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Bernardo Carpio
Tagalog people in Bulacan and Rizal tell of Bernardo Carpio, a giant said to cause earthquakes. Some versions say he is stuck between rocks near Montalban and shakes the earth when he moves. Giant footprints in the mountains are linked to him.
Folklore is retold; versions differ.
Sources: Wikipedia: Bernardo Carpio (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0)
The story
Bernardo Carpio is a hero of Tagalog legend, tied to the mountains of Montalban (now Rodriguez), Rizal. In some tellings he is a giant, because people point to large footprints in the hills. In others he is a man of normal size. One story says he holds two mountains apart. Another says he is trapped between two boulders, and when he shrugs his shoulders, the earth shakes. A local shaman is said to have trapped him with a charm.
Historians note that the name looks Spanish. It matches Bernardo del Carpio, a hero of Spanish legend, and the original Tagalog name is lost. Spanish rule shaped the tale, but Filipinos gave it new meaning. Rizal made a visit to Montalban, and Andres Bonifacio used the caves there as a secret meeting place for the Katipunan. In 1847, the leader Apolinario dela Cruz (Hermano Pule) was crowned King of the Tagalogs, a title that recalls Carpio.
The site is now the Pamitinan Protected Landscape. Director Lav Diaz used the legend in his 2016 film A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery, where a character says the hero was never chained.