Philippine Folk Literature: The Proverbs is Volume VI of the author’s
eight-volume Philippine Folk Literature Series.

The present collection focuses on the proverb-terse didactic
statement, handed down through generations, the wisdom of many
and the wit of one. It ordinarily suggests a course of action or passes
judgment on a situation.

This work is a national collection of Philippine proverbs-a
putting together of available proverbs from all over the country, listed
alphabetically, in dictionary fashion, according to the most significant
word in their English translation. Thirty-six Philippine languages are
represented in this collection.

As an introduction to the collection, the essay “Philippine Proverb
Lore,” is reprinted here, to provide readers with an overview.

For each entry, the following kinds of information are given:
(1) the English translation, (2) the proverb in its original Philippine
language or languages, (3) language label and source (collector/
collections); and (4) foreign parallels, if any.