A Subterranean Tunnel

Geographical Description

Liki is an upland rural barangay located northeast of Balamban with an area of 736 hectares. It is situated 12 kilometers from the town proper. It is bounded on the north by the Municipality of Asturias and another barangays which are Cabagdalan on the east, Biasong on the west, and Hingatmonan & Lamesa on the south. Its landform is 75% mountainous, 10% valleys, 10% plateaus, & 5% hilly.

It is politically subdivided into six (6) sitios, namely: Liki Proper, Mayana, Camanaol, Obogon, Buyog, & Malingin.

Historical Background

According to oral tradition, during the pre-colonial period, Liki was a dense virgin forest. It was a favorite hunting ground of the lowland people from Bangbang, which was used to be the old town but now a sitio of Nangka, who had introduced coconut around the area. There used to be a large number of wild boars roaming around the tallest hill of Liki Proper which is called today by the local people as “Bataria” or “Batavia”. More probably it was named after the old name of Jakarta, Indonesia since it was already established that the early settlers of Bangbang were actually ancient Javanese. At the top of this hill, which is actually a plateau, there are many cracks on the ground which formed a number of holes which accordingly are subterranean tunnels leading towards the opposite cliff beyond the creek. The said cracks were first discovered by the ancient hunters from Bangbang who were chasing the wild boars that led them to their hide-outs amidst the thick rattan vines. They called those cracks as “liki”, a Visayan word which literally means “crack”. From then on, the place was called as “Liki”.

Moreover, during the Spanish period the said hill became a military post of the Spanish battalion who guarded the subterranean tunnel against the “Pulahanes” (the Cebuano identification of the “Katipuneros”) who used it as a secret passage. The Spaniards got there by way of the Combado River. The Spaniards accordingly collected logs and tied them at the top of the hill. And whenever the “Pulahanes” would cross by the river, the Spaniards would release the logs and allow them to roll over and fall on the unsuspecting passers-by. Perhaps the said event was correlated with the story of the mutiny & massacre of the ship “Batavia” in 1629. During that time, accordingly, Liki was only a sitio of Biasong, which was then established as a barrio. Skeletons of the Spaniards along with a Spanish helmet & a Filipino “kampilan” and a pouch of diamonds were found at the entrance and at the end of the tunnel respectively by the treasure hunters during the 1970’s. Diamonds were used by the traders of Southeast Asia since its discovery in Borneo in 700 AD. Diamonds were believed to be the “teeth of lightning” represented by a thunderbolt used by the Supreme Deity in punishing evil. A Chinese work from the 3rd century BC mentions: "Foreigners wear it [diamond] in the belief that it can ward off evil influences". Thus, the said diamonds could be brought there by the ancient hunters as protections against evil.

Accordingly, in 1931, during the American Period, a number of American combat helicopters, perhaps the autogiro planes manufactured by the Buhl Aircraft Company of Detroit were meant since there were local legends associating Detroit's manufactures with the local fairy queen, had flown over the Malingin Creek in the then sitio Liki of Biasong. Explosions from either the helicopters that were chasing rebels or the American miners who blasted some of the rocks along the Malingin Creek in search of gold were heard. In that year too, Liki was separated from Biasong and was established as another barrio. During that time the head of the municipality was called as presidente municipal (municipal president) and the head of the barrio was called as teniente del barrio (barrio lieutenant). After the death of Pres. Ramon Magsaysay the head of the barrio was then called as barrio capitan (barrio captain). And during the Marcos regime when the barrio was transformed into a barangay, its head was then called as barangay kapitan (barangay captain) until today.

The old people could still recount the names of the people who became heads of the barangay, namely:

1. Maximo Narvasa (1931-1946). He served as teniente del barrio for 15 years.
2. Mileton Pacquiao (1946-1951). He served as teniente del barrio for 5 years.
3. Alijo Mangitngit (1951-1954). He served as teniente del barrio for 3 years.
4. Arsenio Panilagan (1954-1959 & 1987-1989). He served as teniente del barrio for 3 years, barrio capitan for 2 years and as OIC barangay kapitan for 2 years.
5. Emedio Mag-aso (1959-1962). He served as barrio capitan for 3 years.
6. Milquiades Panilagan (1962-1965). He served as barrio capitan for 3 years.
7.  Marcilo Servado (1965-1987). He served as barangay kapitan for 22 years.
8.  Hilario Banate (1989-1984). He served as barangay kapitan for 5 years.
9. Climaco Pacquiao (1994-2002, 2007-2010, & 2010-present).
10. Antonio Plumo (2002-2007). He served as barangay kapitan for 5 years.

During the early years of the establishment of Liki as a barrio, the mountain people from the municipalities of Pinamungajan, Naga, & Dalaguete began to migrate in the area. At that time, most of the mountains of Liki were inhabited by aetas known locally as “odok” who used to plant corn abundantly. Yet, a problem occurred every harvest time since the apes and monkeys accordingly would steal the crops. And it became worst when the migrants began to hunt the monkey-eating eagles known locally as “manaol” that used to hunt the apes and monkeys for food. Later on, the apes & monkeys were also hunted down. The aetas also vanished for obscure reason but most probably it might be caused by the migration of people from other parts of Cebu and by the disturbance of the jungles, which served as their hunting grounds, caused by this influx. 


SCENIC SPOTS 

There is lot of scenic spots within the barangay. But mostly are seldom visited by the local people because aside from the distant walk the places are believed to be inhabited by elemental spirits. Among these scenic spots are the Tu’tu’ Cliff in sitio Obogon; the Batavia Hill and the aerial views of places seen from the said hill in sitio Liki Proper; the Kawasan Waterfalls, Campana Waterfalls, Pandong Waterfalls, Malingin Creek, and Lut-od Pool in sitio Malingin; the mountain view in sitio Buyog; caves and a lot more in other sitios.

Folk Beliefs & Indigenous Practices

The local people believes that a very powerful fairy queen named “Tang-an”, who is also referred as “Maria Cacao” since she is believed to own a vast cacao plantation, lives in Tu’tu’ Cliff, in sitio Obogon. Accordingly she owned large ships which she used in exporting cacao products to other countries especially in the U.S.A. and in fetching automobiles & airplanes that she bought from there. She used to lend wedding clothes, kitchen wares & utensils, and other things used in special occasions but ceased to do it after the local people did not return her things. Moreover she owned bullions of gold and diamonds which were guarded by a kraken (“mantaga”); a Pegasus (“kabayong binto”); a unicorn (“kabayong talirungan”); a dragon (“bakunawa”); a winged centaur (“kwi”); an ogre (“agta”); a pair of silver ravens (“owak nga ogis”); a band of leprechauns & elves (“dewende”); a flock of sylphs, water sprites, & fairies (“lambana”/”ingkanto”/”dili-ingon-nato”); a school of tritons & merfolks (“kataw”); a band of apes (“amo”); and a white monkey (“onggoy nga ogis”). She is also believed as an Amazon queen of the jungles & forests. She is like a union of the Greek deities Athena, Artemis, & Aphrodite. Even until now her dwelling place is still considered by the folk people as very sacred. Hence, when people passed to these places they would ask the permission of the unseen people. And there are still folk people who continue the animistic practice called “diwata”. A fairy or a female deity is called also as a “diwata” but giving harvest offerings to the elemental spirits is also called “diwata”. 

Aside from the beliefs of those mystical enchanted creatures, the folk people also believed in mythical monstrous creatures like the “ongo”, “sigbin”, “wakwak”, “kikik”, “abat”, “mangtas”, and many more.

They have also a lot of traditional practices like marking a cross with chicken’s blood on the forehead of a birthday celebrant; having wedding ceremonies like “pamaye”, “likod-likod”, putting a comb made of sea-turtle shell on the bride’s hair, separating the bride and the groom on the day of the wedding by which they would only meet at the church, prohibiting the wearing of the bridal gown and the groom’s clothes before the wedding day, and other rituals before the wedding and other set of rituals right after the wedding like throwing grains at the wedding celebrants for a long-lasting blessings, throwing the bride’s bouquet of flowers to the female attendants to pass around the luck of being wed, staying of the newly wed couple inside the house without going out for three days to avoid evil, and a lot more.

As a whole 95% of the community are Christians (that is, 85% are Catholics and 10% are non-Catholics) and 5% are animists.

 MISSION

“Among handum/pangandoy nga hatagan ug maayong panginabuhi-an ang among tagi-barangay mapatunhay ang kahapsay ug kalinaw. Mapalambo ang barangay, mapatuman ang ilang handum ug yangongo sama sa panubig, elektrisidad, maayong agi-an ug edukasyon, ug uban pa.” (It is our dreams and ambitions to give our fellow citizens in the barangay a good source of livelihood; progress & development by answering their needs of putting potable water system, electricity, good roads, education & others and by maintaining peace and order.)

VISION

“Ang tanan namong mga lantaw ug handum alang sa barangay, amo kining makab-ot ug ipakita pinaagi lamang sa usa ka kamot nga nangkahi-usa sa pagkupot ug inubanan sa pagkamatinud-anon sa buhat ug serbisyo sa mga tawo. Labaw sa tanan uban sa tabang sa atong mahal nga amahan nga si Jesu-Cristo.” (We can attain all our goals and dreams for the barangay by a single hand of unity along with dedication to work and service to people. Above all, by the help of our beloved father Jesus Christ.)

BARANGAY OFFICIAL SEAL