"Heaven watch the Philippines, keep them safe from harm! Bless their sons and their precious ones, in the city and on the farm...Friendly to America, may they ever be ... But Heaven watch the Philippines and keep them forever free, keep them forever free!"

Lyrics by Irving Berlin, Leyte, 1945

One of the oral traditions in Pila is the story of the travel of Pila residents to nearby towns by banca and that the residents board the banca at the back of the Old Pila Market (now a gym). One may conclude that the water of the lake might have reached the town in olden times, but gradually receded to its present position. Recent discovery of the intelligence report of 1st Lt. Leon L. Roach written in February 12, 1902 could shed light to one of the oral traditions of Pila.

The report of 1st Lt. Leon L. Roach was published in Report No. 17, PILA, MAGDALENA, MAJAYJAY AND LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA PROVINCE, Headquarters Division of the Philippines, Adjutant Generals Office, Military Information Division, Manila, P.I., 1902. The file below was annotated by Jaime F.Tiongson.

Please download this file and read the report. The report is a good complement to Huerta's description of Villa de Pila.

How much was the Vocabulario de Lengua Tagala by Pedro de San Buenaventura in 1613? Antoon Postma gave us a microfilm copy of the tasado(appraised) and it cost 30 reales! It is worthwhile to note that the cost was edited out in the 1994 reprint of the vocabulario.

The first printed book in the Philippines, the Doctrina Christiana, the tasado was only 2 reales.

Download pdf of both 1994 reprint and microfilm copy of the tasado and compare! Please note that the British Museum seal is also absent in the 1994 reprint.