Atty Pao Chikiamco (the man behind Rocket Kapre) has compiled a very useful and quite exhaustive reference list of local gods and goddesses from various tribal pantheons. The complete list is here.
While Tungkung Langit and Apo Malayari are my go-to head honchos for sheer recognizability and resonating use (hey, there's something to be said about shamans still invoking their names in rituals as a "by your leave") there's some truly interesting stuff in Pao's dictionary of the divine.
Check these out:
Busao – Bukidnon – God of Calamity. The deity most feared by the Bukidnon. (Outline of Philippine Mythology)
Fun Lalang – T’boli – God of Baldness.
Malimbung – Bagobo – Goddess who made men crave for sexual satisfaction. (The Soul Book)
And my fave:
Mebuyan / Moibulan – Bagobo – Goddess of the Underworld. (NCCA) Daughter of Tuglay and Tuglibong. Sister of Lumawig, she refused to ascend to heaven with him. Instead, she drilled into the earth with her mortar, while tossing rice into it to symbolize that from then on, people would die and descend to her in Gimokudan rather than ascend to heaven. When she shakes a lemon tree someone on earth dies, an old person if the fruit that falls is ripe, a young person if the fruit is green. Mebuyan is ugly, her whole body covered with nipples, but she uses these to care for the dead babies. (A Structural Study of Bagobo Myths and Rites)If you find your mind blown by any of the divinities listed and are inspired to write a story about it you can also submit it to Pao, who's looking for shorts for his "Alternative Alamat "compilation. Details for submission are here.
