Chapter 65: Rediscovering Ibabao: Nortehanons' Quest for Identity

Dividing the World’s Corner: Inter Caetera

At a time when neighbors, Spain and Portugal ruled the world, agreements were accorded with great respect even by the ruling religion, the catholic church.  After all, both were witnesses and bearers of the religio-political conquest undertaken by the marriage of states and religion.  Case in point is the Papal Bull “Inter Caetera” issued by Pope Alexander VI in May 1493 in the aftermath of Christopher Columbus's first voyage to the Americas and sought to establish a framework for the division of territories between Spain and Portugal.

The bull declared that any land not already under Christian dominion could be claimed by Spain and Portugal for colonization and conversion to Christianity. It established a line of demarcation 100 leagues west of the Azores and Cape Verde Islands, with lands to the east being assigned to Portugal and those to the west to Spain.

This bull effectively granted Spain and Portugal exclusive rights to colonize and exploit most of the Americas, as well as parts of Africa and Asia. It was a significant factor in the development of the Spanish Empire and the Portuguese Empire, and it had a profound impact on the indigenous peoples of the Americas, who were subjected to forced labor, forced conversion to Christianity, and other forms of exploitation and abuse.

The Inter Caetera bull was later superseded by subsequent papal bulls and treaties, including the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, which adjusted the line of demarcation to give Portugal more territory in present-day Brazil.

In our study, Spanish conquistadors are usually introduced onto the stage of Philippine history initially following a curtain raiser, 'Inter Caetera." Later, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V sent an expedition to the Philippines two years after he had sold all claim to the islands to the Portuguese crown, and when his son Philip actually occupied the archipelago, he did so not because any pope gave him permission but because the Portuguese could not prevent it.  As tension was brewing, competition for resources and territories led to frequent conflicts, including the Spanish-Portuguese War (1762-1763).

Disputably, Magellan first landed either in Homonhon or Limasawa.  Historical claims of either sides can only breathe an air of hope on Antonio Pigafetta’s journal "Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo" ("Report on the First Voyage Around the World") which is notable for its descriptions of the first encounters between Magellan’s crew and indigenous peoples in the Philippines and other parts of the Pacific. However, his remiss to record on daily basis is also worth telling.

The Lakan of Nobility

“Lakan" is a title used in pre-colonial Philippines for a nobleman, ruler, or leader of the people. It was a hereditary title passed down within a particular family or clan, and the Lakan was considered to be a member of the highest rank in the community.

In traditional pre-colonial society, the Lakan served as both a political and spiritual leader. He was responsible for maintaining peace and order within his community, settling disputes, and leading his people in times of war. The Lakan was also believed to be a mediator between the people and the gods, and was responsible for performing important rituals and ceremonies.

The title of Lakan was eventually supplanted by the more commonly known title of "datu" during the Spanish colonial period, but it remains an important part of Philippine history and culture.

The Dulays of Laoang

Surnames are not without historical signification.  Pertinent to this proposition in matters to highlighting the primal stand of Ibabao as ruled by noblemen before are the Dulays of Laoang.  Dulay is a corrupted pronunciation of the Dula of old which changed through time either by purpose or by some accounts, irresolute transposition.  Take to heart these figures of prominence who are the progenitors of the Dulays of today.

Lakan Banaw Dula (1503) is the King of Tondo whose kingdom extended to Ilocos Region in Luzon and Northern Samar in the Visayas. But he had allies among native chieftains in most part of the Visayas and Mindanao as he was regarded their paramount ruler.

Batang Dula (1535) is eldest son of Lakan Dula. Batag Island of Lawan (Laoang) Town in Samar is named after him.  In 1569 Martin de Goiti arrived in Manila. Batang Dula was betrothed to a lady from the Goiti family, which is one of Spanish ways of pacifying the native aristocracy.

David Dula y Goiti (1568). Due to intense Spanish persecution of the native aristocracy right at the heart of the Kingdom of Lakan Dula in Tondo and Intramuros, the eldest son of Batang Dula, David Goiti Dula was hidden in a far end of the kingdom within the Galleon Trade sea route. He changed the name of his children to Dulay, to hide their identity. The natives called the plantation in Batag Island, Samar where David Goiti Dula was hidden as Candawid (Kan David, meaning owned by David) even up to now. David eventually married Julya, granddaughter of Lawan Datu Hadi Iberein.

Datu Hadi Iberein.  Historian William Henry Scott wrote that 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.” This is a testament of the power and prosperity of the native pre-Hispanic aristocracy in Samar and Tondo. The name Iberein seems to connote a Sephardic Jewish ancestry from the Iberian Peninsula which had influenced the name of the island into Samar (from Samaria). David’s sisters, Daba Goiti Dula changed the surname of their children to Capulong, and Dola Goiti Dula made their children carry the surname of Lacandola. They were hidden in some provinces in Luzon. Datu Hadi Iberein, following instructions from the Kingdom of Tondo, decided to live in peace with the Spaniards provided that they would not have military forces in the heart of the Lakanate of Lawan but would build them in either Catubig or Palapag. Years later, David Dula y Goiti received messages from the Lakanate of Tondo to secretly resist the Spanish occupation by instigating a revolt, and sent trained warriors to Cavite in the guise of shipyard workers because Cavite was decided by the Kingdom of Tondo to be the main force to overthrow the Spanish kingdom in Manila. David Dula y Goiti met secretly with the father of Sumuroy and several native chieftains to plan the insurrection. The insurrection would start in Palapag (Ibabao) to be led by Sumuroy, Juan Ponce and Pedro Caamug. The son of David Dula y Goiti by the name of David Dulay was also in the forefront as the logistics and finance officer of the military operation, using the link of his family to the Lakan of Tondo.

David Dulay (1602) is the eldest son of David Dula y Goiti. A younger brother of David retained the surname Dula on his children which explains that even today, Dulay and Dula surnames co-exist in Lawan but they consider themselves relatives. However, they tease each other as “sigbinan”. David was executed in Palapag Town, the ancient ship repair capital of the Galleon Trade, in 1652, together with his seven followers and a hunting dog named “sigbin”. He was married to a daughter of one native tribal chieftains in the Lakanate of Lawan by the name of Carolina. The Sumuroy Revolt started and spread within the territories influenced by the Lakanate of Lawan. When Sumuroy was killed, David Dulay was forced to lead and expanded the rebellion but he was eventually wounded, captured and executed together with his men. The Romualdez of Leyte is also part of the Sumuroy Revolt. In their official family history today, they thank David Dulay, for allowing their rebel ancestral patriarch to go home to attend to an ailing mother days before the rebels would be caught by the Guardia Civil after a fierce gun battle in Palapag, and were executed. The younger brother of David Dulay, a handsome Caucasian looking guy named Francisco Dulay using a borrowed surname De la Cruz to avoid detection of the Guardia Civil, escaped back to Tondo after the execution of his eldest brother and met a beautiful lady from an ancient village in the north known in pre-colonial times as Alingay or Alinguey. The natives, several generations later, would call the place where this mysterious Dulay with his beautiful native wife settled, as Samara, knowing that the husband of the beautiful native is from Samar and Tondo.

A notable and renowned scholar, Prof. Sofronio Dulay traces his roots from the Lakans of the old. He received a letter from the Kingdom of Spain addressing him as a Lakan, He was featured in I-Witness and I - Juander. He was interviewed by a graduate student of Harvard. He received a letter from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and was addressed as the Grand Patriarch of the House of Dula, Lakanate of Tondo. He was given the title Grand Patriarch Lakan in a ceremony at the Sto. Nino de Tondo Church which was constructed at the site of the ancient palace of Lakan Dula, the last King of Tondo. The ceremony happened  almost a decade ago in the presence of the descendants of Lakan Dula and other native nobilities. Prof Dulay is the missing piece in the Ibabao’s puzzle.

The generational adoption and change of surnames has its historicity.  Its acceptability is so much dependent on context and events.  Take a look at The Royal Decree of 1849 which is also known as the Clavería Decree, issued by the Spanish government in the Philippines which mandated the adoption of Spanish surnames by the Filipino population. The decree was named after the Spanish Governor-General Narciso Clavería y Zaldua, who was responsible for its implementation.

Before the decree was issued, many Filipinos did not use surnames or used native naming systems based on their indigenous languages and cultures. The decree required all Filipinos to adopt a Spanish surname, and to choose from a list of surnames that were considered "acceptable" by the Spanish colonial authorities. Those who did not comply with the decree were subject to fines or other penalties.

The Clavería Decree had a significant impact on Philippine culture and society, as it helped to establish a more standardized system of personal identification and facilitated the tracking of ancestry and inheritance. However, it also contributed to the erasure of many native naming traditions, cultural practices, nobilities and titles, racial and ethnic references, to include the distinct racial identity, the treasured Ibabaonon.

The Passage of RA 4221

On June 19, 1965, RA 4221 was passed by Congress dividing Samar Island into three (3) provinces: Northern Samar with Catarman as capital, Eastern Samar with Borongan as capital, and Western Samar with Catbalogan as capital.

Prior to the passage of RA 4221, the island of Samar was one whole province.  However, residents of the northern part of Samar had long been calling for the creation of a separate province due to geographical, economic, and cultural differences from the rest of the island.

RA 4221 granted the petition of Northern Samar residents and created the province as the 58th province of the Philippines. The new province was then composed of 18 municipalities that were formerly part of the province of Samar, with Catarman designated as its capital.

Tracing Roots, Looking Forward

As Northern Samar steps into its 58th year as a province, it acknowledges its rich history and culture that date back to ancient times. The province was once known as Ibabao, a name, forgotten by many, and, used by some residents today.

The Ibabao people were known for their seafaring skills, and they traded with neighboring islands in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. They also had a complex political system, with various chieftains and leaders governing different territories. The seat of the ancient Lakanate of Lawan which is now called Laoang town, had been led by the family of Mayor Hilario Dulay and his son Mayor Eleuterio Dulay for so many years. Years later, another Dulay lineage of Agripina Dulay, Madeilene Cui Mendoza Ong, led the town as an undefeated Mayor, later as the Provincial Governor of Northern Samar and now as the municipal administrator of Laoang. Her husband Mayor Hector Ong is now the Mayor of the town and her son former Mayor Harris Mendoza Ongchuan is now the Representative of its congressional district. This somewhat show that the reign of Datu Iberein of the Lakanate of Lawan continued up to the present in the ancient Ibabao, based in the House of Iberein in the Lakanate of Lawan.

Today, Northern Samar is a vibrant and diverse province that is home to a mix of indigenous communities and migrants from other parts of the Philippines. The province is known for its natural beauty, including its pristine beaches, waterfalls, and mountains. It is also home to several festivals and cultural events that celebrate the unique traditions and heritage of the Ibabao people and other indigenous groups.

Despite the many challenges facing Northern Samar, such as poverty and natural disasters, the province is looking forward to a brighter future. It is investing in various infrastructure projects and initiatives to boost economic development and improve the lives of its residents. The province is also working to preserve its cultural heritage and traditions while embracing new opportunities and technologies.

Under the current leadership of Gov Edwin Ongchuan, Northern Samar is a province that is proud of its past and optimistic about its future. It is a place where the richness of history meets the promise of tomorrow, and where the people are working hard to build a better and more prosperous future for themselves and their children.

Sources:

William Henry Scott, Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino, “The Mediterranean Connection”

William Henry Scott, Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino, “Demythologizing the Papal Bull Inter Caetera”

August Franzen, Historia dela Iglesia

The House of Dula: Lakan Dula

RA 4221

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The Romualdez and Dula of the Lakanate of Tondo were in the Sumuroy Revolt

  Daniel Zialcita Romualdez (September 11, 1907 – March 22, 1965) was a Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 1957 to 1962. Daniel "Danieling" Romualdez was born in Tolosa, Leyte. His father, Miguel, once served as an assemblyman for Leyte and mayor of the city of Manila. His great-grandfather was involved in the Sumuroy Revolt but narrowly escaped Spanish execution when he was allowed by David Dulay to visit his ailing mother. Dulay and his seven trusted men were later executed in Palapag, Northern Samar and were buried in unmarked graves without Roman Catholic rites. Superstitions existed that a Romualdez was to die that day in Palapag. More than fifty years later, Philippine Supreme Court Associate Justice Norberto Romuáldez, Danieling's famous uncle and the man who made their surname distinguished in society, would suddenly die of a heart attack in Palapag, hometown of his second wife Beatriz, daughter of the parish priest Fray Salustiano Buz, who insisted on campaigning at the grassroots level for the Philippine Senate elections when he was almost guaranteed to win on account of his nationwide reputation.Source:

https://ipfs.io › ipfs › wiki › Daniel_Romualdez . Retrieved August 10, 2011

Senator Imee Marcos Said that the Romualdezes are from Northern Samar

In this video, courtesy of Dabarkads ni Kuya Nards, Sen. Imee Marcos said that based on the history of the Romualdez Clan as narrated by their elders, specially former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, the Romualdez bloodline is from Northern Samar. Historians believe that the bloodline came from the ancient Palapag - Laoang - Catubig area, historically known as the the seat of the lequios waray populated Lakanate of Lawan once headed by Datu Iberein. This explains the historical fact that the Romualdezes being involved in the Sumuroy Revolt.