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A long time ago, back when the sun was still young and Bathala still touched the face of the Earth with his own finger tips, man was a nomadic free spirit. With his wife, they roamed the Earth picking fruits and vegetables whenever they please.
He didn't know how to farm and he didn't have to work, but that was alright, since the world was so big and the plants and trees grew on their own.
Years have passed and much has changed on the face of the earth. There was now a village and there more people. But Earth didn't grow with man. She tried to nurture him with her bosom, the land, but man didn't know any better. He just took what he needed and got what he wanted.
The fruit bearing trees and the vegetable vines grew weary and called on Bathala to intervene.
Bathala saw this and decided to go amongst the men to teach them how to farm and work for their food. It was hard to teach these stubborn men, but once they knew that they can grow and harvest any kind of fruit or vegetable that they wanted, they learned to work hard and cope with the toils of the soil.
The men gathered and planted, and would dance and sing to call upon the Wind to bring her brother Rain. Now Rain, was a somber fellow, he only came when he wanted and did so whether men danced or sang or not.
If it were not for his sister Wind, he would probably not come at all. During the times when Wind was not around for a long time to bring her brother Rain, this then became what is now known as summer - the times when Rain didn't come.
But among the men in the village, there lay a creeping darkness. A foul spirit who listened and watched man's every move with envy. He was one among many castaways in the world of Anitos and Diwatas.
He was named Batugan.
Batugan reeled with envy at men as he watched them enjoy the bounty of their harvest. He too wanted to have some of those delightfully colorful fruits and vegetables, he wanted to taste them too but unfortunately he was cursed to roam the Earth with no body to do so. For this he longed for man's agony. He plotted for years until he saw an opportunity.
It so happens that opportunity lay amongst men themselves. For there were two in the village who embodied exactly the type of men that Batugan could use. They were named Damo and Talahib.
Damo and Talahib were the laziest men in the village. They stole from the other menfolk who worked hard to till the land. When the others would force them to work with them, they did so only after complaining for hours about how they were the weakest men in the village and how much their bodies ached from working. In truth, they spent their days having fun, playing games and engaging in tomfoolery.
Batugan saw this and decided that he would put his own seed in their minds.
While Damo and Talahib were playing and the other men were working, Batugan came near the two and whispered a devious scheme.
He told Damo and Talahib that if they stole everything inside the village store house, that they wouldn't have to endure the ostracism of other men, have plenty of food and would live to rule them all. Of course this was a silly plot but Damo and Talahib really had simplistic minds.
Being the simple minded fellows that they were, Damo and Talahib began to hatch a plot to steal all of the fruits and vegetables in the storehouse. They waited until all of the other men were too tired from their work. While the men were sleeping, Damo and Talahib crawled up to the storehouse and helped themselves to what was inside. They then got some large bamboo leaves to carry the fruits and hide them beneath their own huts.
They squealed with delight and patted each other telling themselves that they were really smart. They talked about how they were going to make all of the men their subjects when suddenly Kulog the demigod with his brother Kidlat, arrived with a thunderous roar.
Krakatooommm!!
"Damo and Talahib, we've come to bear a message from our dear lord Bathala." roared kulog so loud that the other men in the village woke up to see what was happening. Kidlat, who was bearing a silver spear that shone a light so bright that it almost blinded Damo and Talahib, nodded to his brother Kulog.
"You have been judged as unworthy of being human beings for stealing and conniving with Batugan. Your laziness will destroy humanity if all men are going to be like you. You have chosen to steal from the backs of hardworking men to fill your plates even though it is not your place to have many."
Kidlat struck his spear on the ground and the earth rumbled with the echoes of destruction and Kulog roared louder.
"From this day forward, up to eternity, Damo and Talahib will become anchored to the Earth never to walk freely as men again."
"You will never bear fruits or vegetables of any kind."
"You will be struck by hardworking men with their bolos to clean their farms."
"You will then have to endure this for eternity because you will grow again and again on all the lands of the earth."
"You will be eaten by animals and stepped on by all men and everything that walks this earth."
"Under Bathala's authority, we Kulog and Kidlat, curse you for eternity!"
With that, kulog roared his loudest and Kidlat struck his spear on the ground casting the brightest light of energy on the two.
Then there was only silence and darkness. The other men of the village looked around for the two but it was too dark and they eventually gave up.
When the morning came and Araw shone her light on the world of men again, the village gathered to look for Damo and Talahib. They were nowhere to be found so the men gave up. A little boy who was curious went back to where the two was last seen. To his surprise, he found two small plants that he never saw before.
Being the curious child that he is, he took a closer look at the small weeds. He sniffed them, and found that they didn't smell as good as the flowers.
"You're not beautiful like the flowers and you are so small, I don't think you'll ever bear fruits or vegetables of any kind. You are a waste."
With that the little boy pulled the weeds from the ground and threw them away.
A goat was nearby. Being the voracious eater that he was, he chomped on the weeds.
Now everytime Rain came to water the farms of men, the hardworking ones brought their bolos, kawits to uproot the many, many incarnations of Damo and Talahib.
He didn't know how to farm and he didn't have to work, but that was alright, since the world was so big and the plants and trees grew on their own.
Years have passed and much has changed on the face of the earth. There was now a village and there more people. But Earth didn't grow with man. She tried to nurture him with her bosom, the land, but man didn't know any better. He just took what he needed and got what he wanted.
The fruit bearing trees and the vegetable vines grew weary and called on Bathala to intervene.
Bathala saw this and decided to go amongst the men to teach them how to farm and work for their food. It was hard to teach these stubborn men, but once they knew that they can grow and harvest any kind of fruit or vegetable that they wanted, they learned to work hard and cope with the toils of the soil.
The men gathered and planted, and would dance and sing to call upon the Wind to bring her brother Rain. Now Rain, was a somber fellow, he only came when he wanted and did so whether men danced or sang or not.
If it were not for his sister Wind, he would probably not come at all. During the times when Wind was not around for a long time to bring her brother Rain, this then became what is now known as summer - the times when Rain didn't come.
But among the men in the village, there lay a creeping darkness. A foul spirit who listened and watched man's every move with envy. He was one among many castaways in the world of Anitos and Diwatas.
He was named Batugan.
Batugan reeled with envy at men as he watched them enjoy the bounty of their harvest. He too wanted to have some of those delightfully colorful fruits and vegetables, he wanted to taste them too but unfortunately he was cursed to roam the Earth with no body to do so. For this he longed for man's agony. He plotted for years until he saw an opportunity.
It so happens that opportunity lay amongst men themselves. For there were two in the village who embodied exactly the type of men that Batugan could use. They were named Damo and Talahib.
Damo and Talahib were the laziest men in the village. They stole from the other menfolk who worked hard to till the land. When the others would force them to work with them, they did so only after complaining for hours about how they were the weakest men in the village and how much their bodies ached from working. In truth, they spent their days having fun, playing games and engaging in tomfoolery.
Batugan saw this and decided that he would put his own seed in their minds.
While Damo and Talahib were playing and the other men were working, Batugan came near the two and whispered a devious scheme.
He told Damo and Talahib that if they stole everything inside the village store house, that they wouldn't have to endure the ostracism of other men, have plenty of food and would live to rule them all. Of course this was a silly plot but Damo and Talahib really had simplistic minds.
Being the simple minded fellows that they were, Damo and Talahib began to hatch a plot to steal all of the fruits and vegetables in the storehouse. They waited until all of the other men were too tired from their work. While the men were sleeping, Damo and Talahib crawled up to the storehouse and helped themselves to what was inside. They then got some large bamboo leaves to carry the fruits and hide them beneath their own huts.
They squealed with delight and patted each other telling themselves that they were really smart. They talked about how they were going to make all of the men their subjects when suddenly Kulog the demigod with his brother Kidlat, arrived with a thunderous roar.
Krakatooommm!!
"Damo and Talahib, we've come to bear a message from our dear lord Bathala." roared kulog so loud that the other men in the village woke up to see what was happening. Kidlat, who was bearing a silver spear that shone a light so bright that it almost blinded Damo and Talahib, nodded to his brother Kulog.
"You have been judged as unworthy of being human beings for stealing and conniving with Batugan. Your laziness will destroy humanity if all men are going to be like you. You have chosen to steal from the backs of hardworking men to fill your plates even though it is not your place to have many."
Kidlat struck his spear on the ground and the earth rumbled with the echoes of destruction and Kulog roared louder.
"From this day forward, up to eternity, Damo and Talahib will become anchored to the Earth never to walk freely as men again."
"You will never bear fruits or vegetables of any kind."
"You will be struck by hardworking men with their bolos to clean their farms."
"You will then have to endure this for eternity because you will grow again and again on all the lands of the earth."
"You will be eaten by animals and stepped on by all men and everything that walks this earth."
"Under Bathala's authority, we Kulog and Kidlat, curse you for eternity!"
With that, kulog roared his loudest and Kidlat struck his spear on the ground casting the brightest light of energy on the two.
Then there was only silence and darkness. The other men of the village looked around for the two but it was too dark and they eventually gave up.
When the morning came and Araw shone her light on the world of men again, the village gathered to look for Damo and Talahib. They were nowhere to be found so the men gave up. A little boy who was curious went back to where the two was last seen. To his surprise, he found two small plants that he never saw before.
Being the curious child that he is, he took a closer look at the small weeds. He sniffed them, and found that they didn't smell as good as the flowers.
"You're not beautiful like the flowers and you are so small, I don't think you'll ever bear fruits or vegetables of any kind. You are a waste."
With that the little boy pulled the weeds from the ground and threw them away.
A goat was nearby. Being the voracious eater that he was, he chomped on the weeds.
Now everytime Rain came to water the farms of men, the hardworking ones brought their bolos, kawits to uproot the many, many incarnations of Damo and Talahib.