Golden Bell of Cagsawa

 Like hundred other oral folklore and legends in Bicol some people actually believe this is true. 

The Myth of the Golden Bell of Cagsawa

In the town of Cagsawa, there’s a story passed down by the elders about the church's bell, believed to have been made of gold. This golden bell attracted pirates and raiders, who frequently attacked the town in hopes of stealing it. When news spread that Moro pirates were approaching Albay Gulf, the townspeople removed the bell from the tower and dropped it into the waters of Busay Falls to hide it.

The raid happened, but the pirates left empty-handed as no one revealed the bell’s hiding place. Afterward, however, the townspeople could not retrieve the bell, despite efforts by divers to locate it. A mysterious figure, thought to be a Tawong Lipod (spirit), told the people that the bell would remain hidden in the falls and would only ring to warn of future dangers like pirate attacks or calamities. Yet, over the years, no one ever heard the bell ring, and the tale of the golden bell faded from memory.

Stories of golden bells were common during the Spanish colonial period, not just in Cagsawa but also in places like Linao, Libon, Albay, where similar legends emerged. These myths possibly arose to enhance the mystery surrounding churches and their divine connection. Some elders today still believe that the Cagsawa bell was truly made of gold, but as gold is a soft metal, it’s unlikely that such a bell would make a sound loud enough to be heard by an entire village.

The legend resurfaced in the late 1960s with a twist: the golden bell was not dropped into Busay Falls but buried under the church itself, beneath the lava during the catastrophic eruption of Mount Mayon on February 1, 1814.

This legend also sparked debates about whether the Cagsawa church was buried by lava, similar to the ancient city of Pompeii. Excavations in the 1970s aimed to uncover artifacts but were eventually abandoned when no significant objects were found. Over time, the land was claimed and titled by private individuals, leaving behind only boulders and the church’s mortared walls.

Though many now dismiss the myth as just a story, some elders continue to tell tales of the golden bell, hidden beneath the waters or buried under lava, waiting to ring in times of danger.

REMINDER

The orally transmitted mythology of the Philippines is intended for sharing and understanding, not for appropriation, commercial exploitation, or the promotion of foreigners and foreign products. It is a dynamic narrative tradition that evolves over time, distinct from the standardized mythologies found in Western and European cultures. Unlike these established mythologies, the Philippine government has not mandated standardized versions of stories and legends.

Orally transmitted stories undergo variations and evolve over time, resulting in numerous different versions. There are many different version told by Filipinos, and retold by Filipinos.