MUNICIPALITY OF PAETE (LAGUNA), Historical Data of Part IV

"Carlos, (that was the name of the stranger) I am glad that you came," said a voice coming from the bright light. "I am Saint Roque," he said as he approached Carlos. "I know the purpose of your coming. And because you are sincere and believed in God and me, you shall be rewarded. Go forth to that well, scoop some water from it, and wash your ailment." Saint Roque disappeared in the wink of an eye.

The stranger did exactly as he was told and, to his amazement, his skin became soft, smooth, and free from the dreaded disease.

The next day, when Mang Serapio came, Carlos, the stranger, related to him the story in detail. Mang Serapio immediately relayed the news to the people and caused a notice to be nailed on that trunk of the mango tree that read as follows: "SAN ROQUE WELL," commonly known in the dialect as "TOONG NI SAN ROQUE."

During the Spanish occupation, when leprosy was considered a dreaded and incurable disease, many people from other towns in the neighborhood who were afflicted with that malady came to that place to get medicinal water for their ailment.

Today, the pool is nowhere to be found. The flood in 1938 carried the mango tree and the pool was covered by boulders and soil. No trace of the medicinal waters of the pool could be located anymore.

Paete is a town of many legends. How things happened and places so-named bear wonderful stories behind them. As we ascend the path leading to the hills in Barrio Santiago, we may still see the faded prints of horshoe on the big, flat stone which lies right on the trail. That sign may frinds [?] is a stone with a history, if we will ever take it so, or if not, it has behind those almost invisible tracks a still luminous ray of an event woven around it by our ancestors depicting a memorable page in our history as a town and proving to us that our patron Saint James, or better known to our children as "Santiago Apostol," is miraculously a savior. We are, indeed, happy and grateful for having him as our "Pintakasi," to maintain peace in our homes and prosperity in our town. Let me unfold to you the mist that covers the legend of the horseshoe prints on the big, flat stone found in a trail of Barrio Santiago, which now lies south of the town proper between Longos and Paete.

Time was when the town of Paete shrieked with terror on the successive raids and lootings of the notorious gang of bandits that hid in the deep forests of the Sierra Madre Mountains. They were lawless, rough, and merciless; leaving no house unrobbed and no life spared. They attacked at night, took anything they fancied and did what they desired, then they noisily retreated to the hills and vanished into the dense jungle. The helpless townspeople could do nothing but lament the truth that they were either cowards or that they were really not in a position to offer resistance for lack of weapons. The great havoc brought about by such incidents, which were so cleverly plotted and treacherously carried out by the band of marauders, forced the people to resort to seeking aid from the Almighty, and since no strength on earth could be possible to put an end to all their sufferings, day in and day out, they poured to church and prayed to our patron Saint James, the Holy Warrior, to help them and save the town from the dread of the thieves. They held "novenas" and offered Masses for him, and climaxed the celebration with a procession of his image, mounted on a white horse, a sword in his hand slashing the Moors beneath his feet. It seemed a miracle of what happened after that.

Several days passed with not a single broken sleep from the townsnpeople. Nights seemed so long in waiting for the morrow and, as days broke, people rejoiced and wondered at the truth that they were saved at last. The mystery was solved when some farmers reported one afternoon that they saw some wonderful signs on a big flat stone which was found inside the town, just on the path leading up the hills. Crowds flocked to the place, and there — on the big, hard stone, they saw fresh prints of horseshoes which seemed to be from a stampeding herd of an invisible cavalry. Who could it be? The thieves went on foot and nobody else in town possessed even a donkey. Oh! The Great Divine St. James or Santiago Apostol — our Redeemer, our Savior.

Our people have been music lovers since time immemorial, and signs are taken from the old songs that our grandmothers and fathers sing to us when they lull us to sleep. There was once a group of minstrels who traveled from town to town singing their way to their hearts' content. These chants were gradually polished into tuneful melodies, and later into familiar songs distinctive of our emotions, feelings, and beliefs. A few only of these songs are being heard nowadays, for most of those who used to sing them are now gone through the years.

Some of them may be gleaned from the following:

Through the courtesy of Tandang Juanang-Langit (Mrs. Juana de Afuang), the daughter of the late Manuel Roque, we were able to collect some pertinent information about native dances common in our locality. Our dances are influenced by the different peoples who took stand on our soil a long, long time ago. It is said that a certain man by the name of Cleto, who came from Italy, was a close friend of Manuel Roque, who taught him the dances he learned abroad and, in turn, taught his daughter Juana, who at present can still interpret those dances as easily and gracefully to us in spite of her old age. The existence of these dances is credited to her ingenuity and ability, who is more than willing to teach us all her dances to revive the golden era of Filipino dances in order to give life to our traditions and customs as a race.

Some of these dances are the "Estudiantina," a lively courtship dance in the parochial school days; the Ala Jota Italiana, a favorite festival dance of the Italians; Poñal de Rosa, a favorite dance that ended in tragedy; the "Grambal," a creative dance made by Mr. Manuel Roque himself, where there are two men and a lady in a funny, thrilling triangle of love; the "Cachucha," another threesome dance; "Dos Amantes," the old version of jealousy; "Lanceros," a quadrille dance; the "Rigodon de Paete," "Molinero," "Paso Español," "Pandango Malaqueña," "Jota Civiliana," "Escocesa," "Habanera," "Mazurka," "Valse," "Porkabal," and "Sotis." These dances depict the feelings, sentiments, and habits of our people, rich in grandeur, spectacle, and thrill, both to the dancers and to the audience as well.

Recreations:

1. Compilation of Facts about Paete from 1580 to the Present, Volumes I & II by Mr. Teodoro Cajumban.

2. Records of the Church - in the possession of Mrs. Mercedes Cagandahan de Rocamora.