2. THE PLAY STARTED IN THE LAND OF IBALON OR IBALONG
(ALSO REFERRED TO AS THE BICOL PENINSULA), WITH THE
BALIANA (PRIESTESS) DOING A DANCE RITUAL WITH THE
BACKGROUND SONG TELLING THE STORY OF HOW THE
THREE MAIDENS WERE BORN. DATU MAKUSOG (HIS NAME
MEANING ‘STRONG’) OF RAWIS AND HIS WIFE DAWANI (OR
DIWANI) MET, MARRIED HAD THREE DAUGHTERS, EACH
HAVING THEIR OWN UNIQUE BEAUTY AND SPECIALITY.
3. THE ELDEST WAS NAMED MASARAGA, AND ACCORDING TO THE LEGEND,
WAS THE ONE FAVOURED BY GUGURANG. SHE WAS OF SHORT STATURE, A
BROWN BEAUTY, STRONG WILLED, INDUSTRIOUS, AND PRAYED TO THE
GODS OFTEN. SHE WANTED TO LEARN THE KNOWLEDGE AND SECRETS OF
THE GODS SO IBALON COULD PROSPER MORE. THE SECOND AND MIDDLE
CHILD WAS NAMED MALINAO, FAVOURED BY THE SEA GOD, MAGINDANG.
SHE WAS LITHE AND SOFT SPOKEN AND OF A DIFFERENT BEAUTY AND
CHARACTER. SHE HAD LIGHT SKIN AND WAS FORBIDDEN TO GO OUT OF
THEIR ABODE. THE YOUNGEST OF THE THREE WAS NAMED MAGAYON –
MAYON FOR SHORT. SHE MAY HAVE BEEN THE YOUNGEST AND MOST
BEAUTIFUL, BUT SHE WAS PROUD AND MOODY. SOME EVEN SAID THAT SHE
WAS BLESSED WITH HAVING GOLDEN-COPPER SKIN AND COPPER COLORED
HAIR. IN THE PLAY, THE WOMB OF DAWANI WAS DEPICTED AS LARGE
FLOWER BUD WHEREIN THE THREE (ALREADY FULLY GROWN WOMEN)
STEPPED OUT OF. THEY DANCED TOGETHER WITH THE PEOPLE OF RAWIS,
THEIR PARENTS, AND THE BALIANA (STILL TELLING THE STORY THROUGH
4. AFTER THE DANCE, THE PEOPLE HAVE GATHERED TOGETHER VERY
HAPPILY, BUT WAS INTERRUPTED BY THE DEITY ASWANG, HIS DAUGHTER
ORIOL (OR ORYOL) WHO IS HALF HUMAN-HALF SERPENT, AND ANOTHER
CREATURE, YASAW, WHO IS SAID TO BE A MINI VERSION OF AN ASWANG.
THEY WANTED TO WRECK AND GIVE HAVOC TO RAWIS, THUS SUMMONED
THE DEITY BAKUNAWA, A SEA SERPENT, AND MAYBE EVEN LIKEWISE EAT
THE MOON (ACCORDING TO LEGEND; AND IS BELIEVED TO CAUSE THE
SOLAR ECLIPSE). THE PEOPLE WERE FURIOUS AND SCARED, RUSHING
EVERYWHERE JUST TO AVOID OR ESCAPE THE GIGANTIC BAKUNAWA.
SUDDENLY, DATU MAKUSOG SHOUTED FOR THEM TO KEEP CALM AND LET
THEM REMEMBER THAT GUGURANG (SUPREME DEITY) WAS ALWAYS THERE
TO HELP THEM. THE PEOPLE AGREED. BALIANA, TOGETHER WITH THE
IBALON PEOPLE, THEN PROCEEDED TO DO THE HALYA (OR HALE’A), A
RITUAL DONE DURING THE FULL MOON IN HONOUR OF THE GUGURANG
TO CONTINUE TO WARD OFF THE BAKUNAWA.
5.
6. AFTER THE DANCE RITUAL, LIGHT CAME BACK TO THE LAND AND THE MOON
WENT BACK INTO SIGHT, SIGNALLING THAT THEY HAVE SUCCEEDED IN BANISHING
BAKUNAWA. AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT WAS THEN MADE BY DATU
MAKUSOG STATING THAT HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER, MASARAGA, HAS COME OF AGE
AND WAS READY TO BE WED. ORAGON, A RAWIS NATIVE, CAME RUSHING,
STATING THAT ANOTHER DATU WAS CONQUERING LANDS AND HAS ALREADY
COUNQUERED THE NEIGHBORING LAND – DATU PAGTUGA (HIS NAME MEANS
‘ERUPTION’) OF IRAGA. HOWEVER, DATU MAKUSOG WAS NEVER BOTHERED BY THE
NEWS. HE BELIEVED THAT THE LAND OF RAWIS WAS DOING WELL, WITH PLENTIFUL
HARVEST AND THE LIKE. WITH THIS, HE SUGGESTED THAT THERE BE DONE
ANOTHER RITUAL (AN OFFERING) IN HONOR OF GUGURANG, TO THANK HIM FOR
MAKING RAWIS A BOUNTIFUL LAND AND BESTOWING SUCH GIFTS AMONG THEM.
THEREAFTER, A DANCE WOULD BE HELD, THAT WOULD BE LED BY THE THREE
SISTERS (MAIDENS), TO WHICH HE NAMED ‘AN SAYAW NIN BUHAY’ (THE DANCE OF
LIFE). EVERYONE REJOICED AND THE WORD WAS SENT TO EVERYONE.
7. WHILE EVERYONE WAS PREPARING, THE NEXT SCENE SHOWED THE CREATURE
YASAW LURKING IN THE WOODS, WHEN A DEER SUDDENLY CAME ACROSS. AFTER
THE RIGHT TIMING, YASAW JUMPED OUT FROM BEHIND THE DEER AND CAUGHT
IT, KILLED IT, AND SHIFTED INTO THE DEER THAT HE KILLED. ALTHOUGH, AT
SOME MOMENT, HE TOO, WAS ALSO KILLED BY ORAGON, WHO WAS ONLY THERE
TO HUNT FOR A WILD ANIMAL THAT WOULD BE OFFERED, COOKED AND EATEN
FOR THE FEAST. ASWANG AND ORIOL SAW WHAT HAPPENED AND WERE
COMPLETELY DEVASTATED. ASWANG SAID THAT A BLOOD PRICE WOULD BE PAID
FOR WHAT ORAGON DID. ORIOL SECONDED THIS, PROMISING DEATH TO MAYON,
MALINAO AND MASARAGA AS REVENGE FOR THE DEATH OF YASAW. BUT ORAGON
DID NOT KNOW AS HE HAD NOT HEARD WHAT THE TWO SAID AND CONTINUED
AND CARRIED HIS HUNT OVER TO WHERE DATU MAKUSOG AND DAWANI MET HIM.
AT FIRST THE DATU WAS PLEASED TO KNOW ORAGON HUNTED AN ANIMAL TO
OFFER BUT WAS FRETTED WHEN ORAGON LAID THE DEAD ANIMAL, ONLY TO
REVEAL THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY YASAW. THE COUPLE BECAME WORRIED
THINKING IT MIGHT BE A BAD OMEN OR A SIGN THAT SOMETHING BAD WOULD
HAPPEN. YET, EVERYTHING WAS SET ASIDE AND THE DANCE RITUAL PUSHED
8. RIGHT BEFORE THE DANCE ENDED, ORAGON BRIEFLY INTERRUPTED THEM TO SAY
THAT DATU PAGTUGA HAS COME TO VISIT, ALONG WITH HIS TRUSTY
COMPANION, LINOG (HIS NAME MEANING ‘EARTHQUAKE’). DATU MAKUSOG WAS
VERY HAPPY WITH THE DATU’S VISIT. HE TOOK THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
INTRODUCE MASARAGA TO PAGTUGA, HOPING TO BETROTHED THE TWO. BUT,
PAGTUGA TOOK NOTICE OF MAYON AND WAS IMMEDIATELY CAPTIVATED BY HER
BEAUTY. HE WOULD ALWAYS LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL MAYON, NEVER TAKING
NOTICE OF MASARAGA. THIS LED HER CONFUSED, AND ALSO MADE MAYON FEEL
AKWARD AT THE SAME TIME (SHE WAS BEING COMFORTED BY MALINAO AS WELL).
THE DANCE CONTINUED AND MASARAGA TRIED TO MAKE PAGTUGA NOTICE HER,
BUT HIS EYES WERE ONLY FOCUSED ON MAYON. HE FOLLOWED HER THROUGHOUT
THE REST OF THE DANCE WHICH ANGERED MAYON, RESULTING HIM TO GET
PUSHED BY HER. LINOG STOOD IN BETWEEN THE TWO, BUT HE AND PAGTUGA
WERE RESTRAINED BY THE OTHERS TO PREVENT ANY FIGHT THAT WOULD
HAPPEN. THE TWO LEFT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
9. JUST AS THEY THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS OVER, THE CREATURE BANOG, A
WINGED MONSTER, CAME FLYING IN TO SCOOP DOWN, CAPTURED MASARAGA,
AND THEN FLEW HIGH AWAY. WHEN IT WAS HIGH ENOUGH, BANOG DROPPED
MASARAGA, LEADING TO HER DEATH. ASWANG AND ORYOL APPREARED AND
WERE DELIGHTED TO SEE THAT BANOG HAD SUCCEEDED AND BROUGHT OVER
THE LIFELESS MASARAGA. THE TWO PROCEEDED ON CHANTING ‘TIGBAK NA’ OR
‘ALREADY DEAD’ AND EVEN MOCKED THE WORDS OF DAWANI ON HER
STATEMENT ‘MASARAGA WAS READY TO BE WED’, AND CHANGED IT TO
‘MASARAGA WAS READY TO BE DEAD’. THE COMEDIC PART OF THE PLAY WAS
ACTUALLY IN THIS PART WHEN ASWANG TOLD ORYOL TO CARRY AND BURY THE
BODY OF MASARAGA SO THAT IT WOULDN’T ROT AND SMELL IN THE AIR. BUT
ORYOL DIDN’T WANT TO, SO SHE MADE A BET THAT WHOEVER WAS THE
BEAUTIFUL ONE, WOULD BE CARRYING THE DEAD MASARAGA. ASWANG WAS
HESISTANT AT FIRST, BUT ORYOL HAD PERSUADED HIM, SAYING HE IS OF COURSE,
THE BEAUTIFUL ONE. ATHOUGH, THEY STILL CARRIED THE BODY TOGETHER,
INSISTING THAT SHE WAS ALSO BEAUTIFUL. AFTER BURYING MASARAGA, A
MOUNTAIN GREW RIGHT BEFORE THEY VERY EYES, IN THE PLACE WHERE SHE WAS
BURIED. THIS SHOCKED ASWANG AND ORYOL AND THEY CRIED OUT IN DISBELIEF.
10. BACK IN RAWIS, DATU PAGTUGA CAME BACK WITH LINOG AND WAS WELCOMED
BY DATU MAKUSOG. HE BROUGHT WITH HIM MANY BASKETS FILLED PEARLS DIVED
FROM THE DEEP SEA, AND MANY GOLD THAT LINOG CARRIED. HE THOUGHT THAT
HE COULD WIN OVER MAYON'S HEART WITH RICHES. MAYON CAME OVER ALONG
WITH HER MOTHER, DAWANI BUT WAS STILL UNAMUSED BY THE FACT THAT
PAGTUGA WANTS TO MARRY HER AND PROUDLY REJECTED HIM. THIS ANGERED
PAGTUGA AND AGAIN IMMEDIATELY LEFT WITH LINOG CAUSING DATU MAKUSOG
TO REBUKE MAYON OVER HER ACTIONS AND BEHAVIOUR. MAYON, WHO WAS
PISSED OFF AS WELL, WALKED OUT ANGRILY AT THE PRESENCE OF BOTH HER
PARENTS. SHE THEN WENT TO THE RIVER YAWA TO EASE OFF HER ANGER. ORYOL
WAS ACTUALLY WAITING FOR HER, AND HAD CAST A SPELL MAKING SURE THAT
THE STONES WERE SLIPPERY, SO THAT MAYON WOULD SLIP AND DROWN. AS
PLANNED, MAYON CAME AND AND SLIPPED INTO THE RIVER WHERE SHE ALMOST
DROWNED, IF NOT FOR GINO (PRINCE) PANGANORON WHO SAVED HER.
11. MAYON GOT SCARED AND UNEASY AT FIRST, BUT WAS ALSO CAPTURED BY THE
HANDSOMENESS AND GENTLENESS OF PANGANORON. THE TWO DANCED AND
FELL IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER. ORYOL CRIED OUT IN DISMAY OF HER FAILURE.
BUT SHE KNEW SHE HAD TO KILL ONE OF THE SISTERS NEXT, SO BEFORE MAYON
AND PAGTUGA COULD LEAVE, SHE DISGUISED HERSELF AS THE LATE MASARAGA.
MAYON, UPON SEEING HER CAME TO BELIEVE THAT SHE WAS ACTUALLY
MASARAGA, AND WAS VERY HAPPY AND DELIGHTED THAT HER SISTER ALIVE AND
WELL, AND EVEN INTRODUCED PANGANORON TO HER. SHE ALSO CALLED
MALINAO TO TELL OF THE WONDERFUL NEWS. SHE TOO, WAS DECEIVED BY
ORYOL. AS THE LOVERS LEFT, ORYOL TOOK HER CHANCE AND PLEADED MALINAO
INTO GOING INTO THE SHALLOW RIVER, BUT AS SOON AS MALINAO NOTICED
THEY WERE GETTING INTO THE DEEPER PART OF IT, MALINAO STATED THAT SHE
IS NOT USED TO GOING TO THE DEEPER END BECAUSE SHE WAS AFRAID OF THE
WAVES. SHE PLEADED TO THE SHALLOW PARTS. ORYOL, PISSED BY MALINAO’S
CONTINUOUS PLEADING, BLEW HER COVER AND CHOKED HER, FINALLY
DROWNING HER AND ENGULFED BY THE WAVES. FROM WHERE MALINAO
DROWNED, A MOUNTAIN AGAIN GREW IN ITS MIDST, JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED
12. GOING BACK TO RAWIS, THE PEOPLE WERE CONTINUOUSLY TALKING ABOUT THE
DEATH OF MALINAO, AND DAWANI WAS SADDENED AND FILLED WITH SORROW
UPON KNOWING THE DEATH OF HER SECOND CHILD. SHE WAS COMFORTED BY
MAYON, THE BALIANA, DATU MAKUSOG, AND ORAGON. FOR THE MEANTIME,
SOMEWHERE IN THE FOREST, ORYOL THOUGHT OF ANOTHER PLAN TO KILL
MAGAYON. SHE IMPLANTED EVIL THOUGHTS ON DATU PAGTUGA'S HEAD STATING
THAT MAYON ALREADY LOVES ANOTHER MAN AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE WAY
FOR MAYON TO AGREE IN MARRYING HIM. ORYOL STATED THAT DATU PAGTUGA
WOULD ABDUCT DATU MAKUSOG AND THREATEN MAYON BY TELLING HER THAT
HE WILL KILL HER FATHER AND WAGE WAR IF SHE REFUSED TO MARRY HIM. HE
PROCEEDED WITH THE PLAN AND SUCCEEDED, LEAVING A HEARTBROKEN DAWANI
IN DESPAIR. MAYON AND ULAP HAVE HEARD OF THIS, AND THOUGH IT WAS
AGAINST HER WILL AND HER HEART, SHE AGREED TO THE WEDDING. ULAP WAS
FURIOUS, AND PROMISED TO FIGHT PAGTUGA FOR THE HAND OF MAYON.
13. IT WAS THE DAY OF THE WEDDING, AND A CEREMONY TOOK
PLACE, REVEALING A STILL GRIEF-STRICKEN MAYON THAT WAS
ABOUT TO MARRY THE MAN SHE LOATHED. BEFORE THE WEDDING
COULD EVEN REACH THE MIDDLE PART, ULAP AND HIS MEN ARRIVED
AND RAINED ARROWS OVER PAGTUGA AND HIS MEN. A GREAT
BATTLE TOOK PLACE INSTEAD OF A WEDDING. ULAP WAS ABLE TO
DEFEAT PAGTUGA IN THE END, AND MAYON JUBILANTLY RAN OVER
TO HER BELOVED. AS SOON AS SHE WAS ABOUT TO HOLD HIM, AN
ARROW STRUCK THEM FROM BEHIND, KILLING THE TWO LOVERS.
14. THE PEOPLE CRIED OUT IN GRIEF. THE MEN WENT AHEAD AND BURIED THE
TWO YOUNG LOVERS TOGETHER. AFTER BEING BURIED, ANOTHER
MOUNTAIN (THE THIRD AND THE LAST), A MAJESTIC ONE, APPEARED AT
THE BURIAL PLACE. INTERRUPTING THE GRIEF AND SORROW, AS IF IT
COULD NOT GET ANY WORSE, ASWANG, TOGETHER WITH THE BAND OF
OTHER ASWANGS CAME IN BRINGING DESTRUCTING OVER THE MOURNING
PEOPLE. JUST THEN, BEFORE THE ASWANGS WERE ABLE TO DEVOUR THEM,
THE SPIRITS OF THE THREE SISTERS (DEPICTED AS TALL LADIES WEARING
GREEN, DEPICTING THE MOUNTAINS), HELPED THEM AND FINALLY
DEFEATING ASWANG AND HIS CONSTITUENTS. MAYON, MALINAO AND
MASARAGA, JOINED IN TO DANCE WITH THE PEOPLE OF RAWIS AFTER A
SUCCESSFUL BATTLE AGAINST THE EVIL DEITY. THIS MARKED THE END OF
THE STAGE PLAY AND THE END OF THE STORY OF THE THREE MOUNTAINS.
