgilio Almario.

Are Talolong and Balikbikan one and the same?

“The original location of the settlement was in the marshy mouth of sedate river, which was
founded by the descendants of Datu Dumangsil and Datu Balinsusa of the Kalilayan kingdom. Due to
the frequent plundering and terrorism of the pirates, the colony was transferred to the present town’s
location.”-Wikipedia

Datu Dumangsil and Datu Balinsusa are two of the Ten Datus of Boreneo, and are considered as
Legend.

“The settlement of Lakan Bugtali who founded the community of Gumaca was gone. Even a
trace of its remains cannot be identified neither the vintages of encomienda of Kalilayan nor a fraction
of its 16th century glories. When it became a sitio through a Papal Bull, the village started to manage
her own.”- Wikipedia

One of the 95 barangays of Lopez, Quezon with an Interesting Myth named:

“CAMPO PUSA”

Campo Pusa is an interesting lore. There are wonderful, marvelous tales villagers have shared about the
mountain called Campo Pusa, a historical site situated in Lalaguna, which served as a hide-out of the
Filipino soldiers led by General Gaudencio V. Vera. The mountain was said to be enchanted when
somebody unearthed a gusi or jar in 1898, full of bars of gold and jewelry. It was really heavy that he
carried it down so he called on the neighbors out. But when he returned with them they were surprised
to find out that the jar contained only mud and the treasures were gone. On moonlight nights, one can
hear moaning from people who spoke different languages which were unintelligible. A ship seemed to
come and go in the middle of the night and had a loud rumbling sound but there was no ship on sight.
Before the outbreak of World War in 1941, this place was covered with tall balete trees with thick
foliage believed to be inhabited by large snakes. Down the mountain is a lake where crocodiles lived.
The most astonishing fact according to the old folks is that thousands of cats lived there, which
disappeared all of a sudden. All the cats had one color, pitch black with white. They lived in a cave near
the mountain where they readily vanished in view when people came. This had been the reason why the
place was called such. There were stories of sickness that struck people who tried to clear the place.
When it was used as guerrilla camp, the Japanese bombed Campo Pusa. After that, the place became
desolate and barren. The only remnant was the house whose owner thought that maybe the cats
protected it, or the supernatural beings protected them from harm.

On June 24, 1997, another jar was unearthed but it was full of human bones and skull. I wonder if the
bones and skull were kept or thrown away. Because Lalaguna could be an early settlement site even
before the coming of the Spaniards, those bones could unearth great historical findings. I wish I had
more time to do these things! But with regards to the cats, how can the mystery be explained? Its
legendary lore is here to stay.

Sources from:

Mrs. Maria Gemma A. Suguitan-San Jose

Submitted by: Submitted to:

Vincent E. Rumarate Bro. Mervil Jilo
Merjudio
I.C.T.
Teacher