The Giant of Guiting-Guiting

About the legend

Being

Invented mountain giant (original fable)

Cultural meaning

Mount Guiting-Guiting rises steep and sharp over Sibuyan Island in Romblon. Much of the mountain is protected as Mt. Guiting-Guiting Natural Park, where the forest runs from the mangroves on the coast to mossy forest and grassland near the peaks.

Fun fact

The name Guiting-Guiting is usually explained as jagged or saw-toothed, after the mountain's sharp ridge.

Cultural notes

The Sibuyan Mangyan Tagabukid are the indigenous people of Sibuyan. They live in the uplands and received the title to their ancestral domain on 8 August 2004. The upper slopes of Guiting-Guiting are steep and hard to reach. Paggalang (respect) and pakikipamuhay (living together) are Filipino words for the care the village shows in this story.

About this retelling

Original ecological fable An original ecological fable that personifies Mount Guiting-Guiting as the invented giant Giting.

Giting is an invented personification of Mount Guiting-Guiting, not a documented Sibuyanon giant, and Mang Isko, Mara and the plot are invented too. The river crossing is ordinary mountain safety: wait out the rain, and if a river turns brown, rain has already fallen higher up and the water can rise fast.

Sources

• Key Biodiversity Areas, "Mount Guiting-guiting Natural Park (9758)." (KBA Factsheet)
• Foundation for the Philippine Environment, "Romblon's Sibuyan Mangyan Tagabukid Celebrates Indigenous People's Day; Commemorates Awarding of Ancestral Domain Title" (2017) (FPE)

Themes

• Humility
• Respect for Nature
• Community Care

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