Legend of Brgy. Sab-ahan Bais City Negros Oriental

 Base on my research and gathered information from the late Historian Josefa Villanueva Perez of Bais City about the legend and stories in sab-ahan theirs a lot of myths and different kinds of a story but I choose this kind of story because this is quite interesting and looks like, it’s true and can be possible.

The story of Sab-ahan is very true to life where in, long before sab-ahan is known for a lot of BANANA called Sab-a and most of the people there Sab-a (Banana) is one of their livelihood and source of income before, everywhere in that place you can see Banana all around that area.OurBrgy. Before is famous in terms of Sab-a because this kind of banana is very tasteful and unique among the other bananas. And a lot of people say that theirs a fairy behind that tasteful banana called Sab-a, the fairy of Banana where she is the one who protects and gives more harvest to the people in our Brgy. Before.

When the Japanese invader comes in our Brgy. before they abuse the banana that we have and they cut all the banana plants and the body of it used to feed a pig and other animals before. In that case, the Banana fairy got angry and all the banana fruit have a lot of seeds inside of it and we called it Pakol, no one can eat it because of its too many seeds inside.

That’s why our ancestors before they pray and offer some foods, etc. to the Banana fairy to bring back the good kind of banana-like Sab-a and many years to come to the sab-a is back and the pakol is the one that only cut and feed to their pigs, cows, and other animals that can eat it.

One early ritual to plant the banana in the place is a young married man all naked bring clean water from the river and start to plant a new banana with sugar drop around. This tradition was passed on from generation and generation as a result of a good harvest 

And one day theirs a visitors comes in our brgy. and ask what is the name of the place because they want to come back there anytime they want because of the banana, they love to eat a banana called sab-abe cause of its amazing taste.

But suddenly the people who lived there don’t know what is the name of their place, one of the visitors suggest that “what if we called it the place of Sab-a?” and the people here are against it because it is too long if they will call it “the place of Sab-a”. Until they come up with the name Sab-ahan which means kasagikan nga Sab-a.

So that Day they called it Sab-ahan until this generation.-

Legend of Bais Collection from Baisanon late Historian Josefa Baena Villanueva-Perez - 1978

Literary Development of Negros Oriental in Bais and Tanjay

 Women in Literature in Negros Oriental  

Men  in Literature in Negros Oriental  

How Bais got its name

Writer Josefa Baena Villanueva -Perez 1981

Photo by : Brian Villanueva

When the fertile flatlands and rich fishing grounds were reported to the Spanish colonizers after they arrived in the Philippines, an expedition headed by a Spanish engineer was sent to the area to get its name and pinpoint its exact location, as well as prepare a map of the island. They happened to enter the mouth of the river in the area and saw some people gathering the abundant freshwater eel locally called “bais” that were caught in their fish traps.

Upon seeing the fishermen, the Spaniard asked in his native tongue, “Como se llama este lugar?” (What is the name of this place?). Failing to understand the engineer of the course, and thinking that he was asking for the name of the fish caught, the fisherman answered curtly, “Bais”. The Spaniard, therefore, recorded the name “Bais” as the name of the place.

The legend of the City of Bais

The legend of the City of Bais   1980

Writer: Josefa Baena Villanueva –Perez 

Translated from Cebuano to English: 

Leonaga Tulabing Larena,RN,MPM 

Bais before was already the center of trade in the island of Negros Oriental. The Chinese were already coming here to trade their magnificent silk and porcelain with lumber for building houses and sugar coming from sugar cane plant ( Tubo).

The natives of Bais idolizes the spirit ( Anitos ) and God and Goddesses that lived in the forest. They make the forests a sacred place to pray. They sometimes do not during moonlight nights and they sing native songs in their language for their beloved Anitas due to their greediness and weaknesses. They denuded the forests, they cut down all trees and build their houses there and celebrated fiestas.The sacredness of the place was forgotten.

Bais City Sunset by : Photographer Kenzo G. Laxina

The Anitos got very angry and famine resulted, their harvests failed and the natives were hungry. Despite what happened the anitos stile pitied the native. They created rivers and seas were numerous fish appeared which the natives were gathering freshwater eel called “Bais” caught in the fish traps. The natives were given fish to eat by the anitos.