#luzon

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Pancake batfish (Halieutichthys sp.) post-larval stage, portrait, Anilao, Batangas marine protected area, Luzon, Philippines, Verde Island Passages, Pacific Ocean.

Alex Mustard

[meta-holott]

1978 Philippines, Luzon, Manila

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

May I request the northern Luzon giant cloud rat? These rodents can get as large as 50 cm, and I need more people to know about them.

Of course!

Have you seen the northern Luzon giant cloud rat (Phloeomys pallidus)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onAug 25, 2025

[filipinfodump]

Why the Dead Come Back No More

Myth from the Ifugao People

A very long time ago there lived a very kind woman with her three little children. She loved her children so much that she worked hard to be able to feed them. One day she fell ill and in a short time she died . Her spirit went to Kadungayan, of course, as she lived a good life. But one night she thought of her poor little children whom she left on earth. She imagined that no one cared for them and that they must be hungry and cold. She pitied them so much that she decided to go back to earth. When she reached their house, she called her elder child to open the door for her. The children recognized their mother's voice and opened the door at once. She went in and spoke to them but they could not see her because it was very dark and their fire had gone out. The children were too small and they did not know how to build a fire. So the woman sent her eldest child to beg fire from the neighbors as she felt very cold. The poor child went to the first house but when she told them that she wanted fire for her mother who had come back home, the people just laughed at her. They did not give her fire. She went to the next house, but the same thing happened. Thus, she went to the next house, from house to house but no one believed that her mother had come back. They thought the poor child had gone out of her mind. So the poor child went home without the fire. The woman was very angry at all the unkind people. She said, " Am I to die a second death because men are so selfish? Come, my children, let us go to that better place where I came from— Kadungayan. There are no selfish people there." She took a jar of water and went outside in the yard. She shouted to all the people, "Ah, what selfish people you are. From this time on all people will follow my example. No man will ever come back to earth after death." With these words she smashed the jar on a big stone. This made a terrific sound. All the people became silent with fear. The next morning the people came out to see what had caused the great voice. They saw the bits of broken jar and they found the three children dead. They now knew that the woman had really come back home that night and that in her anger at their selfishness had taken her three children with her. The people were so sorry for not having given fire to the little girl. Since then no dead person has ever come back to earth. From Philippine Folk Literature Series: Vol. III, The Myths (2002), compiled and edited by Damiana L. Eugenio, published by The University of the Philippines Press (shopee, amazon)

[blog-region]

[arkipelagic]

Earliest evidence of writing in the Philippine archipelago: the Laguna Copperplate Inscription

Translation by Antoon Postma (1992):

Swasti! In the Shaka year 822*; the month of March-April; according to the astronomer: the fourth day of the dark half of the moon; on Monday. At that time, Lady Angkatan together with her relative, Bukah by name, the child of His Honor Namwaran, was given, as a special favor, a document of full acquittal, by the Chief and Commander of Tundun** representing the Leader of Pailah, Jayadewa. This means that His Honor Namwaran, through the Honorable Scribe was totally cleared of a salary-related debt of 1 kati and 8 suwarna (weight of gold): in the presence of His Honor the Leader of Puliran,*** Kasumuran; His Honor the Leader of Pailah, representing Ganasakti; (and) His Honor the Leader of Binwangan, representing Bisruta. And, with his whole family, on orders of the Chief of Dewata, representing the Chief of Mdang, because of his loyalty as a subject (slave?) of the Chief, therefore all the descendants of his Honor Namwaran have been cleared of the whole debt that His Honor owed the Chief of Dewata. This (document) is (issued) in case there is someone, whosoever, some time in the future, who will state that the debt is not yet acquitted of His Honor.

*equivalent to the year 900 AD in the Gregorian calendar **likely referring to modern-day Tondo, a district of Manila ***may refer to modern-day Pulilan, a municipality of Bulacan

[mothmiso]

Cordillera Administrative Region (2) (3) (4) by J.M. Rosario

Via Flickr:

(1) Wilma Gaspili, a traditional tattoo artist from Benguet. (2) Watwat (commonly described as a slice/slices of boiled pork that is distributed or shared as part of the meal of an Igorot feast) and pinuneg (blood sausage) (3) Saint Bernard dog sleeping beside walis tambos or soft broom near Lion's Head along Kennon Road, Camp 6, Baguio City. (4) Fruit stall in La Trinidad, Benguet.     

[nuuskamuikkanen]

They’re so ❤️