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The Sirena Stories: Ilocano Mermaid Folklore from the Philippines
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The Sirena Stories
Ilocano Mermaid Folklore from the Philippines This manuscript is a compilation of Ilocano mermaid folklore spanning more than 400 years of Philippine history, drawn from the Philippine Ethnographic Series collected by my great-grandfather, Dr. Henry Otley Beyer, widely regarded as the Father of Philippine Anthropology. These stories preserve oral traditions, cultural beliefs, and maritime legends from Northern Luzon that have been passed down through generations. Through this work, these narratives are brought together to honor and protect the folklore of the Ilocano people. Collected by Dr. Henry Otley Beyer Compiled, Arranged & Edited by Charity Beyer-Bagatsing Copyright © 2026 by Charity Beyer-Bagatsing Published by Juno Regina Publishing ISBN: 979-8-9993137-0-6 This book contains images that were created with the assistance of artificial intelligence. The author used AI image-generation tools as part of the creative process. All content was reviewed and edited by a human to ensure accuracy and to align with the author’s voice and intent. The author takes full responsibility for the content of this publication.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented without the prior written permission of the author and copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations used in reviews, scholarly works, or critical articles permitted by copyright law. For permissions and inquiries, please contact: Charity@SpokaneUnitedWeStand.org (509)928.9664 www.facebook.com/hobeyer
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Acknowledgements With deepest gratitude to my great-grandfather, Henry Otley Beyer, whose pioneering work in Philippine anthropology and history continues to illuminate generations. You remain my inspiration and are forever with me in spirit. I am profoundly honored to be your promise keeper — preserving and promoting your life’s work on Philippine history and culture for generations to come. In loving memory of my grandmother, Pacita Malabad-Beyer a.k.a Ms. Ilagan, who lovingly helped shape this vision. From 2000- 2003, we spent countless hours in-person and on the phone carefully curating which stories should be included. Your wisdom and guidance are woven into every page.
Pacita & William “Bill” Beyer
A heartfelt posthumous thank you to my great-grandmother, Victoria Malabad a.k.a Lola Bito, who first planted the seeds of wonder by sharing stories of this enchanting creature and revealing the hidden mysteries of the mermaid. This book is affectionately dedicated to my beloved children -Joellen, Lauren, Kelsey, Jacoby and my grandson Joseph. May you carry forward these stories, our culture, and this legacy with pride for generations to come.
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Table of Contents 7. About the Author 8. Foreword 10. Preface 12. Introduction Chapter One History of the Maiden of the Waters. 14. The Origin of the Sirena 16. The Litao and the Sirin 22. The Ever-Changing Rivers of Ilocos 26. The Siren’s Cave 31. The Mysterious Maidens of the Ilocos Waters Chapter Two The Water Vixens 34. The Sandbar of 1933 36. The Sirena’s Crocodile 38. The Boy and the Sirena of Cagayan River 40. Matias and the Sirena of Paoay 42. The Sirena of the Mountain 44. The Sirena of Tarlac River 46. The Sirena of Amburayan River 49. The Mermaid and the Teacher 52. The Story of Lacay Inciong 56. The Sirena of Bauang River 57. Monching and the Sirena of Laoag 60. Cristobal and the Sirena Chapter Three The Shape Shifters 64. The Two Sisters 66. Lola Ticiang and the Sirena 68. The Sirena of Tagudin 71. Maria and the Sirena 74. The Sirena of Vigan
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Chapter Four The Wish Givers 76. The Mermaid Queen 80. The Boy Who Got Away 82. Jesus and the Sirena of Laoag 86. Ruiz & the Sirena of Laoag
Chapter Five 93. A Special Dedication 94. The Sirena Manuscript Source: Dr. Arsenio Manuel 95. Original Introduction : Dr. Henry Otley Beyer 97. Original Preface: Dr. Henry Otley Beyer 98. Gawad Kalinga USA About the Author Charity Beyer-Bagatsing is a publisher, and event producer, known for connecting communities through culture, storytelling, and public engagement. She serves as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The Family Guide (2005–present), a widely distributed parenting publication serving families in Eastern WA and North ID. She is also the co-founder and Executive Director of Spokane United We Stand, an organization representing the Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities of Eastern WA. A sought-after speaker, organizer, and communications strategist, Charity has produced seminars, trade shows, cultural festivals, and corporate engagements in the Inland Northwest. Her work focuses on strengthening partnerships between communities, businesses, educators, and cultural organizations. In 2025, she received the Woman of Achievement Award in Arts & Culture from the YWCA Spokane. In 2021, she was recognized as a Master Artist and Culture Keeper by the Center for Washington Cultural Traditions. For more than twenty years, Charity Beyer-Bagatsing has dedicated herself to preserving the manuscripts of her late great-grandfather, Dr. Henry Otley Beyer. Through the digitization and publication of these rare archival materials, she hopes to help future generations rediscover the folklore, history, and cultural traditions preserved within the Philippine Ethnographic Series.
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Foreword: THE SHADOW OF H.O. BEYER Dr. Jesus Peralta
I was still having my teething syndrome in anthropology when I had my first encounter with the legendary H.O. Beyer, but alas, it was in the circular chapel at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, where he was lying in state. I was already with the National Museum while taking up my M.A. in Anthropology at U.P. Everybody who was anybody in Anthropology was there that night when his remains were to be transported to Banaue, Ifugao province where a series of rituals, Christian and indigenous Ifugao, were to be celebrated to send him on his way to the upper world. I was armed with two. portable reel to reel, tape recorders, a 35 mm. still camera and an 8 mm movie camera, tripods and light meters. I was determined, as my first venture into field research, to document as much as I could, considering the complexities of Ifugao culture and the reputation of Beyer. Considered “The Father of Philippine Anthropology”, and “Dean of Philippine Ethnology, Archaeology and Prehistory” by the editor of the Philippine Magazine, A.V.H. Hartendorp, Beyer was there when nobody else was to start it all, with only the tools and the knowledge of his time. (July 13,1883 - Dec 31, 1966). He arrived in the Philippines in 1905 with B. A and M.A. degrees in Chemistry and from the University of Denver, a Ph.D. in Anthropology at Harvard and finally 2 honorary Ph.D. degrees from UP and Ateneo. He first taught at the then Philippine Normal school and became obsessed with indigenous culture.
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He grew into anthropology when went into the Cordilleras drawn by the culture of the Ifugao. He married Lingayu Gambuk of a kadangyan Ifugao family, with a son, William (Bill), and settled in Banaue collecting ethnographic materials, oral histories, rituals, and organizing a museum of the mountain cultures. In 1925 he founded the Department of Anthropology at University of the Philippines, the first in Southeast Asia, and ran it like a field station. He produced hundreds of reports, data, formulated migration routes, kinship systems, gathered archaeological tools, and even devised a major hypothesis on waves of migration. His legacy is the tremendous shelves of anthropological, archaeological and prehistoric data and papers of the students who studied after him. He fought for indigenous rights and cultural preservation. W. Solheim has a more detailed biography of him. During that memorable initial venture, I managed to document the oral epics the Hudhud, Alim and the out-of-this-world meat-sharing ritual, the Gin-nat. My last romance with the Ifugao was undertaking the 8-year UNESCO project of preserving the Hudhud. I worked with Bill from time to time, with him providing me Ifugao data. His son continued this connection, until I retired from the National Museum in 1997, by then Beyer’s library had been acquired by the Australian National University Library. Just before retirement, the Great-Granddaughter of Beyer, Charity Beyer Bagatsing, got in touch with me through the internet saying that she had a collection of Beyer’s papers that she was donating to the University of the Philippines library. Last March 4,2026 my eldest son, Samuel, now a Canadian citizen living in Mississauga, got in touch with me that he received information through Facebook from a Charity Beyer Bagatsing asking for my contact information. I told him to give her the information. She later told me that what she donated to U.P. was destroyed in a fire, but she has copies of the files. More than that, she was publishing a series of papers on mermaids from the collection of Beyer. She wanted a foreword from me on the publication. I was happy to note that another generation of Beyer has taken up his work. We are still under the Shadow of Beyer.
The Sirena Stories: Ilocano Mermaid Folklore from the Philippines