Chapter 55 : Ophir (ancient Philippines), Homeland of the Polynesians and Austronesian peoples

What is the homeland of the Austronesians? What is Ophir? Who are the Austronesians? What is a homeland?

Ophir (/ˈoʊfər/;[1] Hebrew: אוֹפִיר, Modern: Ofir, Tiberian: ʼÔp̄îr) is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. King Solomon received a cargo from Ophir every three years, 1 Kings 10:22 which consisted of gold, silver, sandalwood, pearls, ivory, apes, and peacocks (Schroff,p41).Polynesians form an ethnolinguistic group of closely related people who are native to Polynesia (islands in the Polynesian Triangle), an expansive region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. They trace their early prehistoric origins to Island Southeast Asia and form part of the larger Austronesian ethnolinguistic group with an Urheimat in Taiwan. They speak the Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic subfamily of the Austronesian language family.As of 2012 there were an estimated 2 million ethnic Polynesians (full and part) worldwide, the vast majority of whom either inhabit independent Polynesian nation-states (Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji and Tuvalu) or form minorities in countries such as Australia, Chile (Easter Island), New Zealand, France (French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna), United Kingdom Overseas Territories (Pitcairn Islands) and the United States (Hawaii and American Samoa).The Austronesian peoples, or more accurately Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of various peoples in the Philippines, Taiwan (collectively known as Taiwanese indigenous peoples), Island Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar, that speak the Austronesian languages. Homeland is defined as a person's or a people's native land. Based on Hebrew scholars and hereditary heads of the ancient royal houses in the Philippines, Ophir, the ancient name of the Philippines, is the homeland of the Polynesians and Austronesian peoples all over the world. Magellan's landing in the Philippines was not accidental. He had been in the region before, and had likely come into contact with the Filipino community in Malacca. In his writings, Magellan clearly seems to think that the islands of the Lequios and the Biblical "Tarsis and Ofir," were to be found at the latitudes he purposely steered towards. In fact, the official charter of the voyage states that one of the goals was Tarsis and Ofir. In a manuscript of Barbosa with annotation by Magellan, the latter crosses out the references to the Lequios and replaces them with "Tarsis and Ofir." The Lequios in Magellan's time were believed to be somewhere north of Mindanao. Indeed, the latitude given for the Lequios by Pinto would have lead Magellan right to the northern part of Leyte. Thus, it is possible that after talking to some members of the Filipino community in Malacca, Magellan realized that one of these people would make the perfect assistant for a journey that he was already planning (Manansala, 2020).

Historian Accounts on Ophir

Rolando Borrinaga : "It was Pedro Paterno who introduced the idea that the ancient name of the Philippines was Ophir, the biblical place that supplied gold to King Solomon. Paterno must have sourced his idea from the brief account of the unknown Genoese pilot with the Magellan expedition about Homonhon in 1521. When told by the people of Suluan that they had already seen people like them (i.e., Spaniards), the Genoese pilot presumed the foreigners were Lequios or Mogores. Lequios were referred to as "big, bearded white men, probably descendants of the Phoenicians, whose ships were always laden with gold and silver" and that they had reached these islands to gather gold and silver."

Toti Dulay in reply to Rolando Borrinaga: "so, it is confirmed historically na may mga ancient lequios talaga sa Samar- Leyte area long before the arrival of the Spaniards...the Samar and Hebrew route is indeed existing even before the Muslims, the Hindus, the Indonesians, the Borneans and the Malaysians took refuge in our prosperous islands to escape the harsh life of their homeland..there must be a settlement in Samar Leyte where the lequios considers "home away from home"...I think this is a good lead where our historians can proceed...how about what Henry Scott mentioned as ancient Samar Datu named Datu Iberein...look at the name..so Jewish..then, look at Samar and Samaria...there are historical leads..I wonder why our historians do not pursue some researches on these historical leads ..some would even avoid it..or despise it...bend it...and make fun of it...(isisingit yung Maharlika)....never realizing that it could unlock a hidden portion of our history as a people and as a nation...why? Kawawa talaga bansa natin..the partisans control the patriots... it is time for the patriots to make a stand...."

A reaction from the Philippine and global public

A well - known Hebrew scholar formulated the Narag Ophir Theory which basically says that the ancient Philippines was the Ophir. From a different angle and circumstances, the Grand Patriarch of the Principalia Hereditary Council of the Philippines and the founder of the Baybayin Buhayin, Inc had their regular meeting in the House of Dulay Mendoza Clan of Marikina came out with a theory that says that the Philippines is the homeland of the Austronesians. They initially call it DulEna Theory (DulEna is from Dulay - Enage, the surnames of the original proponents). Later, the DulEna Theory was adopted by the Principalia Hereditary Council of the Philippines so the theory was eventually called Principalia Theory of Austronesian Inter Migration.The council is composed of the hereditary patriarch and matriarch of the House of Dula, House of Magat Salamat, House of Capulong, House of Gatchalian, House of Gatbonton, House of Sumakwel, House of Lapu Lapu, House of Taytay Palawan and House of Tupas Humabon. The Narag and Principalia Theories were presented separately to the Filipinos and global audience in Zoom lecture series of Baybayin Buhayin and shared in FB Live and YouTube, but it turned out that their findings triangulated with each other, as the academicians would say . The response from the public is amazing. A certain Benjamin Goldstein has this to say in a comment in one of the You Tube videos: “Ophir is a good rallying point for Filipinos in their search for a better historical identity because it is more decent than the non - existent Maharlika. Maharlika does not appear in any Philippine history textbooks (like the The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 by Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson). Worst, it is connected with the Marcos ill - gotten wealth, the Tallano fantasy, Norman Mangusin's scam of him being the sole signatory stuffs like AAA-777, Morning Star, Spiritual Wonder Boy which some people are being promised of future money if they pay certain amount or membership fee, and finally, the disrespectful Sanskrit direct translation of "Maharlika" which means "big dick". Lots of scammers are emerging in lots of places in the name of Maharlika, a very bastardized name. Filipinos should be careful and learn to avoid the Maharlika term. People should never attach the Filipino race to this kind of scam, humiliation and inhumanity. The present generation of Filipinos deserves a fresh and decent start.”

Narag Theory of Ophir: the Ancient Philippines was Ophir

According to the US - based Hebrew scholar Dr. Rich Vince Narag, there are scriptures and historical evidences that Philippines is Ophir which include Hebrew names like Samar (from Samaria), Datu Iberein, Bingi of Lawan, Lequios, etc.who are in the Philippine history books. He also cited several Bible passages and historical accounts pointing that the Philippines is Ophir. His approach is both historical and Biblical. Meanwhile, there is a Principalia Theory of Austronesian Inter Migration: a reconciliation of Bellwood and Solheim Hypotheses. This was presented by the Principalia Hereditary Council of the Philippines through Prof. Sofronio Dulay. The theory basically says that some natives of the Philippine islands might have settled in Taiwan as early as 5000 BC as hypothesized by Solheim. Then, around 3000 BC, some residents of Taiwan settled back into the Philippines according to Bellwood. In almost the same era, some natives of the Philippines settled in Sarawak, based on Bellwood hypothesis, and later, some residents of islands in the Celebes Sea went back into the Philippines, based on Solheim hypothesis.This theory emphasizes inter migration rather than the one directional migration pattern of both Bellwood and Solheim hypotheses. This theory recognizes both Bellwood and Solheim hypotheses as valid. It says that if we factor in the 700,000 year old rhinoceros man excavated in the Philippines by the French archaeologists, the 250,000 dawn man of Otley Beyer and the 65,000 year old Callao man discovered by the University of the Philippines archaeologists, plus the Australian DNA studies on chicken that say that Philippines is the homeland of the Polynesians, and another Australian study that shows DNA mapping showing the Philippines having the most diverse DNA base -- it can be concluded that the Philippines is perhaps the true homeland of Austronesian. Unlike Dr. Narag's Philippines is Ophir Theory which uses historical data and scriptures, the Principalia Theory uses strictly historical data, DNA studies, scientific studies such as modern dating and excavations; Out of Africa Theory, Darwin's Evolution Theory and the current Bellwood and Solheim Hypotheses of migration. At present if one will go to Google to search for the "homeland of the Austronesians", the Principalia Theory is the first page. Although the Narag Ophir Theory and the Principalia Theory used two different approaches, both theories somewhat academically triangulated that the Philippines is the ancient homeland of the Austronesian people, basically. There are other hypotheses that can come out in these two theories -- one of them is that this might add to the narrative of those who are contending the Out of Africa Theory, and might even compel historians to rewrite some portions regarding the histories of their countries specially on the area of inter migration.In the Philippines, a lot of groups are coming out in support of this theories, some of them call themselves Ophirian Generation, or Havilah, etc..Some are even proposing to change the name of the Philippines to Ophir because it is the ancient name of the country before the Muslims, Spaniards, Americans and the Japanese invaded the archipelago one after the other. The Ophir era was the golden age of a free people and prosperous ancient civilization that is slowly being uncovered in recent times by patriotic historians. Here is the live lecture of Dr. Narag.

Principalia Theory of Inter Migration: The Ophir (Ancient Philippines) is the Homeland of the Austronesians

A Proposed Principalia Theory of Austronesian Inter Migration: a reconciliation of Bellwood and Solheim Hypotheses. This was presented by the Principalia Council of the Philippines through Prof. Sofronio Dulay. The theory basically says that some natives of the Philippine islands might have settled in Taiwan as early as 5000 BC as hypothesized by Solheim. Then, around 3000 BC, some residents of Taiwan settled back into the Philippines according to Bellwood. In almost the same era, some natives of the Philippines settled in Sarawak, based on Bellwood hypothesis, and later, some residents of islands in the Celebes Sea went back into the Philippines, based on Solheim hypothesis.This theory emphasizes inter migration rather than the one directional migration pattern of both Bellwood and Solheim hypotheses. This theory recognizes both Bellwood and Solheim hypotheses as valid. It says that if we factor in the 700,000 year old rhinoceros man excavated in the Philippines by the French archaeologists, the 250,000 dawn man of Otley Beyer and the 65,000 year old Callao man discovered by the University of the Philippines archaeologists, plus the Australian DNA studies on chicken that say that Philippines is the homeland of the Polynesians, and another Australian study that shows DNA mapping showing the Philippines having the most diverse DNA base -- it can be concluded that the Philippines is perhaps the true homeland of Austronesian.Prof. Sofronio Dulay is a full time and regular management professor of the Far Eastern University for more than two decades, teaching several management subjects like principles of management, business policy and strategy, quantitative techniques in management, total quality management, logistics management, strategic planning, international business, leadership and decision making, production management, etc and handling several positions as management program coordinator and faculty club president. He attended La Salle, University of the Philippines and Asian Institute of Management taking varied interests in philosophy, military science, law, development management, business administration and public administration. As the eldest son of the 4th hereditary patriarch of the clan who has a lineage of David Dula y Goiti, Prof. Dulay is the heir and 5th hereditary patriarch of the Dulay Mendoza Clan of Marikina Valley. After receiving a letter from the King of Spain, the Sto. Nino de Tondo Church which is the ancient palace of Lakan Dula, confirmed Prof. Dulay the Patriarch of the House of Dula and was inducted as the Grand Patriarch of the Principalia Hereditary Council of the Philippines. Aside from management, he has shown keen interest in baybayin, arnis, kundiman and ancient native rituals. He has been featured in national television like I - Witness and I - Juander, several blogs and interviews, and was mentioned in different citations in scholarly works. He is called with several different titles by some sectors as a patriarch, lakan, rajah, grand patriarch, prince, awang, etc. but he prefers to be addressed simply as Professor Dulay. (Note: This live talk was presented last May 29, 2020, 9pm, Friday in the "e-BAYBAYIN BUHAYIN ZOOM Lecture Series 2020", over Zoom and FB Live among global audiences. This was intentionally done in Tagalog and English for Filipino audiences worldwide. The author wishes to recognize and thanks the other authors of studies, articles and figures he mentioned in his talk. Here is the video of the talk.)

One Application of the Narag Ophir Theory and the Principalia Theory in Historical Interpretations: Without Spain, the Philippines could have been the "Federated Kingdoms of Ophir"

This talk was presented by Rjhay Laurea at the eBaybayin Buhayin Lecture Series via Zoom and shared at FB live to the global audience. Ms. Laurea is the Executive Director of Kalinangan TV and a self - confessed history buff. Subliminally hidden in the talk is the struggle between the Kingdom of Spain and the ancient Philippine lequios (waray) civilization, the Lakanate of Lawan. Esquires Magazine cited historian Henry Scott about the confrontation between Datu Hadi Iberein of pacific district of Northern Samar and the Spaniards who are trying to land in his lakanate. Apparently, the Spaniards did not like the confrontation so they moved away peacefully and eventually settled in Sugbu. They like the way Rajah Humabon of Sugbu treated them. After long friendship, Rajah Humabon convinced the Spaniards to join them in attacking Lapu Lapu of Mactan who has been under the influence of the Lakanate of Lawan of the lineage of Datu Iberein. The Spaniards took this also as an opportunity to hit back on the Lakanate headed by Iberein who mistreated them earlier, so they attacked Mactan. Unfortunately, Magellan died in that attack and the rest is history. In the long run, the Spaniards might have thought that Sugbu is still so near from Mactan and the Lakanate of Lawan who might decide one day to attack them, so they finally decided to settle in Manila to buy peace. Using a divide and rule tactic, they befriended Lakan Dula of the Lakanate of Tondo by betrothing the eldest son and the heir apparent of Lakan Dula to the daughter of Martin de Goiti. The Lakanate of Tondo has been expanding their influence to almost all over Luzon. At the same time, Spain had eventually managed on neutralizing the resistance of the rest of the chieftains all over the country. However, the ruling Maginoo class of the Lakanate of Tondo have noticed the pattern of persecutions, murders and deceptions on native aristocracies despite the fact that they were able to put their former village chieftains as the principalia of the Kingdom of Spain, so they started hiding their descendants to far and safe places, and started to change their names. The three children of Lakan Dula's heir apparent Batang Dula were hidden in plantations guarded by loyal armed followers to strategic places which the natives call even today as Candaba, Candola and Candawid (Kan is a Waray word which means "owned" by Daba, Dola and David). David Dula y Goiti being the eldest, was hidden in the center of Lakanate of Lawan to keep him well - protected from the Spaniards who may decide to kill him, being the heir of the Lakanate of Tondo. The persecutions and abuses on the natives continued which resulted into emergence of pockets of resistance in random places. One of the earliest open resistance to the Spanish rule happened in the Lakanate of Lawan, the Sumuroy Revolt in Palapag, that spread in the Visayas, Mindanao and part of Luzon. The Spaniards responded harshly with several executions of the key figures of Sumuroy Revolt whose lequios (waray) natives had been earlier marginalized through a series of forced "diaspora" -- sending off able lequios (waray) tribesmen to work in the shipping stations in Cavite, a dominantly Tagalog region near the capital Manila, just to depopulate the Lakanate of Lawan of their able warriors and rebels. Eventually, uprising happened in Cavite shipyards and elsewhere, and the Spaniards executed the three native priests Gomez Burgos and Zamora as their response. Pockets of rebellions emerge like wildfire in Cavite (led by Gen. Aguinaldo), Manila (led by Tondo boys Bonifacio and Sakay) and everywhere in the country. With several successful battles in Cavite, Gen. Aguinaldo declared independence from Spain and set up the Philippine Revolutionary Government, only to be cheated by the Spaniards and the Americans in the Treaty of Paris later. The Philippine Revolutionary Government led by Gen. Aguinaldo wrote a formal letter of protest on the treaty, saying among others, that they are protesting the treaty based on the historical sovereignty of Lakan Dula and his people. The cycle of struggles of the Filipinos ended when they finally got their independence from the Americans. But what if the Spaniards did not come? The common kinship and bloodline of the Sultanate of Sulu, Lakanate of Lawan and Lakanate of Tondo -- all relatives -- with the guidance of their blood relatives from the royalty of the Sultanate of Brunei, would have managed to put together all the native ancient royal houses into one "Federated Kingdoms of Ophir", headed by a hereditary Lakan. Ophir/Lakanate of Lawan is the portion of the Philippine history that the Spaniards and the Americans are hiding because the Spaniards and the Americans suffered the humiliating defeats in Mactan and the Battle of Balangiga -- in the hands of the lequios (waray hadlok) of the Lakanate of Lawan. Consciousness about the Lakanate of Lawan might spark extreme patriotism among Filipinos and the oppressors (foreign and local) may not like this.The struggle goes on even today. Here is the talk of Ms. Laurea in the video.

Love, Romance and Faithfulness of the Lequios Tribe in the Heart of Ophir (ancient Philippines)

Historians have identified the Lequios tribe of Lakanate of Lawan as the heart of Ophir. This historical findings had been triangulated by both Narag Ophir Theory and the Principalia Theory of the Inter Migration of Polynesians and Austronesian People. One of the historical accounts was done by historian Henry Scott citing the writings of Fr. Alzina and as written by: Rev.Msgr. Gaspar D. Balerite, H.P.S.Th.D., Vicar General-Diocese of Catarman. The story is entitled Bingi of Lawan. In the pre-Hispanic times, the poblacion of Laoang was a settlement called Makarato (Kobak,2002) while the whole island was called Lawan which later on evolved into Laoang. According to Fr. Ignatius Alzina in his book Historia de las Islas y Indios de Bisayas, the settlement was ruled by a monarch called Dato Karagrag, whose consort Bingi had an irresistible beauty that captivated other neighboring kings, especially the Datu from Albay who planned to attack the Lakanate of Lawan just to win the heart of Princess Bingi. Datu Dumaraog, with more than 100 karakoa ships was not able to attack the seat of Lawan because it is surrounded with more karakoas and able - bodied warriors, so the confrontation was aborted and the Albay warrior, Datu Dumaraog returned to Albay frustrated but unhurt. (Fr. Alzina lived as a missionary in Samar and Leyte for 38 years, from 1634 to 1674, working mostly in Palapag.) Then, describing the place of the settlement, Fr. Alzina in his visit to the place in 1640 says, “On the opposite side of Rawis, on the Lawan Island, which is a sandbar there is a solid ridge of rock. It is fashioned by nature itself and it is so steep that it looks like a facade of a wall… It was a natural fortification, due to its great height of massive rock; it was also secured as if by a moat which encircled its three sides. The fourth side was blocked by a palisade of strong logs. Then too, nature also formed on one side of this rock something like a small cove with its little beach.Historian William Henry Scott wrote that an ancient ruler used to reign in that place, a “Samar datu by the name of Iberein was rowed out to a Spanish vessel anchored in his harbor in 1543 by oarsmen collared in gold; while wearing on his own person earrings and chains.” In the local epic called siday entitled Bingi of Lawan as written in the article of Scott, Lawan is a prosperous Lakanate in Samar. Datu Hadi Iberein is a native of the Lakanate of Lawan (Scott, 1985). Another love story revolving around the lequios tribe of Lawan is about Iday Iberein and a local folk hero named David, which was immortalized in an ancient Kundiman (ancient Philippine musical form) entitled "Ang Awit ni Iday ng Lawan". This folk song is mysteriously in Tagalog dialect in the midst of a Waray - speaking Lequios tribe, but is being sung in ancient Candawid in Batag Island even up to now, especially among old folks. Efforts have been made to search for the origin of the song in Manila and in the Tagalog provinces but to no avail. Local historians are saying that this song is the favorite of the widow of David Dulay in putting their children to sleep. The widow is the grand daughter of Datu Iberein while David is the son of David Dula y Goiti, a grandson of Lakan Dula of Tondo. The widow thought that David had left her to go back to Tondo. Years later, she came to know that David was executed by the Spaniards in Palapag because of his participation in the Sumuroy Revolt.

Ang Awit ni Iday ng Lawan.

Giliw ko, nasaan ang awa mo.

Ang puso, na sadyang nagmamahal sa yo.

Walang bukas, at walang anu ano.

Nilimot mo ang lahat, nang kaligayahan.

Mamahalin din kita kahit sinawi mo hirang.

Susuyuin din kita magpahanggang libing tunay.

Mamahalin din kita ikaw lang ang tanging mahal.

Nilimot mo ang lahat.

Ng kaligayahan.

(Translation: My love, where is your mercy. This heart of mine which is loving you truly. No warning, no signs -- you have left. Forgetting all the happiness we shared. I will still love you even though you have left me. This love of mine I will carry through my grave. I will love you and you will always be my one and only love. Even if you have forgotten all the happy moments we shared together.)

This closeness of people in the ancient prosperous civilization, their natural tendency to sail and their feeling homey to the sea made this Hebrew – blooded natives tendency to sail and their feeling homey to the sea made this Hebrew – blooded natives which history books identified as lequios waray tribal people, over thousand years, send people through boats in the different islands in the Pacific and inside the Philippines archipelago in almost the same magnitude as the ancient Vikings.The Grand Patriarch of the Principalia Hereditary Council of the Philippines is seeking the help of the Baybayin Buhayin Inc chaired by Pastor Jay Enage with co - founders Jaime Hernandez and John Leyson to initiate a professional rendition of this ancient Kundiman piece through the very popular indigenous music group called Talahib being manage by Jaime Hernandez. This musical group has been in demand for their brand of ethnic music that even the Spanish Embassy in Manila would invite them to perform.

Slowly through thousand years, from the Lawan homeland, the Lequious (waray) tribe spread in the asian, polynesian and Austronesian settlements and in other parts of Bisayas, Luzon and Mindanao. In a place called Sawang in Batag Island in Laoang, a ancient grave yard was excavated in the 60's with martabanas, antique plates and jewelries. But what is noticeable are the human bones on that grave yard which are basically longer than the average Filipinos, maybe the bones of Lequios tribesmen. Dr. Borrinaga mentioned lequios (waray) settlements in Biliran, Mactan and Bohol. He also thinks that the Pi She Ye pirates who are regularly attacking mainland China are the pintados from Samar because of a legend of Sumaga. Dr. Boni Comandante mentioned an ancient map in Quezon Province with a name Lequios River. He also mentioned a place in Masbate whose local history says that their ancestors were lequios (waray). He went to the place and they are fair skinned and tall people. He intend to lecture about it in the eBaybayin Buhayin Lecture Series. The Lequios settlement slowly expanded over thousand years into Luzon. In the book of Tome Pires, he said that it was also the Lequios tribe who built the Luzon empire in the ancient Philippines. Historians would say that the original settlers of Tondo came from several big karakoas coming from the nearby Bisayan islands.With all of these historical citations, it can be said that based on history, the modern Filipinos came from the lineage of the Lequios (ancient Hebrew) blood. As time goes by, with a very prosperous civilization, the ancient Philippines (Ophir) attracted the inter migration through settlements, marriage and trades of different people and races from all over the world: sanskrit, arabs, chinese, majapajits, sri vijayans, spaniards, americans, etc making the Philippines a virtual melting pot of races saturating further its original lequios blood. Today, with the advent of Filipino seafarers and overseas workers, the once "melting pot" further became more mixed of bloods and races that young Filipinos are confused whether they are Asian, Pacific Islanders or Latinos. But beyond all of these historical phenomenon, patriotism should be: knowing that all polynesians, austronesians and Filipinos of today came from Lequios (Hebrew) blood in the ancient beginning of times.

Modern Efforts to Rectify some Errors in the Philippine History: Lapu Lapu is not a Muslim Bornean but a Lequios (waray hadlok) within the influence of the Lakanate of Lawan of the ancient Philippines (Ophir)

The Meaning of Sumbol

The former name of the town of Naval was Bagasumbol (i.e., "like sumbol"). According to local folklore this "war-like" name, Bagasumbol, was changed in 1859 to a more "peaceful" name, Naval, supposedly to commemorate the historical La Guerra Naval de Manila in 1646, which was believed to have been won by the Spaniards against the powerful Dutch squadron because of the miraculous intercession of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. The Blessed Virgin is the adopted patroness of the town of Naval.2

The folklore of the town, therefore, has a ready explanation for the "Naval" name. However, the natives have always been at a loss to explain the origin of its former name, Bagasumbol. This old name has been provided with explanations by several authors and writers in the past.

Artigas3 wrote that the word bagasumbol meant "an obstacle to enemies." Lepasana4 mentioned that the settlement was named after its founder who happened to be called Bagasumbol. Chico5 noted the theories advanced by Artigas and Lepasana, but added that whatever may be the case, "the place (Bagasumbol) may either refer to the founder who earned the name of an obstacle to the enemies for his prowess and fearlessness against the hostile attacks of the enemies, or it may refer to the inhabitants themselves, who were reputed for their bravery and courage which enabled them to repel the almost insuperable (sic) invasions of their antagonists."

The diverse interpretations of Bagasumbol, borne largely out of word-play rather than out of a discreet inquiry into the etymology of the word, certainly did not put an end to the debate.

In 1990 I finally came across a direct reference to the word sombol, together with its definition, in an English translation of the Alzina manuscript of 1668. Alzina defined the Bisayan word sombol as "a great feathered ornament (gran plumaje) which they tie to the prow (of their boats, when returning from war or a mission) as a symbol of their victory or as the greatest sign of conquest."6 The word therefore always referred to the ethnic, self-made equivalent of the modern victor’s trophy.

Thus the word Bagasumbol or baga sumbol had always meant "like or similar to (baga, in Waray) a symbol of a great victory or conquest (sombol)." With the meaning of Bagasumbol now known, I was left with speculating on how the place became referred to as Bagasumbol.

"Urban" and "Provincial" Abodes

Pigafetta’s account of his observations in Limasawa Island gives us some clues that the native datus in 1521 had both "urban" (i.e., near a trade center) and "provincial" abodes, where they farmed, hunted, or vacationed. For instance, the brothers Rajah Kolambu and Rajah Awi, whom Magellan and Pigafetta met in Limasawa, happened to be in that island at the Spanish contact only because they had previously agreed to meet each other and do some hunting there.7 In the case of Rajah Awi, he appeared to have an "urban" abode in Butuan, but his "provincial" abode appeared to be Calagan (Surigao). As for Rajah Kolambu, Limasawa Island appeared to be just a favorite "provincial" abode, but he probably came from his "urban" abode in the present Carigara town in north Leyte, which was the abode of his grandson, Rajah Bankaw, of the Bankaw Revolt fame in the 1620s.8

With the above examples in mind, we might surmise that Lapulapu, the other datu of Mactan, must have also had a "provincial" abode. And this could have been Bagasumbol, the old name of the town of Naval in Biliran Island.

Historical Inference

The historical proof for Bagasumbol as the "provincial" abode of Lapulapu could partly be inferred from the accounts on the expedition of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1565.9 When Legazpi and his expedition settled in Cebu that year, he found that the people of Mactan persistently refused to come to terms with the Spaniards, as Lapulapu had done to Magellan in 1521. When Legazpi tried to negotiate peace with them, the Mactanese instead fled eastward, to Leyte. Later, when a force was about to be sent to Leyte, the refuge of the Mactanese, the people of Cebu begged of Legazpi not to launch the attack until they had warned their relatives trading there to get out.10

One of the interesting native characters dealing with the Legazpi expedition was a person named Makyaw. He was the brother of Rajah Tupas, the datu of Cebu in 1565, and the husband of a woman and the father of two girls who had been taken hostage by Legazpi to guarantee peace following the burning of Cebu by the Spaniards. After his family was released, Makyaw played a front-line role in a native attempt to drive the Spaniards out of the islands by hunger, a passive resistance approach to preserving their way of life. But this tactic failed because the Spaniards had decided to settle in these islands, though they left Cebu after a few years in favor of Panay, from where they proceeded to Manila to establish their permanent settlement.11

Makyaw appeared to be the same person as Capitan Basio (a corruption of Makyaw?), the legendary founder of the settlement of Kawayan, now a town 18 kilometers north of Naval. The historical data paper of Kawayan tells that Capitan Basio was a resident of Cordova in Mactan. It also tells that he fled from Mactan and settled in Kawayan supposedly to escape the injustice inflicted on his family by the Moros and the Spaniards.12 If Makyaw of history and Capitan Basio of legend were indeed the same person, then we have proof that Biliran Island was the Mactanese domain in Leyte where Makyaw fled to.13 This could provide a tenuous association with the claim that the neighboring Bagasumbol may have been the "provincial" abode of the famous Mactanese, Lapulapu, who probably sired a similarly brave and defiant son who also became chief of Mactan.14

Was Lapulapu Bagasumbol?

Lapulapu’s victory over Ferdinand Magellan during the Battle of Mactan in the morning of 27 April 1521 was a memorable event in the Western world. Magellan’s death was mourned as a great loss to world history. However, if my speculation is correct, the natives of the Philippines at the Spanish contact may have also acted like true victors: they apparently memorialized Lapulapu’s victory by revering him as a living human trophy, baga sumbol ("like a symbol of a great victory"). Taking Lepasana’s explanation cited earlier, was Lapulapu the person called Bagasumbol, the founder of the settlement of the same name?

In a previous article published in Kinaadman concerning the beginnings of Naval town,15 I apparently erred in interpreting Artigas’s Bagasumbol, "obstacle to enemies." I wrote that Bagasumbol became the name of the old poblacion site of Biliran pueblo only after the local residents showed a belligerent attitude against their deluded and heretical first parish priest, following the latter’s decision to transfer the poblacion to another site sometime between 1765 and 1775. I now believe that Bagasumbol had been the name of this village long before it was made the poblacion of Biliran pueblo, and that the "obstacle to enemies" perception contextually evolved out of a different "war-like" stance showed by the local residents -- that of protracted resistance. The new meaning expanded, but did not necessarily alter, the original meaning of Bagasumbol.

But it might be asked, if the village was named after Lapulapu, why was it not named Lapulapu? Why Bagasumbol instead? The answer to this question reflects the civilities, terms of courtesy, and good breeding of the prehispanic natives. Their greatest courtesy was in their form of address. They never spoke to anyone as "you" or in the second person but always in the third person.16 Thus, in the case of Limasawa Island, for example, the island was not named after Rajah Kolambu in his name, but after one of his probable attributes -- his having five wives (i.e., of him who has lima asawa).17

One of the interesting events in Naval history occurred sometime in the 1930s. The predominantly Spanish names of the town’s 14 streets were abruptly renamed mostly after illustrious local forebears.18 However, one old street name was retained: Magallanes. (Another renamed street, Gran Capitan or Great Captain, probably referred also to Magellan.) It probably would not strain our credulity if the redundant folkloric reference to Magellan in this town subconsciously alluded to the fact that it was Magellan’s conqueror who founded the settlement that became known as Bagasumbol and who may have brought there some trophy from the battle of Mactan.

NOTES

This chapter was originally published as an article in Kinaadman (Vol. 17, No. 2, 1995), pp. 207-214.

1 Rolando O. Borrinaga, et. al., "Beginnings of Naval, Biliran Island: A Revisionist Account," Kinaadman XIV, 2 (1992) 129-140.

2 Ibid., p. 133.

3 Manuel Cuerva Artigas, Reseña Historica de la Provincia de Leyte (1914). Cited by Chico, see Note No. 5.

4 Esmeraluna Lepasana, "History of Leyte," 1954 masteral thesis. Cited by Chico, Note No. 5.

5 Eduardo A. Chico, "A Short History of Naval" (Unpublished 1957 undergraduate thesis at the Leyte-Samar Museum Library, Divine Word University, Tacloban City), 44 pages.

6 Cantius J. Kobak OFM, "Ancient Bisayan Literature, Music and Dances: In Alzina’s Historia de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas ... 1668," Leyte-Samar Studies XI, 1 (1977) 49.

7 "Pigafetta’s Account," in The Philippines at the Spanish Contact (ed., F. Landa Jocano). Manila: MCS Enterprises, Inc., 1975. pp. 50-51.

8 Eduardo Makabenta and Victoria S. Salazar, "Carigara: Ancient Capital of Leyte," Leyte-Samar Studies I, 2 (1967) 180-193.

9 Martin J. Noone SSC, The Discovery and Conquest of the Philippines, 1521-1581 (Manila: Historical Conservation Society, 1986). pp. 299-363.

10 Ibid., p. 362.

11 Ibid., pp. 348, 351, 354, 357, 362.

12 Historical Data Paper for the Town of Kawayan, in Historical Data Papers - Leyte (Vol. V).

13 Several prominent families (i.e., Veloso, Aznar) in mainland Cebu own large haciendas in northwest Leyte, but not in western Biliran Island, where small landholdings of families from humbler origins are common. Bruce L. Fenner, in Cebu Under the Spanish Flag, 1521-1896: An Economic-Social History (Cebu City: San Carlos Publications, 1985), mentioned family names such as Veloso and Antonio. These were also among the prominent landowning families in northwest Leyte (i.e., Villaba, Tabango, San Isidro and Calubian towns) at the turn of the century.

14 Noone, op. cit, pp. 353-354. Fr. Noone made mention of Dagami, "the chief of Mactan (who) was captured and convicted of the murder of Pedro de Arana and executed" nearly one year after the arrival of the Legazpi expedition. Was Dagami the son of Lapulapu? Dagami had urged the native chiefs not to make peace with the Spaniards, "but to drive the invaders out, especially by hunger, and threatened the others with dire consequences if they made peace."

15 See Note No. 1.

16 "Chirino’s Account," in Jocano ed. (see Note No. 7) pp. 135-136.

17 Ann R. Rogador, "The History of Triana, Limasawa" (Student Note, 1990).

18 1987 Naval Fiesta Souvenir Program, p. 2. The old and new street names of Naval are as follows: San Fernando (Vicentillo); Real (Padre Inocentes); Sta. Cruz (Santissimo Rosario); Marquis de Cadiz (Corvera); Gran Capitan (Caneja); Unnamed street (Trece, i.e., 13th); Esperanza (Garcia); Urdaneta (Redaza); Burgos (not changed); Del Rosario (Castin); Magallanes (not changed); Legazpi (Sabenorio); Rizal (Ballesteros); Colon (Abad). Two old street names, Gran Capitan and Magallanes, referred to Magellan. However, when the streets were renamed, two new street names referred to the founder of Naval, Fr. Juan Inocentes Manco Garcia. These are the Padre Inocentes and Garcia Streets.

ADDENDUM:

THE LAPULAPU IN BILIRAN DEBATE

In the middle of 1996, Fr. Miguel Bernad, SJ, editor of Kinaadman, brought to my attention a letter from Fr. Peter Schreurs, MSC, reacting to my article about Lapulapu. Fr. Schreurs is a retired Dutch Columban missionary who served in Mindanao. He was formerly parish priest of Magallanes town in Agusan del Norte, which covers Masao, the other claimant of the recorded First Mass in the Philippines. As a historian, he had refuted the Masao claim in favor of Limasawa.

Fr. Schreurs wrote from Tilburg, Holland. His letter, published in Kinaadman (Vol. 18, Nos. 2 and 3, 1996, p. 246), went as follows:

On Lapulapu in Biliran

Dear Editor,

Kindly allow me to comment on the article ‘Lapulapu in Biliran?’ (Kinaadman Vol. XVII, No. 2, p. 213-214).

1) I am not aware if Kolambu of Limasawa did indeed have ‘lima asawa’ (five wives) but the island certainly did not get its name from that attribute!

2) As for the street names of Biliran: ‘Gran Capitan’ does not refer to Magellan but to the great Spanish warrior Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba (1443-1515) who transformed the Spanish infantry of King Ferdinand of Aragon into the most feared military force of Europe."

Peter Schreurs MSC

Tilburg, Holland

I immediately wrote a response to Fr. Schreurs’ comments. Fr. Bernad published this in the latest issue of Kinaadman (Vol. 21, 1999, pp. 370-371), the text of which went as follows:

Lapulapu in Biliran

Dear Editor:

I write to clarify Fr. Peter Schreurs’ comments (Kinaadman, XVII, 2-3) on my article "Lapulapu in Biliran?" (Kinaadman, XVII, No. 2).

(1) The "lima asawa" (five wives) explanation of the name of Limasawa is a folklore that I have known since childhood. Whether or not this is mere word-play is still debatable.

In 1990, a student of mine from Limasawa wrote a short composition on the origin of her home barangay. She wrote: "Triana got its name from one of the five wives of Rajah Kolambu (Bancao) named Tirana." Of course, Kolambu and Bankaw were two different persons, but the Limasawa tradition seems no longer sure which of them had five wives.

My student also mentioned the names of the five wives as follows: Tirana, Maanyag, Ujaja, Fujing, and Istamona. Five beaches in Limasawa had been named after each of them.

I know that the late Dr. William Henry Scott had a different theory about Limasawa’s name (i.e., Five Phyton or Phyton Place). But this was not sufficient for me to dispense with my own theory.

Like his convincing refutation of the Butuan tradition of the First Mass (in favor of Limasawa), I wish Father Schreurs will further explain his certainty that Limasawa did not get its name from the "five wives" attribute.

(2) I stand corrected on the name "Gran Capitan," a street name which I had mentioned in a parenthetical sentence as a reference to Magellan. I shall remove this erroneous interpretation from future versions of the article.

(3) While that article was in process of publication, I came across other place-names and published references to bolster my theory about Lapulapu. A Lapulapu District in the poblacion of Dagami, Leyte, helped firm up my theory that Dagami, who was executed on orders of Legazpi in 1567, was probably the son of Lapulapu and successor of his "urban abode" in Mactan. Dagami and his mother, perhaps one of Lapulapu’s several wives, may have been natives of Dagami (whatever its former name remains unknown to me), a town that was probably named after a heroic son.

Scott had written a lengthy article about Dagami’s betrayal by Tupas of Cebu.

The probability of Dagami’s being a Waray led me to the hypothesis that Mactan was possibly a Waray enclave during Lapulapu’s days, and to the related hypothesis that Lapulapu was probably a Waray himself. In his book, The Jesuits in the Philippines, Father Horacio de la Costa, SJ, mentioned about a chief of Bohol named "Waray Tupung" (Peerless One). If his part of Bohol was Waray territory, would it be far-fetched to presume that nearby Mactan was also ruled by a Waray during those days?

Of course, Father Schreurs is a historian I admire much. I own a copy of his Caraga Antigua, which I have cited as reference for several articles. Indeed, I feel honored by the attention he has given my article. He has better access to archival sources than I do.

But I have more intimate knowledge of Leyte culture and geography, and of the nuances of both the Cebuano and Waray languages. Since these have not yet been totally discredited as alternative data sources for hypothesis-testing historical studies, then I shall continue availing of them to complement "conventional" sources for my speculations.

Rolando O. Borrinaga

UP - School of Health Sciences, Palo, Leyte

The Advocates of the Principalia Theory has this Message to Filipinos: be patriotic

This video is a rare interview from Guam to the Philippines using Zoom and shared to FB Live on Prof. Sofronio Dulay who earlier said that if we factor in the 700,000 year old rhinoceros man excavated in the Philippines by the French archaeologists, the 250,000 dawn man of Otley Beyer and the 65,000 year old Callao man discovered by the University of the Philippines archaeologists, plus the Australian DNA studies on chicken that say that Philippines is the homeland of the Polynesians, and another Australian study that shows DNA mapping showing the Philippines having the most diverse DNA base -- it can be concluded that the Philippines is perhaps the true homeland of Austronesian. Prof. Sofronio Dulay is a full time and regular management professor of the Far Eastern University for more than two decades, teaching several management subjects in the classrooms and online, like principles of management, business policy and strategy, quantitative techniques in management, total quality management, logistics management, organizational behavior, strategic planning, international business, leadership and decision making, production management, etc and handling several positions as management program coordinator and faculty club president. He attended La Salle, University of the Philippines and Asian Institute of Management taking varied interests in philosophy, military science, law, development management, business administration and public administration. As the eldest son of the 4th hereditary patriarch of the clan who has a lineage of David Dula y Goiti, Prof. Dulay is the heir and 5th hereditary patriarch of the Dulay Mendoza Clan of Marikina Valley. After receiving a letter from the King of Spain, the Sto. Nino de Tondo Church which is the ancient palace of Lakan Dula, confirmed Prof. Dulay the Patriarch of the House of Dula and was inducted as the Grand Patriarch of the Principalia Hereditary Council of the Philippines. Aside from management, he has shown keen interest in baybayin, arnis, kundiman and ancient native rituals. He has been featured in national television like I - Witness and I - Juander, several blogs and interviews, and was mentioned in different citations in scholarly works. He is called with several different titles by some sectors as a patriarch, lakan, rajah, grand patriarch, prince, awang, etc. but he prefers to be addressed simply as Professor Dulay. The interview was done by KULTURA, an Arts & Humanities , Society & Culture , Education Website managed by Allan Camba who describes his group this way:“The ancient Filipino script is called baybayin, also commonly known in the 20th century as alibata. Learning and writing baybayin comes easy, but going through its origin and history takes a lot more unraveling and analysis. So I won't go there on this book. I am almost certain that what caught your interest is the fact that Filipinos also have ancient writings and you want to learn how to use it... correctly ...without permanently inking it in a place you cannot erase or replace…With this primer, you will be introduced to the proper reading and writing of the baybayin script yet also with the hope to inspire you to also know it's origin and history. Perhaps after gaining its roots, you will have a better stronghold and pride in sporting every character of the ancient Filipino writing called baybayin. Have Fun!” Song: Hari Ng Tondo (feat. Denise Barbacena), Artist: Gloc-9, Album:MKNM (Mga Kwento Ng Makata), Licensed to YouTube by: Believe Music (on behalf of Universal Records); Create Music Publishing, and 9 Music Rights Societies

References:

Kobak, Cantius (2002). Historical Sketches of the Pueblos of Samar and Leyte: 1580-1900. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Unpublished. pp. 445–477.

Manansala, Paul. http://www.iphil.net/rp/travel/banaue/. polmansl@IXNETCOM.COM. Retrieved July 31, 2020.

Schroff, The Periplus of the Erythræan Sea 1912, p. 41.

Scott, William Henry (1985). Cracks in the parchment curtain and other essays in Philippine history. New Day Publishers. p. 93. ISBN 978-971-10-0073-8.