Beneath the Dalakit’s Shadow: Community Perceptions of Fear and Reverence in Borongan City

The belief system also has a vital role to play in the development of culture and tradition, and the way people view and understand nature. There are different belief systems about trees and their association with spiritual matters in the Philippines. There is a type of tree known as the Dalakit tree, which is scientifically known as Ficus benjamina. This type of tree is commonly believed to be the dwelling place of unseen spirits, and in Borongan, Eastern Samar people have stories and customs that show they respect the spirit world. The objective of the study is to explore the perceptions and meanings about the Dalakit tree and to identify the traditional beliefs about the tree that are still affecting people’s views about nature and spiritual matters. The study used the modified ADDE for creating a multimedia output that consists of Analysis, Design, Development and Evaluation. The study systematically collected data from interviews and other sources that provided information on the perceptions of the local community.The information was then converted into a multimedia product and rated using the modified DepEd Region III Nueva Ecija Evaluation Rating Sheet for Storybooks and Big Books. Factor 1 was rated 4.6 and Factor 2 4.5, which were interpreted as highly acceptable; both met all required standards. With this, there is a strong basis for the idea that using multimedia to share cultural knowledge and stories increases cultural awareness and makes it more accessible to younger audiences.

Dalakit, Cultural Beliefs, Multimedia, ADDE

1. Kaur, G., Kaur, R., & Kaur, H. (2023). Ficus benjamina: Phytochemical and pharmacognostic perspective. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 14(2), 471 478. https://ijpsr.com/bft-article/ficus-benjamina-phytochemical-and-pharmacognostic-perspective/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Gomora, J. (2013, April 11). Origin of the name Dalaguete. WordPress. https://jenalyngomora.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/origin-of-the-name-dalaguete/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Eastern Samar Provincial Government. (n.d.). Borongan City. https://easternsamar.gov.ph/borongan/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Berger, A.A. (2018). Myth and Millennials. In: Cultural Perspectives on Millennials. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69685-0_4 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Nasir, W. M. F. W. M., Halim, L., & Arsad, N. M. (2024). Digital storytelling learning outcomes and critical factors: A scoping review. International Journal Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 23(5), 323–344. https://www.ijlter.net/index.php/ijlter/article/view/1952 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. PhilAtlas. (n.d.). Borongan, Eastern Samar, Philippines profile. PhilAtlas. https://www.philatlas.com/visayas/r08/eastern-samar/borongan.html/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. George, T. (2022). Semi-structured interviews: Definition, guide & examples. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/semi-structured-interviews/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Aguinis. H. (2024). Research methodology: Best practices for rigorous, credible, and impactful research. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383265147_Research_Methodology_Best_Practices_fo r_Rigorous_Credible_and_Impactful_Research/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Farkhatun, Wahyuningsih, S. E., & Supraptono, E. (2022). The development of the Ibis Paint X application module in learning fashion design. In Proceedings of the 4th Vocational Education International Conference (VEIC 2022) (pp. 322–330). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-47-3_38 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. (n.d.). Ficus benjamina: Phytochemical and pharmacognostic perspective. https://ijpsr.com/bft-article/ficus-benjamina-phytochemical-and-pharmacognostic-perspective/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Philippine Information Agency. (n.d.). Borongan to hire former rebels as tourism ambassadors, guides. https://pia.gov.ph/regions/borongan-to-hire-former-rebels-as-tourism-ambassadors-guides [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Culture: The (In) Human Engagement with Nature
• Identity Crisis in Orhan Pamuk’s The Black Book: A Critical Interpretation
• Metaphor in Pop-Up Swahili Sayings: Is it a New Meaning or a New Idea?
• Racial Identity and Ecological Belonging in Toni Morrison’s Beloved: A Study through Social Identity Theory and Eco-Race Theory
• The Role of Non-Human Agency in Contemporary Literature: A Posthumanist Analysis