SYNOPSIS:
Pahagunong, a deity from the urugan (upper world), gazes down the pagtung-an (middle world) to the wide open sea. And lo, he falls madly in love with Matan-ayon, an irresistible, ravishing, long-haired beauty, bathing by the sea coast. But, he has to contend with the brave Paubari, the maiden’s guard, watching nearby. A long single fight ensues until Laonsina, deity-arbiter from the sky-word, devises a scheme to end it. Read another thrilling episode wherein Pahagunong meets his match.
About the Chanter and the Researchers: Federico Caballero was born seventy-six years ago near the stream of the river Pan-ay at the border of Masaroy, Calinog, and Tapaz, Capiz. A Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) Awardee for the year 2000, he comes from a long family line of epic chanters. Such exposures harnessed his skill and love for epic chanting (sugidanon) at an early age. In SY 2000–2001, together with Dr. Alicia P. Magos, he helped pioneer the first School for Living Tradition (SLT) in Visayas located in Barangay Garangan on the border of Tapaz, Capiz, and Calinog, Iloilo. In that informal weekend schooling, by co-monitoring, he was also assisted by his talented wife Lucing and his siblings in teaching epic chanting together with the other arts.