ENRICHING KNOWLEDGE BY PUBLISHING IN THE REGIONAL LANGUAGES
THE TAMING OF A SHREW: A RE-READING OF CEBUANO BALITAWS
CEBUANO
“Cebuano” comes from the root
word “Cebu,” the Spanish version of the original name “Sugbo,” which most
probably comes from the verb “sugbo,” meaning “to walk in the water.” In the
old days, the shores of the Cebu port were shallow, so travelers coming from
the sea had to wade in the water to get to dry land. The term is suffixed with
“-hanon” to refer to the language, culture, and inhabitants of Cebu; hence
“Sugbuhanon” or “Sugbuanon.” The Spaniards later modified Sugbuhanon to
“Cebuano” and—less commonly—the early Americans to “Cebuan.” Today Cebuano may
also refer to the speaker of the language no matter where he comes from.
The Cebuano are also called “
Bisaya,” although this is a generic term applying not only to the Cebuano but
to other ethnic language groups in the Visayas. The etymology of “ Bisaya ” is
uncertain although it is probably linked either to the word meaning “slaves,”
for the region was either target or staging area for slave-raiding forays in
precolonial and early colonial times; or to the word meaning “beautiful” which
was what a Bornean sultan declared upon seeing the islands according to a
popular tale.
POETRY
Poetry is the expression of an idea or a feeling in language that is metaphorical. Its basic unit is the verse or line, a number of which make up a stanza. On the basis of form, Philippine poetry may be divided into streams: one is characterized by its adherence to a strict rhyme-and-meter scheme, called tugma and sukat in Tagalog; the other is free of rhyme and meter. What these two types may have in common are such elements as talinghaga, or metaphor or poetic ambiguity, and paksa or, in Cebuano, dugokan, or theme.
SONG AND SUBSTANCE:
Fernando Buyser’s Poetry, His Influence on His
Literary Milieu, and His Contribution to the
Development of the Cebuano Balak
The golden age of Cebuano poetry spanned four decades of the 20th century which were characterized by the ideals of independence and nationalism, the increase of commercial and economic endeavors, the rise and expansion of the middle class, the advocacy for liberal policies, and the growth of popular education. The years from 1906 to 1947 spanned the time when the works of Fernando Buyser, poet, writer, and cleric of the Philippine Independent Church were widely published and read, and when Cebuano writing and literary journalism prospered like never before. This study tackles his poetry, his influence on his fellow poets and writers, and his contribution to the development of the Cebuano balak. It includes, as well, a brief biography, an evaluation of his literary reputation, and an enumerative bibliography of his works.
ATROCITIES AND INTEMPERANCES
A Revolutionary History of Biliran Province from 1899 to 1909
(This paper was serialized in Bankaw News in early 1995. Together with its notes, it was presented as a paper during the NCCA Echo-Seminar on "The Unfolding of the Revolution in the Leyte-Samar Region" at the Leyte Normal University, Tacloban City, on August 1-2, 1996.)
Introduction A big blind spot in the local historiography of the Leyte-Samar region belongs to those historical events that occurred in the newly created province of Biliran, which used to be part of Leyte. Appearing like the silhouette of a woman’s head north of mainland Leyte, Biliran is a largely neglected island, both politically and socio-economically. Yet, this place played an important role for the fledgling colony of Spain at the turn of the 17th century. In 1600, Isla de Panamao (now Biliran Island) became the site of the first large-scale Spanish shipyard in the Philippines, presumably because its forests abounded with wood excellent for shipbuilding.1 After a few years, the shipyard was transferred to Cavite, probably out of fear of the on-setting Moro raids, and Biliran became a neglected and obscure island for more than a century.
THE LITERATURE OF EASTERN VISAYAS
The mountain ranges that traverse the islands of Samar, Leyte, and Biliran have influenced the development of dialectal varieties of Waray and distinct speech communities. In Leyte, the Central Cordillera that bisects the island has provided the condition for the establishment of two distinct speech communities, the Waray and the Cebuano, and the growth of dialectal varieties of Waray. In Biliran, a similar speech situation exists. The hilly and mountainous terrain of Samar has contributed to the rise of Waray dialects, and likewise has nurtured a small number of Cebuano speech communities.
The 1995 Census Report reveals that there were more than 2 M speakers of Waray and 1.2 M speakers of Cebuano in the region. About 80 per cent of the total population in the region were registered functionally literate - that is, being able to read, write, and count.
CEBUANO LITERATURE IN THE PHILIPPINES
Cebuano literature refers to the body of oral and written literature of speakers of Cebuano, the mother tongue of a quarter of the country’s population who live in Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, Negros Oriental, and parts of Leyte and Mindanao. As such, it is an important part of Philippine literature.
Cebuanos have a rich oral tradition, including legends associated with specific locales, like the Maria Cacao legends of southern Cebu and those of Lapulapu and his father Datu Manggal of Mactan; and folktales like the fable "Haring Gangis ug Haring Leon", which warn of abusive behavior by the dominant group. Many of the tales carry lessons, but just as many suggest the value of humor, keeping of one’s wit and resourcefulness, as in the Juan Pusong trickster tales.
FOLK HISTORY OF ALMERIA
(NOTE: The narrative below was copied and slightly edited from the one that appeared in the Historical Data Papers for Almeria, the data for which were gathered by public school teachers of the municipality and its barangays around 1952. A photocopy is in the collection of Prof. Rolando O. Borrinaga, Board Chairman of the Panamao Development Initiatives (PDI), Inc.)
The present official name of the town is Almeria.
Its former name was Bagongbong.
The original settlers found the bank of a river lined with flowering plants that they called Bagongbong. They admired the beauty of the flowers such that they named the place they founded as Bagongbong.
Another wave of settlers who were Boholanos arrived later. They settled on the level land along the seacoast. The newcomers expanded and improved the village under the good and wise disposition of their chief, Solano. As a token of love for their chief, the people changed the name Bagongbong to Solano.
FOLK HISTORY OF ALMERIA
(NOTE: The narrative below was copied and slightly edited from the one that appeared in the Historical Data Papers for Almeria, the data for which were gathered by public school teachers of the municipality and its barangays around 1952. A photocopy is in the collection of Prof. Rolando O. Borrinaga, Board Chairman of the Panamao Development Initiatives (PDI), Inc.)
The present official name of the town is Almeria.
Its former name was Bagongbong.
The original settlers found the bank of a river lined with flowering plants that they called Bagongbong. They admired the beauty of the flowers such that they named the place they founded as Bagongbong.
Another wave of settlers who were Boholanos arrived later. They settled on the level land along the seacoast. The newcomers expanded and improved the village under the good and wise disposition of their chief, Solano. As a token of love for their chief, the people changed the name Bagongbong to Solano.