The legend of the Mampak

, a giant man-eating bird is widespread in Sorsogon.
The presence of the giant bird in the legend of San Bernardino is proof of
the popularity of this mampak legend among the Sorsoganons,

In the town of Barcelona, Sorsogon local accounts attribute several place names
in the town to this Mampak legend. Mapapak, Barcelona was so named
because it was here where the mampak was seen. Tagdon got its name because
it was here where the mampak alighted. Tagdon, in fact, is a corruption of the
local word togdon meaning "to alight." Layog, Barcelona got its name because it
was here where the Mampak flew again. Layog, in the local dialect means ..to
fly." The bird alighted in another place which was named Paghaluban because
the inhabitants here drove away the bird with whips and rods. Paghaluban
means "to drive away with a pole or a rod." Driven from Paghaluban, the bird
alighted in another place, now called Macabari. The place was named Macabari
because when the bird alighted many tree branches were broken due to its size
and weight. Nabari in the local dialect means "broken:'
Other places in Sorsogon have their own stories about the mampak bird. In
Porog Cave at San Pascual, Casiguran, Sorsogon residents believed that a Mampak
lived here. In Pinanaan Cave, at Binontolan, Prieto Diaz, Sorsogon was so
named because a local legend said that it was here that an Aeta named Comisario
Juan killed a mampak with his arrows. The legend must have been old because
the writer, in one of his trips to an archeological site in Santa Barbara, Bulusan, Sorsogon was shown by some residents in this barrio a jar burial cover with a design of a bird with a human being between its beak.