Sometime in the early 1600s, in what is now the town of Dumalag, near the place where later stood a furnace used in making tiles, there was a tree named Maliao, where very many birds would perch and would make incredible noise with their shrieks. At this tree the natives used to commit a thousand superstitions because they believed it as the abode of their ancestors and the diwatas. Others thought that the birds “were demons or souls of the natives in the town that would hold their meetings with the devil there.” This phenomenon caused discomfort and fear to the natives who lived in the area. Afraid, they never dared get near the tree, even refusing to cut the grasses surrounding it.
An Agustinian friar assigned to the area, Fray Hernando de Morales, shunned the natives' superstitions. He took a boat that traversed the river so he could go to tree where he intended to place a cross on the trunk. A native leader named Uubu, who joined him on the journey, tried to kill him. In no time, a crocodile emerged from the depths of the river and devoured the indio. His lifeless body was later found armless and legless. Miraculously, nobody else in the boat was harmed by the scavenge.
Finally, Fray Morales reached the tree and placed the cross on the trunk. Immediately, the birds fled, seemingly disgusted by the presence of the Christian symbol. Those who were with the minister spread words of the incident in awe. Since then, everyone from Dumalag forsook the superstition and embraced Christianity. (Image under Creative Commons license)
References
Gaspar de San Agustin (1998). Conquistas de las islas de Filipinas (1565-1615), translated by Luis Antonio Maneru. Manila: San Agustin Museum.
Juan Fernandez . (1921, 1923). Monografias de los Pueblos de la Isla de Panay.
Isabelo de los Reyes (2014). Ang Diyablo sa Pilipinas ayon sa nasasabi sa mga casulatan luma sa Kastila, translated into English with annotations by Benedict Anderson, Carlos Sardina Galache, Ramon Guillermo.Manila: Anvil.
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