Many, many years have passed, but the beautiful story of sapang Bato is still unknown to most people. The time has come for all people to know the story and the secret of Sapang Bato.
There once lived in a place called Sapang Bato a a beautiful maiden named Claudia. She had many suitors, but she like Badillo most of all. Badillo was a farmer. He was kind, thoughtful, and industrious.
The love of the two for each other knew no bounds. They were faithful to each other, and they vowed that they would love each other till the end of time.
Unfortunately, Claudia's father. Mang Borong, did not favor on Badillo's courtship. For he had another suitor of Claudia in mind as the better son-in-law. Anselmo was the name of this other suitor who, by the way, Claudia did not like, much less love.
One day before sunrise, Badillo, as usual went to the farm to work. Before leaving, he left word with his younger brother to take his breakfast to the place of work. Badillo worked for sometime.
Later that morning. Badillo's brother came, carrying Badillo's meal. After eating, Badillo noticed his brother cry- ing.
"Why are you crying?" asked Badillo. The brother hesitated at first, but Badillo prodded him on and soon the former was relating what he had dis- covered which was the reason why he was crying.
"This morning, Anselmo's parents went to see Claudia's parents," the brother began. "They asked for Claudia's hands in marriage to their son Anselmo."
"How did you come to know about this?" Badillo asked.
"I happened to be passing by Anselmo's house," the boy replied. "I heard everything because they talked very loud. I even heard Claudia's voice, she was crying."
"Yes, she refused" the boy said. "But what could she do. You know how cruel her father is. Her pleas were in vain. In short, she had to follow Mang Borong's wish. wheter she like it or not."
"And what was Mang Borong's wish?" "To have Claudia get married to Anselmo. Tomorrow morning at 6 o'clock," the boy answered.
The preparations for the wedding were elaborate and quite expensive. Many of Claudia's friend came to help - to decorate the house and do many things. In order to be sure that Claudia's wedding gown would turn out to be the most elegant, the town's four best dressmakers joined hands in preparing it.
Amidst the busy prepartion, Claudia managed somehow to be left alone in her room. Then from her trunk she took a small box.
It was late evening when it was discovered that Claudia was no where to be found. She could not be found in her room. She could not be found elesewhere in the house. Everybody became jittery. Even Claudia's father, Mang Borong, collapsed when he learned of her missing daugh- ter. He had to be given first-aid treatment.
Afterwards a young maiden, one of Claudia's close friends, came upon a letter under Claudia's pillow. She gave the letter at once to Mang Borong. The letter reads as follows.
"Father, it is sweeter to die to marry a man I don't love. Maybe in death, I shall find happiness. I will wait for my one and only love, Badillo, in heaven. Goodbye and forgive me. Claudia."
Without any further delay, Mang Borong left the house to look for her daughter. Just a little beyond the house, he saw Anselmo's coming. Anselmo was riding in a cart.
"Where are you going?, Mang Borong" asked Anselmo.
"To look for Claudia," replied Mang Borong. Anselmo turned pale. Turning to some of the men, he asked them to join him in the search for Claudia. They immediately followed Mang Borong who had already left. Other search parties were organized. The search went on in the dark of night.
It was Anselmo's group which found the dead bodies of Claudia and Badillo. With a sad and heavy heart, he ordered the men to take the bodies to Claudia's home. It was a night of sorrow and tears.
The next morning on the spot where the bodies of Claudia and her lover Badillo were found, there was disco- vered a rock bearing the form of a man and that of a woman. The people could not help uttering the names of Claudia and Badillo.
Latter on, barrio folk started to built their homes near the spot. The place soon grew in to a village and the residents also grew in number. This is the place that is now called Sapang Bato.