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Bathala
Early Spanish writers recorded Bathala as the supreme god of the Tagalog. Plasencia and Loarca wrote about him in the 1500s. The word also named lesser beings, such as omen birds and comets. Later, missionaries used the name for the Christian God.
Folklore is retold; versions differ.
Sources: Wikipedia: Bathala (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0)
The story
Bathala was the highest god of the early Tagalog people, according to Spanish writers. He made the world and lived in heaven. People also used the titles Maykapal (owner of what is shaped), Maylupa and Lumikha (creator). Lesser spirits called anito carried messages between people and Bathala. He also guided people through omens, such as the flight of a bird, and through dreams.
The main sources for this belief are Spanish writers of the 1500s. Miguel de Loarca wrote about him in 1582, and Fray Juan de Plasencia in 1589. They spelled the name in different ways, and they wrote as missionaries, so their view is not neutral. Scholars debate the word. Many link it to Sanskrit bhattara (noble lord). José Rizal thought it was a copying error for "Bahala ang Maykapal" (God will take care).
After the Spanish arrived, missionaries matched Bathala with the Christian God. In the 1800s, Diyos and Panginoon replaced the old name. Later groups, such as Bathalismo, revived it. They blend Bathala with new ideas and should not be read as old Tagalog religion.