Bathala

Bathala (creation god; [top]), a diwata (goddess/fairy, guardian of nature; [bottom]) and the Sarimanok (center) of Philippine mythology and folklore. This illustration was created by pencil and pen drawing. This drawing was computer enhanced. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In ancient Tagalog theology, Bathala (or Batala) was the supreme being and the omnipotent creator of the universe. Antonio de Morga, among others, thought that Bathala meant an omen bird (Tigmamanukan), but the author of the Boxer Codex (1590 b, 379) was advised not to use it in this sense because they did not consider it God but only his messenger. It was after the arrival of the Spanish missionaries on the Philippines in 16th century that Bathala came to be identified as the Christian God, thus its synonymy with Diyos (God) or Dibino (Divine, e.g. Mabathalang Awa), according to J.V. Panganiban (Diksyunaryo-Tesauro Pilipino-Ingles); in some Visayan languages Bathala also means God.

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