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CHAPTER 1
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CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 3
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CHAPTER 4
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CHAPTER 5
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CHAPTER 6
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CHAPTER 7
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      Many, many years ago, a poor but very pious tenant farmer named Mang Isidro worked in the hacienda of Don Juan Diego, a rich man of Pagsanjan. he lived alone in a nipa hut on a small hill situated north of the town. This hill now bears his name.
      Every morning Mang Isidro spent many hours in the town church. Aside from hearing the daily Mass, he recited long prayers to many saints. Accordingly, he was usually late in his farm work every day.
      Despite the daily loss of valuable hours in his farm work, his rice crop was always bountiful. Unlike his fellow farmers, he had no problem of pest infestation and rat devastation. No wonder, the farmers who cultivated the rice fields adjacent to his farm were amazed. Year after year, they worked harder than Mang Isidro, but they harvested lesser crops. They become envious of Mang Isidro. One of them, a malicious peasant farmer, tried to discredit him by gossiping to Don Juan, the landlord, that Mang Isidro was wasting many precious hours in church, thereby neglecting his farm duties.
      To verify the slanderous gossip, Don Juan made a surprise visit to his farm. He arrived at Mang Isidro's nipa hut at 9 o'clock in the morning. The old tenant was absent because he was still in the church praying to his favorite saints.
      Don Juan was angry and waited with impatience at the nipa hut. An hour later Mang Isidro came and was surprised to see his landlord. "Oh, Don Juan," he apologized respectfully, "I'm very sorry to be late. I did not know you're coming, otherwise I would have shortened my prayers."
      "You lazy, good-for-nothing tenant," roared Don Juan in volcanic fury. He hurled so many expletives at his poor tenant, who silently endured the verbal storm. In the midst of his furious tirade, Don Juan suddenly stopped because he felt terribly thirsty. "Isidro, give me some water to drink, I'm very thirsty."
      Mang Isidro thrust his wooden staff into a rock near his hut. Fresh cool water instantly bubbled out of the rock. Shocked by the miraculous spectacle, Don Juan, forgetting his anger, fell on his knees and begged his old tenant to forgive him. For him, Mang Isidro was indeed a holy man who possessed the miraculous power of a saint.
      Since this incident, Don Juan became considerate and kind to his old tenant. Many years later, after Mang Isidro died, the Pagsanjan folks came to revere him as a saint.
      The hill where Mang Isidro had lived and labored was named San Isidro after him. The rock where he used to obtain water still exists.

The Legend of Doña Pascuala Cave

      The upstream bend of the Balanac River is called Doña Pascuala because the land bordering this particular spot was once owned during the Spanish times by a rich old spinster named Doña Pascuala. Its north bank is made up of adobe stone which drops sharply into the water. About ten feet below the river surface is a dark subterranean cave known as Doña Pascuala Cave. Young boys used to dive into the water to see this cave. Fishermen also explore it to catch giant lobsters (ulang) which usually hide there.
      Long, long ago, it is said that a handsome young fisherman, while fishing in the river, was surprised to see a beautiful mermaid combing her hair on the rock. She smiled at him, beckoning him to approach the rock.
      Lured by her bewitching beauty, the young fisherman swam toward her. The mermaid invited him to her cave which was located beneath the rock. He accepted her invitation, for he was curious to see what was inside the cave.
      Diving hand in hand into the water, the couple emerged in a beautiful room filled with fabulous treasures. The mermaid gave him some gold coins and asked him to live with her. Evidently, she was in love with the handsome fisherman. "I will give you all the riches that any man can have," she said, "if you stay with me".
      The fisherman graciously refused the mermaid's offer. He confessed that he was already married and had a wife and a child. The mermaid was unhappy to know that he could not accept her offer.
      Sadly, she bade him good-bye. Her parting words to him were: "Go back to your wife and child. Keep the gold coins I gave you, but never tell anybody where you got them. Farewell, my love."
      The fisherman returned home. With great excitement, he showed the gold coins to his wife, "Where did you get these gold coins?" asked the wife.
      Forgetting his promise to the mermaid, the fisherman told her, "A beautiful mermaid gave them to me. She lives in a palatial room under the rocky bank of the river."
      As soon as he revealed the mermaid's secret, the gold coins turned into common clay. the room filled with treasures beneath the river bank became a dark gloomy cave. And the beautiful mermaid was seen no more.